Italvolt founds Statevolt for a US battery energy expansion

Electrification of the roads across the globe requires sustainable development, innovation, and corporations that are capable of manufacturing the necessary components for electric vehicles (EVs). 

One of these organisations is Italvolt, which is currently developing a state-of-the-art Gigafactory in Scarmagno, Italy, to meet the demands of the fast-paced lithium-ion cell market. The new facility is expected to open in 2024 and will cater for electric vehicle production, industrial equipment manufacture, grid battery energy storage systems, and more innovative applications. 

The new site will span 300,000 square metres, create jobs for around 3,000 employees and produce around 45GWh of energy per year.

Italvolt subsidiary Statevolt enters the US energy market 

As part of its expansion plan, Italvolt founded a new company, Statevolt, to construct a facility in Imperial Valley, southern California, that is expected to produce 54GWh, costing US$4bn. Statevolt also signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR) for the launch of the site.

When discussing the reason for Statevolt’s move, Lars Carlstrom, Founder of Statevolt, says: “The development of lithium-ion batteries is crucial for the US to meet its goals to transition to net zero. Statevolt is proud to begin its journey to develop US expertise and production of lithium-ion batteries, as we look to serve this critical market.”

On the day of the announcement, he said: “Today, we face a significant shortage of lithium that is required to meet the demand for electric vehicles. We are pioneering a new, hyper-local business model, which prioritises sustainability and resilience in the supply chain to solve this issue. More importantly, we believe this model will offer Statevolt a significant advantage in producing lithium-ion batteries at scale, to meet booming consumer demand and create good-paying, highly skilled jobs.”

The Chief Executive Officer of Controlled Thermal Resources, Rod Colwell expresses the company’s excitement to work with the company on the US-based project. 

“CTR is absolutely delighted to further our relationship with Statevolt. We applaud Lars and his team for taking a proactive approach to ensure the company’s future lithium supply, while also consciously seeking out the cleanest lithium and power available for Statevolt’s first US Gigafactory.” 

“The extraordinary growth in electric vehicle adoption and the emerging demand for energy storage systems to provide clean power highlights the urgent need to develop a strong and secure battery supply chain in the United States. CTR continues to develop its significant resource in response to this unprecedented demand, and we look forward to collaborating with Statevolt as we accelerate these efforts.”