EnerDel acquired by longtime board member’s company

A private investor has acquired Anderson-based EnerDel Inc. and its holding company, Ener1 Inc., the company announced Thursday.

Paul Herbert, a longtime board director at EnerDel, made the acquisition through his Memphis, Tennessee-based company PHL Energy LLC. Financial terms were not disclosed.

EnerDel, founded in 2004, is a designer and manufacturer of lithium-ion energy storage products and battery systems for heavy-duty transportation, on- and off-grid electrical storage, mass transit and task-oriented applications.

The company, which moved its headquarters from Indianapolis to Anderson earlier this year, has 60 employees in the United States.

EnerDel was acquired out of bankruptcy by Russian timber tycoon Boris Zingarevic in 2012. Zingarevic and affiliated parties pumped tens of millions of dollars into the company.

“I am delighted we were able to complete this acquisition,” Herbert said in written comments. “EnerDel is a great company that I have been associated with for almost eight years. Becoming American-owned will make EnerDel an easier choice for our customers, suppliers and employees. We are committed to improving the competitive position of our customers and are poised to launch a new range of products that will do just that.”

Herbert said the company is investing in a new technology center in Irvine, California, where it is recruiting a team of more than 20 engineers focused on next-generation technology.

Steve Heir, CEO of EnerDel, called Herbert “an ideal buyer for the company.”

This “will enable and accelerate our plans to develop a U.S.-centric company with leading edge energy storage solutions for transportation and industrial customers,” Heir said.