Following the sale of the Lordstown vehicle assembly facility in Ohio, GM plans to build a battery cell assembly plant with LG Chem in the same area.
The two companies today announced plans to mass-produce battery cells for future battery-electric vehicles. To that end, GM and LG Chem will form an equally owned joint venture company that will invest up to a total of $2.3 billion in the new facility.
The joint venture will build a battery cell assembly plant on a greenfield manufacturing site in the Lordstown area of Northeast Ohio. Groundbreaking is expected to take place in mid-2020, with more than 1,100 jobs to be created when the facility becomes fully operational.
Related: Lordstown Motors Buys GM’s Ohio Plant, Wants To Build “Endurance” Electric Truck From 2020
Cadillac’s upcoming electric crossover will likely feature batteries made at the new Lordstown plant
The automaker claims the state-of-the art plant will use “the most advanced manufacturing processes all under one roof to produce cells efficiently, with little waste, and will benefit from strong economies of scale throughout the value chain.”
The two partners estimate the plant will have an annual capacity of more than 30 gigawatt hours, with room for expansion. It will also be extremely flexible and able to adapt to ongoing advances in technology and materials. According to GM, the collaboration also includes a joint development agreement to develop and produce advanced battery technologies, “with the goal of reducing battery costs to industry-leading levels.”
“With this investment, Ohio and its highly capable workforce will play a key role in our journey toward a world with zero emissions,” said GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra. “Combining our manufacturing expertise with LG Chem’s leading battery-cell technology will help accelerate our pursuit of an all-electric future,” the executive added.
The new Lordstown plant will supply batteries for GM’s next-generation of all-electric vehicles, including an all-new battery-electric truck coming in the fall of 2021.
