The new plant in Clarksville, Tennessee will be the largest of its kind in the United States, covering 420 acres with a production target of 120,000 tons of cathode material annually by 2027 to power batteries in 1.2 million pure electric vehicles with a range of 310 miles (500 km) per charge.
Construction of the plant will begin in the first quarter of next year with mass production to start in the second half of 2025.
The new facility will produce advanced NCMA cathode materials containing nickel, cobalt, manganese and aluminum for next-generation EV batteries with improved battery capacity and stability. NCMA cathode materials are among the most critical ingredients for determining the battery capacity and life of electric vehicles.
The Tennessee plant will feature LG Chem's most advanced production technology including the ability to produce more than 10,000 tons of cathode material per line. LG Chem applied this technology for the first time to its fourth cathode manufacturing site in Cheongju, South Korea. The company also plans to implement its smart factory technology in Tennessee to automate the entire production process and establish a quality analysis and control system that will be the benchmark for all other cathode plants in the world.
GM previously said it will use NCMA battery cathodes from LG Chem for a range of EVs using Ultium-branded batteries.
Source: LG Chem
