2nd GM battery plant unionizes, this time in the less-unionized US South
The GM Ultium battery plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee, has voted to unionize. This is the 2nd GM battery plant to unionize – but this one is different because it’s in Tennessee, where unions are less popular.
Unions have been seeing a lot of strength in the US lately, with pro-union sentiment at historic highs in the US.
The UAW has been both contributing to and riding this wave of union support in pushing for unionization across the US auto industry, particularly in the realm of electric vehicles and battery plants.
Its first big win was when GM’s first Ultium plant voted overwhelmingly to join UAW in 2022. Then, during UAW strike negotiations in 2023, Ultium workers won their right to be placed under the union master agreement, meaning better pay and protections for battery workers.
UAW’s strike success led to pay raises across the industry, even for nonunion workers, showing how union wins can buoy pay across larger populations.
This string of wins seems to have earned the attention of the GM Ultium battery plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee, as a majority of the 1,000 workers there signed union cards indicating that they want to join UAW, as announced today by the union. UAW points out that GM and LG (who are partners in the Ultium Cells venture) did not interfere with the union vote and has agreed to recognize the union.
The Spring Hill location is the second Ultium plant to start production, which it did earlier this year. It follows Lordstown, which started production and unionized in 2022. Today’s announcement means that both of GM’s currently-operating plants have voted to unionize.
Another plant in Lansing, Michigan is just finishing construction and should start producing cells by the end of this year. Workers at this plant have not yet voted either way on whether to join UAW.
Spring Hill’s decision is notable due to its location in the US South, which is historically more union-hostile than the North. This is part of the reason that many automotive companies have opened factories there – because of the lack of unionization, labor protections and pay scales are lower.
However, we have seen some signs of this changing. In April of this year, the VW plant in Chattanooga, TN voted to unionize. This plant had been VW’s only factory worldwide not to have a collective bargaining agreement in place, and the vote marked the first time a foreign automaker’s plant voted to unionize in the US.
We also saw a newly-unionized Blue Bird school bus factory in Georgia, where electric school buses will be made.
Momentum faltered when a Mercedes EV plant in Alabama declined to join UAW after Mercedes brought in anti-union firms to sway the vote. And six Southern governors – including Kay Ivey of Alabama, who signed an anti-union law during the Mercedes voting period – made a joint statement to encourage workers against seeking greater labor protections that union membership would bring them.
But now, momentum may be back in the hands of UAW, after this Spring Hill vote succeeded today. And it could be a big deal, given the developing “battery belt” in the US South, where many companies have decided to build battery plants, with hundreds of billions of dollars in investment and hundreds of thousands of jobs on the docket. If other factories see the success at GM, they might start getting their own ideas and unionization could spread through the industry.
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Environment
Baidu- and Geely-backed JiYue brand unveils ROBO X EV that goes 0-100 km/h in under 1.9 sec
JiYue, a Chinese EV brand focused on delivering all-electric “robocars” to the masses, has unveiled its latest model, and it’s quite a deviation from its previous EVs—but in the best way. Earlier today, JiYue launched the ROBO X supercar, designed for high-speed racing. By high speed, we mean 0-100 km/h acceleration in under 1.9 seconds. My mouth is watering.
JiYue has only existed since 2021, when parent tech company Baidu announced it was expanding from software development into physical EV production, joining forces with multinational automotive manufacturer Geely.
The new “robotic EV” marque initially launched as JIDU with $300 million in startup capital before garnering an additional $400 million in Series A funding, led by Baidu, in January 2022.
In August 2023, Geely took on a larger role in JIDU alongside a greater financial stake as the brand reimagined itself as JiYue, inheriting the JIDU logo and its flagship model, the 01 ROBOCAR.
In December 2023, Baidu and Geely unveiled a second model called the JiYue 07. It was born from JIDU’s ROBO-02 concept, which debuted in 2023 and was designed to compete against the Tesla Model 3 in China.
The 07 finally launched in China earlier this year with 545 miles of range. With an all-electric SUV and sedan on the market, JiYue has unveiled an exciting new entry in the form of a performance supercar called the ROBO X. Check it out:
JiYue’s new ROBO X EV is available for pre-order now
JiYue showcased its new ROBO X hypercar in front of the crowd at the 2024 Guangzhou Auto Show earlier today. Similar to previous models but with a unique spin, JiYue described the ROBO X as an AI smart-driving supercar that, for the first time, blends artificial intelligence and autonomous driving into a high-performance, race-ready EV.
When we say “high performance,” we mean a quad motor liquid-cooled drive system that can propel the ROBO X from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in under 1.9 seconds. JiYue called the new ROBO X a “performance beast” with “the perfect balance of excellent aerodynamic performance and high downforce.” JiYue CEO Joe Xia was even bolder in his statements about the ROBO X:
For the next 20 years, the design of supercars will bear the shadow of Robo X. This is the best design in the history of Chinese automobiles today, and it is a landmark presence.
Fighter-style airflow ducts bolster the EV’s aerodynamics, efficiency, and overall posture. Per JiYue, the two-seater ROBO X is expected to deliver a maximum range of over 650 km (404 miles).
The new supercar features falcon-wing doors, a carbon fiber integrated frame, and a professional racing HALO safety system offering 360° of support. The interior features an AI smart cockpit with SIMO real-time feedback to give drivers an immersive racing experience.
Furthermore, JiYue said the vehicle will utilize parent company Baidu’s Apollo self-driving technology, which could make it the first electric supercar to apply pure-vision ADAS technology that enables track-level autonomous driving.
Following today’s unveiling of the ROBO X, JiYue has officially opened up pre-orders in China for RMB 49,999 ($6,915). That said, reservation holders will need to be patient as JiYue shared that it doesn’t expect to begin mass production of the ROBO X until 2027.
What do you think? Will people be talking about the ROBO X for the next 20 years?
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This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes the launch of the Lectric XPedition 2.0, Yamaha e-bikes pulling out of North America, LiveWire unveils an electric scooter concept, PNY readying its cargo e-scooters for pilot testing, Royal Enfield’s first electric motorcycle, and more.
The Wheel-E podcast returns every two weeks on Electrek’s YouTube channel, Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the Wheel-E podcast today:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 9:30 a.m. ET (or the video after 10:30 a.m. ET):
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Crude oil futures were on pace Friday for loss for the week, as a supply gut and a strong dollar depresses the market.
U.S. crude oil is down more than 2% this week, while Brent has shed nearly 2%.
Here are Friday’s energy prices:
- West Texas Intermediate December contract: $68.56 per barrel, down 14 cents, or 0.2%. Year to date, U.S. crude oil has shed about 4%.
- Brent January contract: $72.36 per barrel, down 20 cents, or 0.28%. Year to date, the global benchmark has lost nearly 6%.
- RBOB Gasoline December contract: $1.99 per gallon, up 0.46%. Year to date, gasoline has fallen more than 1%.
- Natural Gas December contract: $2.70 per thousand cubic feet, down 2.98%. Year to date, gas has gained more than 4%.
The International Energy Agency has forecast a surplus of more than 1 million barrels per day in 2025 on robust production in the U.S. OPEC revised down its demand forecast for the fourth consecutive month as demand in China remains soft.
A strong dollar also hangs over the market, as the greenback has surged in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory.
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