WARREN, Ohio – Workers on temporary layoff from Ultium Cells in Lordstown were informed Friday that they now are expected to return to work in August for production, the company announced in a news release. 

Plant workers were informed in October that some 1,300 would be laid off in early January, including 448 who would be placed on indefinite layoff with no callback plans. The remaining workers were placed on layoff with no specific return date, but Ultium later forecast a June return date. 

“As previously communicated last fall, Ultium Cells adjusted production in response to customer demand. As part of that alignment, battery cell production at the Warren, Ohio, plant temporarily paused in January 2026,” Katie Burdette, plant spokeswoman, said in an emailed statement. ”Ultium Cells Ohio employees who have been on temporary layoff status are now expected to return in August for GM-EV cell production.”

In an October letter to shareholders, Mary Barra, GM chairwoman and CEO, said the automaker was “assessing our EV capacity and manufacturing footprint” because of an expected slowdown in EV sales. She cited a less stringent regulatory environment related to fuel efficiency standards under the Trump administration – as well as the expiration of the $7,500 EV tax credit program – as influencing the decision.

The plant, a joint venture between General Motors Co. and LG Energy Solution, manufactures batteries for GM’s electric vehicles. It was commissioned in 2022 and produced its 100 millionth battery cell in December 2024.    

About 650 workers remain on the job at the plant, Tom Gallagher, vice president of operations at Ultium, said May 8 during a plant visit by U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif. Khanna criticized the elimination of the EV tax credit and called for its restoration and prioritization of EV infrastructure, such as charging stations.  

About 650 workers remain on the job at the plant, Gallagher said May 8. He anticipated Ultium would begin bringing back laid-off workers sometime during the third quarter of the year but had no specific date at the time.