EV startup Arrival which has also a partnership with Uber has announced that it is building a high capacity and high voltage battery plant in North Carolina in the US. The battery plant will deliver 350k modules a year and will cost an investment of $11.5 million that will add 150 jobs in the city.
Arrival has been a specialist for EVs and electric buses and is one of the few EV startups which has designed its own components and software stack alongside assembly techniques. It even has its own automated driving system as well as proprietary battery modules and this latest announcement is part of achieving scale with its own technology.
Aside from the battery plant, it also has a facility that produces the Arrival Bus. “By bringing the assembly of our proprietary High Voltage Battery Modules in-house, we’re striving to be as vertically integrated as possible. This will enable us to have even greater control over the functionality and cost of our products and pass those cost savings on to the customer while also working toward our goal of zero waste production. We’re excited to add another facility in Charlotte, as we prepare to open our new North American headquarters building just down the road and continue to work in tandem with the city to develop solutions for their electrification and sustainability goals. This is a big milestone for Arrival as we ramp up operations in the region in advance of production starting in Rock Hill in Q2 next year,” said Mike Ableson, its CEO.
The assembly plant is a follow-up to the news of Arrival outlining an agreement with Li-Cycle which is one of the leading lithium-ion battery recyclers in North America. This partnership will help Arrival create a virtuous cycle of battery supply chain for both Europe and the US.
The city of Charlotte in North Carolina is also working to ensure all car fleets and facilities are fueled by zero-carbon sources by 2030 which makes it a hotbed for EV startups. Arrival is working with the city for this project.