Hyundai’s $5B battery plant opens with enough capacity to power 300,000 EVs a year
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- Hyundai opened its $5 billion EV battery plant in Bartow County, Georgia — a 50/50 joint venture with SK On called HSBMA — with commercial production officially beginning earlier this month, slightly later than the initially targeted second half of 2025.
- The facility is designed to produce 35 GWh of EV battery cells annually, enough to support roughly 300,000 electric vehicles, with the first cells going to Hyundai's three-row IONIQ 9 SUV assembled at the nearby Metaplant.
- The plant is part of Hyundai's $12.6 billion Metaplant America complex in Georgia — the largest economic development project in state history — and sits near SK On's separate battery plant in Commerce, GA, which has been supplying the Metaplant since April 2025.
- Hyundai sold 26,936 all-electric models in the US in the first half of 2026, making it the third-most popular EV brand behind Tesla and Chevrolet, with Chevrolet selling just 1,331 more units while Chevy's own EV sales fell 40% year-over-year.
- The IONIQ 5 — America's third-top-selling EV behind Tesla's Model 3 and Model Y — starts at $35,000 for 2026, with Hyundai now running a summer promo of 0% APR and up to $10,000 off; IONIQ 9 sales are up 380% year-over-year as buyers chase efficiency amid higher gas prices.
- LG Energy Solution joined Hyundai in opening a separate battery plant near Savannah, GA in April, after a controversial ICE raid delayed construction there.
Why it matters: Hyundai now trails Chevrolet by just 1,331 US EV sales in H1 2026 while Chevy's EV volume cratered 40% year-over-year — meaning the No. 2 EV brand slot is genuinely in play as Hyundai's new 300,000-vehicle-a-year battery capacity and $35,000 IONIQ 5 pricing give it room to undercut the field.
