LANSING, MI – On Dec 12th, Governor Gretchen Whitmer released a statement on U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and U.S. Department of Labor Deputy Secretary Julie Su’s announcement of a $2.5 billion loan for Ultium Cells LLC to manufacture electric vehicle batteries in Michigan and across the country. 

“As the state that put the world on wheels, high-tech manufacturing is part of both our past and our future. That’s why we’ve been working hard to outcompete other states for every job and every dollar of investment, so everyone knows Michigan is the place to do business. On Dec 12th, the Department of Energy announced continued support for GM’s $2.5 billion investment to build Ultium’s third battery cell plant in Lansing, promising 1,700 new jobs. Investing in our workers will help us bring supply chains home and ensure that Michigan is the best place to innovate, design, test, and manufacture the technology of the future.” 

While in Michigan, the Department of Energy also launched next steps in the Battery Workforce Initiative (BWI), a program geared toward supporting workforce training for good clean energy manufacturing jobs and the development of strategies to bring supply chains back home from overseas. 

About Ultium Cells LLC Investment 

On Dec 12th, the DOE Loan Programs Office (LPO) announced approval of a loan up to $2.5 billion to Ultium Cells LLC to finance the construction of three manufacturing plants to produce electric vehicle (EV) lithium-ion battery cells in Lansing, Michigan; Lordstown, Ohio; and Spring Hill, Tennessee.  

In July, LPO announced a conditional commitment for the loan to Ultium Cells to manufacture large format, pouch-type cells that use a state-of-the-art nickel-cobalt-manganese-aluminum chemistry to deliver more range at less cost. Ultium Cells plans to use this technology in coordination with GM’s work to eliminate 100% of tailpipe emissions from its new light-duty vehicles by 2035. This also supports GM’s plans to build one million EVs in North America by the end of 2025, along with making its global products and operations carbon neutral by 2040.? 

Earlier this year, Governor Whitmer announced GM plans to construct its third U.S. Ultium high-volume battery cell manufacturing facility in the city of Lansing and Delta Township.  The project is expected to generate a total capital investment of $2.5 billion and create 1,700 jobs. Over 20 years, more than $28.8 billion in new personal income is expected to be generated by the direct, indirect, and induced jobs this opportunity will create. In addition, the project has an employment multiplier of 3.8, which means that an additional 2.8 jobs in Michigan’s economy are anticipated to be created for every new direct job, due to the extensive supply chain that exists in Michigan. 

About the Battery Workforce Initiative 

As the United States is expected to double its lithium battery manufacturing capacity by 2025, with more than 10 new battery plants expected to be operational in the next five years, the U.S. Department of Energy launched the Battery Workforce Initiative to meet this growing manufacturing demand and speed the development of accessible, high-quality jobs in the battery industry. 

The goal of the Battery Workforce Initiative is to bring together battery industry organizations to cooperate in the development of an essential foundation of a strong workforce training structure for the emerging battery supply chain industry, by sharing non-proprietary requirements for high-demand occupations across that industry. Roundtable participants will have an opportunity to share their experiences in building out this industry, especially around potential training models and skills that will be essential as we collectively work to meet the anticipated rapid growth of battery manufacturing and related jobs.