GM has officially begun Ultium EV battery production in the US as part of its $2.3 billion joint venture with LG Energy Solution. The JVs 2.8-million square foot facility in Ohio is now assembling battery packs for the GMC Hummer EV, but remains hush on what other EVs in the GM family will receive them. Meanwhile, the American automaker continues to work through disputes as its battery factory employees look to unionize.
GM announced news of its own battery manufacturing facility in the US alongside LG, all the way back in late 2019, beginning in Ohio near its former facility it sold to Lordstown Motors. Lordstown subsequently sold the plant to Foxconn, but thats a whole other story.
The Ohio battery plant joined Tennessee as one of two planned US facilities, until this past January when GM announced a third plant coming to Lansing, Michigan as part of a $2.6 billion joint venture with LG Energy Solution.
Together with LG, GM launched Ultium Cells, LLC, which recently received a conditional loan of $2.5 billion from the US Department of Energy to help manufacture batteries for the 1 million EVs GM intends to produce by 2025.
With a long-term supply of lithium lined up, GM and LG are poised to bring some serious EV battery production to US soil, which could prove fruitful to consumers buying GM EVs that qualify for federal tax credits under revised terms in the recently signed Inflation Reduction Act.
The GM vehicle that will receive the first Ultium batteries from the recently opened Ohio plant is the GMC Hummer EV, which definitely does not qualify for federal tax credits. However, there are plenty of upcoming EVs from GM brands that could benefit, we just need the automaker to confirm what vehicles will receive the batteries.
According the Detroit Free Press, the Ultium Cell LLC plant in Warren, Ohio is up and running, currently employing 800 individuals. The joint venture says it intends to employ 1,300 people by next year when Ultium battery production reaches full capacity.
A spokesperson for Ultium would not reveal when the Ohio facility began operations, citing such information remains competitive in nature, nor would they divulge which GM EVs will be receiving Ultium battery packs beyond the Hummer EV.
The electric Hummer and new Cadillac Lyriq are the only two Ultium EVs currently in production, but will soon be joined by plenty more, including all-electric version of Chevy Silverado, Blazer, and Equinox.
The Free Press also points out that discussions between GM/Ultium and the United Auto Workers (UAW) continue, as the latter works to organize a portion of the workforce in Ohio to unionize a right the American automaker says it supports.
The UAW has shared a slightly different sentiment while the dispute appears to stem from the unions preference to use a card check process to organize. This is usually a much quicker process than ballot elections, since a majority number of Ultium employees in a bargaining unit can sign authorization cards stating they wish to be represented by the union and are automatically repped.
According to a memo from June, Ultium has rejected UAWs request for the card check process. This week, UAW President Ray Curry shared the latest:
We have been in ongoing conversations with General Motors and Ultium, as we are with other employers building products in the sectors that we represent. The UAW believes that employers should respect the majority will of workers and that is why we demand card check and neutrality in organizing campaigns.
When Ultium was asked for the latest update, a spokesperson for joint venture said it respects employees rights determine their representation status.
Looking ahead, GMs $2.3 billion plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee is expected to be completed by the end of 2023, followed by the Lansing, Michigan facility by late 2024. GM and LG have already shared considerations for a fourth US battery facility in New Carlisle, Indiana, estimated to cost another $2.4 billion.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Subscribe to Electrek on YouTube for exclusive videos and subscribe to the podcast.
See the rest here:
GM begins US Ultium battery production for Hummer EV in Ohio amidst union pushback - Electrek.co
- I took an international trip with my frozen eggs to learn about the fertility industry - MIT Technology Review - September 16th, 2022
- On the scent: ETSU researchers exploring treatments for loss of smell - East Tennessee State University - September 8th, 2022
- University of Minnesota researcher seeks to sustain Alzheimer's findings amid image scandal - Star Tribune - August 5th, 2022
- Men Share The Costly Lengths They've Taken To Prevent Balding - HuffPost - July 11th, 2022
- The end of Roe v. Wade affects more than just abortion - Vox.com - July 3rd, 2022
- What Is Radiation Sickness and Are There Drugs to Treat It? - Newsweek - May 15th, 2022
- IMAC Holdings, Inc. Announces Initiation of Third and Final Cohort of its Phase 1 Clinical Study of Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells for... - March 25th, 2022
- Roslin Tech in multi-million bid to fund sustainable food - HeraldScotland - August 31st, 2021
- What Is DiscGenics, The Company Christopher Duntsch Helped Found, And Where Is It Today? - Oxygen - July 21st, 2021
- Karen Hasty Named Among 2021 Super Women In Business by Memphis Business Journal - UTHSC News - June 6th, 2021
- GM pledges to be carbon neutral by 2040; Dingell applauds efforts - Dearborn Press and Guide - February 16th, 2021
- Former NFL star Eddie George returns to Vero Beach for therapy, this time on shoulder - TCPalm - September 22nd, 2020
- US Performing Hysterectomies On Immigrants? - The Shadow League - September 22nd, 2020
- Sunway University's Collaboration with Harvard Medical School Makes Advances in Potential Cancer Treatment using Gene Therapy - Yahoo Finance - August 26th, 2020
- Non-Profit Offers Free Stem Cell Therapy to Veterans - Pain News Network - March 28th, 2020
- CAR T Cells to Go? Outpatient Therapy Can Be Safe - Medscape - March 1st, 2020
- Breakthrough, Non-Invasive Treatment Called Axol Therapy For Erectile Dysfunction And Enhanced Sexual Performance Now Available At Colorado Urology -... - March 1st, 2020
- Alberta baby Mighty Hudson home after gene therapy: hes cured - Global News - January 24th, 2020
- Year in Review: The Top Science Stories of 2019 - WTTW News - January 5th, 2020
- Early Results Are Positive for Experimental CRISPR Therapies - The Scientist - November 22nd, 2019
- Towards a universal flu vaccine - Scientific American - September 23rd, 2019
- What We Do Stem Cell Institute of Middle Tennessee - March 20th, 2019
- UTHSC | Department of Ophthalmology | Hamilton Eye Institute - March 7th, 2019
- Stem Cell Treatment Nashville TN - Precision Pain Care - January 15th, 2019
- Equine Regenerative Medicine - University of Tennessee system - September 15th, 2018
- Lung Institute | Stem Cell Treatment Tennessee - September 25th, 2017
- EPS for BioLife Solutions (BLFS) Expected At $-0.06; Last Week Dean Foods Co (DF) Coverage - Herald KS - July 30th, 2017
- Stem Cell Therapy Franklin TN | Stem Cell Treatment - July 7th, 2017
- When C9ORF72 Silences U2, Spliceosomes Can't Find What They're Looking For - Alzforum - July 7th, 2017
- Knoxville TN Stem Cell Treatment | Knoxville Tennessee ... - November 23rd, 2016
- Lung Institute | Stem Cell Treatment Center in TN for Lung ... - November 9th, 2016
- The Stem Cell Transplant Process - Covenant Health - May 12th, 2015
- SpringerPlus | Full text | What makes cancer stem cell ... - April 27th, 2015
- Pros And Cons Of Stem Cell Research - Popular Issues ... - January 29th, 2015
- Chattanoogan.com - Chattanooga's source for breaking local news - November 26th, 2014
- Stem Cell Transplants in Dogs | eHow - eHow | How to ... - November 19th, 2014
- Memphis Tennessee Stem Cell Research | Memphis TN Stem ... - November 11th, 2014
- Human stem cell research - Religious Tolerance - September 27th, 2014
- Stem Cells Macular DegenerationStem Cell Treatments - September 27th, 2014
- Understanding Stem Cell Transplant VICC Momentum - September 27th, 2014
- Tennessee in middle of embryonic stem cell fight | wbir.com - August 26th, 2014
- Stem Cell Transplant Program - Covenant Health - August 23rd, 2014
- Tennessee Stem Cell Therapy | Stem Cell Treatments - August 22nd, 2014