Gotion is set to begin the production of electric vehicle batteries in Manteno, Illinois, in September, marking a significant milestone in its $2 billion project announced two years ago. The company initially launched the manufacturing of commercial-scale energy storage products in the spring with two assembly lines.

With two additional lines for assembling EV batteries and commercial chargers, Gotion will operate five production lines in Manteno. This includes a line started in April for residential and consumer energy-storage products used in solar applications.

Gotion is transforming a 1.5 million-square-foot former Kmart distribution center into a battery-production facility, aiming to employ 2,600 workers, making it one of the largest manufacturing projects in Illinois in recent times. As part of its agreement with the state, which provided $536 million in incentives, Gotion must hire 150 workers by 2028 and at least 1,650 by 2029.

Gotion has over 250 employees in Manteno, with more than 90% being local hires, and expects the number to reach 300 by the end of 2025.

Despite changes in the US EV market and uncertainty due to US President Donald Trump's return to the White House, which affects federal EV purchase incentives, Gotion's project progresses. Eleftheria Kontou, a professor at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, notes that while federal manufacturing incentives are uncertain, the transition to electrification continues, although future demand may be impacted.

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