LG Electronics recently announced the establishment of an electric vehicle (EV) charger manufacturing plant in Fort Worth, Texas, in the U.S. The facility, covering an area of approximately 5,500 square meters, has the capacity to produce over 10,000 chargers annually.
The Texas plant serves as a production hub for EV chargers targeting the North American market. This marks LG Electronics’ first overseas production facility since it began manufacturing EV chargers in South Korea through its subsidiary, HiEV Charger, last year.
Texas was chosen as the location for this new U.S. manufacturing base due to its logistical efficiency and the utilization of existing idle facilities, among other synergies. The region, known for its well-developed industries including automotive and finance, also boasts excellent logistics and transportation infrastructure.
The new plant is a strategic foothold for LG Electronics to actively target the North American EV charger market, with advantages in supply chain management. Additionally, the company plans to continually expand its EV charging business globally, including into Asia and Europe.
Production has begun with 11 kilowatt (kW) slow chargers, and there are plans to expand to 175 kW fast chargers and 350 kW ultra-fast chargers within the year. This expansion aims to strengthen the lineup of fast chargers suitable for commercial use and long-distance travel, addressing diverse customer needs and enhancing product competitiveness.
The 11 kW slow chargers offer flexible installation options, such as wall-mounting, and feature a load management solution that automatically controls output based on the power situation. The chargers have recently received global safety certification from Underwriters Laboratories (UL), meeting the UL2594 standard for electric vehicle supply equipment, and have also been certified for reliable energy and performance standards by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR program, recognizing their outstanding product safety.
Furthermore, in the first half of this year, LG Electronics plans to start producing 175 kW fast chargers that support both Combined Charging System 1 (CCS1) and the North American Charging Standard (NACS), providing U.S. customers with a more convenient charging experience.
LG Electronics CEO Cho Joo-wan had previously mentioned electrification as a key inflection point in the mid-to-long-term future during last year’s future vision announcement, expressing the company’s intention to rapidly develop the EV charger business into a trillion won scale.