Ohio among 8 states receiving $1.7 billion in grants for EV manufacturing

Ohio is among eight states receiving a combined $1.7 billion in grants to boost electric vehicle manufacturing. 

The Energy Department grants will go to General Motors and Stellantis, among other automakers, and cover a broad range of the supply chain, from electric motorcycles to school buses and heavy-duty commercial truck batteries. GM said that its $500 million federal grant will help it convert an assembly plant in Lansing, Michigan.

In addition to Ohio, the grants are going to projects in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, and Virginia. In all, they will create more than 2,900 jobs and retain another 15,000 across all 11 facilities.

What it Means to Ohio

American Autoparts, a subsidiary of Hyundai Mobis Co., has launched a $65 million project — funded in part by a $32.6 million federal grant — to bring EV manufacturing and jobs to Toledo.

The company will convert an existing assembly plant and create an estimated 38 new union labor jobs. It will also construct a new battery system assembly plant for SUVs, light trucks, and minivans, creating 185 new jobs. 

The news comes as Ohio builds its reputation for EV manufacturing.

LG Energy Solution and Honda will produce lithium-ion batteries at a new facility in Jeffersonville, 40 miles southwest of Columbus, by the end of 2025.

Elsewhere, Cleveland’s LAND Energy is producing swappable smart batteries, starting with its own electric motorcycle.

What They’re Saying

“Building a clean energy economy can and should be a win-win for union autoworkers and automakers. This investment will create thousands of good-paying, union manufacturing jobs and retain even more—from Lansing, Michigan to Fort Valley, Georgia—by helping auto companies retool, reboot and rehire in the same factories and communities.''

- President Joe Biden

“Not only are we delivering new sources of clean transit — that iconic yellow school bus going green — but we’re also delivering to the American people options to save ... thousands of dollars of fuel and maintenance costs over the lifetime of a vehicle.'' 

- White House climate adviser Ali Zaidi

“There is nothing harder to a manufacturing community than to lose jobs to foreign competition and a changing industry.” Even as competitors like China invest heavily in electric vehicles, the federal grants will help “ensure that our automotive industry stays competitive — and does it in the communities and with the workforce that have supported the auto industry for generations.”

- Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm