Hyundai Opens a New $5 Billion EV Battery Manufacturing Facility in Georgia

Hyundai Motor Group has officially opened a new $5 billion EV battery manufacturing facility in Georgia, marking another major milestone in the company’s effort to strengthen its U.S. electric vehicle supply chain and challenge for the position of America’s second-largest EV brand.

The new plant, developed through a 50-50 joint venture between Hyundai and South Korean battery manufacturer SK On, was originally announced in late 2022 as part of Hyundai’s broader $12.6 billion investment in Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA), the largest economic development project in Georgia’s history. Construction plans were formally finalized in April 2023, with the facility designed to supply batteries for Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis electric vehicles produced in the United States.

A spokesperson for the joint venture confirmed that the facility in Bartow County has entered the early stages of production and will gradually ramp up operations. The batteries produced at the plant will initially be supplied to Hyundai’s Metaplant in Georgia, where the company currently manufactures the IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 9 electric vehicles.

When operating at full capacity, the battery facility is expected to produce approximately 35 GWh of battery cells annually, enough to support hundreds of thousands of EVs each year. The opening further strengthens Hyundai’s domestic battery production capabilities, complementing existing supply from SK On’s battery facility in Commerce, Georgia, which has been supplying batteries to Hyundai’s U.S. operations since 2025.

The new plant follows another significant investment by Hyundai earlier this year, when the company opened a separate battery manufacturing facility with LG Energy Solution near Savannah, Georgia. Together, these projects represent billions of dollars in investments aimed at localizing EV production and battery supply chains in the United States.

The timing is significant as Hyundai continues gaining ground in the U.S. EV market. According to Kelley Blue Book data, Hyundai sold 26,936 fully electric vehicles during the first half of 2026, making it the third-best-selling EV brand in the country behind Tesla and Chevrolet. Hyundai now trails Chevrolet by just 1,331 EV sales, positioning the automaker to potentially become the second-largest EV brand in the U.S. by the end of the year.

Much of Hyundai’s EV success has been driven by strong demand for the IONIQ 5, which ranked as the third-best-selling electric vehicle in America during the first half of 2026, behind only the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y. Sales of the three-row IONIQ 9 have also surged as consumers increasingly seek larger electric SUVs with competitive pricing and efficiency.

Hyundai says its electric vehicle lineup continues to attract new customers to the brand at a higher rate than its gasoline or hybrid vehicles. Combined with aggressive pricing strategies, local manufacturing investments, and expanded battery production capacity, the company is positioning itself to play an increasingly significant role in the rapidly growing U.S. EV market.