Battery startup Statevolt has acquired a 135-acre site near the Salton Sea in Imperial Valley, California, for a new 54 GWh gigafactory. The company says it intends to manufacture batteries for EVs and storage applications using exclusively US resources and supply chains as part of its hyperlocal business model.

According to Statevolt, the location was chosen because the Salton Sea contains enough lithium to meet US demand as well as a projected 40% of global demand. Incentives provided through the Inflation Reduction Act have accelerated its development plans, the company says. It has engaged AECOM to undertake environmental and traffic analysis, and has partnered with Controlled Thermal Resources to supply lithium and geothermal power from its Hell’s Kitchen plant.

Statevolt says that at full operating capacity, the new facility will be able to produce batteries for 650,000 EVs a year.

Source: Green Car Congress