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General Motors and its electric car battery partner, LG, have formed a new joint venture to add significant battery manufacturing capacity inside the United States. The $2.3 billion expansion of GM and LG's current battery manufacturing capacity will add 1,100 new jobs and a new facility in the Lordstown area of Northeast Ohio.
“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. We look forward to collaborating with LG Chem on future cell technologies that will continue to improve the value we deliver to our customers.”
Northeast Ohio and the Mahoning Valley are emerging as a major hub for technology and electric vehicle manufacturing. GM’s recently transferred ownership of its Lordstown, Ohio plant to Lordstown Motors Corp. for the production of battery-electric trucks.
“Our joint venture with the No. 1 American automaker will further prepare us for the anticipated growth of the North American EV market, while giving us insights into the broader EV ecosystem,” said LG Chem Vice Chairman & CEO Hak-Cheol Shin. “Our long-standing history with General Motors has proven our collective expertise in this space, and we look forward to continuing this drive for zero emissions.”
GM also has invested in battery R&D and manufacturing in Michigan. Mary Barra, GM's CEO often notes that GM has an all-electric future. However, the last time we checked (March of 2019) on what Mary Barra herself drove, it was a massive gas-burning SUV. And GM's latest big product announcement was a V8-powered gas-burning supercar Corvette. Will GM's management walk the walk, or just keep talking the talk? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
In addition to covering green vehicle topics, John Goreham covers safety, technology, and new vehicle news at Torque News. You can follow John on Twitter at @johngoreham.
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Comments
GM's CEO Mary Barra seemingly
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GM's CEO Mary Barra seemingly doesn't comprehend hypocrisy or reality – bailouts, and annual compensation of $22 million, can do this to you.
It is only good news for GM
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It is only good news for GM that they are investing in battery technology. It is obvious that Ford and VW are poised to build a great many BEVs starting next year, so they no doubt have established plans to secure enough batteries. I believe that the Ford Mach-E reservations had exceeded ford's supplier's ability to produce enough batteries to satisfy demand. Tesla of course planned for battery production with their Panasonic partnership, along with Chinese battery alliances and their Maxwell Technology acquisition may put them ahead of their rivals. GM has of course announced the coming of a Cadillac BEV crossover, which should be out next year, but I believe that they will also announce something like a Blazer BEV model to compete against the Mach-E, Tesla Model Y, and VW ID4 (also due out next year), shortly after the Cadillac EV is revealed.