Cutting-edge battery maker EnerVenue leases in Fremont

Hundreds could work at company's new location

FREMONT >> A maker of batteries that uses cuttingedge technology has leased a Fremont building that could enable the company to dramatically expand its Bay Area footprint.

EnerVenue has rented a building totaling 64,400 square feet at 3500 Gateway Blvd. in Fremont, the company said.

“We've seen incredible growth in our first two years, with global partnerships, significant funding, and a truly differentiated grid-scale energy storage solution,” said Jorg Heinemann, chief executive officer with EnerVenue.

EnerVenue manufactures nickel-hydrogen batteries that can last up to 30 years. EnerVenue claims that its batteries can operate reliably in temperatures ranging, on the Fahrenheit scale, from 40 degrees below zero to 140 degrees above zero.

“3500 Gateway Boulevard is a top-notch facility with office and manufacturing space that aligns perfectly with where EnerVenue is today and where we're headed,” said Frank Blohm, chief operating officer with the company.

EnerVenue's battery technology has attracted two rounds of venture funding.

In 2020, EnerVenue officially launched operations with a funding round of $12 million led by executives with Energy Capital Partners and The Hong Kong and China Gas Co. Ltd.

In September 2021, EnerVenue raised another $100 million in a venture funding round led by Stanford University, Schlumberger and Saudi Aramco.

Nickel-hydrogen batteries have been in existence for a while and have been used in major applications such as the Hubble Telescope and the International Space Station.

EnerVenue is hoping that it can parlay breakthroughs in materials technologies to slash costs sufficiently so that the company can mass produce batteries for use in applications such as solar plants and wind farms.

The company's new Fremont location is four times the size of its existing operations in Fremont. EnerVenue intends to use the new site as its headquarters and a pilot manufacturing facility.

In addition to office and manufacturing operations, EnerVenue aims to locate sales, service, and engineering units in the newly rented building. EnerVenue expects to move into the building by the end of this year. The length of the lease is slightly less than eight years, the company said.

“The new space represents a key milestone as EnerVenue ramps towards large-scale production,” Blohm said.