Coda formed a global joint-venture with Lishen Power Battery, a global battery cell supplier to
Samsung,
Motorola, and
Apple. The joint venture was called LIO Energy Systems, and was created to design, manufacture, and sell battery systems. The name was selected because LIO is the reverse spelling of oil. Together, Coda and Lishen developed a lithium iron phosphate battery cell for transportation and utility applications, which included renewable energy (wind and solar power) storage. LIO Energy Systems currently operates a manufacturing facility in
Tianjin and plans to build a U.S. facility in
Columbus, Ohio. Initially, the Coda sedan was to be the primary recipient of the battery systems produced by LIO. LIO's production capacity will total 1.4 billion amp hours in Tianjin, China at full scale. With the completion of the Ohio plant, total capacity will reach two billion Ah (6.3 million kWh) of energy storage. In May 2010,
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke visited the LIO Energy Systems facility in
Tianjin as part of the Obama administration's first cabinet-level trade mission to China. Commenting on the visit, Locke said, "International green technology partnerships can produce rapid job growth back home and deliver energy solutions abroad, and CODA's venture proves it." ==Financial history and investors==