LG Electronics sparked a new chapter of North Texas innovation in Fort Worth Friday by opening its first U.S. factory for assembling EV charging stations.
With the opening, LG—based in South Korea with USA headquarters in New Jersey—aims to support the growth of America’s EV charging infrastructure while creating new local jobs.
Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker was among the officials on hand to cut the ribbon at the new plant, joining LG senior executives Alec Jang, president of the LG Electronics Business Solutions Company; H.K. Suh, global head of LG’s EV Charger business; and Nicolas Min, president of LG Business Solutions USA.
Dignitaries, including Alec Jang, fourth from left, President of the LG Electronics Business Solutions Company and Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker, fifth from left, cut the ribbon for the grand opening of LG’s U.S. EV Charger factory on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024, in Fort Worth. (Brandon Wade/LG Electronics USA)
“The EV charger business is a growth engine for LG’s future, supporting the company’s transformation into a smart solutions company,” Jang said in a 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.”
Today’s LG plant opening expands Dallas-Fort Worth’s EV charger manufacturing footprint. Last June, South Korea’s SK Signet opened a new facility in Plano to manufacture ultra-fast chargers for the U.S. market. In September 2022, Plano-based Universal EV Chargers secured nearly $10 million in government green energy grants to help the hospitality industry and other businesses offer EV charging services.
100,000-SF factory will use ‘100% green power’
LG workers assemble level 2 EV chargers at the company’s first U.S. EV charger factory on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024, in Fort Worth. (Brandon Wade/LG Electronics USA)
LG’s 100,000-square-foot Fort Worth plant will have an annual capacity of 12,000 units, while operating with “100% green power,” the company said, adding that it will bring “dozens of new tech jobs” to North Texas—reinforcing LG’s commitment to the region as an innovation and manufacturing hub of the future.
LG is far from a stranger in the Panther City. Its million-square-foot distribution center for consumer electronics and home appliances in Fort Worth has been active for three decades. The company said its decision to open its EV charger factory in the city reinforces LG’s “commitment to the region as an innovation and manufacturing hub of the future.”
“This is a great day for Fort Worth,” Mayor Parker said in a statement, “with this global leader 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.”
Steve Montgomery, president and CEO of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, called LG’s choice of Fort Worth for its first U.S. factory for advanced EV chargers “a prime example of our city’s commitment to innovation and cutting-edge technology.”
“This exciting announcement further cements our status as a prime location for business and technological growth,” Montgomery added in a statement.
Aiming to make North America’s EV charging infrastructure ‘smarter’
LG worker Lorena Hernandez assembles a level 2 EV charger at the company’s first U.S. EV charger factory on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024, in Fort Worth. (Brandon Wade/LG Electronics USA)
With many Americans reluctant to buy electric vehicles due to a lack of adequate EV charging options, LG says its new factory is a step in helping to solve that issue.
“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,” said LG Business Solutions USA’s SVP Michael Kosla.
Kosla said the Level 2 and Level 3 EV chargers produced in Fort Worth “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.”
Recognizing that the U.S. needs “hundreds of thousands” of new Level 2 and Level 3 chargers to support the growing number of EVs on the road, Kosla said LG has developed owner-operated EV charging stations so that hotels, restaurants, venues, transit hubs, municipal buildings and other locations “are empowered to set their own rates, keep the profits that are generated and ensure enough capacity to meet local demands.”
Rendering of an LG EV charger [Image: LG Electronics]
Assembling Level 2 chargers this month, with Level 3s on tap for spring
This month, workers at the Fort Worth factory will begin assembling Level 2 AC Chargers designed for simple wall mounting with an optional stand that enables placement anywhere. The chargers will feature a load management solution and variable current settings enabling 11kW of output power through a standard SAE J1772 connector, LG said.
“Here dozens of skilled workers from North Texas will produce more than 10,000 EV chargers a year using LGs proven work processes and workflows,” John Taylor. VP of public affairs and communications at LG Electronics USA, said at the factory opening ceremony.
Beginning this spring, the plant will assemble LG’s first Level 3 DC Charger, a stand-type model with a connected power bank that provides fast charging up to 175kW through CCS1 and NACS connectors.
LG said its Level 3 model will feature “a large outdoor LCD touch-screen display that can serve multiple functions for various owners and use cases, including generating extra revenue through ad sales.”
Even more juice will be let loose before year’s end. LG said that 350kW “ultra-fast-chargers” are slated for assembly at the plant later this year.
Alec Jang, left, President of the LG Electronics Business Solutions Company, Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker, center, and Nicolas Min, President of LG Business Solutions USA, cut the ribbon for the grand opening of LG’s U.S. EV Charger factory on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024, in Fort Worth. (Brandon Wade/LG Electronics USA)
An eye on electrification
LG says the launch of its Fort Worth plant supports the company’s broader electrification strategy, “which empowers customers to convert to more sustainable energy usage, saving money and improving environmental outcomes in the process.”
LG’s suite of whole home electrification products includes heat-pump-enabled HVAC systems, water heaters and dryers, energy storage systems, and ENERGY STAR certified smart appliances, including induction ranges and cooktops. LG’s ThinQ Energy platform allows customers to take control of their home’s energy usage at their fingertips, further aiding energy and cost savings, the company added.
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