About two weeks in the past, Common Motors introduced an enormous funding into new V8 engines and EV elements. The American automaker now pronounces one other main funding within the type of a $650 million joint undertaking with Lithium Americas Company within the Thacker Move mine in Nevada. That is the biggest recognized supply of lithium in the US and the third largest on the earth.
GM’s plan is to extract extra lithium with the assistance of Lithium Americas to safe the manufacturing of future electrical automobiles for the years to come back. Based on early estimations, the lithium extracted and processed from Thacker Move can assist the manufacturing of as much as a million electrical automobiles per yr. Lithium carbonate will likely be used within the Ultium battery cells in fashions such because the Chevrolet Silverado EV and Cadillac Celestiq.
The $650 million funding will likely be cut up between two tranches. The primary one will likely be held till there’s an end result of the File of Determination ruling at the moment pending within the US District Court docket, which is predicted by the top of this yr. The second tranche will likely be made into Lithium Americas US division. Lithium extraction in Nevada is predicted to start within the second half of 2026. A complete of about 1,500 new jobs will likely be created – 1,000 in development and 500 in operations.
“GM has secured all of the battery materials we have to construct greater than 1 million EVs yearly in North America in 2025 and our future manufacturing will more and more draw from home assets like the location in Nevada we’re creating with Lithium Americas,” GM CEO Mary Barra feedback. “Direct sourcing crucial EV uncooked supplies and elements from suppliers in North America and free-trade-agreement international locations helps make our provide chain safer, helps us handle cell prices, and creates jobs.”
Common Motors is at the moment producing electrical automobiles in 4 factories – two Michigan crops, one Tennessee plant, and one Ontario plant. This new funding in Nevada comes after main tasks within the provide chain for EV uncooked supplies, processed supplies, and elements in California, Texas, Ohio, and Quebec.