Amprius Technologies Inc. announced on March 6 that it has signed a letter of intent for a 775,000 sq ft facility to manufacture lithium batteries in Brighton, Colorado.

Targeted to be operational in 2025, the planned factory will be built in phases—starting with 500 megawatt-hour (MWh) capacity with the potential of up to 5 gigawatt-hours. This capacity increase marks a significant expansion to Amprius’ manufacturing capacity.

“The selection of Colorado for our gigawatt-scale factory marks an important milestone for Amprius,” said Kang Sun, CEO of Amprius Technologies. “Increasing production to meet the substantial market demand for our breakthrough silicon anode lithium-ion technology remains a priority, and we are confident this factory will allow us to scale and effectively serve the electric mobility market.”

The initial phase of 500 MWh will be funded in part by the $50 million cost sharing grant selected for negotiation of award in October 2022 from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains. It is expected to create over 330 new jobs and be operational in 2025. 

Amprius is among the first set of companies to receive funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to expand the domestic manufacturing of batteries, developing and producing since 2018 ultra-high energy density lithium-ion batteries for mobility applications.
 
Their batteries incorporate silicon nanowire anode technology that enables higher power density and extreme fast charging capabilities over a wide range of operating temperatures, which puts them in a good position to serve emerging electric transportation needs. 

“We need more batteries for our clean energy future and we should build them right here in America,” said Colorado U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper. “Thanks to our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Amprius is making Colorado the home for that future.”