French-based Forsee Power, an industrial group and expert in smart battery systems for sustainable electromobility, will establish its North American headquarters and gigafactory in Hilliard, Ohio. The more than $13 million project is expected to create 150 jobs in the Columbus region.

The site, located at 4555 Lyman Drive, is 138,000-square-feet and will host corporate office, manufacturing operations and R&D capabilities.

“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.” explains Christophe Gurtner, Chairman & CEO of Forsee Power. “The US administration has designed a very ambitious roadmap toward decarbonation. There are tremendous opportunities to grow in 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.”

The company will continue serving existing customers and will develop a local customer base in North America. Forsee Power will establish an industrial base in the United States to target the growing commercial vehicle market, primarily buses, trucks, off-highway vehicles, light urban and utility vehicles and trains. This will not only optimize costs and the supply chain, which is beginning to take hold on the continent, but it is also 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’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 Ohio 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.”

The company will leverage its experience of more than 1,200 buses and 100,000 light vehicles equipped with Forsee Power batteries. Forsee aims to achieve production capacity of 3 GWh in the United States by 2027.

“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.”

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). A major player in Europe, Asia and North America, the Group designs, assembles, and supplies energy management systems based on cells that are among the most robust in the market and provides installation, commissioning, and maintenance on site and remotely.