Hyundai and SK On flipped the switch on their $5 billion battery plant in Bartow County, Georgia in mid-2026, and cells are now rolling off the line. The joint venture, Hyundai-SK Battery Manufacturing America, feeds the electric Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis models built at Hyundai’s Metaplant near Savannah.
Project Scope
The Bartow Centre site off Highway 411 is engineered for 35 gigawatt-hours of annual cell output, enough for roughly 300,000 electric vehicles a year. The plant is a 50-50 tie-up between Hyundai Motor Group and SK On, and it employs about 3,500 people. Commercial production started in June 2026, making it one of the first of the new wave of Southeastern battery plants to actually reach output rather than just topping out.
Why It Matters
Georgia has bet heavily on becoming a battery and EV hub, and the pairing of the Bartow cell plant with Hyundai’s Metaplant assembly line is the clearest proof the strategy is landing. Building cells within a day’s drive of final assembly cuts the logistics and tariff exposure that come with importing packs from Asia. With federal EV policy in flux, domestic cell capacity is the hedge automakers keep coming back to, and this plant moves Hyundai’s U.S. supply chain a long way toward self-sufficient.
Project Team & Details
| Developer | Hyundai Motor Group / SK On |
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| Owner / Client | Hyundai-SK Battery Manufacturing America |
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| Status | Completed |
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| Funding Source | Private |
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