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Quallion Receives Intent From California Energy Commission to Provide Up to $9M in Cost Sharing for Lithium Ion Battery Manufacturing Facility

Posted on: Thursday, 28 May 2009, 14:22 CDT

New Plant Will Help Renew California Job Market

SYLMAR, Calif., May 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, Quallion LLC, the largest U.S. manufacturer of customized high quality lithium ion batteries for medical, military, aerospace and vehicle applications, announced it had submitted a proposal to the California Energy Commission (Energy Commission) for cost sharing on the expansion of the company's California battery manufacturing facilities. Quallion submitted a successful pre-proposal to the Energy Commission's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Cost Share: Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program. If Quallion's final proposal is granted, the Energy Commission intends to provide cost sharing for Quallion's new state-of-the-art lithium ion battery manufacturing facility for an amount up to $9M if the company receives a federal award in response to its application for the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Recovery Act -- Electric Drive Vehicle Battery and Component Manufacturing Initiative, which was submitted on May 19, 2009.

"The batteries manufactured in Quallion's new facility will help our country take a giant step toward energy independence. We have the technology ready to go, now we need the facility and the manpower," said Paul Beach, Quallion President. "The plant has the ability to create 500 jobs in California, which has been hit hard by the economy. Once built, we will create even more jobs in manufacturing and installation."

If its DOE and Energy Commission bids are granted, Quallion will begin construction of a new lithium ion battery manufacturing facility immediately, creating 500 construction jobs in southern California. With the facility slated to be complete in 2012, 2,350 long-term skilled manufacturing and installation jobs will be created in California and across the country. Quallion's plant will significantly increase America's influence in the Asian dominated lithium ion battery industry and will help to renew America's manufacturing job market. California isn't the only state offering stimulus money to lithium ion battery manufacturers. Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri and New York have all enacted similar stimulus packages.

The initial focus for Quallion's new facility will be the production of zero emission advanced lithium ion batteries designed to replace engine idling as a power source for stationary trucks. Anti-idling laws, which forbid the use of engine idling in a stationary truck to power electrical systems that run air conditioning, heat, etc., exist in 24 states and the District of Columbia. The state of California has some of the most rigorous laws, which have a minimum fine of $300 for idling, up to $10,000.

Quallion currently produces high volume medical and military batteries as well as custom-designed aerospace batteries. Cell designs range from the world's smallest conventional lithium ion cell (a cylindrical 1.8 mAh cell) for medical implants to large 15 and 72 Ah prismatic cells. Quallion also has extensive experience with the commercialization of its module type battery configurations using its proprietary Matrix(TM) technology that will allow for scalable battery designs that can be quickly and cost effectively reconfigured for use in a variety of vehicles from heavy duty trucks to passenger cars.

About Quallion LLC

Quallion LLC was founded in 1998 by biotechnology and aerospace entrepreneur Alfred E. Mann and lithium ion battery specialist Dr. Hisashi Tsukamoto. The company designs, fabricates and manufactures state-of-the-art lithium ion cells and battery packs, and develops new battery chemistries for the military, aerospace, medical and automotive industries. Building on its legacy leadership position in the medical device industry, the company has developed a range of novel enabling technologies that include the world's smallest implantable secondary battery and the proprietary Zero-Volt(TM) and SaFE-LYTE(TM) technologies. Leveraging its core engineering capabilities, Quallion has established itself as a leader in applications where advanced battery technology, safety, reliability and custom engineering are most valued. The company possesses more than 60 chemistry, cell and battery patents and has 90 pending patents. Company certifications include ISO 9001:2000, AS9100B, and ISO 13485:2003. Visit www.quallion.com for more information.

SOURCE Quallion LLC

Source: PR Newswire

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