American Battery Factory President John Kem

Sean White‘s Solar and Energy Storage Podcast

This is my first interview with a real US Military General and I am honored that he took the time to meet with me. I am not worthy!
John Kem is in the civilian sector now and is the President of American Battery Factory! In this podcast we discuss their huge Gigafactory, which they are building in Arizona and which will go online towards the end of 2025 making made in the USA lithium iron phosphate (LFP) lithium-ion batteries. They are working on prismatic battery cells, which are as big as 1kWh each! In the podcast we talk about the manufacturing processes and how the battery materials are put together in a factory that can produce 4GWh per year of battery cells.
Topics covered:
American Battery Factory
Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP)IRA = Inflation Reduction Act
Army Corps of Engineers
Civil WorksMining
Battery cell production and safety
Investment and manufacturing scale of American Battery Factory
The process and challenges of battery cell manufacturing
Battery factory
American Lithium Mining
Cobalt in the Congo
Gigafactory
Abundance and toxicity of Lithium, Iron and Phosphorous
Big Battery Cell
Folding Cells
Prismatic Battery Cell
314 Ah cells x 3.2V = 1kWh/cell
Half of a shoebox size cell
Bigger is better
Pouch and cylindrical battery cell comparison
Prismatic folding speed increased
Longer cycle life
Fiji Water bottle shape comparison
Chemical Mixing
Anode and Cathode layers
Thin coating
Isotropic graphite = consistent shape
Narrow film
LFP is the cathode
LFP mix in vats
Absorption capacity for ions to flow
Buy pre-mixed LFP
Separator between anode and cathode
Foils
Cans - Aluminum
Food can people making battery can for prismatic battery (cell casing)
Stationary Energy Storage Systems
Smart grid
Underground mining operations
Drag racing and LFP
Range anxiety
Home to GWh ESS
Tax credit survival vs. competitive manufacturing
Made in America with Chinese parts
Smartest people in the world come to America
Energy storage is required for net zero
Investing and buying American Battery Factory
Privately held now
Series A and Series B funding defined
Accredited investors and venture capital
Check out the American Battery Factory website: www.americanbatteryfactory.com
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Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean