Planned production is currently on schedule.
These battery cells are necessary for all these future EVs.
Production will start in 2025.
The governments of Quebec and Canada confirmed today their financial support ($150M from Quebec and $150 M from Ottawa) for the Bécancour cam project, to support the manufacturing of a cathode-active material (CAM) processing facility.
The new plant, named Ultium CAM, is a joint venture between General Motors and POSCO Future M, located in Bécancour, Quebec. The investment of over 600 million Canadian dollars should enable the American carmaker to increase the production rate of batteries needed to power all those future electric vehicles it intends to bring to the North American market by the end of the decade.
The site of the future plant Ultium CAM. Photo : GM
Construction of the plant and MAC’s planned production are currently on schedule, meaning that operations will start in the first half of 2025. The plant will create 200 direct full-time jobs.
The main partners were keen to emphasize all the factors that contributed to the choice of the Bécancour plant. These factors include the industrial site in the municipality of Bécancour and the ability to access low-carbon hydroelectricity to process the essential minerals for electric vehicles.
The site of the future plant Ultium CAM. Photo : GM
The Ultium CAM plant will be one of five battery cell production facilities in North America. South of the border, two sites are under construction, while another is already opened.
They said:
“We thank Premier Legault and Ministers Pierre Fitzgibbon and François-Philippe Champagne for their outstanding leadership in supporting our efforts to build a secure, sustainable, scalable and competitive EV supply chain to support our rapidly growing electric vehicle production in North America,” said Marissa West, President, and CEO of GM Canada. “At GM Canada, we are particularly proud to be back in Quebec to increase investment and jobs, in line with the province’s vision for the future of transportation.”
The site of the future plant Ultium CAM. Photo : GM
“Our investment in CAM production in Bécancour is an important step in building a more secure and resilient North American-focused supply chain to meet GM’s growing electric vehicle production needs, and this site offers room for growth for the joint venture and its partners in the future,” said Sham Kunjur, General Manager of the GM Raw Materials Center of Excellence. “GM began by establishing battery cell production in the United States. From there, we worked our way through the entire battery supply chain, right down to raw materials recovery. We’re establishing higher levels of vertical integration, stimulating increased investment and helping to create jobs across North America.”
Ultium CAM JV President C.G Cha said, “Our project is on schedule thanks to our excellent local construction and engineering partners. We will soon begin hiring and training permanent employees for our operations, starting in 2025.”
The site of the future plant Ultium CAM. Photo : GM
