U.S. is on the cusp of an electric vehicle (EV) revolution, as EVs are expected to make up half of new car sales worldwide by 2035 (Goldman Sachs). At the forefront of this growing market, LG Energy Solution Michigan’s second battery plant is now on track, with the aim of expanding the capacity by five-fold.
LGES Michigan is currently investing USD1.7 billion into the expansion project, which will add an additional 1.7 million square-feet to the complex, with the help of more than 100 local, national, and international partners. Once completed, the new facility will quintuple LGES Michigan’s annual production capacity from 5GWh to 25GWh, which will once again ensure the fast and stable delivery of products to major automakers across the U.S.
The second plant will produce the cutting-edge long-cell design batteries with high energy density. The facility will also adopt manufacturing processes driven by smart factory technologies including artificial intelligence, which will be tasked with optimizing production and boosting supply chain efficiency.
The plant will create more than 1,000 new jobs, attracting more human resources and capital to the West Michigan area. As the new facility embodies the state-of-the-art technologies, it also aims to serve as an incubating hub that nurtures next-generation battery professionals, further strengthening Michigan’s position as the center of high-tech EV and component production.
To share the excitement on the new battery plant, LGES Michigan invited local media outlets on June 29 for a tour of the facility. The expansion project manager, Roger Traboulay, guided the tour and provided exclusive sneak peek of the new plant under construction. The tour captured approximately 650 individuals working on daily tasks such as roofing, fireproofing, clean room wall paneling, and duct installation. With a total of 700,000 man-hours invested so far, the construction is well underway, with the goals of completion next year and start of mass production in 2025.
After the construction site tour, journalists were also invited to tour the electrodes production line of the existing plant. As such, the tour portraying both the present and future of LGES Michigan was an exciting opportunity to interact with journalists and share the excitement on LGES Michigan’s upcoming developments.
In the future, LG Energy Solution plans to host more media events to meet and greet the journalists, and also provide them with major updates on its global operation, business initiatives, and new technologies. So, stay tuned for more updates!
