French-based e-Mobility firm Forsee Power is going to build its North American headquarters and Gigafactory in Ohio.
The battery technology base will be in Hilliard, Ohio, near Columbus. The move will shorten the supply chain challenges for the Forsee effort which hopes to reach production capacity of 3 GWh by 2027.
Forsee Power also announced it had appointed Faurecia veteran Jay Deis as its president for North America. Deis, an American citizen, will oversee establishment of the headquarters, manufacturing operations and product expertise.
He has 20 years experience in the automotive and commercial vehicle industries.
“We found Columbus to have the right ecosystem of potential supply chain partners, academic partners and the right fit for workforce as we are looking at hiring production operators, R&D engineers and a full leadership team to run our North American facility,” Christophe Gurtner, Chairman and CEO of Forsee Power, said in a statement.
“The U.S. (presidential) administration has designed a very ambitious roadmap toward decarbonation. There are tremendous opportunities to grow on our target market segments," Gurtner added.
Forsee Power will target the commercial vehicle and train markets. The company has equipped more than 1,200 buses and 100,000 light vehicles with its batteries.
The Hilliard site offers 138,000 square feet and can be expanded, the company said.
JobsOhio CEO J.P. Nauseef said the Forsee Power move brings the state it’s first U.S. battery manufacturing facility. Last month, Fisker and Foxconn said they would partner to build the Fisker all-electric vehicle in a Lordstown plant.
“This investment from overseas attracts a global innovator in the sustainable electromobility solutions that will bring 150 good-paying jobs while strengthening this critical supply chain in Ohio,” Nauseef said. “The state has a long history in the automotive manufacturing sector, including the longtime GM plant at Lordstown.
Earlier this month, a subisidary of Forsee investor Ballard Power Systems announced plans to equip 20 zero-emission Refuse Collective Vehicles with Forsee batteries.
