Article content

NextStar Energy has produced its one-millionth battery cell at its Windsor manufacturing facility, the company announced on Thursday.

Article content

The company, which began commercial cell production in Windsor last November, said the achievement marked “a major milestone” for Canada’s first large-scale battery manufacturing facility.

Article content

Article content

“Our team continues to raise the bar, and this achievement is a direct reflection of their discipline, technical expertise and unwavering commitment,” said Brett Hillock, chief operating officer of NextStar Energy, in a press release.

Article content

Article content

“I think we’re quite fortunate to have a battery plant in our jurisdiction because I think the future of this kind of technology is quite great,” Peter Frise, automotive and mechanical engineering professor at the University of Windsor, told the Star Friday.

Article content

A single battery cell, which can look like a “a kid’s snack pouch”, are configured to make a larger battery pack, Frise said.

Article content

“It’s never intended that you use only one cell,” he said. “The cells are always assembled into a battery pack with many cells, and then they become useful.”

Article content

The battery pack for a single electric car might require several thousand connected cells, Frise noted.

Article content

“A million cells is not an inconsiderable number,” Frise said. “They’ve just opened the factory in the last year, and it takes a lot of time to ramp up production because they have to do a lot of quality checks and materials have to be of very high purity.”

Article content

NextStar Energy was established as a joint venture by Stellantis and LG Energy Solution in 2022 to build Canada’s first large-scale battery manufacturing facility in Windsor. Last Friday, Stellantis announced the sale of its 49 per cent equity stake in the NextStar battery plant to LG Energy Solution.

Article content

Article content

Stellantis will remain “a committed customer” to the battery plant, NextStar Energy said.

Article content

Article content

The manufacturing facility was originally intended to produce battery packs for electric cars, but with sales of electric car slowing down, NextStar has shifted to making energy storage system battery cells. Those batteries, which can be used to store electricity in houses and commercial buildings, are not that different from ones used in EVs, Frise said.

Article content

“I think it’s really a matter of configuration,” he said. “The fundamentals of each kind of battery cell are the same.”

Article content

More than $5 billion has been invested in NextStar Energy’s Windsor facility to date, creating over 1,300 jobs, the company said.

Article content

“It’s very high value employment,” Frise said. Producing batteries is a “very automated process. There would be virtually no point in the process where any human would ever touch any of the materials that goes into the battery.

Article content

“It’s a lot of engineering work. It’s a lot of work for technologists and machinists.”

Article content

Article content