Statevolt has no solid state battery factory in the United States, the confirmed 40 gigawatt hour one sits in the United Arab Emirates instead

No solid state battery factory in the United States, only in the United Arab Emirates

A solid state battery factory, a battery design that swaps the liquid material that carries charge inside an ordinary battery cell for a solid material instead, does not exist under construction anywhere in the United States. Statevolt, founded by Swedish entrepreneur Lars Carlstrom, who also founded the battery makers Britishvolt in the United Kingdom and Italvolt in Italy, has promised 2 separate gigafactories, battery factories large enough to be measured in gigawatt hours of output a year, on 2 continents. Only 1 of the 2 claims the newer chemistry, and it sits in Ras Al Khaimah, in the United Arab Emirates, not in the United States.

An announcement Statevolt itself made in April 2024 states a 3,200,000,000 dollar investment for a plant at Al Ghail Industrial Park in Ras Al Khaimah that will make semi solid state battery cells first, then move to solid state cells once it reaches full capacity, 40 gigawatt hours a year, with a target of an operating first production line by the end of 2026. Founder Lars Carlstrom said this himself in that same announcement.

Our 3.2 billion dollar investment in the Ras Al Khaimah Gigafactory, using next generation technology, highlights this commitment.

Lars Carlstrom, founder and chief executive officer of Statevolt. Source 4.

Ras Al Khaimah capacity, 40 gigawatt hours, equals about 74% of the 54 gigawatt hour capacity Statevolt already promised for California 2 years earlier, a ratio this article calculates by dividing the 2 sourced figures, not a percentage Statevolt itself states.

California lithium ion plant stalled since a land purchase in January 2023

Statevolt announced the California plant first, in April 2022, a 4,000,000,000 dollar, 54 gigawatt hour lithium ion plant, the common rechargeable battery chemistry already used in phones and most electric cars, planned for Imperial Valley, near the Salton Sea in southern California. Statevolt said the plant would supply enough batteries for 650,000 electric vehicles a year and create 2,500 jobs, with lithium and geothermal power supplied by Controlled Thermal Resources. The most recent confirmed step came in January 2023, a purchase of 135 acres of land. As of this reporting, more than 3 years and 8 months later, no report found or attempted for this article states any construction start or production date for the California plant. Sean Wilcock, vice president of the Imperial Valley Economic Development Corporation, an independent local official rather than a Statevolt spokesperson, described the expected local effect.

The Statevolt project and its significant investment will be a monumental boost and rebirth for our local economy.

Sean Wilcock, vice president of the Imperial Valley Economic Development Corporation. Source 3.

An identical jobs promise, an ocean apart

Statevolt has committed to the same headline jobs figure, up to 2,500, at both gigafactories, despite the 2 projects sitting on different continents, using different battery chemistries, and being announced 2 years apart. That match across 2 unrelated announcements is an observation this article draws by comparing the 2,500 figure Statevolt gave for California in 2022 against the up to 2,500 figure Statevolt gave for Ras Al Khaimah in 2024, not a comparison either announcement itself makes.

No report found or reachable for this article confirms whether the Ras Al Khaimah production target for the end of 2026 has been met, or whether the California plant has restarted since its last confirmed step. Until either happens, the only battery factory Statevolt has announced with the newer solid state chemistry sits outside the United States.