$5 Billion LG & Stellantis Battery Plant To Create 2,500 Jobs For Windsor, Open In 2024

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Stellantis’ recently-announced Chrysler Airflow concept, shown charging.

The Governments of Canada and Ontario have announced a major investment into electric vehicle parts manufacturing for Windsor.

Officials including François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, and Drew Dilkens, Mayor of Windsor, announced that their governments are welcoming a major investment from LG Energy Solution, one of the leading battery manufacturing companies in the world, and automaker Stellantis to create a joint venture in Canada.

Officials say the joint venture will see a total investment of over $5 billion CAD ($4.1 billion USD) in a facility to manufacture batteries for EVs in Canada. The battery facility will be located on a 220 acre site in Windsor, and will supply Stellantis plants in Windsor and across North America. It’s designed to occupy 4.5 million square feet of space, or approximately 112 NHL-sized hockey rinks.

Mayor Drew Dilkens announces the investment at an event on Twin Oaks Drive

Officials say the project is “expected to create 2,500 well-paying jobs”.

“Our joint venture with LG Energy Solution is yet another stepping stone to achieving our aggressive electrification road map in the region, aimed at hitting 50% of battery-electric vehicle sales in the U.S. and Canada by the end of the decade,” said Carlos Tavares, Stellantis CEO. “We are grateful to the municipal, provincial and federal levels of government for their support and commitment to help position Canada as a North American leader in the production of electric-vehicle batteries.”

The plant aims to have an annual production capacity in excess of 45 gigawatt hours.

“Attracting this multi-billion dollar investment will secure Ontario’s place as a North American hub for building the cars and batteries of the future,” said Ford. “As we secure game-changing investments, we’re also connecting resources, industries and workers in northern Ontario with the manufacturing might of southern Ontario to build up home-grown supply chains. Every region of Ontario will benefit with thousands of jobs being created and a stronger economy that works for everyone.”

The plant is expected to be built on Twin Oaks Drive between Lauzon and Banwell, near the site of the former CS Wind plant.

Mayor Drew Dilkens said the investment is securing a future for thousands of jobs.

“Stellantis is Windsor’s largest employer and has a rich history in this community. Chrysler began operations in this community in 1928 and has employed generations of Windsor–Essex workers at its facility,” Dilkens said. “With this announcement, we are securing the future for thousands more local workers and securing Windsor’s strategic location as the home of Canada’s electric vehicle future. As the world pivots to EVs, Windsor will soon be home to the battery manufacturing facility that powers it all.”

Details of this agreement are subject to commercial confidentiality and officials say they cannot be disclosed at this time.

Plant construction activities are scheduled to begin later this year, with production operations planned to launch in the first quarter of 2024. They say the facility will be fully operational by 2025.