The first commercial scale plant for lithium-ion auto batteries in the U.S. will be commissioned in a ceremony on Friday in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The plant will be operated by EnerDel, an Indianapolis-based firm which boasts of being the first and currently only company in the U.S. with mass manufacturing capacity for the battery packs.

The electrification of transportation in America is fundamental to reducing our reliance on foreign oil and ensuring our nation's long'term energy security, said Senator from Indiana Evan Bayh in a statement. He will be a ribbon-cutter at tomorrow's event.

I'm proud of the advances EnerDel is making to ensure that deployment of electric'drive vehicles becomes a reality, Senator Bayh said, adding that he wishes for Indiana to become the Silicon Valley of alternative energy.

EnerDel plans to have an annual production of up to 1,500,000 hybrid battery packs, or 600,000 plug'in hybrid systems, or 150,000 packs for pure electrics, or some combination thereof depending upon the company's customer portfolio, the company said in a statement.

To meet its production target, EnerDel may expand its operations at its two current plants and even considers opening a third one.

Battery