Global EV battery developer Gotion High-Tech has announced a major investment in the state of Illinois to the tune of $2 billion to erect a new gigafactory in Manteno – about 50 miles south of Chicago. With logistic and financial support from the state, Gotion’s new plant becomes the largest investment in EV battery technology in Illinois history.
Gotion High-Tech Co., Ltd. is a battery R&D and energy solutions provider that is headquartered in China, but has footprints on continents all over the world, including Fremont, CA – home to Tesla’s original gigafactory. Most recently, Gotion has been expanding to Vietnam via a joint venture with VinES, the energy division of VinFast.
The company specializes in several different types of battery chemistries, particularly in support of the automotive segment. This includes new lithium-iron-manganese-phosphate (LMFP) batteries (seen below) promising 1,000 km (621 miles) of range on a single charge, as well as lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries that we’ve reported on in the past, as Tesla was at one point rumored to be helping bring a factory to the US.
While we have no confirmation that Tesla is involved in any way, Gotion High-Tech has found a home for its US EV battery manufacturing plant – Illinois. Beginning next year, the company intends to begin producing batteries for automakers based all around North America.
Credit: Gotion High-Tech
Gotion’s plant the largest EV battery investment in Illinois
Gotion High-Tech and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker joined local state leaders in the city Manteno – the future home of the EV battery manufacturing facility announced today. Gotion shared that the roughly 150-acre site will focus on the production of lithium-ion cells, battery packs, and energy storage system integration.
When complete, the state-of-the-art facility is expected to produce 10 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of lithium-ion packs and 40 GWh of li-ion cells – all in support of the local US EV supply chain. Gotion cited plans to manufacture batteries for its current partners as well as “additional EV manufacturers across North America.” During today’s press event in Manteno, Governor Pritzker spoke:
Today, we take another leap forward, announcing the largest electric vehicle battery production investment in Illinois to date. It’s my pleasure to welcome a world-leading battery manufacturer – Gotion – to Illinois. This announcement is a testament to Illinois status as a leading destination for companies and investors who want the most talented workers, the best transportation systems, and a collaborative economic growth mindset from their partners in government at all levels. With 2,600 new jobs, a $2 billion gigafactory, and the most significant new manufacturing investment in Illinois in decades – it’s the most recent proof that we are in a new paradigm. Illinois is on the rise, and we’re open for business.
Gotion’s decision to call The Land of Lincoln its new home was hardened by Pritzker and the state’s REV (Reimagining Energy and Vehicles) Illinois incentive package, plus a new fun called “Invest in Illinois.” Pritzker has been publicly courting prospective OEMs in the EV sector to come to Illinois and Gotion is now the first to take advantage of Invest in Illinois – which will provide the EV battery developer with $125 million in capital.
The state shared that Gotion’s entire incentive package is valued at $536 million and includes eligibility to receive $213 million in tax benefits over the next 30 years through REV. To qualify, Gotion must invest a minimum of $1.9 million and create at least 2,600 full-time jobs that pay at least 120% of the average wage for similar positions in Manteno’s Kankakee County.
The REV agreement has been fully executed, meaning the central Illinois city can expect to see thousands of job openings over the course of the next year. Lastly, Gotion will also receive 30 years of property tax abatement which has already been approved by local authorities. Gotion chairman Li Zhen spoke to the company’s new EV battery plant’s potential in a state like Illinois:
Energy and environmental protection are our common challenges. To address them, solar power, wind, and energy storage systems are becoming the backbone of a new energy system and accelerate the revolution in the global energy landscape. All that we see here [in Illinois] are of enormous value to us: an enabling business environment, a supportive state government for the new energy industry and their highly efficient work, as well as the prospects of the State of Illinois in the coming years. When we come to Illinois, we are not building a new factory but are planning to reuse an existing one and bring it back to life again as our way of cherishing and conserving resources. We believe that Gotion’s battery technology will help to boost e-mobility in North America and the economic and trade exchanges between China and the US.
Gotion says the new facility is expected to begin EV battery production in 2024. Illinois will also fund a manufacturing training academy nearby to prepare regional employees for jobs in the next-generation battery segment.
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Greenlane is firing up its second commercial EV truck charging corridor – this time connecting Southern California to Phoenix along Interstate 10. The move targets a major gap in electric freight infrastructure on one of the busiest shipping routes in the US.
Greenlane’s new electric truck corridor is backed by a strategic partnership with electric truck maker Windrose Technology, which has already proved the route’s viability. Its R700 Class 8 electric semi pulled off single-charge trips from Greenlane’s flagship Colton, California, site to Phoenix – nearly 300 miles – with a gross combined weight of 74,420 pounds and still had 12% battery left.
That’s no small feat for long-haul freight. Windrose also completed a Colton-to-Las Vegas run on I-15 under similar conditions. The trucks can charge fast, too – the R700 hit a peak 772 kW using dual-gun charging at Colton, cutting downtime for heavy-duty operations.
Windrose plans to build 2,000 electric trucks in 2026 and ramp up to 10,000 in 2027 worldwide. “Electric long-haul trucking isn’t just theory – it’s proven real-world performance,” said Windrose founder and CEO Wen Han.
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The I-10 corridor will link Greenlane’s Colton hub to new sites in Blythe, California, and Greater Phoenix, Arizona. It’s part of the company’s larger plan to create a nationwide public charging network for medium- and heavy-duty fleets.
Electric trucking carrier Nevoya will be among the first customers to run the corridor. The company will use the Colton site as a charging and driver support base while operating battery-electric trucks along both I-10 and I-15.
Greenlane’s Colton flagship opened in April and packs over 40 high-speed chargers, including 12 pull-through bays for semis and 29 bobtail lanes. The site also has restrooms, Wi-Fi, 24/7 security, carports, office space, and parking – the kind of amenities long-haul drivers need on the road.
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Steer-by-wire is an automotive concept that has been around for a long time, but hasn’t yet reached mass adoption. The idea is to replace (or supplement) mechanical linkages between the steering wheel and the wheels with electronic actuators instead.
There are a number of potential benefits to this, like allowing more customizability or adaptability to a steering system, reducing mechanical complexity, or adding speed-sensitive variable steering ratios.
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Although there are also disadvantages, like a reduction in steering feel (although, since most cars are moving to electronic power steering, that was already gone anyway).
But few cars have implemented steer-by-wire systems, or at least not fully committed to them, given that mechanical steering racks are a relatively solved problem and the general inertia of the car industry which would rather stick with a solution they know than switch to something better (haven’t we here, at this EV publication, heard *that* one before…). There’s also the matter of regulations, which have often been written to require mechanical steering systems, and may need updating to allow for steer by wire.
But, steer by wire made it into mass production with the release of the Tesla Cybertruck. This was big news when Tesla committed to this – at the time, it was the only thing on the road to exclusively use a steer by wire system, though there are other cars with partial steer by wire (for example, mechanical front wheel steering, and steer by wire rear-wheel steering).
But it seems to have opened the floodgates, as a number of other companies are working on or have since released steer by wire systems (Lexus, for example).
And now, it looks like Rivian is one of those companies – though we don’t know if it’s for the front or rear. (Update: Well, now we know, it looks like they are at the very least developing a rear-wheel steering system, according to another job listing. Though the company might still be working on steer-by-wire for the whole vehicle, too)
So – we know they’re working on steer by wire, to some extent.
But a few other EVs, particularly large EVs like the Rivian R1 platform is, use steer by wire just for the rear wheels – for example the Hummer EV and Rolls-Royce Spectre. These systems are particularly helpful for giant vehicles, because it allows them to be more nimble and make turns that otherwise would require a lot more… negotiation in a giant land yacht.
So it’s possible that Rivian is only working on rear wheel steer by wire here, but we’d like to think there’s a chance it’s working on steer by wire for the full vehicle.
We also don’t know if this would show up on all of Rivian’s vehicles, or only on certain models – the R2 and R3 are in development, with R2 in pretty late stages, and the R1 just got a big refresh. But, perhaps even more interestingly (and very speculatively), VW has invested heavily in Rivian for technology help, so we wonder if we might end up seeing this in VW group vehicles, or Scout vehicles eventually…
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Automakers are scrambling to push their EVs out the door before the $7,500 Federal tax incentive for EVs disappears — and BMW is no different, offering aggressive cash back, owner loyalty, and special financing rates on its just-released 2026 model year EVs.
BMW has a history of offering solid loyalty incentive programs on its EVs in early summer to clear the tail-end of the model year and make room for the incoming builds, but CarsDirect is reporting some unusual loyalty deals from the brand that seem to suggest BMW is keen to capitalize on a spike in EV sales ahead of the Federal tax incentive’s looming cancellation in September.
BMW dealers now have the choice of adding an additional $1,000 loyalty contribution on select 2026 EVs. The i5 and i7 are offered with $1,000 and $4,000 loyalty bonuses, respectively, meaning if you drive a BMW and your dealer opts to tack on the extra bonus, you could save $5,000 on a 2026 i7. These loyalty programs are good when buying or leasing.
There’s also a $1,000 conquest bonus available for drivers of eligible EVs and PHEVs from other brands. This program is stackable with other offers.
Like other EV brands offering huge lease incentives, BMW customers will see the largest rebates on new BMWs when leasing. Now through September 30th, 2026 BMW i5, i7, and iX models are available with a stout $9,900 lease credit, while the bigger BMW XM comes in with a slightly lower, but still substantial $7,500 lease incentive.
Big deals on big BMW i7 sedan
BMW i7, via BMW.
People who prefer to own their vehicles once the payments are up can still score a great deal on an objectively excellent 2026 BMW i7 luxo-cruiser, thanks to the previously mentioned loyalty bonus if they’re previous customers plus a $7,500 Loan Credit that anyone can get when financing their new i7 with the brand’s captive financing company. BMW Bank offers financing rates as low a 3.99% for up to 60 months on the 2026 i5 and i7 sedans, as well as the iX crossover, as well as 4.99% APR 60-month rate on the high-performance XM plug-in hybrid.
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