KORE Power, the Idaho-based battery cell manufacturer that plans to build a West Valley factory, said Thursday that it had signed a battery development agreement with Zero Electric Vehicles, an Arizona electric vehicle startup.
Under the agreement, KORE and ZEV will work together to design and manufacture vehicle electrification solutions, specifically in thermal management, safety and pack configurability, three areas that present significant challenges in battery development.
The two companies will soon work together at locations across the Valley, including the forthcoming KORE factory in Buckeye, the forthcoming ZEV HQ in Gilbert and at Arizona State University’s Battery Cell Research lab in Mesa. ASU’s Polytechnic Campus in the East Valley has a special focus on preparing students to work in advanced manufacturing.
KORE, headquartered in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, also said it would provide ZEV with battery cells and supplies through 2030.
Electric vehicles are becoming more in focus as the effects of climate change become more severe and Arizona leaders are working to seize on this trend by establishing the state as a major hub for electric vehicles. Companies like Lucid Motors, Nikola Corp., Local Motors, ElectraMeccanica and Atlis Motors are building or expecting to build their EVs in Arizona.
The vast majority of the world’s lithium ion batteries are manufactured in Asia, but KORE Power aims to be the first major U.S.-owned manufacturer of high density lithium-ion pouch cells in the country at its forthcoming factory, dubbed the KOREPlex. The project was announced in July and is slated to start production by mid-2023.
“KORE and ZEV bring new levels of ingenuity to the electric vehicle space,” KORE CEO Lindsay Gorrill said in a statement.” Working together at our facilities in Arizona, we’ll make the U.S. a launchpad to deliver safe, reliable, and affordable electrification to the world with price parity.”
Companies' operations
KORE already operates a factory in China with local partner Do-Fluoride Chemicals. The existing factory in Jiaozuo has a two gigawatt hour per year production capacity, and it plans to boost capacity up to six gigawatt hours annually this year. The Arizona KOREPlex is expected to be 1 million square feet, have 12 gigawatt hours per year capacity and employ 3,000 people.
ZEV currently builds conversion kits for fleet vehicles that swap out gasoline fuel systems for electric battery power. The company plans on building an EV chassis for other manufacturers to build on top of in the future, as well as a standalone ZEV auto.
ZEV was formed in 2020, according to documents on file with the Arizona Corporation Commission, and earlier this month the company announced plans to build a 103,000 square foot HQ and manufacturing site in Gilbert.
Jim Maury, ZEV's president, is one of the local leaders working to build up the so-called Electric Valley, a goal facilitated by this type of partnership.
“This joint development with KORE will produce highly configurable battery pack solutions with optimized volumetric and gravimetric energy densities to meet the power demands from vehicle powertrains to auxiliary systems,” Maury said in a statement. “Together, we will develop the next generation of battery management systems using technologies developed and manufactured right here in the U.S.”
According to Tony Mangat, founder of Mangat Group, Zero Electric Vehicles is also looking to expand in Buckeye on about 20 acres near the new KORE facility. Mangat Group sold 214 acres in Buckeye near MC 85 and State Route 85 to KORE for its new manufacturing plant.
Mangat said ZEV could be building a 150,000 to 250,000-square foot facility on the potential site, which is located on the northwest corner of MC 85 and Rooks Road, Mangat said.
ZEV did not immediately respond to questions about expanding in Buckeye or what its development plans are for the potential site.
Audrey Jensen of Phoenix Business Journal contributed reporting to this article.
