The Gigafactories and Jobs Headed to US Shores

 

Battery manufacturing facilities are increasingly becoming an essential piece of the sustainability puzzle. As EV sales continue to grow so will the demand for the packs that power them. 

To reduce the need to import batteries into the US, the Inflation Reduction Act requires EVs built in the United States also be outfitted with batteries built in the USA (in addition to a few other rules about sourcing) in order to qualify for the full $7,500 incentive. 

For the companies, there are also financial incentives to build battery facilities in the US. Those factories will result in thousands of new jobs at their locations not to mention the jobs and businesses that will crop up around these battery-building behemoths. 

For job seekers, this is the opportunity for a new career and for some potentially a chance at a new life in a new part of the country. 

To help sort out the timelines and locations of these openings, we've put together a list of when and where battery facilities will be opening. We've also added two very important factors for those mulling relocation, the average rent and home cost.

To account for adjusted timelines, new facilities, and the ever-changing housing market, we will be updating this article regularly to keep you informed of this emerging field.  

Here are the locations of each factory currently in production or slated to begin production in the next five years. 

 

Currently in Operation

Tesla Gigafactory 
Sparks, Nevada

Tela's Gigafactory has been producing battery packs since 2016. While the automaker is having to compete in an increasingly competitive EV market, it still has a commanding lead in sales. Even though it's one of the younger automakers on the market, there no are signs that it's going anywhere soon. With that in mind, it looks like Tesla will be hiring at this location for years to come. 

Median house price $468,625
Median Rent: $1,975 

GM/LG Ultium 
Warren, Ohio

GM's Ultium platform is the basis for all its future EVs. It's already in the automaker's current GMC Hummers and Cadillac Lyriq vehicles and will power the upcoming Silverado, Blazer, Equinox, updated Bolt, and other electric vehicles from the automaker's stable of brands. 

The Warren, Ohio is one of four battery facilities being spun up by GM to fulfill the needs of its transition to electrification from internal combustion. This facility began production in August of 2022 and it already supplying the company with packs and will continue to do so for years to come. 

Median House Price: $365,000
Median Rent: $828

AESC / Nissan
Smyrna, Tennessee

Production began at this plant back in 2012. A lifetime ago in the EV world. The plant has supported the Nissan Leaf which at one time was the best-selling EV on the market before being overtaken by the Tesla Model 3. The Leaf though is being discontinued, the plant is scheduled to part of Nissan's expanded EV lineup and should be producing batteries for years to come. 

Median House Price: $415,025 
Median Rent: $2,050 

SK Innovation
Commerce, Georgia

This is the first of two plants scheduled to be built in Commerce, Georgia. SK Innovation is a Korean company that has invested heavily in US-based battery facilities all currently slated to open ahead of 2030. This plant is currently producing batteries for automakers Volkswagen and Ford. 

The plant was originally slated to hire 2,600 employees but has already hit that mark and plans to increase the headcount to 3,000 by the end of this year. 

Median House Price: $350,000 
Median Rent: $2,000 

LS Energy Solutions/Toyota
Holland, Michigan

This facility currently supplies batteries to multiple automakers and recently has embarked on an expansion that will double the size of the original plant and add 1,000 jobs to the current headcount of 1,500 employees. Now there's news that this plant will be supplying Toyota with batteries beginning in 2025 with a dedicated production. 

No word yet on whether the Toyota partnership will add even more employees to the facility. 

Median House Price: $330,000
Median Rent: $1,800

Launching This Year 

GM/LG Ultium 
Spring Hill, Tennesse

This new facility from GM and LG will be the source of batteries for the Cadillac Lyriq which is being built at a factory next door. GM's Ultium battery platform is the base of all its future EVs. The automaker is also using the Ultium name as the moniker for all things EV. So get used to seeing it. 

Originally GM stated it expected to create 1,300 new jobs at this facility. At the end of 2022 though, the company said that it plans to increase its output 
at the plant and raise the eventual headcount to 1,700. 

Median House Price: $470,220
Median Rent: $2,245

SK Innovation
Commerce, Georgia

Expected to launch by the end of the year, this second battery facility in Commerce, Georgia from SK Innovation will bring additional jobs to the area. The first facility is already up and running. 

Median House Price: $350,000 
Median Rent: $2,000 

Launching in 2024

GM / LG Ultium
Lansing, Michigan 

The third battery cell manufacturing facility from GM and LG is currently under construction in Michigan. GM notes that the facility should be up and running in the fourth quarter of 2024 and is expected to eventually employ 1,700 employees. 

Like the other two facilities – which are located in Ohio and Tennessee – this location will be building batteries for the company's line of current and upcoming EVs. 

GM has also broke ground on a fourth facility with partner Samsung SDI in Indiana. 

Median House Price: $137,000 
Median Rent: $995 

Our Next Energy (ONE)
Van Buren Township, Michigan 

Our Next Energy (ONE) is currently converting a building in Michigan to build batteries. According to the company, the facility will employ 2,112 employees. What's a bit different is that ONE will produce lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries instead of the lithium-ion packs we've come to associate with EVs. 

LFP packs tend to have a longer life span but have a lower power density than lithium-ion. One reason more and more companies are looking to LFP technology is that it is far less prone to thermal runaway. It's a chemistry that's being added to more vehicles and it looks like ONE is happy to deliver those cells and packs. 

Median House Price: $275,000 
Median Rent: $950 

SK Innovation / Ford
Glendale (Elizabethtown), Kentucky

The joint venture between Ford and SK Innovation is expected to employ nearly 5,000 people at a 1,500-acre battery manufacturing complex. Operations are expected to commence in 2024 which is earlier than the original production schedule of 2025. 

This facility is not to be confused with the Ford battery facility in Michigan which the automaker has recently put on pause during its construction. As of now, this battery factory is ahead of schedule and poised to start production next year. 

Median House Price: $239,000 
Median Rent: $1,875 

Kore Power
Buckeye, Arizona

Kore Power's Arizona facility is slated to open in late 2024 or early 2025. The company's Koreplex will employ 1,250 jobs when operating at full capacity. A relatively new player, this is Kore Power's first battery cell production facility.  

Median House Price: $390,00 
Median Rent: $2,050 

Gotion
Manteno, Illinois

Chinese company Gotion along with the state of Illinois announced in September that a $2 billion gigafactory would be constructed in Manteno, Illinois. According to the company, the facility will be up and running in 2024. A rather aggressive timeline compared to many other factories currently being built. 

The battery manufacturing factory is expected to employ 2,600 people once running at full capacity. 

Median House Price: $265,000 
Median Rent: $925 

Launching in 2025

LG Energy Solution
Queen Creek, Arizona

LG will be building two facilities at this location. One opening in 2025 and the other in 2026. One will build batteries for EVs while the other will produce batteries for energy storage solutions. 

The plant was originally slated to open in 2024. Additional investment and a revised plan to increase production pushed that start date back a year. 

Median House Price: $585,00 
Median Rent: $2,400 

Electrovaya 
Jamestown, New York 

Located south of Buffalo, New York, the Electrovaya battery facility is expected to start battery system assembly at the beginning of 2024. Meanwhile. cell assembly won't commence until the second quarter of 2025. 

Unfortunately, we don't know how many employees the factory will need when running at full capacity. When Electrovaya shares that information we'll update this post. 

Median House Price: $93,000 
Median Rent: $894 

AESC
Bowling Green, Kentucky

One of the largest economic investments in Kentucky's history according to Governor Andy Beshear, the AESC facility is expected to create 2,000 jobs. Production of batteries is expected to begin in early 2025. 

The company says that by 2027, the battery production from the gigafactory will power 300,000 EVs a year.

Median House Price: $270,000
Median Rent: $1,226 

SK Innovation / Ford
Stanton (Brownsville), Tennessee

The huge facility known as BlueOval City is currently under construction and slated to begin production in 2025. Once completed the site will build Ford's next-generation electric truck in addition to being a battery manufacturing facility. 

The entire campus is expected to create 6,000 jobs split between vehicle and battery manufacturing. 

Median House Price: $182,000 
Median Rent: $925 

SK Innovation / Hyundai
Ellabell (Pembroke), Georgia

Another joint venture with SK Innovation, the Hyundai battery facility will create 3,500 jobs and begin operations in 2025. It's one of two battery facilities Hyundai will be bringing to Georgia in 2025. 

Hyundai's push into EVs has been more aggressive than many of its traditional automaker counterparts. These battery facilities are important not just to make sure the EVs can be built, the Inflation Reduction Act requires those vehicles to be built in and be outfitted with batteries in the United States. 

Median House Price: $247,000 
Median Rent: $1,095 

Statevolt
Imperial Valley (El Centro), California

Statevolt is taking an interesting approach with the location of its gigafactory. It's placed near the source of lithium that's going to be extracted from the ground next to the Salton Sea in Southeast California. The Salton Sea is expected to have enough lithium to meet the United State's demand for the mineral. 

The facility itself will employ up to 2,500 and should start production in 2025 according to Statevolt. 

Median House Price: $350,000 
Median Rent: $1,750 

Toyota
Liberty, North Carolina

When you think hybrid, the first thing that pops into your head is likely a Prius. Toyota might not have been the first to bring a hybrid to US shores but its powertrain has become an important part of the brand. The automaker's devotion to electrification persists to this day and its battery facility in North Carolina will continue to build batteries for hybrid and EVs when it goes live in 2025. The automaker recently announced an additional $8 billion investment in the facility that would expand its headcount from 2,100 employees to more than 5,000 once the facility is running at full capacity. 

Median House Price: $252,500 
Median Rent: $1,675 

LG Energy Solutions / Hyundai
Ellabell (Pembroke), Georgia

The Metaplant America – as it's been dubbed by LG and Hyundai – will be both an EV factory for Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis vehicles and a battery facility. 

Production is slated to begin by the end of 2025 with an annual production target of 30 GWh at the battery facility. When fully operational, the site will be home to 8,500 jobs. 

Median House Price: $247,000 
Median Rent: $1,095 

LG Energy Solutions / Honda 
Jeffersonville (Jamestown), Ohio

With its first mass-produced EV SUV set to hit showrooms in early 2024 via a partnership with GM, Honda is now moving quickly to secure its battery facility. The facility will be completed at the end of 2024 and mass production will start by the end of 2025. 

As it gears up to full production, Honda plans to create 2,200 jobs. 

Median House Price: $210,450 
Median Rent: $925 

Panasonic
De Soto, Kansas

Having teamed up with Tesla for the Sparks, Nevada gigafactory, Panasonic is slated to open a second battery production facility this time in De Soto Kansas. The company hopes to begin production at the location in March of 2025 and has already broken ground on construction. 

The eventual headcount for the LG plants is 4,000 new jobs. 

Median House Price: $481,000 
Median Rent: $1,250 

Samsung SDI/ Stellantis
Kokomo, Indiana

This is the first of two plants being built by the joint venture between Samsung SDI and Stellantis. This first one is expected to start production in the first quarter of 2025. The site will create 1,400 jobs. 

Details about the second site's location and headcount are still under wraps. 

Median House Price: $145,000 
Median Rent: $864 

Launching in 2026

AESC
Florence, South Carolina

AESC recently broke ground on its South Carolina battery facility which will yield 1,170 jobs. The batteries produced at the location will used by BMW at its Spartenberg, South Carolina factory. 

AESC expects production to begin at this plant in 2026. 

Median House Price: $317,000 
Median Rent: $1,350 

Samsung SDI / GM
New Carlisle (South Bend), Indiana 

Expected to begin production in 2026, this is the last of four GM battery manufacturing facilities in the United States. As with the other three, it will be tasked with battery production for the Ultium platform.

Once fully operational it will create 1,700 jobs in the region. 

Median House Price: $173,000 
Median Rent: $1,250 

Ford / CATL
Marshall, Michigan

A Chinese battery maker CATL was put on pause by Ford in late 2023 but has now resumed construction. The facility will start production in 2026. But facility production of has been slashed by 40%. The initial headcount of 2,500 has been reduced to 1,700. This is in reaction to a slow-down in sales of Ford's F-150 Lightning pickup. 

Median House Price: $199,500
Median Rent: $1,025

 

Launching in 2027

Samsung SDI / Stellantis
Location Unknown

This is the second facility announced by the joint venture between Samsung SDI and Stellantis. While production is slated to begin in 2027, neither company has shared details about the facility's location. When we reached out to Stellantis a spokesperson told us that the automaker had "no updates on this topic at the moment."

As soon as we hear more, we will update this entry. 

Unknown Launch Date

ABF
Tucson, Arizona

American Battery Factory (ABF) announced the first of what it says will be a series of new gigafactories based in the United States. The initial facility will be built in Arizona and employ approximately 1,000 people once it's up and running at full production. 

When that happens though is still unknown. 

Median House Price: $330,000 
Median Rent: $1,510