LG Electronics opens first overseas EV factory in U.S. as demand surges

Industry

Published: 14 Jan. 2024, 16:24

LG Electronics opens first overseas EV factory in U.S. as demand surges

Forth Worth Mayor Mattie Parker, left, and LG Electronics' Jang Ik-hwan, the executive vice president of the corporate IT service business, pose for the photo at LG's EV charger factory at Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday. [LG ELECTRONICS]

LG Electronics opened its first overseas factory for EV chargers in the U.S. amid growing demand for vehicles targeting the North American market.

The 5,500-square-meter (59,202 square-feet) factory is based at Fort Worth, Texas, and is able to annually produce more than 10,000 chargers.

The factory will start manufacturing its 11 kilowatt (kW) wall-mounted and stand-type slow chargers, expanding the production line up to 175 kW and 350kW fast-charging models within this year to accommodate various consumer needs for commercial and long-distance drives.

The 11 kW units are equipped with a function that automatically controls the charging output based on the power situation in commercial spaces to provide consistent quality charging services in environments with limited power capacity.

The 175kW fast-charging unit, which will begin production by the first half of this year, will be configurable as both a combined charging system (CCS1) and Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) to allow a more convenient charging experience for American customers.

The electronics maker plans to target demand in American hotels, shopping malls, retail stores, as well as highway charging stations and household garages based on the network it has formed in the business-to-business (B2B) market in hotels and other electronic devices.

LG Electronics is expanding its business scope with a focus on electrification and the B2B market.

It has been developing EV chargers since 2018 and acquired a local EV charger manufacturer HiEV Charger, formerly known as AppleMango, in 2022.

"We plan to actively respond to rapidly growing demands for EV charger infrastructure in the U.S. with the establishment of the Fort Worth plant," said LG's Jang Ik-hwan, executive vice president of the corporate IT service business, in a statement. "We will roll out the top-quality EV charging solution from stable quality charging services and advanced control systems."

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]