New manufacturing plant to make electric vehicles more affordable, create jobs in Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE, Wash. — A new battery materials company, Sila, held its groundbreaking in Moses Lake Wednesday morning.

"It's critical to have domestic supply chain for batteries," said Gene Berdichevsky, CEO & Co-Founder of Sila.

Berdichevsky says a majority of EV battery materials are from China right now. The goal is to create a domestic supply chain.

"The right way to do that is to catch up with old technology and future technology here first," Berdichevsky said.

The 600,000-square-foot manufacturing plant is expected to create hundreds of jobs. It's a chance to diversify career paths for local students. Brant Mayo, who is from Moses Lake and is on the Grant County Economic Development Council, says community members are excited to have this factory in town, especially with the opportunities for new jobs.