County council discusses new plan for EV battery plant

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - The St. Joseph County Council met to discuss the latest on a multi-billion-dollar electric vehicle battery plant that could be coming to New Carlisle.

County Council members say General Motors and Samsung now plan to partner on this project.

Tuesday night they read a first reading on the new plan.

The council will vote on a resolution at a meeting on May 23.

You may remember that General Motors and LG had plans to work together on this project, but talks between the two companies ended without an agreement.

Jeff Rea, who is President and CEO of the South Bend Regional Chamber of Commerce, says he has always remained optimistic that this project would move forward despite all the setbacks.

Some county council members say this would be a great investment and would have a huge impact in our community.

“I just see the enormous economic impact for this community. The number of jobs is going to be something that we haven’t seen in a very long time, if at all, in this community, and I hope that we are awarded this opportunity,” said St. Joseph County Council Member Rafael Morton.

If this project goes through, construction would likely begin in 2026.