SK On and Hyundai Motor Group have quietly begun initial battery cell production at their $5 billion joint-venture plant in Bartow County, Georgia, giving the automaker a domestic supply of pouch cells for the U.S.-built IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 9 electric vehicles.
50/50 Joint Venture Ramps After Two-Year Delay
The 752-acre facility, operated by Hyundai-SK On Battery Manufacturing America (HSBMA), was originally scheduled to start cell production in late 2025. A joint-venture spokesperson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution the site is now “in the early stages of production and plans to gradually scale up operations,” roughly nine months behind the original schedule. Both partners hold equal 50% stakes and combined have committed more than $5 billion to the project.
35 GWh Target, IONIQ Metaplant First In Line
When fully ramped, the plant will produce roughly 35 GWh of lithium-ion cells a year — enough for about 300,000 electric vehicles. The first cells will flow to Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) in Savannah, where the IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 9 are built. SK On has been supplying the Metaplant since April 2025 from its existing plant in Commerce, Georgia, and adds capacity from a separate LG Energy Solution joint venture that opened outside Savannah earlier this year.
Race For America's #2 EV Brand
The Bartow ramp comes as Hyundai closes in on Chevrolet as the second best-selling EV brand in the United States. Hyundai sold 26,936 EVs in the first half of 2026, only 1,331 behind Chevrolet, according to Kelley Blue Book data, while the IONIQ 5 ranked as the third best-selling EV in the U.S. after the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y. Localizing cell production also positions Hyundai to keep IONIQ pricing aggressive; the 2026 IONIQ 5 starts at $35,000 with promotional 0% APR and up to $10,000 off.
The Bartow cell plant fits alongside other recent U.S. battery capacity moves such as Eos Energy's Golden Dome zinc-battery contract and Peak Energy's sodium-ion Sacramento factory. It also mirrors the ASEAN opening this week of Gigafactory Malaysia's first cell line.
Reporting based on coverage from Electrek, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and SK.