More EV capacity moves announced in US

Scrap recyclers are among those keeping an eye on investments being made in the electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing space, as carmakers new and established decide where to locate their assembly and component supply lines as EV production gains momentum.

In September, Ford Motor Co. held a groundbreaking ceremony at BlueOval City for an EV production plant in Stanton, Tennessee, it calls its “largest, most advanced auto production complex” in its 119-year history, while General Motors (GM) announced a $760 million retrofit to a long-time drivetrain components and systems plant in Toledo, Ohio.

Structural steel is being erected less than one year after Ford and South Korea-based SK On announced their $5.6 billion investment to build the electric truck and battery plant in west Tennessee. “The nearly 6-square-mile mega campus will create approximately 6,000 new jobs when production begins in 2025,” Ford says.

“This facility is the blueprint for Ford’s future manufacturing facilities and will enable Ford to help lead America’s shift to electric vehicles,” says Eric Grubb, Ford’s director of new footprint construction. Ford says it currently is America’s No. 2 EV brand, and the facility brings it closer to its target of a 2 million EV production rate globally by late 2026.

The company’s longtime rival, GM—which is building a sizable EV battery plant of its own in Michigan—has announced it will invest $760 million at its Toledo propulsion manufacturing operations to prepare that facility to produce drive units that will be used in future Ultium-based battery EV trucks.

“Toledo Propulsion Systems will be GM’s first U.S. powertrain or propulsion-related manufacturing facility transformed for EV-related production,” the company says. Renovation work at Toledo Propulsion Systems will begin this month.

Once the plant is converted, it will produce GM’s family of EV drive units, which convert electric power from the battery pack to mechanical motion at the wheels. GM’s EV drive units will cover front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive propulsion combinations, including high-performance and off-road capabilities, according to the company.

“Our Toledo team has a long, proud history of building great products and they have worked hard to earn this investment,” says Gerald Johnson, GM executive vice president of global manufacturing and sustainability. “This investment helps build job security for our Toledo team for years to come and is the next step on our journey to an all-electric future.”

The Toledo plant will continue to produce transmission products for internal combustion engine vehicles while building drive units simultaneously during GM’s EV transition, the company adds.