ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Wes Moore today visited ION Storage Systems, a Maryland-based manufacturer of solid-state batteries for the defense, aerospace, medical, consumer, electric vehicle, and grid storage industries. During the visit in Beltsville, the governor announced $11 million in funding to support advanced manufacturing and innovation projects, as part of the Moore-Miller Administration’s commitment to making Maryland more competitive.
“ION Storage Systems is a Maryland original. Their success underscores our state’s growing leadership in science, technology, and advanced manufacturing,”
said Gov. Moore. “Today, we take another step toward driving public investment in the innovation economy, creating jobs, and spurring growth for years to come. In partnership, we will make Maryland the best place in the world to change the world.”
Joined by Congressman Glenn Ivey, Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy Director Evelyn Wang, Maryland Department of Commerce Secretary Kevin Anderson, state and local elected officials, and ION Storage Systems and TEDCO leadership, Governor Moore toured the ION Storage Systems facility, where patented technology offers battery products using ceramic instead of lithium ion. ION recently commissioned the first-ever pilot solid-state battery production line which will produce 100,000 military batteries per year.
A spinoff from the Maryland Energy Innovation Institute at the University of Maryland, ION Storage Systems recently received a $20 million grant through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Seeding Critical Advances for Leading Energy technologies with Untapped Potential program. The grant will expand ION Storage Systems capacity to manufacture next-generation solid-state lithium-metal batteries and support the commercialization of the technology into the electric vehicle.
“Today, I’m proud to celebrate this important funding from the Biden-Harris administration’s historic Investing In America Agenda which is powering the commercialization of transformative energy technologies that companies like Ion Storage Systems are pioneering. I’m proud to partner with Governor Moore and the great State of Maryland to ensure that ION and other companies like it are creating jobs right here in Prince George’s County,”
said Congressman Glenn Ivey. In addition, ION Storage Systems received a $1 million grant from the Maryland Department of Commerce’s Build Our Future Grant Pilot program and fund and a $1.5 million commitment from the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, known as TEDCO, through the Maryland Venture Fund.
“We are thrilled to have Governor Moore visit our facility,"
said ION Storage Systems CEO Ricky Hanna. “The support from the Build Our Future Grant Pilot Program is a testament to the governor’s dedication to fostering innovation and supporting companies like ours that are driving technological progress. This grant, along with $20 million in federal DOE funding will accelerate our mission to provide cutting-edge Solid State Battery solutions. It also highlights Maryland as a logical and competitive landscape for other clean energy startups.”
The $11 million in State funding will be applied towards two programs administered by the Maryland Department of Commerce that support advanced manufacturing and innovation projects in Maryland:
- $4 million will support the Maryland Manufacturing 4.0 Program, which provides grants to small and mid-sized Maryland manufacturers to invest in Industry 4.0-related technologies, machinery and robotics, and digital business practices in order to remain competitive and drive growth. Companies that invest in Industry 4.0 technologies can benefit from increased productivity and sales, cost savings and retention of employees. With this new investment, the program will have total appropriations of $5 million for Fiscal Year 2025. Forty-nine businesses have received nearly $2 million in total grant funding through this program since it launched in 2023.
- $7 million will support the Build Our Future Grant Pilot program and fund, which provides grants for eligible innovation infrastructure projects designed to transform and accelerate growth in key sectors including aerospace and defense, biotechnology, life sciences, quantum, and cybersecurity. Grant awards may be used to defray the cost that grantees incur to acquire, construct, rehabilitate, install, improve, or equip an eligible project. The program, which was created by Governor Moore’s Innovation Economy Infrastructure Act of 2023, was intended to be a pilot program for Fiscal Year 2024 but is being funded in Fiscal Year 2025 given the significant private sector demand and interest. Eleven projects were funded through the program’s first round of grants, announced earlier this year.
“These programs are two of the sharpest and most innovative tools in Maryland Commerce’s toolbox, allowing the department to give a critical boost to strategic industry sectors in the state,”
said Maryland Secretary of Commerce Secretary Kevin Anderson. “We thank Governor Moore for his continued support of these efforts and his ongoing commitment to building a stronger and more competitive Maryland.”