Mercedes-Benz opened a new battery plant in Bibb County, Ala., as the company prepares to start production of all-electric Mercedes-EQ vehicles in the United States. Up to 600 jobs will be created at the facility.

The state-of-the-art factory will provide lithium-ion batteries for the EQS SUV and EQE SUV, which will be produced at Mercedes-Benz’s plant in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The high-performance are assembled into a complete system on a production line around 984 feet long with more than 70 work stations. Using a fully digitalized production process, a variety of components are combined, including up to 12 cell modules and the EE compartment.