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December 05, 2019 09:59 AM

GM, LG Chem form joint venture to make batteries near Lordstown, Ohio

Hannah Lutz
Automotive News
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    The joint venture between GM and LG Chem will create a battery cell assembly plant in the Lordstown area that will create more than 1,100 new jobs in support of GM’s next-generation battery-electric vehicle portfolio.

    Detroit — General Motors and LG Chem Ltd. will invest a combined $2.3 billion to mass produce lithium-ion battery cells in northeastern Ohio, near GM's former Lordstown assembly plant, the companies said Thursday.

    A 50-50 joint venture between GM and the South Korean battery maker aims to create 1,100 jobs. GM and LG Chem plan to start building the plant in mid-2020 on a greenfield manufacturing site.

    With the investment, GM expects to reduce the cost of making electric vehicles. GM has said it plans to introduce 20 EVs globally by 2023.

    The plant will have an annual capacity of more than 30 gigawatt-hours, making it among the largest in the world, with potential for expansion, a GM spokeswoman said.

    "Ohio and its highly capable work force will play a key role in our journey toward a world with zero emissions," CEO Mary Barra said in a statement. "Combining our manufacturing expertise with LG Chem's leading battery-cell technology will help accelerate our pursuit of an all-electric future."

    The battery cells will be used in GM's future EV lineup, including the electric pickup Barra previously announced.

    Employees will work for the joint venture, not GM for directly, and decide whether to unionize, the spokeswoman said.

    Initially, the joint venture will provide batteries only to GM plants, the spokeswoman said. It could decide to supply other companies in the future.

    The partnership also includes a joint development agreement between GM and LG Chem.

    "We think as we do this in a joint fashion, it's going to accelerate our ability to win in the electric vehicle space," Barra told reporters. "We see this as a very important part of the future … and we believe it will accelerate EV adoption and General Motors' electric vehicle leadership."

    LG Chem currently provides batteries for the Chevrolet Bolt EV and previously supplied the Chevy Volt and Spark. Lithium-ion batteries use plastics extensively. For example, LG Chem says the Bolt's battery pack uses a proprietary polyolefin as the polymer film separator inside each one of the 288 individual lithium-ion battery cells.

    In September 2018, GM said it would invest $28 million to make major enhancements to its battery development and testing lab in Warren, Mich. GM planned to add new test chambers and advanced equipment for the automaker's next-generation battery architecture.

    The lab has expanded several times over the last decade to reach 100,000 square feet today.

    GM's Lordstown complex ended production in March and became permanently closed under the labor contract signed with the UAW this fall. Last month, GM sold the plant to Lordstown Motors Corp., a new company affiliated with Ohio-based EV maker Workhorse Group that plans to build electric pickups for commercial customers.

    Staff reporter Audrey LaForest contributed to this report.

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