July 27, 2023: Pilot production at a lead battery line has started at the Camel group’s new plant in the US, the company announced on July 20.

The trial start to production of a flooded battery coincided with a ceremony to mark the formal opening of Camel’s North American automotive battery plant in Michigan.

The first phase of operations at the plant, operated by the Camel Energy subsidiary of the China-based group, will include flooded and AGM battery formation.

Group president Xia Shizhong said the launch was a crucial step as Camel moves from being an overseas battery supplier to the region to becoming a US domestic manufacturer.

Construction at the site started in August 2022.

Camel said the group had overcome a number of challenges involved with setting up the plant including securing supplies of parts and materials in the aftermath of the pandemic.

In April 2022, Silicon Joule battery tech innovator Gridtential Energy announced a product development agreement focused on bipolar technology with Camel Energy and a leading US automaker supplied by Camel.