Electric vehicle sales might be slumping, but a battery plant here is still moving forward

Despite a slowdown in electric vehicle sales, General Motors is moving forward with the $3.5 billion battery plant that it’s building with Samsung SDI near New Carlisle.

The automaker already has three EV battery plants that it developed with LG Energy Solution. Those are operational or in the process of ramping up in Ohio, Tennessee and Michigan.

But the plant that was planned for a 680-acre parcel northwest of Indiana 2 and Larrison Road was delayed by several months after the deal between GM and LG fell through for a fourth Ultium battery plant.

Though GM ultimately partnered with Samsung SDI for the fourth plant, the project was set back by at least six months as nearly every procedural step in the development agreement and other aspects of the project had to be redone with St. Joseph County.

The finalization of the new agreement with GM/Samsung was completed last summer, and GM took possession of the property on Aug. 29.

Since that time, construction crews have focused on grading the former farm property, building retention ponds and bringing water, sewer, natural gas and electricity to the site, though much of that work won’t be completed until next year, according to Bill Schalliol, the county’s executive director of economic development.

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Niespodziany Ditch, which cuts through the property also must be relocated to the east, and there will be improvements to Filmore Road from Larrison to the new ditch this fall to accommodate increased traffic.

“It’s all prework and there’s going to be quite a bit more,” Schalliol said.

The Indiana Department of Transportation also is about to embark on upgrades stretching from the Indiana 2 and U.S. 20 roundabout interchange in LaPorte County to Quince Road west of the St. Joseph Valley Parkway, also known as the U.S. 20/31 Bypass.

And separately, the agency expects to finalize plans this summer for what will likely be an interchange at Indiana 2 and Larrison to accommodate the increased traffic that’s expected for the GM/Samsung project as well as the proposed data center project that Amazon apparently is considering nearby.

While the three Ultium plants are producing pouch cells for EVs, the operation here is expected to make cylindrical and prismatic cell batteries in two separate structures encompassing 3 million square feet of manufacturing space.

Each type of battery has its own advantages, but producing all three would reportedly give GM more flexibility with production of electric vehicles.

Despite ongoing work at the site, rumors still have been circulating that the project might be in limbo.

Schalliol said those rumors are false.

”We’re in continuous conversation with the company and the contractor, and it’s where it needs to be,” he said. “They’re where they expect to be.”

Water and sewer lines could be completed this year as well as footers for the buildings, but construction will really ramp up in 2025 and 2026 with the new plant scheduled to opened in 2027, Schalliol said, pointing out that at the same time, there also will be work on other projects anticipated for the Indiana Enterprise Center.

“It’s going to be very busy out there over the next several years,” Schalliol said, pointing out that total investment could exceed $10 billion for projects at the site and thousands of new jobs could ultimately be created.

So when will passersby finally be able to see buildings starting to spring up on the former farmland?

“We should know soon when it starts going vertical,” he said.

Email Tribune staff writer Ed Semmler at esemmler@sbtinfo.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: EV battery plant near New Carlisle continues to move forward