How Sam Bankman-Fried’s ex-girlfriend and early recruit helped put the FTX founder behind bars for 25 years
Caroline Ellison, former chief executive officer of Alameda Research LLC, center, arrives at court in New York, US, on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023.
Yuki Iwamura | Bloomberg | Getty Images
In sentencing FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried to a 25-year prison sentence on Thursday, Judge Lewis Kaplan cited testimony from Caroline Ellison, an ex-girlfriend of the defendant and early recruit into his crypto enterprise.
“I keep coming back to Ms. Ellison’s testimony that he knew it was wrong,” Kaplan said at the sentencing hearing in downtown Manhattan. “He knew it was criminal.”
Ellison was the star witness for the Department of Justice in its prosecution of Bankman-Fried. She agreed to a plea deal in December 2022, a month after FTX spiraled into bankruptcy.
As part of her testimony at the criminal trial late last year, Ellison supplied the government and the jury with text messages, documents and secret recordings that ultimately helped lead to Bankman-Fried’s conviction on all seven charges against him.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement after the sentencing on Thursday that Bankman-Fried’s “deliberate and ongoing lies demonstrated a brazen disregard for his customers’ expectations and disrespect for the rule of law, all so that he could secretly use his customers’ money to expand his own power and influence.”
Ellison, who ran FTX’s sister hedge fund Alameda Research, pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud, two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit commodities fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Though Ellison faces similar sentencing guidelines to Bankman-Fried, she’s expected to receive a far more lenient sentence due to her role as a cooperating witness.
Caroline Ellison is questioned as Sam Bankman-Fried watches during his fraud trial before U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan over the collapse of FTX, the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange, at Federal Court in New York City, October 11, 2023 in this courtroom sketch.
Jane Rosenberg | Reuters
Ellison’s complicated ties to SBF
Ellison jumped into Bankman-Fried’s crypto orbit in 2017.
She’d been working as a trader at Jane Street, where Bankman-Fried got his start in finance. Bankman-Fried had reportedly convinced the Stanford graduate to ditch her Wall Street gig and join Alameda, when the hedge fund was still in its original Bay Area office.
Ellison spent years as Bankman-Fried’s on-again, off-again girlfriend and, at times, his roommate. She followed Bankman-Fried from California to Hong Kong and ultimately to the Bahamas, as Bankman-Fried repeatedly shifted headquarters for his crypto companies.
Michael Lewis wrote about Ellison in his book, “Going Infinite,” which covered Bankman-Fried’s rise and fall. In 2021, Ellison was promoted to CEO of Alameda, a job for which, according to Lewis’s reporting, neither Ellison nor Bankman-Fried found her particularly well suited.
“Caroline sensed that, even as Sam promoted her to CEO of Alameda Research, he disapproved of her job performance — and she shared his opinion,” Lewis wrote.
Lewis shared an excerpt from one of the memos that Ellison had sent Bankman-Fried. “It feels like I’m doing a much worse job managing Alameda than you would if you were working on it full-time,” she wrote.
In April 2021, Ellison tweeted about “regular amphetamine use” in a thread that also talked about the “herculean” effort it took for her to get off of her couch and go for a hike.
Court filings show that Ellison’s compensation paled in comparison to other top executives. Of the $3.2 billion in payouts to the exchange’s founders and other senior employees, FTX’s head of engineering, Nishad Singh, received $587 million, co-founder Gary Wang got $246 million and $2.2 billion went to Bankman-Fried. Ellison received $6 million.
Some of Ellison’s private diary entries were leaked by Bankman-Fried to The New York Times, which published a report about them last July, months before the trial. The act ultimately landed Bankman-Fried back in jail after Kaplan revoked his bail for alleged witness tampering.
In a Google document from February 2022 shared with the Times, Ellison wrote, “I have been feeling pretty unhappy and overwhelmed with my job. … At the end of the day I can’t wait to go home and turn off my phone and have a drink and get away from it all.”
She added, “It doesn’t really feel like there’s an end in sight.”
‘Trying to fix problems’
But it was in the courtroom that jurors got to hear Ellison for the first time.
U.S. Attorney Thane Rehn said during the trial that Bankman-Fried “was using her as a front” when “in reality, he was still calling the shots at Alameda.” Over the course of her multi-day testimony, Ellison helped prosecutors build a narrative that she was acting at the direction of Bankman-Fried in helping him steal customer money from FTX and using it to help prop up Alameda, which was suffering in the wake of the crypto winter.
Ellison said Bankman-Fried was still CEO of Alameda when the funneling of money began. She said she was under the impression that it was FTX customer money because the sums exceeded the exchange’s profits and the amount of capital it had raised.
In mid-2021, when FTX bought equity in the company back from rival exchange and early investor Binance, FTX used $1 billion in customer funds for the transaction, Ellison testified.
Ellison said she considered resigning from Alameda at various points from 2019 to November 2022.
On one of her Google Docs, Ellison had a section entitled “limiting factors in scaling,” which she said referred to things that were holding back Alameda. The first thing she listed was management, including a comment on her former co-CEO Sam Trabucco.
“I feel like neither Trabucco nor I has been doing a great job of pushing on stuff,” she wrote. “We’re in the mode of maintaining status quo and trying to fix problems.”
In terms of the commingling of operations between FTX and Alameda, Ellison admitted on the witness stand that the two firms didn’t have a proper “Chinese wall” separating the businesses.
During her testimony, Ellison mostly avoided eye contact with Bankman-Fried, staring down at her hands between questions and frequently flipping her hair over her left shoulder. Bankman-Fried also often looked away, with hands clenched.
Ellison told the jury that her breakup with Bankman-Fried in the spring of 2022 affected communications between the two of them. They would talk mostly over Signal despite living in the same apartment, and they largely avoided each other outside of work.
Danielle Sassoon, the assistant U.S. attorney representing the government, told Kaplan several times “the defendant has laughed, visibly shaken his head, and scoffed,” which she said could be having an effect on Ellison “given the history of this relationship, the prior attempts to intimidate her, the power dynamic, their romantic relationship.”
Caroline Ellison, former chief executive officer of Alameda Research LLC, arrives to court in New York, US, on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Secret recordings and texts
Of the hundreds of items entered into evidence during the trial, a bank of messages on encrypted app Signal was among the most calamitous for Bankman-Fried.
The government presented a series of Signal exchanges involving Bankman-Fried, Ellison, Wang and other top execs. In one such exchange, from Nov. 8, 2022, Ellison appealed to Bankman-Fried and other members of the inner circle, asking for help on optics and public messaging.
Prosecutors relied heavily on text messages sent among FTX and Alameda Research executives in the case against Sam Bankman-Fried.
Source: SDNY
She wrote, “multiple people internally asking me whether they should continue to make statements to external parties like ‘Alameda is solvent.’ should i suggest they stall instead? just stall on responding to their messages? or what?”
That day, FTX issued a pause on all customer withdrawals.
The following day, Ellison again looked to the group for guidance about how to handle an all-hands meeting for Alameda’s roughly 30 employees.
Ellison’s proposal was to tell them, “Alameda is probably going to wind down” and that there was “no pressure” to stay but help with “stuff like making sure our lenders get paid” would be “super appreciated.”
Bankman-Fried suggested she say something about there “being a future of some sort for those who are excited.”
Prosecutors relied heavily on text messages sent among FTX and Alameda Research executives in the case against Sam Bankman-Fried.
Source: SDNY
Ellison ended up divulging a lot more than that in the staff meeting, a secret recording of which was played for the jury.
“Alameda borrowed a bunch of money,” which it used to make investments, Ellison said at the meeting. But as crypto prices fell, “FTX had a shortfall of user funds” and then “users started withdrawing their funds” and they “realized they would not be able to continue.”
When she was asked by a staffer whose idea it was to plug Alameda’s loan losses with FTX customer money, she said, “Um, Sam, I guess,” and giggled.
“FTX basically always allowed Alameda to, like, borrow user funds, as far as I know,” Ellison said.
Environment
Jackery HomePower 3000 + bundle at new lows from $1,499, Heybike Horizon full suspension folding e-bike $1,399, EcoFlow, more
Closing out this week’s Green Deals is Jackery’s weekend flash sale on its latest HomePower 3000 Portable Power Station alongside a 400W solar bundle that are hitting new low prices starting from $1,499. Right behind it is a spotlight on the $600 discount hitting Heybike’s Horizon Full Suspension Folding e-bike bundle at $1,399, as well as EcoFlow’s current member-only deals on four bundle offers, lead by the DELTA 2 Max 440W solar bundle with a protective bag at a new $1,282 low. We also have new low pricing on Schumacher’s hardwired EV charging station, a Greenworks 15-inch trimmer bundle, and more waiting for you below. Plus, there are all the hangover deals collected at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s collection of Rad Power extra battery e-bike bundles from its latest sale, the first-ever discount on ALLPOWERS’ new SOLAX P100 mini power station, and more – and that’s on top of the ongoing Labor Day deals still available in our curated holiday Green Deals hub here.
Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.
Jackery weekend flash sale offers up to $1,200 savings on HomePower 3000 station and bundle at new lows starting from $1,499
Jackery’s Disaster Preparedness Sale running through September 16 is seeing up to 50% discounts across its power station lineup, complete with automatic 5% and 7% extra savings on orders over $1,300, as well as some free gifts accompanying the largest Explorer 5000 Plus series units. A standout, though, is the flash offer lasting only through the weekend on Jackery’s latest HomePower 3000 Portable Power Station at $1,499 shipped, which comes in a little under Amazon by $4. Since its release back in May, we’ve seen it brought down from its full $2,499 price tag to land between $1,899 and $1,699 during sales, with Amazon seeing it drop to $1,599 for the first time today (while the on-page coupon there takes things lower) and the brand’s direct site taking things under $1,500 for the first time while these flash savings last, giving you $1,000 in savings at the best new price we have tracked. The bundle on Jackery’s HomePower 3000 station and two 200W solar panels is also at a new low of $1,799 shipped, landing $100 under the previous low and $5 under Amazon’s current pricing.
For those who may not be aware, the Jackery HomePower 3000 station is the next generation of the brand’s popular Explorer 3000, with the immediate upgrade here being the switch to LiFePO4 batteries – in this case a 3,072Wh capacity worth – which also comes with a battery management system and protected by ChargeShield 2.0 tech. It provides 12 output ports (including a TT-30R port for your RV living) to connect to devices and appliances, supplying them with a steady stream of up to 3,600W and surging up to 7,200W when needed.
Jackery’s HomePower 3000 station boasts five primary means to get its battery recharged, like a standard AC outlet that can have it back to full in around 2.2 hours, alongside the 1,000W max solar input (which you can start working towards with the 400W solar bundle) that will take up to 11 hours, depending on weather conditions. There’s also the options to connect a gas generator, plug it into your car’s auxiliary port, or take advantage of its dual AC/DC charging for a 1.7-hour timeframe.
You can browse the entirety of Jackery’s September Disaster Preparedness Sale on the landing page here, including the HomePower 3000 station flash offers.
Enjoy smooth commutes and space-saving functionality on Heybike’s Horizon full suspension folding e-bike at $1,399
As part of Heybike’s ongoing End of Summer Sale, which is offering up to $649 savings on its e-bike lineup alongside the usual free gear bundles, we wanted to shine a spotlight on the brand’s Horizon Full Suspension Folding e-bike that is down at $1,399 shipped while the event lasts and comes with a free front and rear cargo basket bundle. This model usually fetches $1,999 outside of sales, which we’ve mostly seen brought down to $1,499 over 2025, with more recent drops to $1,399 and a one-time fall further to the $1,299 low that appeared during the brand’s anniversary sale back at the end of May. Aside from that one-time low, you’re otherwise looking at the best price we have tracked, which saves you $600 on one of the brand’s more premium space-saving commuting solutions.
If you want to learn more about this particular e-bike, be sure to check out our original coverage of this deal here, with Heybike’s full End of Summer Sale lineup available to browse here.
EcoFlow’s short-term member-only deals drop DELTA 2 Max 440W solar bundle with free bag to new $1,282 low, more
Running parallel to its extended Labor Day Sale, EcoFlow is also having a Home Backup Sale through September 14 with up to 62% discounts, 5% and 7% bonus savings, and more. Among the lineup, we’re seeing shorter-term member-only pricing on four units lasting through September 7, with a standout being EcoFlow’s DELTA 2 Max Portable Power Station coming with two 220W solar panels and a waterproof protective bag for $1,281.55 shipped, after using the code 25EFDCAFF at checkout for an additional 5% off your order. This particular bundle would cost you $3,276 were it at full price, with the bag missing from this bundle at Amazon, where it’s currently priced for $1,299, and has only gone as low as $1,234 in the past. Considering the bag costs $79, this combined 61% markdown for the next few days not only saves you a total $1,994, but gives you the best new price we have tracked. Head below for more on this and the other short-term member-only deals.
If you want to learn more about this power station bundle, or check out the other three offers seeing up to $2,419 in savings, be sure to check out our original coverage of these deals here.
Hardwire Schumacher’s 50A Level 2 EV wall charger indoors or outdoors while at a new $350 low
Amazon is offering the Schumacher 50A Hardwired Level 2 EV Wall Charger at $349.99 shipped. Since July we’ve seen it keeping at $450 at full price, which is also when we last saw a discount, with Prime Day having taken the cost down to $399, and was only ever beaten out by a $390 rate from October 2024 Prime Day. The deal we’re seeing here takes things lower than ever as the 22% markdown is cutting $100 off the going rate and landing it at a new all-time low price. Keep in mind that this is a hardwired station, with the more flexible variant also currently seeing a discount to $414 right now, down from $500.
If you want to learn more about this particular EV charging station, be sure to check out our original coverage of this deal here.
Clear up to 1.5 miles of weeds with this Greenworks 48V (2x24V) 15-inch string trimmer and two batteries at a new $91 low
Amazon is offering the Greenworks 48V (2 x 24V) 15-inch Cordless String Trimmer with two 2.0Ah batteries and dual-port charger for $91.19 shipped, which matches the pricing directly from the brand’s website. While it carries a $160 MSRP, we more often see it priced around $120 at Amazon, with discounts over the years having only gone as low as $96, which we last saw for an extended period in April through May. Today’s deal beats out all that have come before, though, with the 43% markdown here cutting $69 off the MSRP tag for a new all-time low.
If you want to learn more about this tool’s capabilities, be sure to check out our original coverage of this deal here.
Best Summer EV deals!
- Velotric Nomad 2X e-bike (camo) with DELTA 3 Plus station: $3,048 (Reg. $3,298)
- Velotric Nomad 2X e-bike (sage or fig) with DELTA 3 Plus station: $2,948 (Reg. $3,298)
- Aventon Ramblas Electric Mountain Bike: $2,599 (Reg. $2,899)
- Ride1Up Prodigy v2 Brose Mid-Drive Gates Belt CVT e-bike: $2,595 (Reg. $2,795)
- Ride1Up Revv 1 DRT Off-Road Moped-Style e-bike: $2,395 (Reg. $2,595)
- Ride1Up Revv 1 Full Suspension Moped-Style e-bike: $2,395 (Reg. $2,595)
- Segway Xafari Red e-bike: $2,000 (Reg. $2,400)
- Velotric Nomad 2 All-Terrain e-bike with $120 bundle (new): $1,999 (No price cut)
- Rad Power Radster Road Commuter e-bike: $1,999 (Reg. $2,199)
- Rad Power Radster Trail Off-Road e-bike: $1,999 (Reg. $2,199)
- Lectric XPedition 2.0 35Ah Cargo e-bike w/ up to $654 bundle: $1,999 (Reg. $2,653)
- Ride1Up Prodigy v2 Brose Mid-Drive 9-Speed e-bike: $1,995 (Reg. $2,495)
- Tenways AGO X All-Terrain e-bike with $307 bundle: $1,899 (Reg. $2,499)
- Velotric Fold 1 Plus e-bike (gray or white) with DELTA 2 station: $1,898 (Reg. $2,198)
- Velotric Fold 1 Plus e-bike (mango or blue) with DELTA 2 station: $1,828 (Reg. $2,198)
- Rad Power RadRunner Plus Cargo Utility e-bike with extra battery: $1,799 (No price cut)
- Aventon Abound SR Smart Cargo e-bike (new, first discount): $1,799 (Reg. $1,899)
- Lectric XP Trike2 750 Long-Range eTrike with $493 preorder bundle: $1,799 (Reg. $2,292)
- Velotric Breeze 1 Cruiser e-bike with $150 bundle (new, first discount): $1,699 (Reg. $1,799)
- Aventon Pace 4 Smart Cruiser e-bike (new, second-ever discount): $1,699 (Reg. $1,799)
- Rad Power RadExpand 5 Plus Folding e-bike (lowest price): $1,699 (Reg. $1,899)
- Lectric XPedition 2.0 26Ah Cargo e-bike w/ $505 bundle: $1,699 (Reg. $2,204)
- Lectric XPeak 2.0 Long-Range Off-Road e-bike with $434 bundle: $1,699 (Reg. $2,133)
- Rad Power RadWagon 4 Cargo e-bike with extra battery: $1,599 (Reg. $1,799)
- Aventon Abound Cargo e-bike: $1,599 (Reg. $1,999)
- Ride1Up VORSA Modular Multi-Use e-bike (first discount): $1,595 (Reg. $1,695)
- Rad Power RadRunner Cargo Utility e-bike with extra battery: $1,499 (No pirce cut)
- Lectric XPeak 2.0 Standard Off-Road e-bike with $227 bundle: $1,499 (Reg. $1,726)
- Lectric XP Trike2 with $242 bundle: $1,499 (Reg. $1,741)
- Rad Power RadWagon 4 Cargo e-bike: $1,499 (Reg. $1,799)
- Tenways CGO600 Pro e-bikes with $118 bundle: $1,499 (Reg. $1,899)
- Velotric Nomad 1 Plus All-Terrain e-bike: $1,499 (Reg. $1,899)
- Electric Bike Co. Model J e-bike (code LABOR150): $1,499 (Reg. $1,849)
- Electric Bike Co. Model C e-bike (code LABOR150): $1,499 (Reg. $1,899)
- Aventon Aventure 2 All-Terrain e-bike: $1,499 (Reg. $1,999)
- Aventon Sinch 2 Folding e-bike: $1,399 (Reg. $1,699)
- Lectric XPedition 2.0 13Ah Cargo e-bike with $326 bundle: $1,399 (Reg. $1,725)
- Aventon Level 2 Commuter e-bike: $1,499 (Reg. $1,899)
- Ride1Up Roadster V3 Lightweight Premium e-bike: $1,395 (Reg. $1,495)
- Velotric T1 ST Plus Lightweight e-bike: $1,399 (Reg. $1,649)
- Rad Power RadRover 6 Plus Step-Thru Fat Tire e-bike: $1,299 (Reg. $1,599)
- Lectric XPress 750 Commuter e-bikes with $336 bundle: $1,299 (Reg. $1,665)
- Lectric XP4 750 LR Folding Utility e-bikes with $404 bundle: $1,299 (Reg. $1,703)
- Heybike Mars 2.0 Folding Fat-Tire e-bike with extra battery: $1,199 (Reg. $1,848)
- Lectric XP Lite 2.0 JW Black LR e-bike with $316 bundle: $1,099 (Reg. $1,415)
- Ride1Up Portola Folding e-bike with BOGO accessory promo: $995 (Reg. $1,095)
- Lectric XP4 Standard Folding Utility e-bikes with $79 bundle: $999 (Reg. $1,078)
- Aventon Soltera 2.5 Lightweight Commuter e-bike (first discount): $999 (Reg. $1,199)
- Lectric XP Lite 2.0 Long-Range e-bikes with up to $316 bundles: $999 (Reg. $1,315)
- Heybike Hauler Single-Battery Cargo e-bike: $999 (Reg. $1,499)
- Rad Power RadExpand 5 Folding e-bike: $999 (Reg. $1,599)
Best new Green Deals landing this week
The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.
- Rad Power’s first fall sale provides extra batteries to new Radrunner cargo utility e-bikes starting from $1,499 + much more
- Electric Bike Co. extends Labor Day flash sale on BMX Model C and Model J e-bikes at best prices of the year for $1,499
- ALLPOWERS’ new two-pound airline-approved SOLAX P100 99Wh power station gets first savings to $69 (Reg. $199)
- EcoFlow is providing a 57% discount on its DELTA Pro 3,600Wh power station to new $1,597 low (Reg. up to $3,699)
- Save up to 55% on Segway’s Cube series power stations and solar panels starting from $170
- Bring color and music syncing to your outdoor areas with Linkind’s smart solar spotlights starting from $23 (Reg. $35+)
- Exclusive: Anker’s refurb SOLIX C1000X 1,056Wh power station at $377 (Reg. up to $799 new)
- Heybike’s End of Summer Sale offers Mars 2.0 folding e-bike extra battery bundle back at a $1,199 low, more
- Add more vibrant color to flower beds with Govee’s Matter-ready Outdoor Garden Lights 2-pack at $150 (Reg. $200)
- Make up to 100 cuts, even in tight spaces, with Worx’s 20V 5-inch mini cordless chainsaw at $90 (Reg. $130)
- Save space and gain utility in your commute with Aventon’s Sinch 2 folding e-bike while at its $1,399 low (Reg. $1,699)
- Bring home Autel’s MaxiCharger 40A level 2 EV charging station that comes with an RFID security card for $399 (Reg. $470)
- Make up to 300 cuts with EGO’s 56V 18-inch cordless chainsaw and a 5.0Ah battery at a new $249 low (Reg. $399)
- Keep up to five devices running with UGREEN’s Nexode 48,000mAh 300W power bank at $102 (Reg. $170), more
- Hop on Electric Bike Co.’s Model J e-bike with a $321 bundle at $1,499 ($2,320 value)
- Anker’s eufy E15 and E18 robot lawn mowers get $400 Labor Day discounts starting from $1,400 (Reg. $1,800+)
- Electrified Weekly – Labor Day sales from Lectric, Aventon, EcoFlow, Anker SOLIX, Autel, Schumacher, and much more
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The top-selling Mercedes model is going electric. With just two days until its official debut, Mercedes-Benz unveiled a first look at the interior of the new GLC. With a massive 39″ touchscreen, the brand’s largest to date, Mercedes promises the new GLC will take luxury driving to a new level.
Mercedes-Benz unveils the interior of the new GLC EV
“We’re not just introducing a new model – we’re electrifying our top seller,” Mercedes-Benz Group CEO, Ola Källenius, said after offering an exclusive look at the new electric GLC in July.
Mercedes promises the new model “sets new standards” as its first vehicle to showcase the luxury brand’s updated design and advanced new tech.
Ahead of its debut on September 7, Mercedes-Benz unveiled the interior of the new electric GLC for the first time.
At the center is the new MBUX HYPERSCREEN. The 39.1″ floating touchscreen spans the entire dashboard. With over 1,000 LEDs and matrix backlight technology, Mercedes said the touchscreen boasts “exceptional clarity and vivid color.”
It also features intelligent zone dimming, which enables you to set two different brightness levels for separate displays. Mercedes said it has already filed a patent for the “groundbreaking” new feature. The only issue is that it won’t come standard.
Mercedes said the MBUX HYPERSCREEN will be optionally available. Lower-priced trim options are expected to receive a smaller screen.
Thanks to an extended wheelbase, the new GLC EV offers more interior space than the current model. With all the seats folded, the electric SUV offers 61.4 cubic feet of space, compared to the gas-powered model, which features up to 56.3 cubic feet of cargo space.
Like the interior, the exterior of the GLC EV will showcase the new Mercedes-Benz design. Källenius said the new model will debut with “a new face of the brand as the first in a family of upcoming vehicles,” which will include a revamped grille.
The new Mercedes-Benz GLC will be based on an 800V architecture, offering charging speeds of up to 320 kW. According to Källenius, the electric SUV can regain around 260 km (161 miles) in about 10 minutes.
We will learn more info on September 7, when the new GLC makes its official debut. However, according to Car and Driver, which tested a prototype model, the new GLC is expected to provide a WLTP range of just over 400 miles from a 94.5 kWh battery. On the EPA scale, it will likely be closer to slightly over 300 miles of range.
Given that the current GLC 350e 4MATIC PHEV starts at $59,900 in the US, you can expect the all-electric version to be priced slightly higher at around $65,000.
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The massive new Hyundai EV plant outside of Savannah, Georgia, was raided by ICE on Thursday. Federal agents took hundreds of people into custody at the site, including executives from LG Energy Solution, Hyundai’s battery partner and co-owner of the plant.
Why was the Hyundai EV plant raided by ICE?
After celebrating the grand opening of its new Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) in Georgia earlier this year, the Korean automaker said it’s “building the future of mobility with America, in America.”
On Thursday, a construction site for a new battery plant was raided by US immigration authorities. According to local reports, up to 475 people were arrested as part of an investigation into undocumented individuals. LG stated in a press release that Hyundai employees were among the hundreds taken into custody.
The South Korean Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Friday (via Yonhap News), claiming that the individuals were treated unfairly.
“The economic activities of our companies investing in the US and the rights and interests of our nationals must not be unfairly violated,” South Korean ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong said.
The ministry’s spokesperson added that “We conveyed our concern and regret through the US Embassy in Seoul today.” Korea sent officials to Washington and to the Hyundai plant to establish an on-site task force to deal with the matter.
The site spans nearly 3,000 acres total and includes an assembly facility, two battery plants, a weld shop, and several others for training, logistics, and more.
As the largest economic project in Georgia, the plant, including Hyundai’s suppliers, is expected to create nearly 40,000 jobs while drawing $12.6 billion into the state.
Hyundai currently builds the new 2025 IONIQ 5 and 2026 IONIQ 9, its first three-row electric SUV, at the Georgia facility.
The ICE raid came just days after US President Trump hosted South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the White House. It’s part of the administration’s aggressive crackdown on immigration. Lee has committed to investing another $150 billion in the US, including a new EV battery plant, as it seeks to ease trade tensions.
LG Energy Solution and the South Korean government are working to secure the release of employees and others in custody. Check back soon, as this is an ongoing story. We’ll keep you updated with the latest.
Source: The New York Times, Yonhap News
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