Ultium Cells delivers first battery cells from Tennessee factory

Ultium Cells, the battery cell joint venture between General Motors and LG Energy Solution, has delivered the first cells to GM from its Spring Hill plant in the US state of Tennessee. Two and a half years after the ground-breaking ceremony, the first battery cells have been produced in series.

Spring Hill is the second battery cell factory from Ultium Cells to reach series production, following the Warren (Ohio) plant, which started production in 2022. For the GM vehicle plant in Spring Hill, where the Cadillac Lyriq is built, on-site cell production is a major improvement: the batteries are no longer transported from Ohio to Tennessee, but only about half a mile, according to Ultium Cells.

Ultium Cells also plans to supply other General Motors plants from Spring Hill. Shipments will “increase in volume and frequency as the plant commissions additional production lines,” according to the company, without saying exactly Ultium Cells’ battery logistics will look like in the future and which vehicle plants will be supplied from which cell factories.

In addition to the cell factories in Warren and Spring Hill, Ultium Cells is building another US battery factory in Lansing, Michigan. Production there will start at the end of 2024. However, plans for a fourth plant to be built in New Carlisle in the US state of Indiana were put on hold at the beginning of 2023.

Ultium Cells does not comment on the progress of the work in Lansig, as a press statement focuses on the milestone reached in Spring Hill. “This moment has been years in the making, and I’m grateful to the thousands of contractors, community partners, and team members who have worked tirelessly to make this moment a reality,” says Plant Director Chris Desautels. “We’ve built a great team here in Spring Hill, and we’re proud of this world-class facility.”

“Ultium Cells – Tennessee creates incredible synergies by combining the operational expertise of GM and the validated, state-of-the-art battery processes and equipment technology of LG Energy Solution to make benchmark battery cells for our customer General Motors,” adds Youngduk Kim, LG Energy Solution’s regional director.

ultiumcell.com