According to a report in Reuters, Samsung SDI may build an EV battery plant in central Illinois. The news broke after Illinois Senator Dick Durban said the state was in conversation with Samsung in a press conference. The press conference comes after state officials met with a significant South Korean delegation for the week.
There was no announcement or confirmation from either the state or Samsung. However, rumours are the facility would be next to the Rivian factory. This would make logical sense, as Rivian is sourcing EV batteries from Samsung SDI.
Multiple news sources broke the news last month that Samsung SDI would build a United States plant in the coming months. At the time, Samsung was in talks to provide EV battery packs for both Rivian and Stellantis.
Currently, Samsung SDI has two facilities, one in China and one in Hungary. The company provides EV batteries for BMW, Ford, Volvo and Volkswagen.
Samsung SDI confirmed the meeting but did not provide any details on a timeline for a decision or any other potential factory locations.
