Texaco Ovonic Battery Systems Building New Battery Plant In Ohio

Autoparts Report, Nov 5, 2002

Texaco Ovonic Battery Systems LLC, a 50-50 joint venture between a unit of ChevronTexaco Corp. and a subsidiary of Energy Conversion Devices, Inc.(ECD), broke ground for a new multimillion-dollar battery production facility in Springboro, Ohio on Tuesday, October 29, 2002.

The Springboro plant, at 170,000 square feet and with new automated manufacturing equipment, is more than twice the size of the current production facility in Kettering, Ohio, the company said. It is expected to double the production capacity of advanced Texaco Ovonic Battery nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries.

The Texaco Ovonic Battery Systems NiMH batteries provide more than twice the energy and life cycle of conventional lead acid batteries, are maintenance free and are environmentally benign, the company said. NiMH batteries are the enabling technology for electric and hybrid electric vehicles to meet the requirements for next-generation fuel-efficient vehicle applications.

Employment level at the Ohio plant -- represented by the International Union of Electrical Workers -- is expected to reach nearly 200 people during the next few years, according to the company.