Portland, Ore. — ReVolt Technology, LLC, a developer of rechargeable zinc-air batteries, has selected Portland, Oregon, for its U.S. headquarters and manufacturing center. At the same time, the company is applying for $30 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act to accelerate the commercialization of its large format zinc-air batteries for energy storage and electric vehicle applications.
The company also intends to apply for Business Energy Tax Credits from the Oregon Department of Energy for battery research and production. ReVolt says securing government grants and tax credits will allow the company to significantly accelerate its operations in Portland and U.S. expansion.
ReVolt plans to employ up to 75 highly skilled employees at its Portland site during its battery development phase and up to 250 employees in subsequent pilot and production phases.
Initially developed in Norway, ReVolt’s patented zinc-air technology is based on research conducted at one of Scandinavia’s top scientific institutes. These zinc-air batteries are said to deliver more than twice the energy of conventional rechargeable designs such as lithium-ion and have low manufacturing costs. In addition, they degrade into environmentally-safe substances when exhausted, cutting pollution risks and the need for costly battery waste capture programs, said the company.
Typical attributes of zinc include high energy and power and easy storage, which makes it suitable for a variety of battery, fuel and flow cell applications such as the button cell battery commonly found in hearing aids, said ReVolt. Zinc batteries are now also used in computers and cell phones.