Today at the SelectUSA Investment Summit in Washington, DC, Forsee Power announced it will establish its North American headquarters and gigafactory in Hilliard, Ohio. Forsee Power is a French industrial group specializing in smart battery systems for sustainable electric transport (light vehicles, off-highway vehicles, buses, trains and ships). With this announcement, the group will have a unique international footprint in the battery system industry.
Located in Ohio’s Columbus Region, the facility is 138,000 square feet and will host corporate office, manufacturing operations and R&D capabilities. It is a scalable site, strategically located to attract operators and engineers in a fast-growing neighborhood.
“We found Columbus to have the right ecosystem of potential supply chain partners, academic partners, and the right fit for workforce as we are looking at hiring production operators, R&D engineers and a full leadership team to run our North American activity,” explained Christophe Gurtner, Chairman & CEO of Forsee Power. “The U.S. administration has designed a very ambitious roadmap toward decarbonation. There are tremendous opportunities to grow on our target market segments: our field-proven experience, our ability to scale up industrial capabilities and to innovate zero-emission solutions for electric vehicle manufacturers will be key assets to rapidly position as a leader in North America.”
Forsee Power will establish an industrial base to target the growing commercial vehicle market in the U.S., primarily buses, trucks, off-highway vehicles, light urban and utility vehicles and trains. This is a requirement for certain key markets such as the city bus market, which requires a local presence to comply with the FAST Act (70% of value must be produced locally in public procurement).
Forsee Power will leverage its experience of more than 1,200 buses and 100,000 light vehicles equipped with Forsee Power batteries. The group’s goal is to achieve production capacity of 3 GWh in the U.S. by 2027, which would involve first-phase investments of more than $13 million, adapting its products to the local market, building production lines, and recruiting a local team of 150 employees.
“Forsee Power’s decision to establish its North American headquarters and new battery production facility in Ohio is a testament to the advantage of building out the rapidly growing EV industry in this state,” said Governor Mike DeWine. “We welcome Forsee Power’s confidence in Ohio’s talent and innovation, and we look forward to partnering with them as they produce and advance this critical technology here.”
“Forsee Power’s decision to choose Ohio for its first U.S. battery systems manufacturing facility aligns with Ohio’s exceptional position to be a global leader in smart mobility, EV production and supply chain development,” said J.P. Nauseef, JobsOhio president and CEO. “This investment from overseas attracts a global innovator in the sustainable electromobility solutions that will bring 150 good-paying jobs while strengthening this critical supply chain in Ohio.”
