Komatsu acquires American Battery Solutions

In the race to develop more electric construction equipment and related charging solutions, Komatsu has agreed to acquire American Battery Solutions. Closing on the purchase of the Detroit-based company is planned for December 1. ABS develops and manufactures a wide variety of heavy-duty and industrial battery packs, using lithium-ion batteries for commercial vehicles, transit buses, and on- and off-road vehicles. The acquisition gives Komatsu the ability to continue developing and producing its own battery-operated construction and mining equipment through the integration of ABS technology. The first equipment produced with ABS batteries will be mining equipment, with plans to expand into construction equipment. Hiroyuki Ogawa, President and CEO, Komatsu Ltd. (left) and Subhash Dhar, Founder, Chairman and CEO, ABS (right). Hiroyuki Ogawa, President and CEO, Komatsu Ltd. (left) and Subhash Dhar, Founder, Chairman and CEO, ABS (right). Komatsu before the acquisition of ABS, Komatsu had been working with battery-solution manufacturer Proterra since an agreement was announced in January 2021. Charging solutions under development by the two companies were unveiled at ConExpo 2023. These included the Komatsu Generation 2 charger, a small mobile charging option, and a larger off-grid power bank. Each was at a different stage of development in terms of being near distribution. However, opportunities between Proterra and Komatsu may have been altered when Proterra filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in early August.