LG Electronics Unveils First U.S. EV Charging Factory In Fort Worth
LG Electronics entered the North American market for electric vehicle chargers today with the opening of a 100K SF factory in Fort Worth.
The production facility at 2153 Eagle Parkway in the Alliance area will begin by producing around 10,000 Level 2 and 3 chargers per year to support the growing number of electric vehicles on the road in the U.S., LG executives said at a Jan. 12 ribbon cutting.
“The EV charger business is a growth engine for LG’s future, supporting the company’s transformation into a smart solutions company,” President Alec Jang said in a prepared statement. “LG will leverage the reliability and uncompromising quality of its chargers, maintenance services and vertical sales capabilities with the goal of becoming a leader in the EV charging business around the world.”
Level 3 chargers, also known as DC fast chargers, can power up to 80% of a vehicle’s battery in about 30 minutes. Level 2 chargers, which are currently more ubiquitous and tend to be located on properties where people are parked for extended periods of time, can provide 25 to 35 miles of driving range per charging hour.
In addition to serving the growing EV industry, the devices will create new revenue streams and income opportunities for both the public and private sector. LG plans to partner with existing clients to deploy the devices at commercial properties across the U.S.
The company will begin shipping out its first batch of orders in early February, LG Director of Sales for EV Charging Dennis Carter said.
“We have a really high market share in every business-to-business vertical, and a really strong following from our customer base,” he said. “Our strategy is to [partner] with those same customers who love our displays and bring them this brand new product they all need.”
LG Electronics, which has had a presence in Fort Worth for three decades, repurposed an existing service operations building to create the factory. The facility is expected to bring dozens of new tech jobs to North Texas.
“This is a great day for Fort Worth, with this global leader choosing to establish its U.S. manufacturing base for EV chargers and creating new jobs here,” Mayor Mattie Parker said in her prepared remarks. “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.”
LG employees will be trained on-site to install, maintain and troubleshoot the chargers. About 60K SF of the facility is currently set aside for EV operations, but there remains plenty of room for the company to expand its manufacturing capacity in the coming years, executives said.
