Ultium Cells LLC, a subsidiary of General Motors, is inching closer to bringing its plant in Lordstown, Ohio online. The nearly 3 million-square-foot battery cell manufacturing facility is part of a joint venture with LG Chem.
As the company readies the plant, they are seeking 1,100 new employees including key positions to execute the set up and launch of battery cell manufacturing. Those key positions are open to applicants now with applications for other positions coming down the line. Job seekers can apply for positions on the Ultium Cells LLC website.
When the factory is complete, it will look like this rendering.Photo courtesy of General Motors
“We are excited to share our vision of an all-electric future as we begin adding members to our highly-technical battery cell manufacturing team,” said Thomas Gallagher, plant director, Ultium Cells LLC. “This facility will lead us into a new era of manufacturing and sustainability as we push toward a zero-emissions future. We are very grateful for the Lordstown community’s continued support.”
The new factory, on the same campus as the old Lordstown Assembly plant and next door to Lordstown Motors HQ is part of a $2.3 billion investment. The new plant is the size of 30 football fields and will have an annual capacity of more than 30 gigawatt hours and room for expansion.
“We want to put everyone in an EV,” said Ken Morris, GM vice president of Autonomous and Electric Vehicle Programs. “The Ultium propulsion system allows us to provide customers with exactly what they want – whether it be a car, truck or SUV. Our joint venture with LG Chem is exciting because we’re working together to drive down battery cell costs to accelerate EV adoption.”
In addition to supplying batteries for GM’s future electric vehicles, the mass-production of battery cells is expected to drive cell costs below $100 per kilowatt-hour at full volume according to GM estimates. This is in part because Ultium batteries are expected to have some of the highest nickel and lowest cobalt content in a large format pouch cell.
The Ultium battery is the power of the new GM vehicle architecture strategy. It will supply energy to the just-introduced GMC Hummer EV and the future Cadillac Lyriq SUV.
