General Motors (GM) and LG Energy Solution’s joint venture Ultium Cells LLC announced its plans to shift operations at its Spring Hill battery cell manufacturing facility to produce low-cost lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cells.
Ultium Cells stated the conversion of its production lines will commence later this year, with commercial output anticipated by late 2027.
The company explained the shift in operations at its Spring Hill plant aims to lower EV battery costs, expand consumer choice, and diversify GM’s battery portfolio, which currently relies heavily on high-nickel chemistries, by honing the ability to manufacture battery cells in multiple cell chemistries.
Ultium Cells said its plant in Warren, Ohio, will continue to produce nickel cobalt manganese aluminum battery cells, which power GM crossovers with over 300 miles of range amid the production shift at its Tennessee facility.
“This investment expands our capabilities beyond a single battery cell chemistry, allowing us to produce new chemistries alongside our existing cells,” Kee Eun, president and CEO of Ultium Cells, said in a statement.
“Expanding our product portfolio ensures Ultium Cells will remain at the forefront of battery cell innovation and sustain our commitment to be a stable, long-term employer for the communities we serve,” Eun added.
Ultium Cells’ Spring Hill facility currently employs about 1,300 people.
GM and LG executives further emphasized that Ultium Cells’ investment in low-cost LFP battery cells reinforces their partnership, advances EV technology, and supports GM and LG’s goals of a “zero-emissions, all-electric future.”
Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter said Ultium Cells’ further investment in its Spring Hill plant “is a testament to the state’s longstanding, cohesive partnerships.”
The Volunteer State ranks the top state in the Southeast for EV manufacturing employment and investment, according to TNECD.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Ultium Cells LLC Workers” by Ultium Cells LLC.
