COLUMBUS, Ohio—Honda says it will build a $3.5 billion joint-venture battery factory in rural southern Ohio and hire 2,200 people to staff it as the company starts to turn the state into its North American electric vehicle hub.
Honda, which announced its first Ohio factory 45 years ago, also plans to invest $700 million and add 300 jobs at three of its own Ohio factories to prepare them to start making EVs and components.
The battery plant, to be built jointly with LG Energy Solution of South Korea, could see a total investment of $4.4 billion. The plant site is off Interstate 71 in Fayette County, about 40 miles southwest of the state capital of Columbus….