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General Motors And LG Chem Announce New $2.3B Tennessee Battery Plant

General Motors and LG Chem have confirmed they will invest $2.3 billion to set up a new battery cell manufacturing site on the grounds of the GM Spring Hill Assembly plant in Tennessee.

The plant will be owned and operated by GM and LG Chem’s joint venture, Ultium Cells LLC. Construction on the 2.8 million-square-foot facility will begin immediately, the company said, with production set to kick off there in late 2023.

“The addition of our second all-new Ultium battery cell plant in the U.S. with our joint venture partner LG Energy Solution is another major step in our transition to an all-electric future,” GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra said in a statement. “The support of the state of Tennessee was an important factor in making this investment in Spring Hill possible and this type of support will be critical moving forward as we continue to take steps to transition our manufacturing footprint to support EV production.”

Once up and running, the new Spring Hill battery facility will supply cells for use in vehicles produced at the nearby Spring Hill Assembly plant. The vehicle production plant will produce the upcoming Cadillac Lyriq electric crossover. Rumors allege GM will also build a battery-electric Acura crossover on behalf of Honda at the site, which is expected to use GM Ultium batteries and Ultium Drive electric motors, just like the Lyriq.

“This partnership with General Motors will transform Tennessee into another key location for electric vehicle and battery production,” LG Energy Solution CEO Jonghyun Kim added. “It will allow us to build solid and stable U.S-based supply chains that enable everything from research, product development and production to the procurement of raw components. Importantly, I truly believe this coming together transcends a partnership as it marks a defining moment that will reduce emissions and help to accelerate the adoption of EVs.”

GM says the new Spring Hill battery plant will “use the most advanced and efficient battery cell manufacturing processes,” and “will be extremely flexible and able to adapt to ongoing advances in technology and materials.”

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Comments

  1. This is terrific news for Tennessee, and is a solid business move by GM as a whole. The more components of your electric vehicles you make here in the USA, the better. This past year has shown everyone just how unstable a reliance on foreign auto components can be.

    It’s also worth noting that the Ultium batteries built here will be a slightly different variation of the ones built in my backyard of Lordstown. The Spring Hill batteries will be built mostly for sedans, coupes, hatchbacks and crossovers, while the Lordstown batteries will be built for large SUVs and trucks, and the Cruise Origin.

    Reply
    1. What about the toxic dead batteries filling their landfills?

      Reply
      1. Better figure out a way to recycle them. Definitely an area with EVs that needs major work.

        Reply
        1. The value of the metals will make the batteries very profitable to recycle.

          The money will drive the market.

          Even in mfg they are very focused on not losing anything to waste.

          Reply
          1. sometimes the market says it is cheaper to dig it up than recycle.

            Reply
          2. haha…. you obviously haven’t done research on recycling batteries. It’s a fairly dangerous, labor intensive, chemical using (caustic reagents), and energy demanding process. Recycling complex battery modules found in BEV won’t be a highly profitable endeavor for a VERY long-time. It’s a job too tedious for current robotics.

            Less than 5% of Li-ion batteries are recycled currently. Love seeing those heavy metals get buried in local landfills… VERY GREEN.

            Reply
        2. there IS no way to recycle them.

          Reply
          1. That is funny….maybe someone needs to inform all the Battery Recycling Companies that someone on this thread thinks it is impossible and they need to stop right away before they go broke HAHA

            Reply
            1. they are subsidized. without government money, battery recycling couldn’t sustain itself. just like solar power.

              Reply
              1. Hey quick question.
                Is Sleepy Joe subsidizing Battery Recycling Companies around the World or just here in the USA? Seems like you have all the Subsidy information….well except the Big oil part but who cares about facts right?

                Reply
      2. GM has a plan in place to recycle ultium batteries.

        Reply
        1. lol… what’s the plan? Bury the waste in California, or China?

          Reply
          1. I vote for California. They LOVE dangerous trash.

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        2. Many Companies already exist. In the Future we will not need to mine as we will just keep recycling older Batteries. It will become a closed loop system.

          Reply
  2. No desire to drive a limited distance electric car. I will stay with good ol gas burner. GM will lose my business for sure. Also lots of people I know will drop them

    Reply
    1. Mary has a 300 mile extension cord on a trailer you can spool out as you drive. It’s “good for the environment” say the woke.

      Reply
  3. BOTH TESLA AND GM SAID THEY WILL BE BRINGING OUT A MILLION MILE CAR
    BATTERY IN THE NEAR FUTURE

    GM AND U.S. DEPT. OF ENERGY ARE DEVELOPING A SOLID STATE CHARGER,
    THAT WILL RECHARGE A LITHIUM BATTERY PACK 80% IN 10 MINUTES

    Reply
    1. Batteries are subsidized just like ponzi solar and unlike gas cars or nuclear power.

      Reply
  4. BOTH TESLA AND GM SAID THEY WILL BE BRINGING OUT A CAR
    BATTERY, THAT WILL LAST A MILLION MILES, IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

    GM AND U.S. DEPT. OF ENERGY ARE DEVELOPING A SOLID STATE CHARGER,
    THAT WILL RECHARGE A LITHIUM BATTERY PACK, 80% IN 10 MINUTES.

    Reply
  5. I am really happy with my Volt. Work commutes (22 miles round trip) are gas free (about 3.2 cents per mile to recharge). Used to run about 12 cents per mile for gas with previous car. The occasional out of town trip is done with gasoline on the road (about 8 cents per mile right now) with battery use in the cities. Rarely change oil, too. Bought it used so cost was about equal to gas car. Installing my own L2 charger wasn’t hard (and I am not an electrician) There are companies now that rebuild and recycle these batteries. I really don’t see a downside to this.

    Remember that gasoline cars/infrastructure took several years to refine and build.

    Reply
  6. That would be a game changer!

    Reply
  7. Are those Tesla battery packs I see in the switch yard..;-)

    Reply

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