PROSPERITY, Pa. — SPARKZ, an upstart battery manufacturing company, and the United Mine Workers of America celebrated a $9.8 million U.S. Department of Labor grant to start manufacturing operations in West Virginia.
By next year, the closed facility in Taylor County outside Bridgeport on U.S. Route 50 is expected to be producing the materials for the production of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery materials and become a partner facility to the SPARKZ facility recently opened in Sacramento, California. The company recently announced a $280 million deal with light mobility vehicle manufacturer Ryvid to supply batteries and technology over the next five years.
“They are basically the two peas in a pod,” CEO and President Sanjiv Malhotra said. “The Sacramento facility is going to be using the material that is produced here in West Virginia, and yes, we have some very solid contracts.”
When both plants are fully operational, the internal battery materials will be manufactured in Taylor County, and final assembly will be completed at the Sacramento facility. Malhorta said they have targeted a wide swathe of the electric vehicle market and expect to employ up to 75 at the West Virginia facility.
“We are targeting all three markets—EVs, commercial and off-road vehicles, and energy storage,” Malhotra said. “So, this facility in West Virginia is going to add a lot of value.”
Nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries are larger, heavier, take longer to charge, and are more costly. Additionally, lithium-ion batteries have less impact on the environment and have a longer operating window.
“It does not nickel or cobalt,” Malhorta said.” It uses lithium, iron, and phosphate, and all three are 100 percent sourced here in the United States.”
Lithium-ion batteries are more efficient and must be replaced less often, offering another positive environmental impact. The lithium option was also adopted by Tesla in 2021 to be used in their standard-range EV products.
“Just to put this into perspective, NiCd has a life of 1,500 cycles, whereas the LMC that we are producing is going to have a life of 5,000 cycles,” Malhorta said.
The UMWA and SPARKZ have entered into a labor-management agreement that includes recruiting and training the workers in Taylor County. The recruiting and training will be done from the UMWA Career Center in Prosperity, Pennsylvania.
“Recruiting displaced coal mine workers, they will be providing training at their training facility,” Malhorta said. “The final training will be done at our Taylor County facility on our equipment.”
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