Romeo Systems Inc.,
dba Romeo Power Technology
Industry: Energy
Year Founded: 2016
Location: Vernon
2017 Revenue: Would not disclose
In the quest to make electric battery packs as safe and energy efficient as possible, Vernon-based manufacturer Romeo Systems Inc., also known as Romeo Power Technology, plans to lead the way.
Romeo Power uses lithium-ion technology to boost the energy efficiency of its battery packs and liquid coolant to keep the battery packs from overheating – an innovative approach in the battery market. Romeo Power supplies its battery packs to manufacturers of cars, motorcycles, trucks, buses and forklifts, according to the company’s website.
Chief Executive Michael Patterson told the Business Journal last year that the idea to make lithium-ion battery packs for vehicle manufacturers and other companies came up in a conversation five years ago with co-founder Porter Harris in a café called Romeo in Greece.
“We can fit 25 percent more energy in our batteries, in that same space auto-makers set aside for a battery in their electric vehicles,” Patterson said at the time.
Harris, Romeo’s chief technology officer, formerly worked at Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, where he developed power packs for rockets, and also did a stint at electric car manufacturer Faraday Future as its chief battery architect.
The company also has developed thermal engineering that further boosts the effectiveness of the coolant and the efficiency of charging; this allows for “fast-charging” of its battery packs. Another key is the modular design of the battery packs, which allows them to be incorporated into a diverse range of products, including electric vehicles, machinery such as forklifts, and energy-storage devices.
Last year, Romeo Power raised $30 million in seed money from a number of undisclosed investors.
Romeo Power opened its automated, 113,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Vernon last year as it sought to expand production of its battery packs. In May, Romeo Power partnered with Costa Mesa-based Agility Fuel Solutions to produce battery packs for the commercial truck and bus market.
