Kindred Motorworks partners with KORE Power on battery modules for modernized, electric vintage cars and trucks

Kindred Motorworks, the Bay Area producer of modernized vintage vehicles, has partnered with Idaho-based KORE Power, a developer of battery cell technology, to supply battery modules for the electrified models in the Kindred lineup. The first two vehicles benefiting from the partnership are the Kindred VW Bus and the Kindred 3100 pickup truck, offered exclusively as EVs.

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“Our team performed extensive testing with different battery systems and KORE Power’s form factor, performance, and proven safety set them apart from the rest,” says Rob Howard, Kindred Motorworks’ founder and CEO. “This agreement locks in our battery supply for the next several years of vehicle production and we hope to further expand this relationship as we grow,” he added.

Kindred Motorworks selected KORE Power’s VDA 355 format battery modules. The compact, standardized modules, already in wide use by various OEMS, feature integrated sensors for voltage and temperature monitoring. Selecting the VDA modules gives Kindred Motorworks the flexibility to build custom battery enclosures that complement the architecture and design of different classic cars and trucks.

“Ultimately, KORE Power’s modules allow us to maximize driving range for our customers without having to make any design compromises,” says Howard.

The modular design also means Kindred Motorworks can change and upgrade battery chemistries based on future improvements without having to alter the design of its vehicles’ battery enclosures and other related systems.

“We’ll deliver a reliable, on-time supply of top-tier batteries for Kindred Motorworks’ vehicles,” says KORE Power CEO and co-founder, Lindsay Gorrill. “Using KORE Power cells to electrify Kindred’s vintage vehicles merges modern technology and classic style with an undeniable swagger.”

KORE Power is constructing its first US-based manufacturing facility outside Phoenix, Arizona. The KOREPlex will more than double Kore Power’s existing cell-production capacity, with deliveries of US-manufactured battery modules beginning in 2024.