E-One Moli Energy Corp. is a Taiwanese manufacturer of

lithium-ion batteries A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery that uses the reversible intercalation of Li+ ions into electronically conducting solids to store energy. Li-ion batteries are characterized by higher specific energy, energy ...

. It was founded in 1998, and focused on producing high-capacity energy cells for notebook computers, high-end electronics, and networking communication devices under the "Molicel" brand. In 2004, it partnered with

Milwaukee Electric Tool Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation, known more commonly as Milwaukee Tool, is an American multi-national company that develops, manufactures, and markets power tools, hand tools, tool accessories, tool storage, and personal protective equipment ...

to develop a high-energy power cell for cordless power tools, with its first power tool model introduced in 2005. It has also provided batteries to

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

for electric cars, and in 2008, became the first qualified battery supplier for BMW MINI E. Its E-One Moli Energy (Canada) Limited division has a facility in

Maple Ridge, British Columbia Maple Ridge is a city in British Columbia, Canada. It is located in the northeastern section of Greater Vancouver between the Fraser River and the Golden Ears (peaks), Golden Ears, which is a group of mountain summits which are the southernmo ...

, that is the only North American high-volume manufacturer of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. It has been listed by the Critical Foreign Dependencies Initiative as a result. On November 16, 2023, E-One Moli announced that it will be investing $796 million in a manufacturing plant in Western Canada that will make lithium cells, though this was suspended on November 22, 2024. The new plant is expected to create 450 high-skills jobs with production of the batteries expected to start in 2028.

History

The history of E-One Moli Energy goes back to Moli Energy Ltd., the Canadian pioneer of rechargeable lithium battery technology, founded in 1977 in the

Greater Vancouver Greater Vancouver, also known as Metro Vancouver, is the metropolitan area with its major urban centre being the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The term ''Greater Vancouver'' describes an area that is roughly coterminous with the r ...

suburb of

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard In ...

by the University of British Columbia and Teck Mining Corp., with Teck's then-chairman Dr. Norman Keevil Sr. as the lead investor. Moli Energy went into receivership after a cell-phone battery produced by the company caught fire in 1989, resulting in its sales being halted and tens of thousands of phones getting recalled. The failure of Moli's battery technology caused a shift towards safer intercalation electrode materials. The company was then acquired by "a consortium of Japanese tech companies" for CA$5 million in a deal with the

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

government. The deal was criticized for being far below the value of Moli's patents. In 1994, the company became Nippon Moli Energy Corp., and in 1997, it became NEC Moli Energy Corp. In 1998, it merged with Taiwanese E-One Technology, forming the current E-One Moli Energy Corp.

References

Energy companies established in 1998 Lithium-ion batteries Manufacturing companies established in 1998 Manufacturing companies based in Taipei Taiwanese companies established in 1998 {{manufacturing-company-stub