General Motors said it will spend nearly $154 million to retool its components plant in Lockport, N.Y., to produce parts for electric vehicle motors.
GM will use the investment to renovate the facility and purchase and install new machinery to produce stator modules, key components in electric motors. The stator is the stationary part of a rotary system in electric motors and generators, GM spokesman Dan Flores said Friday.
Facility upgrades will begin immediately, GM said Friday. GM estimates that Lockport Components will add about 230 positions from 2023 to 2026. Staffing plans will be finalized closer to the start of EV component production, GM said.
GM plans to invest $35 billion in electric and autonomous vehicle development through mid-decade and aims for an all-EV portfolio by 2035. Electric motors will be used in GM’s upcoming EVs, which are powered by its proprietary Ultium batteries.
Workers at Lockport Components will continue to build parts for GM’s gasoline-powered vehicles as the plant prepares for EV component production. Lockport currently builds radiators, condensers, heater cores, evaporators, HVAC modules and oil coolers.
More than 1,500 employees work at Lockport Components. Hourly workers are represented by UAW Locals 686 and 55.
“GM’s investment in Lockport Components reaffirms our commitment to manufacturing in Western New York and our confidence in this team. They will build a crucial module in our electric motor assembly for our future electric trucks and SUVs,” Gerald Johnson, GM executive vice president of global manufacturing and sustainability, said in a statement. “This is an excellent example of how we are bringing our workforce along on the journey to an all-electric future while we scale our EV production capacity and maintain a flow of parts for our current vehicles.”
Last month, GM said it would provide EV components across industries. The automaker estimates that the total addressable market for electrification components could grow to $20 billion by 2030 as companies within various sectors set emission-reduction goals.
