Boston makes solar lithium battery packs

The company has developed a lithium metal battery that chief executive Emilie Bodoin says will displace lithium-ion batteries. Pure Lithium has spent the last four years doing research and development on the technology, which could be used in electric vehicles, utility-scale energy storage, and other applications.

Factorial Energy manufactures solid-state batteries that allow electric vehicles to drive 50 percent longer than conventional lithium-ion batteries, according to the company. The Woburn-based company launched from stealth last year and has raised $240 million, including a $200 million Series D in January.

Boston-based Pure Lithium is building a pilot plant for a new kind of lithium metal battery, one it claims could outperform today's lithium-ion cells, and, crucially, be built entirely without Chinese inputs.

Currently, nearly all lithium-ion batteries in the world are manufactured in Asia. The Commonwealth will offer up to $9 million in matching financing to support the company's planned manufacturing operation in Auburn. Boston-Power selected the Auburn site based on proximity to its headquarters.

Pure Lithium Corp.'s move to build a pilot plant comes as President Trump's administration sets the stage for tariffs on imports of key battery components from China.

Enabling energy storage to continue to flourish in Massachusetts, state officials are working closely with Boston-Power to pursue state and federal financial incentives that will help the company to fulfill its plans of building the Auburn facility.