General Motors announced that it will begin construction of a new 400,000 square-foot electric vehicle battery module facility that will bring nearly 300 new jobs to the OEM’s CAMI Assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ont. Production of the battery modules will begin in the second quarter of 2024.
In a news release, the OEMs said its new facility will assemble modules for BrightDrop Zevo production, along with additional Ultium EVs that will be built at other GM plants.
“In addition to being Canada’s first large-scale EV manufacturing plant, soon the team will add EV battery module assembly to the site, demonstrating innovation, flexibility, and opportunity during this historic time of transformation in the industry,” said Marissa West, President and Managing Director at GM Canada, in a statement.
The company said individual battery cells will be assembled into full vehicle packs in four steps. This includes arranging battery cells into small stacks of cells (applying sealer and retaining clips); assembling the mini stacks into full modules (installing cooling plates, insulation, and electrical components); and assembling the modules into vehicle packs (installing cooling lines and additional electrical components).
Step four involves the final testing of its vehicle battery packs before they are sealed and transferred to the assembly line.
“Autoworkers need a secure future in Canada’s transition to electric vehicle manufacturing,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne in a statement. “This new work will not only help expand employment opportunities at the CAMI facility but localize and stabilize battery supplies into the plant.”
