Rare Earth Exchanges

GM Sells off Battery Division to Korea’s LG Energy Solutions, Implications for Electric Vehicle Strategy

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Highlights

  • General Motors is selling its stake in a $2.6 billion Michigan battery plant to LG Energy Solution by early 2025
  • GM has lowered its 2024 EV production targets due to high costs and charging infrastructure challenges
  • The company is developing lighter, more space-efficient prismatic battery cells at Ultium facilities in Ohio and Tennessee

General Motors (GM) is taking a significant step in adjusting its electric vehicle (EV) production strategy by selling its stake in a $2.6 billion Michigan battery plant to its partner, Seoul, Korea-based LG Energy Solution (opens in a new tab) (LGES). This move, expected to be finalized by early 2025, is part of GM’s broader effort to adapt to fluctuating market demands.

The company recently lowered its 2024 EV production targets, citing challenges like high costs and insufficient charging infrastructure that have slowed EV adoption. By divesting its stake, GM aims to regain flexibility and focus resources more strategically.

Meanwhile, GM is enhancing its partnership with LGES to develop prismatic-style battery cells, which are lighter, more space-efficient, and cost-effective than traditional pouch-style cells. Plans to produce these advanced batteries at Ultium facilities (opens in a new tab) in Ohio and Tennessee indicate GM’s commitment to innovating its battery technology to meet market demands better. Unanswered questions include how the sale might impact GM’s long-term EV strategy and how the new battery cells will perform in real-world applications.  See the piece in The Metalomist (opens in a new tab).

As Rare Earth Exchanges has forecasted, incoming POTUS Donald Trump’s policies will likely disrupt the electric vehicle market.

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