SK On and Hyundai Motor Group's joint battery manufacturing venture has commenced initial production at its facility in Bartow County, Georgia, and has begun supplying batteries to Hyundai's local plant.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) on July 14, the joint venture, named Hyundai SK Battery Manufacturing America (HSBMA), started its initial production last month.
HSBMA announced that it is supplying batteries to Hyundai Motor Group's Meta Plant America (HMGMA) located in Savannah, Georgia.
Hyundai Motor Group and SK On established HSBMA with a total investment of $5 billion (approximately 7.4 trillion won) in 2023. The factory, covering about 920,000 square feet, currently employs 3,500 workers. Once fully operational, it will have an annual production capacity of 35 gigawatt-hours (GWh), enough to supply batteries for approximately 300,000 electric vehicles.
A spokesperson for HSBMA stated, "We are currently in the early stages of production and plan to gradually expand our operational scale."
The state of Georgia provided a total of $641 million in tax incentives and grants to attract the HSBMA plant. Previously, Hyundai Motor Group announced in April 2023 that battery cells produced at HSBMA would be supplied to Hyundai Mobis, which will manufacture battery packs for electric vehicles produced in the U.S. under the Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis brands.
In Georgia, SK On's local subsidiary, SK Battery America, is also producing batteries and related components for electric vehicles.
A joint battery plant between Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution is also under construction near HMGMA. However, AJC reported that construction has been delayed due to a large-scale detention incident involving Korean workers by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last year.
AJC noted that the start of battery supply from HSBMA strengthens Georgia's electric vehicle production ecosystem and diversifies Hyundai Motor Group's battery supply chain.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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