"With announcements of more than two dozen plants in the so-called “Battery Belt” of the U.S., the industry is growing at a breakneck pace."

"Last week, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer held a ceremonial ribbon-cutting at the headquarters of Our Next Energy, a battery manufacturing startup in Novi, a Detroit suburb.

This is an increasingly common scene as demand for electric vehicles is leading to an expansion of U.S. battery manufacturing on a scale so large that it’s almost difficult to comprehend.

Our Next Energy, or ONE, plans to spend $1.6 billion on a new plant in Novi that would employ more than 2,000 people. The company, co-founded by a former Ford engineer, is providing batteries to BMW, among others.

But that’s not even the biggest battery-related announcement in Michigan this month."

Dan Gearino reports for Inside Climate News October 27, 2022. [2]