Hyundai and SK On Open $5 Billion Battery Cell Plant in Georgia With 35 GWh Annual Capacity
The Hyundai-SK Battery Manufacturing America joint venture has started cell production at a new $5 billion facility in Bartow County, Georgia, bringing 35 GWh of annual capacity online to supply Hyundai Motor Group's North American electric vehicles, with the IONIQ 9 the first model to receive the domestically produced cells.
Hyundai Motor Group and SK On have begun battery cell production at their joint venture facility in Bartow County, Georgia, marking a significant step in the localisation of the group's North American electric vehicle supply chain. The plant is operated by Hyundai-SK Battery Manufacturing America (HSBMA) and represents a total investment of approximately $5 billion, making it one of the largest single battery manufacturing investments in the United States.
At full operational scale, the Bartow County facility will produce 35 GWh of battery cells annually — enough to supply roughly 300,000 electric vehicles per year. The plant currently employs approximately 3,500 workers. The first production cells supply the Hyundai IONIQ 9, the group's large three-row electric SUV, which is assembled at the adjacent Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in Savannah, Georgia. The joint venture ramps production in multiple phases; electrive reported that cell production started in mid-July 2026, while Electrek confirmed the plant's formal opening on 20 July.
The HSBMA plant represents a flagship example of the Inflation Reduction Act's incentive framework for domestic battery manufacturing, though the US EV tax credit the factory was partly designed to support lapsed in September 2025.