PA Companies Receive $40.6 Million In Stimulus Funding For Electric Vehicle Development

U.S. Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary John Porcari visited East Penn Manufacturing Co., in Lyon Station, Berks County, this week to award the company a $32.5 million grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that will help accelerate America’s manufacture and deployment of electric vehicles, batteries, and components.

East Penn Manufacturing’s grant was one of two grants receive in Pennsylvania and 48 new advanced battery and electric drive projects that will receive $2.4 billion in funding announced by President Obama.

Powerex, Inc. in Youngwood, Westmoreland County received a $8.1 million grants to support creating an electric drive semiconductor development, qualification and production center.

East Penn Manufacturing, a third-generation family business with more than 63 years in battery manufacturing, will use the grant to increase production capacity for their valve regulated lead-acid batteries and the UltraBattery, a lead-acid battery combined with a carbon supercapacitor, for micro and mild hybrid applications.

"If we want to reduce our dependence on oil, put Americans back to work and reassert our manufacturing sector as one of the greatest in the world, we must produce the advanced, efficient vehicles of the future," said President Obama.

The announcement marks the single largest investment in advanced battery technology for hybrid and electric-drive vehicles ever made. Industry officials expect that this $2.4 billion investment, coupled with another $2.4 billion in cost share from the award winners, will result directly in the creation tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs in the U.S. battery and auto industries.

A full list of award winners is available online.