LG Energy Solution Signs $4.3 Billion Tesla Grid Storage Deal at Former GM Lansing EV Plant
LG Energy Solution's $4.3 billion deal to build Tesla grid storage batteries in Lansing shows EV factories finding a second life as power demand surges.
A $4.3 billion deal, a Michigan plant and a whole industry changing its mind. LG Energy Solution has signed on to build batteries for Tesla's grid-scale energy storage systems at its Lansing-area plant, Bridge Michigan reported.
The facility began as a $2.5 billion GM joint venture, and GM sold its stake in late 2024 amid an EV slowdown. A GM spokesperson told Bridge the plant now produces no batteries for the automaker. LG says it will add dedicated production lines inside the existing facility, with Tesla cells slated for 2027. The Interior Department described it as a new $4.3 billion facility, which LG says it is not.
The jobs math is still pending: LG has hired 408 of the 1,360 workers its $120 million state subsidy agreement requires by 2031.
The market backs the pivot. Hana Securities, cited by DigitalToday, says U.S. EV battery shipments fell 7% year-over-year in June to 9.4 GWh, while new storage installations rose 76% over the same period to 13.0 GWh. Automakers planned about 275 GWh of capacity against expected U.S. demand of 182 GWh this year, 37% of it for storage, per Benchmark data cited by InsideEVs.
My take: when the car market blinks, the data center is waiting with a checkbook. Idle EV capacity is suddenly the hottest real estate in power, and I adore it.
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Sources
Meanwhile at the anchor desk
The Interior Department says new facility, LG says existing plant with new lines, and 408 of 1,360 promised jobs are filled. Several of those numbers are going to need a reconciliation meeting.
Storage favors cheaper LFP packs while most U.S. EV cells are nickel-heavy, so this is a retool, not a rename. GM is spending about $70 million on exactly that in Nashville.
