Chicago Is Getting a Factory to Make Batteries for Electric Vehicles

Recently, we’ve brought news that charging stations for electric vehicles are being installed in Chicago, Evanston, and Oak Park. That’s an important part of the infrastructure necessary to transition from fossil fuels to other forms of energy in our transportation system. Another crucial element to that transition is developing and manufacturing batteries for electric vehicles. Per a deal announced recently, Chicago will be home of a manufacturing facility soon.

A Los Angeles company building charging stations in Chicago for electric vehicles is jumping into the battery business.

350Green LLC, which is installing 280 charging stations in Chicago and the suburbs, confirmed Thursday that it plans to open a $3.5 million assembly plant on Chicago’s Northwest Side to produce batteries to store electricity produced by the sun, wind or, during off-peak times, from the electrical grid.

The idea, said Mariana Gerzanych, chief executive of 350Green, is to tap those batteries during peak demand times on the grid — like on hot summer days when air conditioners are being used. Electrical grid operators pay so-called peak shavers like 350Green for agreeing to tap stored battery power to reduce demand on the grid.

“It will make a big difference in the industry,” Gerzanych said. “As the electric car industry grows, we can connect it more and more to solar.”

The batteries are small, but some will have about the same storage capacity as those used in the all-electric Nissan Leaf, Gerzanych said. The first are expected to roll out by January. Gerzanych said the plant would employ about 86 people.

The facility, to be located at 2500 W. Bradley Place, would be paid for in part by a $1.5 million grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and $800,000 in tax-increment financing from the city. Both subsidies have been approved and are in the final sign-off stages, according to Gerzanych.

If you are interested in learning more about energy systems as they relate to transportation, Roosevelt seminars including SUST 320 Sprawl, Transportation, and Planning and SUST 310 Energy and Climate Change may be of interest. For more information on these or any other of our courses, please visit our Sustainability Studies website, call 1-877-277-5978 (1-877-APPLY RU) or email applyRU@roosevelt.edu.