A new massive lithium ion battery plant is coming to the Reno-Tahoe area.
Nanotech Energy is another company pursuing lithium across Northern Nevada.
At the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center, enormous bulldozers are flattening the ground across more than 500 football fields in size.
It is where at least a million acres will be home to nanotech energy.
"I can tell you we'll be manufacturing batteries, custom battery packs as well as making our chemicals to make our batteries,” said Scott Laine, Chief Operations Officer for Nanotech Energy.
Local economists say the move by Nanotech Energy is helping brand Reno as a leader in battery technology.
"Our batteries exceed others in a number of different metrics,” said Jack Kavanaugh, the founder and chairman of the company.
However, lithium ion batteries have been blamed for fiery scenes like this.
“You can't take a lithium ion battery onto a plane and just stick it in your luggage and check it. Right? So these things can catch on fire and they're dangerous. We're taking hundreds of them and putting them in a car,” said Jason Levine, Center for Auto Safety’s Executive Director.
It is why Kavanaugh says his graphene-based batteries could be a game changer.
"There's a standardized test used by batteries where you put in a chamber and basically a nail penetrates and creates an immediate short, and standard batteries will explode and catch fire right away, ours will not,” said Kavanaugh.
The batteries can charge to 80 percent full in just 12 minutes.
"It could be used at any place a battery is used. Whether it's used on cell phones, grid stabilization, solar or wind, lawnmowers or e-bikes. Anywhere there's a battery,” Kavanaugh added.
The battery is in its prototype stage, but could be in the market when completion of one building happens in December of next year.
Nanotech Energy is based in Los Angeles.
They plan to move its headquarters to our area.
Kavanaugh says he chose Storey County because of incentives, the process of building a factory and support from the community.
