Yet another multi-billion dollar win for DeWine/Husted, JobsOhio
By Terry Troy
This is getting to be a recurring but welcome theme.
Ohio has been confirmed as the new site for the Honda and LG Energy Solutions joint venture EV battery production, the possibility of which was reported here back at the beginning of September. The announcement is yet another billion dollar plus economic development win for the DeWine Husted administration and JobsOhio. During a special event at the Ohio Statehouse earlier this month, Honda and LG Energy Solution confirmed that their combined investments of at least $4.2 billion will create a combined 2,527 new jobs in Ohio between the establishment of a new EV battery plant in Fayette County and the retooling of existing Honda plants in Union, Logan, and Shelby counties for electric vehicle production.
Honda’s renewed commitment to Ohio came 45 years to the day after Honda leadership visited the Ohio Statehouse in 1977 to announce plans for its first vehicle production facility in the United States, the Marysville Motorcycle Plant.
“It has been more than four decades since Honda first saw great promise in Ohio, and although the way we manufacture vehicles is evolving, one thing that will stay the same is the quality of our workforce and their ability to get the job done,” said Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. “Honda and LG Energy Solution now join a long list of companies that have looked all over the country for the best place to do business and have chosen Ohio because we have the ideal economic climate and an innovative and talented workforce. Today’s announcement is further proof that there is no better place to be right now than in the great state of Ohio.”
Of the total investment announced today, Honda and LG Energy Solution will invest $3.5 billion in the new Fayette County battery plant, which will create at least 2,200 new jobs. A total of $700 million will be invested by Honda to retool its Marysville Auto Plant in Union County, Anna Engine Plant in Shelby County, and East Liberty Auto Plant in Logan County, creating 327 new jobs on top of its current workforce. Once transformed for EV production, the power source for the vehicles made at the Marysville, Anna, and East Liberty factories will come from the new battery plant in Fayette County.
“Honda and LG Energy Solution had many other states vying for this historic investment, and they chose Ohio,” said Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted. “Ohio’s talented workforce and strong business environment, along with Honda’s commitment to quality, continue to be a winning combination for the company and this state.”
Construction on the Fayette County battery plant is expected to begin in early 2023, with a goal of starting mass production of advanced lithium-ion battery modules by 2025. The site, at Interstate 71 and U.S. Route 35, offers more than 1,500 acres and is less than an hour’s drive from Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati, and Chillicothe. It also includes access to utilities, including water and sewer, electricity, and natural gas.
Honda has a legacy of choosing Ohio for trailblazing initiatives. In addition to choosing Ohio for its motorcycle plant on October 11, 1977, the Marysville Auto Plant produced the very first Honda Accord on November 1, 1982, and the Anna Engine Plant, which opened in 1985, now produces more than 1 million four-cylinder, V-6, and turbo engines for Honda auto plants throughout North America. The East Liberty Auto Plant opened in 1989 and has manufactured over 4.5 million Honda and Acura vehicles since its inception. In 1992, Honda opened a major product development center in Raymond, Ohio, that now creates many of the vehicles built in Ohio.
“Honda is proud of our history in Ohio, where our U.S. manufacturing operations began more than four decades ago. Now, as we expand Honda’s partnership with Ohio, we are investing in a workforce that will create the power source for our future Honda and Acura electric vehicles,” said Bob Nelson, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “We want to thank the leaders of the state of Ohio, as well as in Fayette County, Jefferson Township, Jeffersonville, and Washington Court House for welcoming this new joint venture between Honda and LG Energy Solution and giving us another Ohio community to call home.”
“Honda’s new commitment comes after 45 years of collaboration, growth, and success, shaping generational opportunity and investment for Ohioans,” said J.P. Nauseef, JobsOhio president and CEO. “Honda and Ohio have partnered to strengthen its current manufacturing while transitioning, together to build the vehicles of the future.”
