Why US EV Battery Production Is Accelerating
A manufacturing revolution is underway in the U.S. as EV battery production is set to double by year’s end, threatening China’s long-held dominance. While China still leads the world in EV battery production, the U.S.A. is the fastest growing producer of battery packs. Ten massive new facilities are being built and will go online sometime this year, doubling EV battery production in North America.
Major Players Behind the Battery Boom
Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Toyota, Honda, Kia and Hyundai have all seen record sales of Hybrids and EVs in North America in the last few years and their battery suppliers including Panasonic, SK ON, and LG Energy Solution are all building mega-plants on U.S. soil to maneuver around the foreign importation of batteries and to get away from Chinese tariffs.
Toyota has an enormous $14 billion facility in Liberty, North Carolina that will begin the production of batteries for Hybrids and EVs by April of this year. LG Energy is creating two enormous plants; one in partnership with Honda that is in Ohio, and another in Arizona.
The Mega-Plants Powering the Boom
SK ON has three massive plants coming soon: two in Tennessee and Kentucky as part of its partnership with Ford, and yet another in Georgia with Hyundai. But wait, there’s more. Samsung SDI and Stellantis are partnering on a plant in Indiana; Panasonic is completing a factory in Kansas; and Our Next energy is completing a facility in Michigan.
All these plants mean many thousands of new jobs for Americans. In fact, the Environmental Defense Fund says that employment for these new factories could generate over 800,000 new jobs.
According to Ellen Robo, EDF’s Manager of Transportation and Clean Air Policy, “Dozens of facilities are now up and running, creating jobs in communities around the country and allowing us to make affordable, clean cars right here in America for all those who want to buy one.”
The five states that are doing best for these new investments and jobs are Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Nevada. Georgia is currently leading the nation with over 26.4 billion in investments and over 31,600 jobs.
By 2028, it is estimated that U.S. EV battery manufacturing facilities will be capable of producing 1,083 Gigawatt hours of batteries: enough to supply over 12 million new electric vehicles per year - more than the number sold globally last year.
