Moment Energy opens battery repurposing facility in British Columbia
Moment Energy's facility is now operational and converts retired electric vehicle (EV) batteries into battery energy storage systems. According to the company, these systems are designed to support critical infrastructure, including data centres, hospitals, factories and microgrids.
The opening comes just six weeks after Moment Energy announced the project.
The company marked the opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by customers, partners, investors and representatives from government, industry and academia. Attendees included the Honourable Randeep Sarai, Member of Parliament for Surrey Centre and Secretary of State (International Development); Ravi Kahlon, British Columbia's Minister of Jobs and Economic Growth; and Dilson Rassier, acting president of Simon Fraser University.
Moment Energy said the facility launches at a time when electricity demand is increasing due to artificial intelligence (AI), data centres, electrification and grid modernization. At the same time, the company noted that millions of EV batteries currently in use across North America are expected to be retired in the coming years.
The company said its technology addresses both challenges by repurposing retired EV batteries into scalable energy storage systems.
"We announced this project six weeks ago. Today it's operational," said Edward Chiang, co-founder and chief executive officer of Moment Energy. "Demand for energy storage is accelerating, and so is the supply of retired EV batteries. We show that the right technology can enable North America to re-onshore domestic manufacturing in weeks, not decades, creating thousands of jobs and economic prosperity."
Moment Energy expects the facility to produce 1 GWh of battery energy storage systems by 2030. The company said the project will create more than 100 direct jobs and support more than 1,000 indirect jobs across British Columbia.
The project received support from Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan), which invested $4.9 million.
"With PacifiCan's $4.9 million investment, Moment Energy is expanding clean manufacturing, creating good local jobs, and finding smart solutions to global challenges," said the Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for PacifiCan. "This new facility is not only powering a more sustainable future, it is helping to build a stronger, more resilient economy for British Columbians and all Canadians."
Moment Energy was founded in Vancouver in 2020 and has grown from a university startup into a company focused on second-life battery energy storage systems.
Sarah Goodman, president and CEO of NorthX Climate Tech, said the organization was one of the company's earliest investors and has supported multiple rounds of funding.
The completion of Megafactory 1 follows Moment Energy's recent US$40 million Series B financing round, bringing the company's total funding to more than US$100 million.
The company also recently achieved what it described as the world's first product safety and functional safety certification for a battery management system designed specifically for second-life EV battery applications.
Moment Energy says it builds commercial-scale battery energy storage systems from second-life EV batteries. The company states that its systems are deployed across North America and are used to power data centres, hospitals, factories and microgrids. Moment Energy partners with automakers, including Mercedes-Benz Energy, to repurpose retired EV batteries before they are recycled.
