Lithium-ion batteries are widely known as the engines of the decarbonization movement, powering EVs as well as stationary energy storage systems that support wind and solar. With that in mind, it would be no surprise if US President Donald Trump tried to crush the US battery industry in its cradle. Guess again. The domestic battery business is booming, and the latest news involves a major expansion of an existing Li-ion factory, supported with a $100 million grant from the Trump administration itself. More Li-ion Batteries For The USA The new factory comes under the wing of the US chip maker Forge Nano, which specializes in advanced materials along with advanced manufacturing systems to match. Earlier this week the company ceremoniously launched a construction project aimed at expanding its operations in Morrisville, North Carolina from 100,000 square feet to nearly 315,000 square feet. At full production the new campus will host a lithium-ion battery cell operation of up to 3 gigawatt-hours per year, with startup expected in 2028. Among the dignitaries invited to stick a ceremonial shovel in the dirt was Audrey Robertson, the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Energy overseeing the Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation. Her attendance was something of a surprise, signifying the Trump administration’s seal of approval despite the President’s focus on promoting coal (this stuff), oil, and natural gas along with nuclear energy. However, Robertson came to the Energy Department from a successful career in fossil fuels, and battery energy storage systems are generally source-agnostic. The demand for batteries has soared alongside the data center boom, with industrial users and other large loads also contributing to the push for new battery factories alongside small scale stakeholders including the residential and commercial sectors. Accordingly, the Trump chopper has not come down on energy storage ventures, at least not to the same extent suffered by other clean tech industries in the US. “The facility is designed to address one of the most significant vulnerabilities facing the U.S. battery industry: the nation’s dependence on foreign-controlled supply chains for batteries used in applications critical to national security,” Forge Nano emphasizes. “Forge Nano’s Gigafactory is intended to establish a secure, U.S.-based manufacturing hub capable of supplying advanced lithium-ion batteries at scale,” the company adds again for good measure. It Takes A Village To Make More Batteries Before you get too excited by the potential for EV applications, electrifying individual passenger cars was not the focus of the $100 million grant, at least not initially. The funds were carved out from the Battery Materials Processing and Battery Manufacturing program in 2024, authorized by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law with decarbonizing heavy-duty trucks in mind as well as off-road, aerospace, and national defense applications. Democratic US Representative Deborah Ross celebrated the grant award in a press release dated September 20, 2024, noting that Republican US Senator Thom Tillis urged the Energy Department to prioritize funding for the project, along with Republican US Senator Ted Budd. For the record, Forge Nano states that its own investment in the expansion will range between $300 million and $330 million. More EVs For The US Military It’s no secret that the US Department of Defense has been pursuing the vehicle electrification movement, even as the consumer market for zero mobility suffers the slings and arrows of last year’s sharp U-turn in federal energy policy. At present the focus is on hybrid EVs, including autonomous hybrids. Evidently Forge Nano anticipates more where that came from. At the 3 gigawatt-hour mark, Forge calculates that it will churn out 150 million battery cells per year. “Depending on customer demand and product mix, that capacity could support approximately 10–20 million drone batteries, 34,000 electric military vehicles, 6 million BB-2590 radio batteries, 900 6T (Type 2) batteries, or approximately 275 energy storage system containers annually,” the company notes. “The timing of the expansion is expected to align with new National Defense Authorization Act (“NDAA”) battery sourcing requirements taking effect in 2028, further increasing the need for secure domestic sources of advanced battery cells for defense applications,” Forge Nanoe additionally observes. Samsung SDI Is In The House In a somewhat awkward coincidence, the South Korea-headquartered firm Samsung SDI is also supporting the expansion project. The awkwardness comes from President Trump, who abruptly cut a joint US-South Korea drill short earlier this week, citing his “very good” relationship with North Korea. Nevertheless, an agreement is an agreement, and in June Samsung SDI entered into a conditional agreement with Forge Nano, covering the purchase of battery cells at the new Gigafactory. “Additionally, Forge Nano will distribute Samsung SDI battery cells in the U.S. as an authorized distributor,” Forge Nano elaborates. In addition to producing Forge Nano’s own Atomic Armor™ battery products, the expanded factory will produce Samsung SDI cells. Again, don’t get too excited by that EV angle. Forge Nano specifies that Samsung SDI’s cells will go to automotive applications, but not on the consumer side. The company’s CEO, Paul Lichty makes a good case that the hookup with Samsung SDI is a significant, first-of-its-kind development in the US battery manufacturing sector, so here it is in full (breaks added for readability): “For the first time, a U.S. battery technology company will partner with a tier-1 battery manufacturer to produce their cells on American soil. “This same partner is committing to ensure our operational excellence and will buy cells from that facility so they can be delivered to critical U.S. markets. “This model enables Forge Nano to mitigate scaling risk and directly supply high-performance, U.S.-made battery cells to domestic defense and other critical infrastructure customers that require secure, domestic manufacturing.” The EV Battery Angle If Forge Nano sounds familiar, it is. The company surfaced on the CleanTechnica radar in October of 2024, when General Motors announced the retirement of its Ultium EV battery brand alongside a $10 million investment in Forge Nano. “GM is expanding its focus on electric vehicles, though, and a new strategic partnership with the California startup Forge Nano indicates that the company has ambitious plans to pursue lower-costing, higher-performing batteries alongside a branding refresher,” CleanTechnica reported. “Forge Nano will also build prototype lithium-ion battery cells at its Thornton, Colorado headquarters to showcase the capabilities of its technology,” GM added. Now that the relationship is closing in on two years I’ll reach out to GM see where things stand today, so stay tuned for an update. In the meantime, it’s worth noting that the Defense branch of GM is one of three automakers recently tapped to develop prototype hybrid-electric tactical vehicles for the Army (Ford and the startup BC Customs are the other two). Photo: A forthcoming 3 gigawatt-hour factory will help nail down an ample supply of Made-in-the-USA lithium-ion batteries, with support from a $100 million US Department of Energy grant (cropped, courtesy of Forge Nano).
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