Michigan-based battery company Our Next Energy (ONE) has picked its home state as the location for its $1.6 billion investment, in a process that involved 12 other US states and a Canadian province.

The company’s first battery cell manufacturing plant, to be known as ONE Circle, will be located in Van Buren Township, in the Michigan county of Wayne. The facility is expected to create 2,112 new jobs when operating at its full annual capacity of 20 gigawatt-hours by the end of 2027. This should be enough to power 200,000 EVs per year, Kallanish understands.

ONE said on 5 October it selected Michigan because of the commitment of the state and utility partners to making Michigan a key part of the electric vehicle future. Targeting carbon neutrality by 2050, the state will provide the company with a $215m grant. ONE says its investment will offer an average annual salary of $67,456 and over the course of 20 years it should generate $967m in state taxes and over $13 billion in new personal income.

“With this new gigafactory, we will continue bringing the supply chain of electric vehicles, chips, and batteries home to Michigan and the USA while creating a sustainable, clean energy economy,” comments Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

ONE’s ceo Mujeeb Ijaz says the company is “thrilled” with the selection for its first cell factory because of the state’s “unique combination of battery talent, proximity to material supply, and access to low-cost energy.”

The plant will also be the first in the US to produce lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells at scale, “marking the birth of an emerging trend away from NCM [nickel, cobalt and manganese] based cell factories,” ONE adds.

Last month, ONE said it planned to start series production of its Gemini pack in 2026 at a US gigafactory. This technology uses standardised LFP and anode-free chemistries into one battery pack, enabled by ONE’s proprietary DC-DC converter. Instead of graphite anodes, the innovative large format range-extender cells use a blend of lithium and manganese, around 26% nickel, and no cobalt.

The dual chemistry battery pack is said to deliver 600 miles of range and an energy density of 450 watt-hour per litre.