GM, LG to make batteries in Ohio
General Motors and LG (Lucky Goldstar) Chem will open a new plant in Lordstown, Ohio to make batteries, creating over 1,100 jobs (some of which will likely go to former GM Lordstown employees). The investment is estimated at $2.3 billion, and will go to a greenfield site.
GM sold its Lordstown plant to Lordstown Motors, which plans to make battery-electric trucks—a business which is getting rather crowded, with Rivian set to be the biggest player, followed by Tesla, Cummins (for larger trucks), Bollinger (specialty vehicles), and many others. The plant will be used by GM, with the first battery-electric truck set to arrive in fall 2021, but the timing will be awfully close, with groundbreaking slated for mid-2020.
Newer plants tend to use less energy and create less pollution when making batteries; GM and LG Chem claim that their processes will be state of the art. GM also announced a $28 million investment in its existing Warren (Michigan) battery laboratory, and $700 million in investments in three Ohio cities.
Clark Westfield grew up fixing up and driving past-their-prime American cars, including various GM and Mopar V8s. He has ghostwritten auto news for the last few years, and lives in Farmingdale, New York.