GM and LG will join forces once again under their joint-venture to bring another battery factory to the US.
It has become very clear with the accelerated adoption of electric mobility, that if automakers want to be serious when it comes to producing electric vehicles, they need mass amounts of batteries. With some automakers opting to look to established battery suppliers to secure their supply, GM and its Ultium joint-venture with LG puts the automaker smack dab in the middle of the production process.
GM announced its own battery factory in partnership with LG Chem in Lordstown, Ohio in December 2019. The project dubbed Ultium Cells LLC, is slated to produce “more than 30 gigawatt hours with flexibility for expansion.” In May of last year, GM broke ground on the site and recently completed the structure of the facility.
Although it still has a ways to go before completion, the two companies are apparently on the hunt for their second battery factory location in the US.
According to a new report from the Wall Street Journal, GM confirmed that it is exploring such a project, and a location could be announced during the first half of this year. Tennessee is currently being considered as a location according to the Wall Street Journal sources: “GM and LG are close to completing a decision to locate the plant in Tennessee, said people familiar with the matter. A final selection hasn’t yet been made, the people said.”
The new Ultium battery cells will be used in the upcoming Hummer EV and Cadillac Lyriq, as well as all future electric vehicles developed in the joint-venture and produced in the US.