Northborough Company to Open Marlborough Electric Vehicle Technology Research Facility

A new technology company is coming to Marlborough as part of its foray into the electric vehicle market.

Aspen Aerogels of Northborough will open a new facility at 870 Donald Lynch Blvd., a former retail space that was once home to the Sports Bureau and Old Navy but has been vacant since Old Navy moved into Solomon Ponds Mall in 2018. HOUSTON – The real estate firm McCord is leasing the space.

Photo | Brad Kane

Sign for Aspen Aerogels’ new research facility on Donald Lynch Avenue in Marlborough

Aspen Aerogels will utilize nearly 59,000 square feet of space to build its state-of-the-art thermal barrier center and provide engineering support for electric vehicle and battery energy storage systems customers, according to a McCord press release. The center will support the company’s forays into the electric vehicle market and set up a customer engagement center and its technical support team.

Donald Young, President and CEO of Aspen Aerogels, in a press release. “The facility will be used to demonstrate and develop the next generation of insulation for our…clients. The McCord property is an ideal location as it provides an ideal location for our staff and clients, facilitating logistics and talent acquisition , and the opportunity for expansion.”

Aspen Aerogels expects 75 people to work at the Marlborough plant.

Headquartered in Northborough, Aspen Aerogels manufactures products at its facility in East Providence, Rhode Island.

McCord is working with architects Ci Design Inc. to redevelop the site. Boston and architectural firm BW Kennedy Co. or Arlington.

Aspen Aerogels’ expansion comes as another MetroWest company, Ascend Elements of Westborough, is entering the electric vehicle market using battery recycling technology developed at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The company is building a $1 billion facility in Kentucky, as well as a battery recycling facility in Georgia. In September, Ascend received a $50 million investment from a South Korean company to further commercialize its technology.

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