New battery plant opens up in US ‘illuminating a clear path’ — here’s what it means for EV revolution

The American electric vehicle revolution is gaining momentum in a part of the country that’s no stranger to game-changing movements.

Factorial Energy has opened the country’s largest solid-state battery factory near Boston, according to Business Wire. The news is being heralded as a boon for the local economy that takes advantage of government programs geared to enable the EV industry.

“Automaker demand for American-made batteries is high to produce electric or hybrid vehicles that qualify for incentives,” Factorial Executive Chairman Joe Taylor told CleanTechnica. “Our facility will manufacture automotive-sized solid-state batteries at pre-production speed and volume, illuminating a clear path to mass production and reaching economies of scale.”

The factory, a $50 million project, will employ 150 New Englanders, per Business Wire.

The crew will be making an innovative solid-state battery the company has branded “FEST” (Factorial Electrolyte System Technology).

EVs are commonly powered by lithium-ion batteries using a liquid electrolyte — the substance where the charge/discharge chemistry happens. In solid-state batteries, the electrolyte lives up to its name (it’s solid), often made from ceramic or polymer. FEST uses the latter, with strong performance results, according to ACS Publications.