LG is already one of the most prolific EV battery makers in the US, but it also wants to make devices that charge them. the company simply Opened just opened its first EV charger manufacturing facility in the U.S., a 59,000-square-foot plant in Fort Worth, Texas, capable of manufacturing 10,000 units per year.
The company has already started assembling 11 kW home chargers there and will begin producing 175 kW fast chargers in the first half of 2024. It plans to build 350 kW ultra-fast chargers sometime this year designed for "commercial travel and long-distance transportation," LG wrote.
The Korean company said it chose Texas because it had facilities there and because the state offers "Excellent logistics and transportation networks and hosts major operations for companies in industries ranging from automobile manufacturing to finance." (GM, Toyota and Tesla all have vehicle assembly plants in the state).
LG said it is committed to strengthening its electric vehicle charger business in Asia and Europe as well. The company, along with two partners, got into the game just two years ago, acquiring a South Korean electric vehicle battery charger company called AppleMango (which has since been renamed HiEV).
LG said at the time that the acquisition would allow it "create synergy" with its electric vehicle battery business, along with products such as energy storage and energy management systems. The company can also leverage its display experience by combining chargers with "robust, dust and water resistant" Outdoor digital display units.
The move also allows LG to capitalize on the US push to build more public electric vehicle chargers. The country currently has 169,741 charging ports (either fast DC or Level 2) at 65,113 stations, according to the Joint Energy and Transportation Office. However, the Biden administration wants at least 500,000 public chargers by 2030. "By establishing our EV charger production factory in Texas, we will be able to actively respond to the growing demand for EV infrastructure in the US,” said LG Business Solution President Jand Ik-hwan.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lg-just-opened-its-first-ev-charger-manufacturing-plant-in-the-us-091542381.html?src=rss
