Briggs & Stratton Corp. has entered into a strategic supply agreement with Ingersoll Rand Inc. to power Club Car vehicles using Briggs’ Vanguard commercial lithium-ion battery packs, Bizjournals.com reports.
Ingersoll Rand Inc. (NYSE: IR), founded in 1859, is based in Davidson, North Carolina, and manufactures industrial equipment. Club Car, based in Augusta, Georgia, falls under the Ingersoll Rand parent organization.
The new partnership will begin in July for Club Car’s lithium-ion line of fleet golf carts. With batteries from Wauwatosa-based Briggs & Stratton (NYSE: BGG), Club Car expects the fleet to reduce energy consumption, require little maintenance and charge two times faster.
“The Vanguard Commercial Lithium-Ion Battery Pack is unique because of its modular construction,” Briggs & Stratton vice president of product innovation Jeff Zeiler said in a press release. “Briggs & Stratton and Club Car collaborated for a number of months to develop a solution perfect for powering the vehicles.”
Club Car’s integrated supply chain leader Rodney Storer added that Briggs & Stratton’s experience in lithium technology strengthens the partnership.
“Club Car will benefit from Briggs & Stratton’s speed and nimbleness as a design and supply partner, and our customers will appreciate the reliability and efficiency of the system and enjoy the enhanced in-car experience that comes with this lithium solution,” Storer said in the press release.
Briggs & Stratton also announced that following this new agreement, it will open its new advanced battery manufacturing facility for this and other partnerships. The 78,000-square-foot facility is in Tucker, Georgia.
As of June 10, four production lines will be operational. There is room for additional growth. Manufacturing at the Georgia facility is in addition to production space in greater Milwaukee, which will continue to serve as a developmental facility.
