GM, Samsung SDI choose Indiana for $3B EV battery plant

NEW CARLISLE, Ind. (WISH) — St. Joseph County will soon be home to the largest electrical vehicle investment in Indiana history.

General Motors and South Korea-based Samsung SDI plan to bring a more than $3 billion EV battery cell plant to New Carlisle and create 1,700 manufacturing jobs by 2026, Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Tuesday.

The plant, a joint venture between GM and Samsung SDI, will be built just east of New Carlisle at Larrison Boulevard and State Road 2.

The New Carlisle facility will house production lines for battery cells that GM expects will “significantly increase the accessibility and affordability” of electric vehicles in the U.S., the Indiana Economic Development Corporation says.

Construction on the battery cell plant will begin within the next year and at least 1,000 workers will be needed to complete the build, according to the IEDC.

“This project represents the largest single investment and job commitment in St. Joseph County in the last 75 years and will impact our region for decades,” Carl Baxmeyer, President of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners, said. “We look forward to a long partnership with GM and Samsung SDI as they move forward on their first battery plant as partners.”

The New Carlisle plant is part of the Department of Energy’s plan to increase North America’s battery manufacturing capacity from 55 Gigawatt-hours per year in 2021 to nearly 1,000 GWh/year by 2030. When complete, the St. Joseph County facility will have more than 30 GWh of capacity.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation says it’s working with GM and Samsung SDI to finalize performance-based tax incentives to support the joint venture’s investment and job creation plans.

Tuesday’s announcement is the second major Indiana jobs announcement by GM in as many days. On Monday, the automaker announced plans to invest $632 million at its Fort Wayne assembly plant.