LG Energy Solution and Honda recently placed the final structural steel beam at the joint venture’s new EV battery production facility being constructed near Jeffersonville.
(Photo submitted)
—
Honda and LG Energy recently celebrated a milestone, erecting the final structural steel beam at the new electric vehicle (EV) battery plant being constructed near Jeffersonville. Officials call it a “major construction milestone” coming almost one year to the day after the groundbreaking for the facility.
The more than 2 million square feet facility is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
Projected to reach an overall investment of $4.4 billion and create some 2,200 new jobs, the joint venture between Honda and LG Energy aims to start mass production of pouch-type lithium-ion batteries in 2025, to be supplied to Honda auto plants to produce EVs to be sold in North America.
“Today is an important milestone for the LG Energy Solution-Honda team as the structure of the EV battery production facility takes its final shape,” Bob Lee, CEO of the LG Energy Solution-Honda joint venture, at an event announcing the final beam. “One year ago, we were breaking ground in an empty field and today we can see the finish line for this project, and we want to thank everyone working at the site and the local community who have made this possible.”
In addition to the construction progress, hiring is underway for the plant.
“This is a very exciting moment as we take the first steps to assemble our new team for the joint venture EV battery facility being established by LG Energy Solution and Honda,” said Rick Riggle, COO of the new joint venture company. “We will continue to announce new career opportunities in the coming months that we hope will inspire the next-generation workforce to get involved in the advanced manufacturing roles that will help produce lithium-ion batteries and will power the Acura and Honda EV models that will go into production in Ohio in late 2025.”
Honda’s focus on electric vehicles is also having a major impact on the Marysville Auto Plant (MAP).
The EV plant construction is just part of an overall investment projected to reach $4.4 billion.
Honda has said it plans to invest $700 million to re-tool several of its existing auto and powertrain plants in Ohio for production of electric vehicles that will utilize the batteries made at the new facility. While the battery plant will construct the batteries, the Anna Engine Plant will build the battery cases. The battery and cases will be combined at a subassembly line at Marysville Auto Plant with the complete battery unit installed in vehicles at MAP and the East Liberty Plant.
Honda officials said the new processes will create more than 300 new jobs at the existing facilities, though they have not said where or how those jobs will be distributed among the existing plants.
Last year Honda announced MAP will consolidate its two production lines and transition the facility to make the company’s electric vehicles.