Honda and LG Energy Solution will build their previously announced joint venture EV battery plant in Fayette County, Ohio. The companies will invest at least $3.5 billion to build the factory, and the overall spending in the joint venture could reach $4.4 billion. The project will create 2,200 jobs.
Construction on the battery factory will begin in early 2023 and will be complete by the end of 2024. By end of 2025, Honda will aim to produce 40 gigawatt hours of lithium-ion battery packs there each year. The site's batteries will be exclusively for Honda- and Acura-branded vehicles.
Specifically, the factory will be near Jeffersonville, OH, according to the Columbus Dispatch. This will put the site about 40 miles from Columbus, OH, and around 50 miles away from Honda's factory in Marysville, OH. The Ohio Department of Transportation will improve the roads in the area near the new plant.
Gallery: 2024 Honda Prologue
Honda's EV strategy including launching the Prologue in 2024 (gallery above). It uses the Ultium batteries and platform from General Motors. The crossover even has the same 121.8-inch (3,094-millimeter) wheelbase as the Cadillac Lyriq and Chevrolet Blazer EV. Powertrain and battery details aren't available for the Honda yet. The Acura ZDX is coming on the same underpinnings.
In 2026, Honda plans to begin producing EVs using its own e:Architecture, and these models would use the batteries from the new LG joint venture factory in Ohio. There are no technical details about these vehicles yet. The Columbus Dispatch reports the company intends to build the products at the factories in Marysville and East Liberty, OH.
Honda and GM are also co-developing an EV-specific platform. The first vehicle using it is supposed to arrive in 2027.
Plus, Honda formed a joint venture with Sony to develop an EV that could be on sale as early as 2025. The plan is for Honda to handle the manufacturing and for Sony to develop the platform. We don't yet know whether the resulting product would be available in the US.
In the two-wheeled world, Honda announced a strategy in September to introduce 10 electric models by 2025. They would include commuter models, electric mopeds, and what the company calls "Fun EVs" that appear to include a sporty model judging by the teaser image.
