An electric-car maker that once proposed a plant assembling high-tech batteries in Enfield says it will instead build a 1,000-worker battery plant in Columbus, Ohio, The Columbus Dispatch reports.
Coda Automotive said Monday that it has chosen to open a lithium-ion battery plant in central Ohio, a move that is contingent on the approval of federal and state aid.
Last June, Coda and Yardney Technical Products, a New London battery maker, announced plans to pursue state and federal grants to open a similar plant in Enfield that would employ 600.
According to the newspaper, Coda and Yardney abandoned plans for the Connecticut plant after they failed to get federal money.
Yardney officials did not immediately return a phone call Tuesday seeking comment.
Coda, a company that began last year in Santa Monica, Calif., plans to begin selling its first vehicle, a compact sedan, later this year. The car would have a range of up to 130 miles on a single charge.
The plant would be operated by Lio Energy Systems, a joint venture of Coda and Lishen Power Battery, a Chinese company.
“We are elated,” said Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman. “We worked hard at recruiting this company.”
Coda hasn’t said exactly how much money it needs to turn itself into a full-fledged auto manufacturer. But it has been actively seeking investors. Last week, Coda said it had a raised $58 million in its latest round, for a total of $125 million invested. This, along with more than $300 million in credit, gives the company about $425 million with which to work.
