EnPower President and CEO Annette Finsterbusch is proud her company will be to be the only operating gigawatt facility in the U.S., which is wholly American-owned and operated.
The dedication of the new 92,000-square-foot EnPower Inc. manufacturing site, at 8750 Hague Rd., Indianapolis, was held Oct. 5 at a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The Lawrence Township site will produce American-made lithium-ion fast-charge batteries that will help combat global warming, according to the company.
“EnPower was founded in 2014 in Houston, but we cut our teeth on a pilot line in Phoenix in 2018. That’s when I joined the company,” Finsterbusch said. “We realize that our mission is to build better batteries. We build better batteries to make the world a cleaner and more enjoyable place. The first pouch cell is a pouch cell built with our proprietary fast-charge, multi-layered nanotechnology. It holds 16-minute repeated fast charging without the harmful degradation to the battery.”
The batteries can be used for electric vehicles, outdoor lawn and power equipment, drones, commercial and off-highway vehicles, marine and aviation.
“EnPower batteries are focused on the electrification of those things that roll, float and fly,” Finsterbusch said. “That helps us to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the existing industries like construction, mining, marine and defense. It enables emerging technologies like vertical takeoff and lift, air transport, drones and who knows what because that’s the beauty of entrepreneurial innovations at ventures like EnPower.”
Finsterbusch said companies like EnPower spur innovation through communities.
“Innovation creates jobs,” she said. “This year alone, EnPower is going from 12 employees to over 60. We’re tracking to double that in the next six months. Jobs are a phenomenal byproduct of building a green economy.”
Finsterbusch said EnPower chose Indiana because the factory was there.
“It was ready for us,” she said. “It allowed us to reduce our time to market by more than 24 months. Granted, it has taken some elbow grease by Earl Wiggins, our chief operating officer, and his team to bring (it back). Like every diamond in the rough, reviving a piece of history is a team-building experience of its own. Breathing life back into this facility fits with EnPower’s goals of reuse and recycle.”
The site formerly was home to EnerDel, another battery producer.
“Building back better requires us to build better batteries here in Indiana,” Finsterbusch said.
U.S. Sen. Todd Young was slated to speak at the ceremony but could not attend because of the Sept. 30 death of his father, Bruce Young. Young sent a letter saying it was a great day for Indianapolis and Indiana.
“If America is to win the 21st century, we must continue to invest in research and development of emerging technologies and we must make those state-of-the art products here in the United States, Young stated. “The batteries produced here are critical pieces of technology that will lead us into a more sustainable future. Making them in the Midwest will help shore up a supply chain that has become too dependent on batteries made in China. In short, this facility is a win for Hoosier workers, a win for American consumers and a win for the people in Indiana.”
EnPower is on track to begin commercial production by early 2023.
