American Battery Factory President John Kem

This is my first interview with a real US Military General and I am honored that he took the time to meet with me. I am not worthy!

 

John Kem is in the civilian sector now and is the President of American Battery Factory! In this podcast we discuss their huge Gigafactory, which they are building in Arizona and which will go online towards the end of 2025 making made in the USA lithium iron phosphate (LFP) lithium-ion batteries. They are working on prismatic battery cells, which are as big as 1kWh each! In the podcast we talk about the manufacturing processes and how the battery materials are put together in a factory that can produce 4GWh per year of battery cells.

 

Topics covered:

 

American Battery Factory

Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP)IRA = Inflation Reduction Act

Army Corps of Engineers

Civil WorksMining

Battery cell production and safety

Investment and manufacturing scale of American Battery Factory

The process and challenges of battery cell manufacturing

Battery factory

American Lithium Mining

Cobalt in the Congo

Gigafactory

Abundance and toxicity of Lithium, Iron and Phosphorous

Big Battery Cell

Folding Cells

Prismatic Battery Cell

314 Ah cells x 3.2V = 1kWh/cell

Half of a shoebox size cell

Bigger is better

Pouch and cylindrical battery cell comparison

Prismatic folding speed increased

Longer cycle life

Fiji Water bottle shape comparison

Chemical Mixing

Anode and Cathode layers

Thin coating

Isotropic graphite = consistent shape

Narrow film

LFP is the cathode

LFP mix in vats

Absorption capacity for ions to flow

Buy pre-mixed LFP

Separator between anode and cathode

Foils

Cans - Aluminum

Food can people making battery can for prismatic battery (cell casing)

Stationary Energy Storage Systems

Smart grid

Underground mining operations

Drag racing and LFP

Range anxiety

Home to GWh ESS

Tax credit survival vs. competitive manufacturing

Made in America with Chinese parts

Smartest people in the world come to America

Energy storage is required for net zero

Investing and buying American Battery Factory

Privately held now

Series A and Series B funding defined

Accredited investors and venture capital

 

Check out the American Battery Factory website: www.americanbatteryfactory.com

 

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