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UPDATE | DeWine urges Honda, LG to choose Ohio as site for plant to make batteries for electric vehicles

By Mahoning Matters staff
Gov. Mike DeWine speaks during a press conference on June 2 in Avon Lake, Ohio, during Ford’s announcement that it will add 6,200 factory jobs in Michigan, Missouri and Ohio. The Ford factory in Avon Lake, near Cleveland, will be expanded so it can build a new electric commercial vehicle, with 1,800 new jobs. DeWine is now urging South Korean battery maker LG and Japanese automaker Honda to build a plant in Ohio to make batteries for electric vehicles.
Gov. Mike DeWine speaks during a press conference on June 2 in Avon Lake, Ohio, during Ford’s announcement that it will add 6,200 factory jobs in Michigan, Missouri and Ohio. The Ford factory in Avon Lake, near Cleveland, will be expanded so it can build a new electric commercial vehicle, with 1,800 new jobs. DeWine is now urging South Korean battery maker LG and Japanese automaker Honda to build a plant in Ohio to make batteries for electric vehicles. (David Richard | AP Photo)

Gov. Mike DeWine is urging South Korean battery maker LG and Japanese automaker Honda to choose Ohio for a plant to produce batteries for electric vehicles.

LG and Honda are investing $4.4 billion in a joint venture in the United States to produce batteries for Honda electric vehicles in the North American market, the two companies said Monday.

The plant’s site is still undecided, but construction will begin in early 2023, with mass production of advanced lithium-ion battery cells to start by the end of 2025, the companies said.

DeWine is pushing for the plant to be built in Ohio.

“Ohio’s advanced manufacturing future is bright. With automakers moving to manufacture more and more electric vehicles, we want Honda to expand its operation in Ohio,” DeWine said in a news release. “For almost 40 years, Ohio has been at the center of Honda’s North American vehicle production, and we are working with Honda and LG to ensure that they choose Ohio for this new electric battery plant.”

The plant will produce batteries exclusively for Honda vehicles assembled in North America, including the company’s Acura luxury brand, according to a joint statement.

“Our joint venture with Honda, which has significant brand reputation, is yet another milestone in our mid- to long-term strategy of promoting electrification in the fast-growing North American market,” said LG Energy Solution Chief Executive Youngsoo Kwon.

“While a specific factory location has not yet been identified, we are certain that Ohio is strongly being considered given Honda’s long-standing presence in the Buckeye State,” the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association said in a news release. “Ohio manufacturers are ready to lead this new chapter of innovation.”

LG partnered with General Motors in 2019 to form Ultium Cells LLC, and Lordstown was chosen as one of four sites for an electric vehicle battery plant. The other locations are Spring Hill, Tennessee, and Lansing, Michigan. A fourth plant could be built in Indiana, according to reports.

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story was originally published August 29, 2022 at 2:04 PM.