General Motors is on a mission to be the world's biggest and most influential all-electric vehicle automaker. The Detroit-based carmaker has just announced a historic $7 billion investment in its home state of Michigan for four key manufacturing sites. This will result in the creation of 4,000 new jobs and will retain another 1,000. The massive investment includes the construction of a new dedicated Ultium Cells battery plant in Lansing along with the conversion of the Orion Assembly Plant for the upcoming Chevy Silverado EV and the GMC Sierra EV. The latter will be the carmaker's second facility building EV trucks, the first being the Factory Zero plant which currently builds the GMC Hummer EV.

"Today we are taking the next step in our continuous work to establish GM's EV leadership by making investments in our vertically integrated battery production in the U.S., and our North American EV production capacity," said GM CEO Mary Barra.

"We are building on the positive consumer response and reservations for our recent EV launches and debuts, including GMC Hummer EV, Cadillac Lyriq, Chevrolet Equinox EV and Chevrolet Silverado EV. Our plan creates the broadest EV portfolio of any automaker and further solidifies our path toward U.S. EV leadership by mid-decade."

The Orion plant should sound very familiar because it's where the troubled Chevy Bolt EV and Bolt EUV are built. Neither vehicle has been built for months due to a battery recall over a fire risk. The plant's upcoming conversion could be an indication these two vehicles are living on borrowed time. Both the Silverado EV and Sierra EV are due to begin production in 2024. GM says by 2025 it aims to have the capacity to build more than 1 million EVs annually entirely in America.

The new battery manufacturing plant is a continuation of the partnership between GM and LG Energy Solution, which currently builds the Bolts' battery pack. The new Ultium Cells joint venture is a combined $2.6 billion project and will be GM's third battery production dedicated facility. The automaker is investing another $510 million at two separate Lansing-area assembly plants, Delta Township and Grand River, for other "near-term products," not necessarily EVs.

So, why Michigan? Because the Wolverine State's relationship with GM goes back a century. More importantly, critical suppliers are there which immensely improves logistics. GM says additional locations in the US are being considered for more investments but didn't elaborate.