American Battery Solutions, Inc. (ABS; Lake Orion, Mich.; www.absbattery.com), an advanced battery systems company, announced its emergence from stealth-mode today with engineering, testing and manufacturing services enabled by an agreement to acquire of high-voltage manufacturing and testing assets from Robert Bosch Battery Systems (more information below). ABS is backed by a $50 million committed investment from KCK Group, a principal investment firm with global offices in London, New York, Bay Area and Dubai. ABS brings electrified mobility battery systems to new emerging transportation, industrial and commercial markets by leveraging the team’s vast experience and expertise in automotive battery system development and manufacturing.
ABS will develop, design, test and manufacture modular battery solutions for underserved transportation, industrial and commercial markets, primarily in North American and Europe, according to Subhash Dhar, Founder, chairman and chief executive officer of ABS. “ABS brings an experienced team of world-class battery professionals and automotive experts with an entrepreneurial mindset together with world-class development and manufacturing facilities. We’re a new start, not a start-up,” Dhar said.
ABS was founded by KCK Group and Dhar, a longtime innovator and industry leader in the development and commercialization of energy storage. ABS’s leadership team include some of the most talented and experienced members of the industry including John Warner, chief customer officer; Ivan Menjak, vice president, business development and Arun Kumar, director, electronics.
“ABS will focus on the middle of the spectrum of battery systems value chain,” Dhar said, “concentrating on module production, pack assembly and customer integration.” It will work with the world’s leading OEMs, system integrators and battery manufacturers to supplement and extend their brands with a combination of engineering, testing and manufacturing services. The venture will partner with leading cell suppliers, to offer a variety of chemistries and cell form factors to optimize each application.
Target applications will include:
High performance and autonomous EVs
Delivery trucks, buses and utility vehicles
Rail and marine
Mobile commercial power
Material handling equipment; and
Construction, agriculture and mining equipment.
Marine applications
ABS announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire manufacturing and testing assets for high-voltage battery systems from Robert Bosch Battery Systems. The terms of the sale will not be disclosed. The sale is subject to successful completion of certain closing conditions.
Under the proposed agreement with Robert Bosch Battery Systems, ABS will acquire the testing lab assets for high-voltage battery systems and will lease 40,000 sq. ft. space for prototype battery pack assembly and offices located in Lake Orion, Mich. In addition, ABS will acquire the 172,000 sq. ft. facility located in Springboro, Ohio, where Robert Bosch Battery Systems has assembled lithium-ion battery packs for use in the automotive industry since 2009.