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

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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

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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, which is a group of mountain summits which are the southernmost of the Garibald ...

that is the only North American high volume manufacturer of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. It has been listed by the

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as a result.

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 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 I ...

. 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 CAD 5 million in a deal with the

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

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