LG Opens U.S. Factory to Produce Advanced EV Chargers

LG Electronics opened its first factory in the U.S. for assembling electric vehicle charging stations in Fort Worth, Texas. The company expects the investment to bring dozens of new tech jobs to North Texas.

The 100,000-square-foot plant will have an annual capacity of 12,000 units. The new factory, which uses 100% green power, also expands on LG’s longtime presence as a corporate citizen in Fort Worth, where its million-square-foot distribution center for consumer electronics and home appliances has been located for three decades.

The first products assembled in Fort Worth, starting this month, will be Level 2 AC Chargers with a load management solution and variable current settings enabling 11kW of output power through a standard SAE J1772 connector. The Level 2 AC Charger will be designed for simple wall mounting with an optional stand that enables placement anywhere.

Starting 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. The 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.

Additionally, 350kW ultra-fast-chargers are on the roadmap for later this year.

According to LG Business Solutions USA’s Senior Vice President Michael Kosla, the Level 2 and Level 3 EV chargers produced at the Fort Worth factory “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.”

Kosla added that LG has developed owner-operated EV charging stations so that hotels, restaurants, venues, transit hubs, municipal buildings and other locations can set their own rates, keep the profits that are generated and ensure enough capacity to meet local demands.

Commemorating LG’s entry into the U.S. EV charger market, Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker and other officials cut the ribbon at the new plant, joining LG Electronics 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.