Fortescue to produce marine battery in the US

Fortescue Zero has announced its plans to begin operations at its U.S. Advanced Manufacturing Center in Detroit, by producing a HV Marine Battery Pack, made using its Scalable Battery Module technology.

The standardised subpack has been designed, engineered and will be used by EVOA, a leader in the field of advanced marine propulsion, to power a range of luxury marine vessels, including wake boats and tenders.

Earlier this year Fortescue rebranded its UK-based Williams Advanced Engineering business which has a history in automotive engineering and electrification as Fortescue Zero.

Fortescue Energy CEO, Mark Hutchinson said: “The Marine Battery Packs we have designed and will manufacture for EVOA in Detroit is just the beginning of what is possible with the technology we have created.

“Our Scalable Battery Module product is flexible and adaptable for a range of products and markets.”

Production at Fortescue’s Piquette Avenue facility is expected from Q4 2025, with the Detroit site having the manufacturing capacity to provide solutions for customers in a wide range of applications, according to Fortescue.

Construction began last year on refurbishing the site of Fortescue’s U.S Advanced Manufacturing Center.

The Marine Battery Pack being produced for EVOA delivers 30kWh to 34kWh and is engineered to support EVOA’s powertrain which is capable of up to 1,000 horsepower, with fast-charging capability in under 30 minutes.

The lightweight solution can be configured as a multi-pack Power System of up to 6 subpacks, giving the flexibility to support small and larger vessels.

Hutchinson said: “Fortescue’s Advanced Manufacturing Center is…a fresh start for the birthplace of the automotive industry, bringing a new generation of manufacturing projects that will help decarbonize business and heavy industry, and in turn create a strong future for manufacturing jobs in the United States.”

Picture: Fortescue Zero/scalable battery module