Australia-based Magnis Energy Technologies says it has started commercial production at its Imperium3 New York (iM3NY) lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant in Endicott, New York, Kallanish reports.

The gigafactory with 22,000 square metres of space is expected to produce several thousand cells in the next month before ramping up to 15,000 cells/day as production scales up to an annual production rate of 1.8 gigawatt-hours. The first batteries produced will be tested for quality assurance before sales start in the United States, with the first revenues expected in late September, the company says. It says production should reach 1 GWh by the end of 2023.

“The iM3NY team has put in a huge effort to achieve this major milestone of commercial production, with the iM3NY being North America’s only pure home-grown battery plant,” says iM3NY ceo Chaitanya Sharma in a statement. The commercial production was delayed slightly, the company says.

Its joint venture and technology partner is Charge CCCV LLC.

Future plans call for expanding annual capacity to 38 GWh by 2030 at the plant in Broome County near Binghamton in south-central New York state. It notes that the manufacturing plant relies on green hydroelectricity for power.

The plant’s lithium-ion cells feature advanced chemistry, robust cell design and a manufacturing process that ensures low cost, flexibility and long-term high repeatability, the company says. The cells offer one of the highest voltages - at 3.9 volts - of any cells on the market.

The green-credentialed batteries use C4V’s Lithium Mixed-Metal Phosphate with Biomineralisation (BMLMP) cathode technology and do not contain nickel or cobalt, the company says.