There’s no denying that electric vehicles are the future of mobility. Petroleum and other fossil fuels are quickly depleting, and hydrogen-powered vehicles aren’t yet ready for the mass market. Owing to this, several legacy car manufacturers have started making and selling EVs in the US. BMW, Mercedes, Honda — you name it, and the brand has a few EV options for each target demographic. While there are so many brands selling EVs in the country, have you wondered how many of them use battery packs manufactured within the U.S.? Have you wondered if car brands even manufacture their own battery packs? The answer to the second question is “not all of them.”
Several carmakers partner with specialized battery manufacturers to make battery packs for their cars. Some of them may manufacture their own cells, but may not be doing it within the country. There are several benefits to manufacturing car batteries in America, from tax incentives and credits to supply chain optimization, job creation, and national security. These factors have been pushing more manufacturers to set up their manufacturing facilities in the U.S. While the progress has been slow, several manufacturers have caught up and started building plants in the U.S. to cater to the rising demand for EV batteries.
If you want to take advantage of the tax benefits while supporting the country’s economic growth, here are all the car brands making EV batteries in the U.S.
General Motors
General Motors was among the first car brands to set up an EV battery manufacturing facility in the US. The brand partnered with LG Energy Solutions to form Ultium Cells LLC, which then set up a factory in Warren, Ohio — back in 2022. The plant primarily caters to battery packs used in Chevrolet, GMC, and Hummer vehicles while creating employment for nearly 2,000 individuals. The massive 2.8 million-square-foot premises has an annual capacity of 41GWh, manufacturing cells with the Nickel Cobalt Manganese Aluminum composition. Ultium Cells also has another similar facility in Spring Hill, Tennessee. This one was built more recently in 2024 next to an already present GM facility in the vicinity.
As far as upcoming projects from the brand are concerned, Ultium Cells has yet another plant set to start operations in 2025. Located in Lansing, Michigan, this factory will also operate with the same 41GWh capacity, thanks to a $2.6 billion investment. Notably, GM also operates the battery assembly plant in Brownstown Township, Michigan. While there’s no manufacturing happening here, the individual cells are assembled into battery packs. Apart from the partnership with LG to form Ultium, GM has also joined hands with Samsung SDI to set up a factory in the US to manufacture batteries. It is slated to commence operations in 2026. With four factories operational by 2026, GM is set to be one of the largest manufacturers of EV batteries in North America.
Ford
Ford announced in 2021 that it was partnering with SK to manufacture EV batteries in the U.S. to cater to North American requirements. As a part of this effort, two factories were set up in Glendale, Kentucky dubbed the BlueOval SK Battery Park. This is a massive facility with a production capacity of over 80GWh annually, primarily dedicated to Ford and Lincoln EVs. A third factory has been set up in Stanton, Tennessee right next to an existing Ford assembly plant. These three major factories contribute massively to the American economy by generating over 7,000 jobs with a total investment of over $10 billion. That’s not all, however.
More recently, Ford identified the opportunity to build a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery plant in Marshall, Michigan by licensing technology from Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL), a popular Chinese battery manufacturing giant. LFP batteries offer better power and can run better in colder temperatures at the cost of being more expensive and having a reduced lifespan. However, it provides consumers with a choice which is always a positive. The factory in Michigan is set to start operations in 2026.
Hyundai
Hyundai’s commitment to building EV batteries started with Hyundai Mobis’ announcement of a manufacturing plant in Montgomery, Alabama. More recently, though, the Hyundai Motor Group has partnered with SK on — the same Korean manufacturer that joined hands with Ford — to manufacture EV batteries in the U.S. The facility is currently being set up in Bartow County, Georgia, and is slated to be operational by mid-2025. With an annual capacity of 35GWh, this particular factory can help with the assembly of 300,000 EVs per year — Hyundai, Genesis, and Kia included.
Just a few miles away in Bryan Country, Georgia, Hyundai is setting up a second manufacturing unit for its EV batteries, this time in partnership with LG Energy Solutions. The annual manufacturing capacity is set to be similar to the factory in Bartow County, and both factories are also expected to start operations around a similar time frame. Hyundai has invested close to $5 billion for each plant, so it’s a significant step to ramp up the production of EVs within the country while eliminating dependency on foreign nations for battery packs.
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is one of the few luxury carmakers that has been manufacturing its batteries in the U.S. for quite some time now. The brand began making battery packs in its first plant in Bibb County, Alabama, back in March 2022. The location was strategically chosen since Mercedes-Benz also has a manufacturing plant close to the vicinity — in Tuscaloosa. Both of these facilities have joined hands to manufacture the EQS and EQE lineup of Mercedes SUVs. Although cars from Mercedes-Benz are expensive, this move from the brand to open a factory in the U.S. early on has helped it shave some costs in the form of tax benefits that have been passed on to end consumers.
It also reflects the commitment of the brand to contribute to the country’s economy by generating more jobs. Notably, Mercedes announced during the same time that it’s going to be working with Sila — a battery manufacturing company specializing in silicon anode batteries for its premium vehicles. This technology is supposed to increase energy density, indicating that a larger capacity battery can be fit into the same form factor. The result is an improved range without adding to the car’s dimensions. The advanced silicon anode material is manufactured in Sila’s Washington state facility.
Stellantis
In early 2022, Stellantis announced that it was investing over $2.5 billion to open its first gigafactory in Kokomo, Indiana as a means of expanding its battery manufacturing efforts in North America. The brand has been making EV batteries in NA since 2024, but that plant is located in Windsor, Canada. Coming back to the factory in Indiana, it’s slated to begin manufacturing anytime in early 2025 with an expected output of 23GWh to begin with. As and when the production ramps up, Stellantis is aiming to hit the 33GWh mark soon. This particular unit is being set up in partnership with Samsung SDI. The joint venture between both companies is called StarPlus Energy.
Fast forward to 2023, Stellantis put forth its plans to expand the manufacturing facility to a second gigafactory in the same location. A further investment of $3.2 billion has been allocated for this project, with operations expected to begin in early 2027. When combined with the first factory, the total output is expected to hit 67GWh, which should cater to hundreds of thousands of EVs that Stellantis is planning to manufacture as a part of its Dare Forward initiative by 2030.
Tesla
Tesla needs no introduction in the EV manufacturing space. The brand first showed its commitment to making high-quality EVs for the American market in 2017 by setting up a gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada. This makes Tesla one of the first brands to set up a lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility in the U.S. The factory in question not only manufactures cells for the brand’s cars but also has several assembly lines to assemble vehicles, including the Tesla Semi Truck. Tesla’s 4680-type battery cells were first manufactured here, but the production has also started at the brand’s Gigafactory Texas in Austin.
More recently, Tesla also announced the groundbreaking of its in-house lithium refinery, making it America’s only automobile manufacturer to have its own refinery in the country. This contributes to Tesla’s efforts towards developing sustainable energy in the U.S. Tesla is also one of the largest companies manufacturing EV cells in the U.S. in terms of capacity. The gigafactory in Nevada began with an initial output of 37GWh. But, with the expansion in 2023, the factory now has the ability to hit 137GWh per year, thanks to a dedicated plant that handles an output of 100GWh of 4860-type cells.
Nissan
If you thought Tesla was early to start its battery manufacturing facility in 2017, wait till you hear about Nissan’s efforts in adapting EVs for its vehicle fleet. The Japanese carmaker set up a factory in Smyrna, Tennessee back in 2012. It’s safe to say that the brand pioneered the EV efforts in the American market with an investment of up to $1.7 billion to set up the manufacturing facility and an assembly line for its then flagship EV — the Nissan Leaf. Nissan’s subsidiary at that time – Automotive Energy Supply Corporation set up the factory with an annual target of 200,000 assembled battery packs. It was one of the largest EV battery manufacturing facilities in the country until Tesla decided to expand its Gigafactory in Nevada in 2023.
Not a lot of people may be aware of the fact that Nissan was one of the first car manufacturers to jump onto the EV bandwagon with the Nissan Leaf back in 2010. The brand hasn’t looked back ever since and has continued improving its EV offerings in the country.
Honda
At the beginning of 2023, Honda announced that it was partnering with LG Energy Solutions to set up a new battery manufacturing facility in the United States. The joint venture — titled L-H Battery Inc. — aimed to invest close to 4.5 billion dollars towards a factory in Jeffersonville, Ohio. It’s been close to two years since the announcement, and the factory is set to begin operations later in 2025 with a capacity of approximately 40GWh. The battery packs coming out of this factory will be used in both Honda and Acura vehicles selling in North America.
Estimates say that this capacity is sufficient to cater to about 500,000 EVs annually — all of which will have pouch-type batteries that are meant to optimize space. Honda has also significantly contributed to creating jobs with this project since more than 2,000 workers have reportedly been hired to complete the factory by mid-2025 since the automaker aims to start operations by the end of the year.
Toyota
Toyota makes some of the most reliable automobiles, so it only made sense for the brand to set up its battery manufacturing facility in the U.S. Owing to this, the Toyota Battery Manufacturing, North Carolina — commonly referred to as the TBMNC — was set up. As the name suggests, the factory is located in Liberty, North Carolina, and is the company’s first battery-manufacturing facility outside of Japan. The plan to set up the factory was first announced in 2021. Four years later, it is now ready and all set to begin operations in early 2025. With an investment of a whopping 14 billion dollars, the factory is expected to cater to the battery requirement of close to 800,000 vehicles annually.
The scale is massive since Toyota also makes quite a few hybrid vehicles apart from just EVs. Hence, this facility is designed to make battery packs for both types of cars. With the U.S. being one of the biggest markets for Toyota, this factory will make it more convenient for the carmaker to assemble all its future vehicles within the country.
BMW
BMW made its plans to invest in the U.S. market clear by setting aside $1.7 billion for the operations of the luxury car brand in the country. Out of this, 700 million has been specifically allocated for the brand’s EV battery manufacturing plant in Woodruff, South Carolina. Plant Woodruff (that’s what BMW is calling it) will supply battery packs for all of the brand’s EVs sold in North America. BMW has entered a partnership with AESC to manufacture these cells in Florence, South Carolina, after which they are assembled into battery packs in the Woodruff facility.
The construction of the plant began in 2023 and is expected to complete by early 2026. While we’re not yet sure about BMW’s EV lineup that is going to use these batteries, the German carmaker is expected to launch six fully electric ‘X’ series models by 2030 in the U.S. This is where the rest of the money from the $1.7 million is directed — towards the improvement of the brand’s existing Plant Spartanburg assembling facility so that it can handle the manufacturing of the new vehicles.
Upcoming projects and existing factories by battery manufacturers
While these were all the carmakers with EV battery manufacturing facilities in the U.S., some other notable car manufacturers are planning to set up a facility to make EV cells. For instance, brands like Lucid and BYD have assembly lines in the country but aren’t manufacturing batteries within the US as of yet. However, both brands have expressed interest in setting up battery manufacturing facilities to cater to the growing demand for vehicles. Volkswagen recently announced a new factory in Canada to manufacture batteries for its EVs sold in North America. The brand may also expand its operations to the US in the near future.
Apart from dedicated car manufacturers, there are several energy-focused brands that have been making EV batteries for a while within the U.S. Some of them include AESC, LG Energy Solutions, Panasonic, SK on, etc. You may have seen these names above since they have also partnered with several car brands to manufacture batteries for them. However, they also operate independently to supply cells and battery packs to several car brands. The EV market is going to see an upward curve in the coming years, so it’s good to see carmakers investing in manufacturing facilities within the U.S. This way, the dependency on imports can be reduced while passing on any sort of cost-benefit to the end consumer.
