Tennessee
The new $2.3 billion Ultium Cells LLC battery plant will create 1,300 new jobs and supply Ultium battery cells to GM’s Spring Hill Manufacturing assembly plant, which will build the Cadillac LYRIQ.
Batteries are essential components of most electrical devices, powering our laptops, cell phones and flashlights, and for automotive companies like us at General Motors, batteries that power electric vehicles are more important than ever.
In April 2021, Ultium Cells LLC, a joint venture of LG Energy Solution and General Motors, announced a more than $2.3 billion investment to build a second battery cell manufacturing plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee.
The approximately 2.8 million-square-foot battery cell plant is scheduled to open in late 2023 and will use an advanced and efficient battery cell manufacturing processes.
“Doubling battery production in the U.S. by creating a second Ultium Cells LLC facility sends a clear signal that GM is serious about its vision for an all-electric, zero-emissions future powered by battery-electric technologies,” said Tom Gallagher, chief operating officer of Ultium Cells LLC. “I’m looking forward to having a front-row seat into GM’s electrification strategy, unfolding right here in the state of Tennessee and across the country.”
Spring Hill will join Lordstown, Ohio, as the second Ultium Cells LLC plant to mass-produce battery cells for GM’s growing Ultium-powered lineup, including vehicles like the Cadillac LYRIQ that will be built at GM’s Spring Hill assembly plant later this year.
GM’s History in Tennessee
In 1985, GM announced Spring Hill would be home to a new manufacturing and assembly complex where a new nameplate called Saturn would produce vehicles. In 1990 the Spring Hill complex began production. The plant currently assembles the Cadillac XT5, XT6, and the GMC Acadia. The Spring Hill team also builds propulsion systems for some of our most popular full-size SUV models, including the GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade.
GM currently employs more than 3,300 Tennesseans and we are excited for the 1,300 new jobs that will be created to work for the joint venture at the Spring Hill Ultium Cells LLC facility.
“The support of the state of Tennessee was an important factor in making this investment in Spring Hill possible and this type of support will be critical moving forward as we continue to take steps to transition our manufacturing footprint to support EV production,” said GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra.
As GM transitions its manufacturing facilities to support EV production, a transition in the skills needed will happen as well. Tennessee leaders say they are up to the challenge and are developing skilled trade programs to support companies like GM, LG Energy Solution, Ultium Cells LLC, and more.
“We’re invested heavily in our workforce, particularly the education that creates a skilled workforce that will be needed for the expansion and growth of your great companies here,” said Tennessee Governor, Bill Lee. “We’re committed to the idea and the value of a skilled craftsman, and we are constructing an education system that appreciates that value.”
Our relationship with Tennessee goes far beyond the manufacturing floor and is rooted in the community.
“This announcement is an enormous win not only for Spring Hill, but the entire state as it expands our automotive footprint while adding to the strength of Tennessee’s advanced manufacturing industry,” said Bob Rolfe, Tennessee commissioner of Community and Economic Development. “Spring Hill will be the beneficiary of 1,300 great, family-wage jobs, and the indirect positive impact of a $2.3 billion construction project will have a positive, lasting impact on the community.”
In 2020, GM paid more than $300 million in taxable wages to employees in Tennessee and impacted more than 20,000 Tennesseans through social investments.
GM’s Vision for an All-Electric Future
The Ultium Cells LLC Spring Hill announcement is one of several announcements GM has made in the last 18 months that underscore the company’s commitment to an all-electric, zero-emissions future.
"GM is moving quickly toward its vision of an all-electric future, and Ultium Cells LLC is proud to play a strategic role in executing that vision,” said Gallagher. " I’m energized that folks in Tennessee and across the country will get to play such a focal role in ushering in GM’s all-electric future.”
GM has committed $35 billion to EV and AV product development through 2025.
Check out GM’s electrification page to learn more about our vision for an all-electric future.