Forsee Power, an expert in smart battery systems for sustainable electromobility, announced at the SelectUSA Investment Summit in Washington D.C. that the Group will establish its North American headquarters and gigafactory in Hilliard, Ohio.
This is a major step in the development of the Group that now has a unique international footprint in the battery system industry.
The Group will continue serving existing customers and will develop a local customer base in North America. Forsee Power will establish an industrial base in the United States to target the growing commercial vehicle market, primarily buses, trucks, off-highway vehicles, light urban and utility vehicles and trains. This will not only optimize costs and the supply chain – which is beginning to take hold on the continent – but it is also a requirement for certain key markets such as the city bus market, which requires a local presence to comply with the FAST Act (70% of value must be produced locally in public procurement).
The Group will leverage its experience of more than 1,200 buses and 100,000 light vehicles equipped with Forsee Power batteries.
Forsee Power has selected Hilliard, Ohio, located in the Columbus Region, to establish its North American headquarters and Gigafactory.
To quickly start operations, the Group will duplicate the production of existing products and product ranges, cover the needs of current and local customers with its line of battery systems, as well as systems designed specifically for the US market and foster the emergence of a local skills base.
The Group’s aim is to achieve production capacity of 3 GWh in the United States by 2027, which it estimates would involve investments of more than EUR 13 million over the period, adapting its product offer to the local market, building production lines, and recruiting a local team of 150 employees.
The site, located at 4555 Lyman Drive in Hilliard, Ohio in the Columbus Region is 138,000 square feet (13,000 square meters) and will host corporate office, manufacturing operations and R&D capabilities. It is a scalable site, strategically located to attract operators and as well engineers in a fast-growing neighborhood.