The U.S. Dept. of Energy has closed a $2.5-billion loan to support construction of three electric vehicle lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing plants for a joint venture of General Motors Corp. and South Korean battery maker LG Energy Solution—the first for such U.S. facilities under DOE's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program, officials said Dec. 12.
The projects for the JV—known as Ultium Cells—are already completed or underway.