Battery maker NanoGraf plans expansion with second West Loop office

NanoGraf, maker of advanced lithium-ion batteries for the U.S. military, plans to open a sprawling new manufacturing and research facility in the West Loop.

The company announced Thursday that it inked a deal to lease a 67,850-square-foot building at 455 N. Ashland Ave. and expects to create 60 jobs. It nearly quadruples the company’s footprint.

The expansion will come just a few months after the company unveiled its Chicago headquarters at 400 N. Noble St. that includes space for research and development as well as quality assurance. At the time, it said it had 30 full-time workers.

The West Loop, formerly Chicago’s meatpacking and produce district, is fast becoming a tech hub in the city. In December, the nonprofit high-tech incubator mHub set up shop a short walk from NanoGraf’s headquarters. The nonprofit’s $50 million space spans 80,000 square feet and gives tech startups more space than its previous site on Chicago Avenue.

Other tech-oriented offices and labs are also being planned around nearby Fulton Market by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and developers Sterling Bay and Trammell Crow, among others.

NanoGraf says it’s the first in the Midwest to produce longer-lasting batteries made of advanced silicon anode material. Its new space will also house labs, offices and inventory storage.

“With our second facility, we’ll be able to advance our work on our Department of Defense contracts,” NanoGraf CEO Francis Wang said.

Soldiers in the field might carry more than 20 pounds of bulky lithium-ion batteries that aren’t compatible with every device. NanoGraf’s technology makes batteries more efficient and powerful, the company said.

In January, NanoGraf announced a contract worth up to $15 million from the U.S. Army to develop batteries for soldiers that last 30% longer and are compatible with more devices, such as radios and night-vision goggles.

The Army also awarded NanoGraf an $8 million contract in December to increase battery supply. The company has received a total of $45 million from the U.S. Defense Department.

While military contracts are core to NanoGraf’s business, Wang previously expressed hope that its proprietary battery technology could be applied to power tools, electric cars, medical devices and other consumer products.

In February 2023, NanoGraf raised $65 million in Series B, or second round, funding from private investors.

The company launched in 2012 as a startup at Northwestern University and Argonne National Laboratory. It eventually outgrew its incubator space at the Illinois Institute of Technology and found its new home in the West Loop.

“NanoGraf is an important part of the technological progress, STEM job growth and economic growth happening here in the city,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a Thursday news release announcing the opening.