Bringing extensive experience and leadership with large manufacturing projects and strategy, Willy will be based at EnerVenue’s new one-million-square-foot gigafactory in Kentucky.

FREMONT, Calif., May XX, 2023 – EnerVenue, the first company to bring metal-hydrogen batteries capable of more than 30,000 cycles to the clean energy revolution, today announced the appointment of Rob Willy as Senior Vice President, Manufacturing. Willy brings decades of experience in manufacturing acumen and new product launches to EnerVenue. He will lead manufacturing operations and optimization at EnerVenue’s new gigafactory in Shelby County, Kentucky.

Willy joins EnerVenue with 20+ years of leadership experience at General Electric Appliances. He headed the company’s Advanced Manufacturing Engineering team and served as Plant Manager across several U.S. factories. Among his accomplishments at GE Appliances, Willy was instrumental in rebuilding manufacturing capabilities that enabled significant business growth and created jobs for U.S.-based workers. Most recently, Willy has served as the Vice President of Manufacturing at Fortna for the past two years, where he led three manufacturing sites that built high-volume capital equipment to enable industry-wide expansion of e-commerce and intralogistics networks. Willy holds a B.S. in Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering from Ohio University.

“EnerVenue has quickly made a name for itself as a clear alternative to lithium-ion for large-scale clean energy projects,” said Willy. “The cost, durability, versatility, and sustainability benefits of EnerVenue’s Energy Storage Vessels  have become clear to developers, utilities, and partners, and production must accelerate to meet demand. EnerVenue is doing just that with its massive gigafactory and strategic materials and equipment deals. As a long-time resident of Kentucky, I’m especially excited to lead manufacturing operations at our gigafactory and bring high-paying advanced manufacturing jobs to Shelby County.”

In the plants he has led, Rob has launched the Toyota Production System and employed Lean problem-solving methodology to drive next-level productivity gains, operational efficiency, and world-class quality.  He was an early adopter of Industry 4.0 to enable real-time problem-solving through shop floor visualization and automation.

“Rob gives EnerVenue the proven leadership we need as we begin production in our gigafactory,” said Jorg Heinemann, CEO, EnerVenue. “He brings a unique blend of technical and operational expertise, and has been very successful at building and developing strong teams that optimize plant performance and efficiency. As we embark on the next chapter at EnerVenue—one of significant scale to bring our storage solutions to more customers—the experience and insight Rob adds to our manufacturing direction is pivotal.”

EnerVenue’s gigafactory is expected to begin production in 2024. The company expects to invest in excess of $1 billion to expand to more than 20 GWh per year across its domestic manufacturing sites in subsequent phases.  The company has more than 7 GWh of customer commitments from Pine Gate Renewables, Nicon Industries’ Green Energy Renewable Solutions, and others.

About EnerVenue

EnerVenue builds simple, safe, and cost-efficient energy storage solutions for the clean energy revolution. Based on technology proven over decades under the most extreme conditions, EnerVenue batteries are refined and scaled for large renewable energy integration applications.

The one-million-square-foot manufacturing facility will enable the fast-growing clean energy company to meet current and future demand for its unique, non-lithium-ion battery technology.

FREMONT, Calif., and SHELBY COUNTY, Ky., March 28, 2023 – EnerVenue, the first company to bring metal-hydrogen batteries capable of more than 30,000 cycles to the clean energy revolution, today announced it will open a one-million-square-foot gigafactory in Shelby County, Kentucky. The 73-acre site will become the company’s state-of-the-art manufacturing plant for its Energy Storage Vessels. All aspects of design and process validation, manufacturing and testing will be performed onsite. The first phase of the project will encompass one gigawatt hour of annual production. EnerVenue expects to invest in excess of $1 billion to expand to more than 20 gigawatt hours per year across its domestic manufacturing sites in subsequent phases.

“Locating EnerVenue’s gigafactory in Kentucky is a win for the commonwealth,” said Governor Andy Beshear. “Our leadership has prioritized bringing high-quality jobs to the region and this is yet another example of those efforts paying dividends.”

The new gigafactory, located in the heart of Kentucky’s manufacturing region, is expected to create 450 full-time jobs during the initial opening and first phase of the production ramp. Shelby County offered EnerVenue a generous long-term incentive package comprising property and wage tax rebates totaling $20 million over a 25-year period, which is commensurate with the company’s significant local investment. The state of Kentucky also offered EnerVenue more than $10.3 million in tax incentives for the first phase of the company’s ramp. The tax rebates will help support growth in the county and incentivize future development as the gigafactory expands and adds additional jobs.

“We are excited to welcome EnerVenue to Shelby County and look forward to the positive impact its gigafactory will have on our local economy,” said Dan Ison, Shelby County Judge Executive. “With this facility, county residents will be afforded new, lucrative career opportunities.”

EnerVenue continues to see accelerating demand for its unique solution for safe, durable, and versatile clean energy storage. The company has more than 7 GWh of customer commitments, including from Pine Gate Renewables, Nicon Industries’ Green Energy Renewable Solutions, and Sonnell Power Solutions, among others.

“As customer interest in EnerVenue’s storage technology soars, we’re excited to significantly scale battery production with our new state-of-the-art gigafactory in Shelby County,” said Jorg Heinemann, CEO, EnerVenue. “Following a nationwide vetting process, Kentucky emerged as the ideal fit to build our new facility. The state and county governments were committed to bringing manufacturing and clean energy jobs to the region, and we look forward to working with them as we build out operations.”

The gigafactory also continues to grow EnerVenue’s national footprint. The company recently expanded its operations in Fremont, California and secured long-term materials and equipment supply agreements with Precision Process and Precious Plate in Niagara Falls, New York.

EnerVenue recently launched the second generation of its large-format battery technology—Energy Storage Vessels™—that enable more scalable and customizable configurations. The company also backs its vessels with Capacity Assurance™, offering customers a straightforward 20-year/20,000-cycle warranty extension at 88%+ capacity.

The gigafactory is expected to begin production by the end of the year.

About EnerVenue

EnerVenue builds simple, safe, and cost-efficient energy storage solutions for the clean energy revolution. Based on technology proven over decades under the most extreme conditions, EnerVenue batteries are refined and scaled for large renewable energy integration applications. The company is headquartered in Fremont, California.

The new facility enables the clean energy storage company to scale its engineering and operations teams

FREMONT, Calif. – Aug. 2, 2022 – EnerVenue, the first company to bring metal-hydrogen batteries capable of 30,000 cycles to the clean energy revolution, today announced that it has completed a lease agreement on a 64,000-square-foot building in Fremont, California that will expand EnerVenue’s corporate footprint and house the company’s pilot manufacturing facility.

The building is located at 3500 Gateway Boulevard and provides EnerVenue with a mixed-use facility that is ideally suited for EnerVenue’s continued growth.

“We’ve seen incredible growth in our first two years, with global partnerships, significant funding, and a truly differentiated grid-scale energy storage solution,” said Jorg Heinemann, CEO, EnerVenue. “In vetting locations for our long-term future, we considered our aggressive development plans and the facilities we’ll require for what’s to come. We’re proud to be able to continue to build and grow in the City of Fremont.”

With accelerating growth powered by the company’s energy storage technology, EnerVenue has quickly sprouted to more than 150 employees since its founding in 2020. The company raised $125 million in an oversubscribed Series A funding round in late 2021 and continues to hire talent at a fast clip.

“The City of Fremont is thrilled to witness EnerVenue’s continued commitment to our community,” said Mayor Lily Mei. “Fremont is perfectly situated to leverage Silicon Valley’s best, and we believe EnverVenue will benefit from the city’s central location, excellent facilities, and access to world-class talent. EnerVenue’s expansion could not come at a more needed time as we face the dual challenges of combating climate change and rapidly modernizing our grid for a clean electric future.”  

At 4x the square footage of its existing headquarters, also in Fremont, the new facility will provide EnerVenue with the space required to scale and staff additional sales, service, and engineering expertise, while also growing its advanced R&D and manufacturing capabilities.

“3500 Gateway Boulevard is a top-notch facility with office and manufacturing space that aligns perfectly with where EnerVenue is today and where we’re headed,” said Frank Blohm, COO, EnerVenue. “The new space represents a key milestone as EnerVenue ramps towards large-scale production.”

EnerVenue projects a move-in date during the second half of 2022.

About EnerVenue

EnerVenue builds simple, safe, and cost-efficient energy storage solutions for the clean energy revolution. Based on technology proven over decades under the most extreme conditions, EnerVenue batteries are refined and scaled for large renewable energy integration applications. The company is headquartered in Fremont, California.