Proterra opened a new battery production line on Dec. 10. The new production line, which will manufacture Proterra's battery packs with next generation cells, is co-located in its electric vehicle bus manufacturing facility in Los Angeles County.
Proterra says the new battery production line will create dozens of new jobs in Los Angeles County, including more than two dozen positions represented by the United Steelworkers Local 675. The facility will expand Proterra’s battery production capacity to meet growing demand for the company’s battery systems in Proterra Powered™ commercial vehicles and Proterra’s transit buses. The co-located battery line is designed to optimize space and demonstrates Proterra’s ability to bring state-of-the-art battery production directly to commercial vehicle OEMs.
“Today, Proterra furthers our commitment to the City of Industry and Los Angeles County as we bring more advanced manufacturing jobs to California,” said Proterra CEO Jack Allen. “Proterra’s industry-leading battery technology has been proven in 16 million miles driven by our fleet of buses. Now, with the opening of our new battery production line, we’re excited to build on this progress as we deliver Proterra Powered technology solutions to vehicle manufacturers around the world. Thank you to the California Energy Commission and our local partners to support the growth and advancement of Proterra’s City of Industry facility.”
The batteries manufactured at the City of Industry facility will feature Proterra’s redesigned modules with next-generation cells developed with LG Energy Solution. The new battery packs will improve on Proterra’s energy systems with greater energy storage capacity and higher power density to enable increased range and faster charge times. Since 2016, Proterra and LG engineering teams have been collaborating to maximize cell performance to meet the stringent requirements of commercial vehicle markets.
“The California Energy Commission is proud to partner with innovative companies like Proterra to expand advanced transportation manufacturing in our state. Today’s announcement is yet another demonstration of how California is the center for innovation in electric vehicle technology,” said California Energy Commissioner Patty Monahan.
Proterra’s new battery-electric transit vehicle, the Proterra ZX5, can now be equipped with 675 kWh of energy, which Proterra notes is the most energy storage of any 40-foot electric bus available in the market.
Proterra’s technology advancements enable efficient production in a small footprint and Proterra’s transit bus business benefits from co-location of battery production in its Los Angeles facility. The new battery production line was established within a year and showcases the company’s ability to design and deploy its modular and capital efficient manufacturing process for optimal EV vehicle manufacturing.
