Honda has announced a new partnership with LG Energy Solution for the latter to produce batteries for the former’s electric vehicles.
The partnership between Honda and LG Energy Solution (LGES) will be formalised as the L-H Battery Company (LHBC), and manufacturer lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles in Fayette County, Ohio.
The new production facility of the joint venture is expected to generate 2,200 jobs in the area, and the two companies are expected to place investments reaching $4.4 billion (around £3.6 billion at time of writing, January 2023), with $3.5 billion (around £2.9 billion at time of writing) having already been invested between the two.
Production on the facility will start early this year, and is expected to finish by the end of 2024. Mass production of lithium-ion batteries is expected to start in the facility by the end of 2025. L-H Battery Company aims for its facility to reach 40GWh production capacity, and the batteries produced by it will be used only in Honda electric vehicles produced and sold in North America.
In LGES's press release on the joint venture, it mentions Honda's e:Architecture, which is a car platform. But, the use of the batteries in electric motorcycles and/or electric scooters is not explicitly ruled out, although it might be reasonable to expect their use to be limited to four wheels.
Robert Lee, CEO of L-H Battery Company, said: “LG Energy Solution has all the right assets to make this joint venture a success, including the financial stability, quality, competitiveness, and production capacity with global operational expertise.
"With two companies' expertise combined, we will provide top quality batteries to ensure the successful launch of Honda EVs in North America, and grow with the community here in Ohio by creating high value jobs."
Rick Riggle, COO of L-H Battery Company, said: "The formal establishment of this joint venture between LG Energy Solution and Honda to produce EV batteries in Ohio is another major step toward our electrified future.
"We are excited to move forward with such a strong partner in LG Energy Solution and, together, we look forward to establishing a strong relationship with the community in Fayette County, Ohio."
The news of Honda’s US-based collaboration with LG Energy Solution - that is, the same LG electronics company that makes televisions, but its battery production division that also makes batteries for laptops, for example - comes after its partnership with Sony was announced last year, also focused on electric vehicles.
Honda plans to have 10 electric bikes on the market by 2025, and to have totally neutralised its vehicle roster’s carbon emissions by 2040. Further, Honda launched its first production electric scooter at the end of 2022, the EM1 e.
