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Founded in 2016 by John Yozamp, Expion360 produces lithium batteries and accessories for recreation vehicles, outdoor, marine, residential and industrial applications. Previously, Yozamp was the original founder and product developer at Zamp Solar.
“Some of the things that I developed for the industry are roof caps and some of the first solar pre-loads in the industry,” said Yozamp. “Those are side ports where someone can simply plug in a portable solar panel.”
His new venture, Expion360, designs and engineers its batteries and accessories in central Oregon, but maintains warehousing in the Elkhart area to be close to RV OEMs. Yozamp sold his original company Zamp Solar six years ago and felt strongly that the next big opportunity within the RV and marine space was lithium batteries.
“Because I already had a footprint in the recreational industry, I thought it would be a great opportunity to start exploring lithium battery technologies, so I created this new company to dive deeper into lithium battery technologies, and then I surrounded myself with very talented people to make that dream a reality.”
John Yozamp
Expion360 product offerings expanded in 2020 to six unique forms of lithium batteries. Five of those are UL 1973 compliant, with the sixth currently in testing. On April 1, the company held an IPO to raise capital and further scale the business.
“We’re looking at going vertical with our supply chain. That’s a major concern with most manufacturers right now, and we’re currently starting to onshore some of our manufacturing processes. That includes developing a fully functioning battery pack assembly line in Redmond, Oregon.”
Expion360 distributes its products directly to dealers, as well as through major wholesale distributors including NTP Stag, Meyer Distributing, Northern Wholesale Supply and also through Camping World.
“We’ve put together one of the first power bundles that can be available at a dealership,” said Yozamp. “That’s controlling everything from the roof, which means solar panels all the way down through a regulator, into the battery, moving on to an inverter.”
Yozamp said this is an aftermarket lithium conversion that converts an RV to lithium batteries and greener energy. He sees a future with the industry turning completely toward this cleaner and more efficient source of energy and away from traditional lead acid batteries.
“Lead acid technology has been around since 1860, and needs to be replaced,” said Yozamp. “Lithium batteries are a ‘night and day’ difference from that old technology in terms of performance level. These batteries elevate the RV experience with better performance, decreased weight and increased capacity, and don’t have to be placed in a vented box. They can be placed anywhere within the trailer. As power needs continue to increase in today’s modern coaches, batteries will have to evolve with them, and that’s what we’re focused on.”
