WAUWATOSA, WI — Briggs & Stratton Corp. has entered into a supply agreement with Ingersoll Rand to power Club Car vehicles using Vanguard commercial lithium-ion battery packs.

Club Car, based in Augusta, Georgia, falls under the Ingersoll Rand parent organization. The partnership will begin in July for Club Car's lithium-ion line of fleet golf carts. With batteries from Briggs & Stratton, 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,” says Briggs & Stratton vice president of product innovation Jeff Zeiler. “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 says.

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 located in Tucker, Georgia. Four production lines are operational with 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.

“This new facility supports our commitment to investing in high-growth areas of the company, of which driving growth in commercial markets and introducing new enabling technologies, including battery power solutions, rise to the top,” says Zeiler.