December 22, 2024

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During Friday’s celebration at the Ultium Cells plant in Warren, Ohio, Tom Gallagher, vice president of operations at the LG Energy Solution-GM joint venture, delivers remarks commemorating the 100 millionth battery cell milestone. (Ultium Cells)

LG Energy Solution and General Motors celebrated a major milestone on Friday as their joint venture, Ultium Cells, produced its 100 millionth electric vehicle battery cell at Plant 1 in Warren, Ohio.

The milestone also coincided with the fifth anniversary of Ultium Cells, which was launched on Dec. 5, 2019. To mark the occasion, a ceremony was held at the facility.

“This achievement shows our commitment to advancing clean energy across industries like electric vehicles and energy storage systems,” said Kim Dong-myeong, CEO of LG Energy Solution. “We’ll continue to expand electrification and create jobs in Ohio.”

The 260,000-square-meter plant, roughly the size of 30 soccer fields, began construction in May 2020 and started mass production in Aug. 2022. It now employs 2,200 workers and supplies GM’s EV factories across North America.

The plant’s output consists of pouch-type battery cells that use advanced nickel-cobalt-manganese-aluminum technology. This innovation enables greater driving ranges for EVs while lowering production costs.

Ultium Cells Plant 1 is part of a broader initiative by the two companies to scale EV battery production in North America. The partnership is a key component of GM’s goal to eliminate tailpipe emissions from its light-duty vehicles by 2035.

The celebration also comes three days after LG Energy Solution announced plans to acquire full ownership of the Ultium Cells Plant 3 in Lansing, Michigan. GM confirmed it will sell its stake in the facility, recouping $1 billion to optimize investments amid shifting EV market dynamics. The sale, expected to close in early 2025, will give LG greater flexibility to serve customers, including Toyota, while GM focuses on capital efficiency.

By Moon Joon-hyun (mjh@heraldcorp.com)