Badland Batteries Opened New Fargo Production Facility

The plant manufactures lithium-ion batteries for autonomous systems and drones with a focus on domestic supply chains.

Updated on Oct. 9, 2026 in Manufacturing

Badland Batteries Opened New Fargo Production Facility

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Should the U.S. prioritize domestic manufacturing for critical technologies like batteries?

Badland Batteries has opened a new purpose-built lithium-ion battery factory in north Fargo. The facility focuses on production for drone and autonomous systems used in public safety, search and rescue, and wildfire operations.

Why it matters

The investment aims to secure American-made battery components by utilizing a domestic end-to-end supply chain. This shift provides a local solution for manufacturers requiring specialized battery packs designed to withstand extreme weather conditions.

Packet Digital secured a $50 million federal award in 2025 to scale domestic battery manufacturing through its subsidiary. The scale of the new Fargo facility represents the culmination of this capacity-building effort.

The players

Badland Batteries

A subsidiary of Packet Digital focused on domestic manufacturing of drone and lithium-ion batteries for autonomous systems.

Packet Digital

A technology firm specializing in battery management and power systems that secured federal funding to expand domestic manufacturing.

The details

The factory features an end-to-end supply chain model integrating battery cell innovation with final pack assembly. By controlling the manufacturing process, the firm produces battery packs specifically engineered to operate in extreme weather environments. This infrastructure replaces reliance on foreign supply chains for military-grade and autonomous system hardware.

Packet Digital received the $50 million federal award in 2025.
Badland Batteries held the factory grand opening on October 8, 2026.

Market Landscape

This facility opening follows a pattern set by federal efforts to prioritize domestic production for national security-linked hardware. It marks a departure from reliance on fragmented international supply chains for specialized autonomous power cells.

Operators in the drone and autonomous system space should evaluate whether their current battery suppliers meet the durability requirements for extreme weather. Firms relying on imported cells should monitor if domestic alternatives from facilities like this can provide more reliable lead times.

The takeaway

Domestic manufacturing hubs are increasingly becoming a competitive requirement for hardware exposed to harsh operating environments. Operators should audit their current battery resilience specifications to determine if transitioning to domestically sourced components reduces long-term operational risk.