In an effort to develop a completely integrated production line for electric vehicles, Honda will modify its two production lines at a plant in Ohio to produce the vehicles, which it intends to introduce in 2026.
The Japanese automaker said on Wednesday that the renovation, which may be finished as soon as January 2024, will allow its Marysville facility in Ohio to produce both electric and engine-powered vehicles. The two lines currently produce conventional and hybrid vehicle models, but under the EV plan, they will be combined into one. In 2025, Honda intends to move the Accord car production there to another factory in Indiana.
Two additional Ohio plants will also be modified by Honda. Also, the East Liberty factory will be modified to enable EV production. Honda will progressively move some of the output at the Anna engine facility to its Alabama engine factory starting in March, using the freed-up space to produce EV battery cases.
The automaker had previously stated that it would invest $700 million in these three Ohio sites to set up an EV production system in October of last year. Together with LG Energy Solutions, a significant South Korean battery supplier, it is also building a factory in Ohio to manufacture automobile batteries.