Amprius is going to open a new gigafactory in Colorado

Battery developer Amprius Technologies (NYSE: AMPX) today announced that it has signed a letter of intent for a 775,000-square-foot facility near Denver.

The battery factory will be built in phases, starting with 500 megawatt-hours. The initial footprint will have the potential of up to 5 gigawatt-hours.

The company chose an existing 1.3 million-square-foot factory site in Brighton, in the Denver area, because it already has the electric power and structural layout it needs, which will reduce buildout costs.

Amprius says the location is close to essential materials and critical transportation infrastructure, and that the site “is expected to both streamline time-to-market and drive effective customer fulfilment.”

In October, the US Department of Energy awarded Amprius a $50 million cost-sharing grant as the result of the Biden administration’s Infrastructure Law.

Colorado governor Jared Polis said:

We need more batteries to power the future, and now we will be manufacturing more of them right here in Colorado. We are excited to welcome Amprius to Colorado, bringing over 300 new good-paying jobs and joining Colorado’s innovative and collaborative business community.

Fremont-headquartered Amprius, which was founded by a Stanford University professor, uses silicon nanowires instead of graphite anode in its lithium-ion batteries. That allows for higher energy density, which means Amprius’ batteries can store more energy in the same amount of space than traditional batteries.

Or, as the company puts it, “This means our cells provide more energy and power with much less weight and volume.” So its batteries provide EVs with longer range, faster charging times, and greater energy density.

The batteries will be developed in Fremont and manufactured in Brighton. Amprius is aiming to launch the factory in 2025.

Read more: Tesla cofounder’s Redwood just scored a $2B govt loan to make EV batteries

Photo: Amprius

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