A Valence Press Release announced that Valence Technologies, Inc. of Austin, Texas as well as China, Northern Ireland & Las Vegas, Nevada chose Leander, Texas as the site for their $585 million dollar facility. Valence has applied for an Electric Drive Vehicle Battery & Component Manufacturing Initiative Grant as part of the Recovery Act. The State of Texas, Williamson County and the City of Leander, Texas are offering incentives. Valence’s manufacturing facility will be considered a sustainable industry because electric vehicles which include hybrid electric vehicles (HEVS) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), electric vehicles (EVs) & neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) are more efficient, and help reduce noise and air pollution because they are quiet, powerful, low to zero-emission vehicles.
The news was released this week that Leander will not get this business due to Texas not getting federal stimulus money. Valence was relying on a grant out of the federal stimulus funds for renewable energy to open this in Leander, Texas at a site by the rail.