Darmstadt, Germany-based electric systems company AKASOL is planning a production facility in metro Detroit with production slated to begin next year.
AKASOL, founded in 1990, is Europe’s largest supplier of battery systems for commercial vehicles and buses with hybrid or all-electric drives and is a leading manufacturer of high-performance, lithium-ion battery systems for buses, commercial vehicles, rail vehicles, industrial vehicles, ships and boats.
In the construction segment, AKASOL has applications for emissions-free mining equipment. Schulde noted mine operators can reduce overall costs because “they don’t need all that air-cleaning equipment in the mine” since EVs aren’t leaving emissions behind.
According to a case study commissioned by AKASOL with GoldCorp, Inc., operators can save 7,500 tons of CO2 per year, more than 750,000 gallons of diesel, more than 250,000 gallons of propane and 35,000 megawatt hours of electrical energy in a typical mine.
The Hazel Park, Mich., facility, which will support growing demand from domestic and international customers, will be a multi-million dollar investment over the next five years and create approximately 200 jobs.
AKASOL’s new Michigan production site will have a capacity similar to the company’s current site in Langen, Germany. Initial production, which is set to begin in mid-2020, will focus on the second generation AKASystem OEM PRC battery system, with high energy density cylindrical cell battery systems following soon after.
