GM Begins Hiring for its ‘Ultium Cells’ EV Battery Manufacturing Facility

Ultium Cells LLC, a JV of GM and LG Chem that will mass-produce Ultium battery cells for electric vehicles (EV) is looking to hire 1,100 employees.

General Motors (GM) has continued its march towards an all-electric, zero-emissions future with the construction of its nearly 3 million-square-foot Ultium Cells battery cell manufacturing facility in Lordstown, Ohio. Ultium Cells is a joint venture with LG Chem that will mass-produce Ultium battery cells for electric vehicles (EV) and create more than 1,100 new jobs.

The plant will begin actively hiring for key positions to execute the set up and launch of battery cell manufacturing.

“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. “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.”

GM is investing billions of dollars in its United States facilities to support EV manufacturing, including its share of the USD 2.3 billion investment in the Ultium Cells LLC battery facility. The plant, which will be about the size of 30 football fields, 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.”

GM’s joint venture with LG Chem to develop and mass-produce battery cells is expected to drive cell costs below USD 100 per kilowatt-hour at full volume, and the new Ultium batteries are expected to have some of the highest nickel and lowest cobalt content in a large format pouch cell.

In the past month, GM has made significant strides toward its all-electric, zero-emissions future, including the recent unveiling of Factory ZERO, an all-electric vehicle assembly plant that will serve as the launchpad for GM’s multi-brand EV strategy; the reveal of the highly-anticipated GMC HUMMER EV, and the firms’ recent investment of USD 2 billion to transition its Spring Hill, Tennessee plant to build electric vehicles, including Cadillac LYRIQ.

GM’s commitment to accelerating widespread EV adoption so far includes:

• The heart of GM’s strategy is a modular propulsion system and a highly flexible global EV platform powered by proprietary Ultium batteries, allowing the company to compete for nearly every customer in the market today, whether they are looking for affordable transportation, a luxury experience, work trucks or a high-performance machine.
• In September 2020, GM and Uber teamed up to help accelerate the rideshare industry’s transition to an all-electric, zero-emissions future by offering drivers on Uber’s platform special pricing on the purchase of a new electric vehicle and charging accessories.
• In August 2020, the Cadillac LYRIQ show car, the luxury brand’s first fully electric vehicle, was revealed, representing the future of electrification at Cadillac.
• In July 2020, GM and EVgo announced plans to triple the size of the nation’s largest DC fast-charging network over the next five years.
• In March 2020, GM announced plans to greatly expand employee workplace charging with the addition of 3,500 new plugs at GM facilities in the US and Canada.
• In 2019, GM announced it is working with Qmerit to create a more accessible at-home charging solution.