(The Center Square) – The American subsidiary of a South Korean conglomerate, LG Electronics, opened its first electronic vehicle (EV) charger production factory in the United States this month in Fort Worth, Texas.
It’s the latest foreign-owned company to expand operations in north Texas. The region has been a magnate in recent years for a range of multi-billion dollar companies to relocate their headquarters and build factories there, choosing Texas over all other states.
Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker and other officials attended a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new factory, joining Alec Jang, LG Electronics Business Solutions Company president, H.K. Suh, global head of LG’s EV Charger business, and Nicolas Min, LG Business Solutions USA president.
Factory workers are already assembling electric vehicle charging stations there to support the growth of America’s EV charging infrastructure, launching LG’s entry into the U.S. EV charger market.
“The EV charger business is a growth engine for LG’s future, supporting the company’s transformation into a smart solutions company,” Jang said. The north Texas factory is LG’ first to advance EV charger production for the North American market, he said, “with the goal of becoming a leader in the EV charging business around the world.”
Parker lauded LG’s long-standing role in the Fort Worth community, whose million-square-foot distribution center for consumer electronics and home appliances has been established in the Fort Worth area for 30 years.
She thanked the company for “choosing to establish its U.S. manufacturing base for EV chargers and creating new jobs here. We take pride in knowing that LG’s advanced EV charging stations that will be deployed across the United States will be built right here in Fort Worth.”
The 100,000-square-foot factory is slated to manufacture 12,000 units of Level 2 and Level 3 EV chargers annually using 100% “green power.” The factory “will bring dozens of new tech jobs to North Texas and reinforces LG’s commitment to the region as an innovation and manufacturing hub of the future,” LG Business Solutions said in a statement.
“Today marks a major step in LG’s roadmap to support the electrification of America by making the EV charging infrastructure smarter, more accessible and more profitable for operators,” LG Business Solutions USA’s Senior Vice President Michael Kosla said. The chargers built there “will open new opportunities for businesses, municipalities and other public places to support the electrification of America with independently owned and operated charging stations that create new revenue streams, additional marketing and income opportunities, and differentiation with competing businesses.”
LG developed owner-operated EV charging stations for hotels, restaurants and other venues like transit hubs and municipal buildings to purchase and offer for customer use. Operators will set their own rates, keep the profits generated by the charging stations, and ensure enough capacity to meet local demands, Kosla said.
This month, factory workers are expected to assemble Level 2 AC Chargers with a load management solution and variable current settings enabling 11kW of output power through a standard SAE J1772 connector. They’re being built for a simple wall mounting with an optional stand so they can be placed anywhere.
In the spring, factory workers will begin assembling LG’s first Level 3 DC Charger, a stand-type model that provides fast charging up to 175kW through CCS1 and NACS connectors. It will also feature a large outdoor LCD touchscreen display to serve multiple functions for various owners, including generating revenue through ad sales.
