Vancouver cleantech company Ionomr Innovations today announced the opening of a new manufacturing plant in Boston.
Spun out of Simon Fraser University in 2017, Ionomr developed next generation ion exchange membranes that can be used in hydrogen fuel cells, electrolyzers for producing green hydrogen, and an array of other electro-chemical processes.
Ionomr developed ion exchange membranes (semi-permeable polymers that allow for the transfer of ions) that eliminated the need for the costly iridium and platinum traditionally used in these membranes.
While proton exchange membranes (PEM) are critical components of hydrogen fuel cells, anion exchange membranes (AEM) are used in electrolyzers, which produce hydrogen from water and electricity.
“AEM-based electrolyzers will allow us, by 2030, to get to a point where electrolysers can be fueled at $300,000 U.S. per megawatt of installed base from the $1 million platform price today for that same megawatt installed base,” Ionomr CEO Bill Haberlin told BIV in 2022.
Since its founding, Ionomr has raised $27 million in venture capital, and last year made the Cleantech Group's 2024 global Cleantech 100 list.
The company’s new manufacturing plant in Boston’s Hood Park in Charlestown will employ 40 people, the company said in a news release.
The U.S. has been luring manufactures through incentives like the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Production Tax Credit and Clean Energy Manufacturing Credits. Ionomr confirmed the Boston plant qualifies for incentives under a U.S. Department of Energy's US$750 million fund for clean hydrogen technologies.
The company said in its news release that Boston also has both manufacturing capacity and engineering talent.
“The Hood Park facility is situated in the core of metro Boston's thriving innovation and R&D community and boasts a total area of twenty-two thousand square feet to expand customer applications capability, service and reach,” Inomr said in a news release.
"Establishing the Boston-area facility provides access to some of the most highly skilled engineering talent in the industry as we continue to grow our advanced technology and manufacturing teams," said Ionomr co-founder and CTO Ben Britton.
The new plan will have a manufacturing capacity of 750,000 square metres of membrane product per year and includes fuel cell and electrolyzer test stations.
