Fortescue Zero's Marine Battery Pack to be first product built at Detroit Manufacturing Center

Team Fortescue Zero © Fortescue Zero

Fortescue Zero has today announced its plans to begin operations at its U.S. Advanced Manufacturing Center in Detroit, by producing a HV Marine Battery Pack, made using its Scalable Battery Module technology.

The standardised subpack has been designed, engineered and will be used by EVOA, a leader in the field of advanced marine propulsion, to power a range of luxury marine vessels, including wake boats and tenders.

Fortescue's Scalable Battery Module (SBM) technology within the HV Marine Battery Pack, is an agile and flexible solution that represents a major advancement in battery development. The SBM allows for the creation of standardised and customised battery packs with a quick turnaround. As such, the SBM is an ideal solution for manufacturers across the mobility sector, from passenger cars to marine vessels and leisure vehicles.

The specific Marine Battery Pack being produced for EVOA is a high-performance product, delivering 30kWh to 34kWh and is engineered to support EVOA's powertrain (capable of up to 1,000 horsepower), with fast-charging capability in under 30 minutes, minimising downtime due to charging. The lightweight solution can be configured as a multi-pack Power System (up to 6 subpacks), giving the flexibility to support small and larger vessels.

Fortescue Energy CEO, Mark Hutchinson said: "Fortescue Zero is uniquely positioned with the expertise and experience to deliver the solutions needed to provide the zero emissions power systems to a wide range of sectors eager to decarbonise."

"The Marine Battery Packs we have designed and will manufacture for EVOA in Detroit is just the beginning of what is possible with the technology we have created."

"Our Scalable Battery Module product is flexible and adaptable for a range of products and markets. We've pushed innovation and engineering to the limit everywhere from racetracks to mine sites and now our customers get to see the benefits of our real-world experience and get a neat solution for their battery needs that helps minimize investment and risk in their design and development program."

"Fortescue's Advanced Manufacturing Center is also the perfect place to deliver these products. It is a fresh start for the birthplace of the automotive industry, bringing a new generation of manufacturing projects that will help decarbonize business and heavy industry, and in turn create a strong future for manufacturing jobs in the United States."

Fortescue Zero's proven expertise in delivering performance solutions, as shown via the company's history in motorsports and the supply of batteries and power systems for racing, as well as Fortescue's forward-looking approach and determination to be ahead of the competition were key factors in EVOA choosing Fortescue Zero for this complex solution.

Mike Anderson, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at EVOA, said: "Electrifying a wake boat is not an easy task, but we were confident from the beginning that working with Fortescue Zero would position EVOA as a leader in the marine market. We believe that to be true now more than ever given the support and dedication that we have received from the Fortescue team."

"We needed an energy system that delivers the power to keep a wake boat with a driver and at least seven of their best friends on plane, without issue, all day long as this is our most demanding application. Fortescue delivered just that," Anderson added.

Production at Fortescue's Piquette Avenue facility is expected from Q4 2025, emphasising the speed at which this flexible solution can rollout to market. The Detroit site has also been designed to allow for significant manufacturing capacity to provide solutions for customers in a wide range of applications.

Construction began last year on refurbishing the site of Fortescue's U.S Advanced Manufacturing Center, preparing it to become a major production hub of automotive, marine and heavy industry batteries, fast chargers, and other green technologies.

The SBMs will be the first of many battery components coming online at the site, which ultimately has the potential to create hundreds of local manufacturing jobs in the United States.