“All of this new electrical vehicle stuff, it’s like we’ve moved into the age of the Jetsons. I’m just intrigued. I want to play my part in it, to help out.”
Fueled in part by a $2.5 billion loan from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), a new electric vehicle (EV) battery plant is nearing completion in Lansing, Michigan and will be substantially complete by October 2024. The project is a joint venture between General Motors and LG Energy Solution called Ultium Cells. It is expected to create 1,700 high paying jobs when it is finished.
The loan was awarded through the DOE’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program, which was expanded under the Biden-Harris infrastructure law and carries a much lower interest rate than Ultium Cell would have paid otherwise.
In January 2024, Ultium held a job fair in Lansing that drew over 400 job seekers. Roshawn Carroll told the Lansing State Journal, “All of this new electrical vehicle stuff, it’s like we’ve moved into the age of the Jetsons. I’m just intrigued. I want to play my part in it, to help out.”
The project is a major economic boon to the region. Tony Willis, chief equity development officer for the Lansing Economic Area Partnership, says the operation will have an “enormous” economic impact, attracting talent to the area and, perhaps, prompting other players in the electric vehicle industry to establish a footprint in the Greater Lansing area. “This provides proof-of-concept that this (type of industry) works here,” Willis said. “Whether it’s suppliers or battery production facilities, I can see a number of different possibilities.” Kate Snyder of Piper & Gold Public Relations in Lansing told the Journal, “They’ll be some of the best-paying jobs we’ve seen in the region for quite some time.”
Ultium Cells is investing $2.6 billion on the plant, which is expected to be substantially completed in October. The facility covers 2.8 million square feet and will have the capacity to build 36,000 to 72,000 batteries per year. It will supply GM’s production of its Ultium Platform-based EVs, including the Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV, as it works to convert its light-duty fleet to all-electric vehicles over the next decade.
According to Emerging Technology News, Ultium batteries have a “unique” design and will give GM’s vehicles an estimated range of up to 450 miles or more on a full charge with powerful 0 to 60 mph acceleration in three seconds.
Ultium says the state-of-the-art Lansing facility will use the most advanced and sustainable battery cell manufacturing processes. “The plant will be extremely flexible and able to adapt to ongoing advances in technology and materials,” they said in a release.
After the announcement, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said, “As the state that put the world on wheels, high-tech manufacturing is part of both our past and our future. That’s why we’ve been working hard to outcompete other states for every job and every dollar of investment, so everyone knows Michigan is the place to do business.”
THREE KEY FACTS:
- A state-of-the art electric vehicle battery plant is being built in Lansing, Michigan by Ultium Cells, a joint venture between General Motors and LG Energy Solution.
- The plant covers 2.8 million square feet, will employ up to 1,700 high-paid workers, and is expected to have a tremendous economic benefit to the Greater Lansing area.
- The project is funded, in part, by a $2.5 billion loan through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program which was expanded under the Biden-Harris infrastructure law.
