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Li-ion battery plant is claimed as automotive first

Johnson Controls and Saft Advanced Power Solutions have opened a lithium-ion automotive battery manufacturing facility that the joint venture claims is the first such plant in the world.

The plant, in Nersac, France, will make advanced lithium-ion batteries for hybrid, plug-in, fuel cell and electric vehicles. Johnson Controls-Saft has invested €15 million in the facility, which is producing batteries for global automotive customers.

The plant has been built to be scaleable, so that as demand increases it can increase production capacity to meet customer and market demands.

Mary Ann Wright, who leads the joint venture and is vice president and general manager of Johnson Controls' hybrid battery business said: "We are the first company to produce the batteries for the automotive industry and have recently announced a number of production and development contracts."

In addition to the plant in Nersac, Johnson Controls-Saft has research and development centres in Milwaukee, USA and Bordeaux, France as well as system engineering, testing and integration centres at Milwaukee, at Hanover, Germany and at Shanghai, China.

Johnson Controls-Saft is a joint venture of automotive components group Johnson Controls with the French-owned Saft, which has extensive Li-ion battery expertise.

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