Amplify Cell Technologies begins construction of Mississippi battery cell factory

Amplify Cell Technologies, a joint venture between Accelera, the zero-emissions business unit of Cummins, Daimler Trucks & Buses US Holding and PACCAR, has started construction of new battery cell manufacturing plant in Marshall County, Mississippi.

The 500-acre site will be home to a two million-square-foot, energy efficient facility with an annual manufacturing capacity of 21-gigawatt hours (GWh) to produce lithium- iron phosphate (LFP) battery cells. Amplify plans to begin battery cell production in 2027 and is expected to create more than 2,000 US manufacturing jobs.

The company says the new facility will produce LFP battery cells, and will support localisation of the battery supply chain, making it more robust and responsive to the needs of the growing electric commercial vehicle market in North America.

The JV partners are making a $3 billion investment with each owning 30% of Amplify Cell Technologies. EVE Energy is the technology partner contributing battery cell design and manufacturing expertise for the LFP cells and will have a 10% ownership share.

Both Cummins and Daimler Truck have been investing in new powertrain technologies for heavy duty vehicles, with the former establishing its Accelera business unit last year with an investment of $1.5 billion in acquisitions, research and technology, to develop zero-emissions technologies, including battery electric and fuel cell electric solutions for commercial and industrial applications.

Daimler Truck established another joint venture with the Volvo Group in 2021 called cellcentric. This business develops, produces, and markets fuel cell systems for use in heavy-duty commercial vehicles.