General Motors officials, flanked by state and county politicians, announced Wednesday that they will invest $23.5 million into the Baltimore Transmission Plant in White Marsh.

This investment, funded in part by the federal Recovery Act, will create 11 new jobs at the facility located at 10301 Philadelphia Road. Those jobs will focus on the production of components for electric vehicles, according to press releases from Baltimore County and GM.

"Baltimore County is proud of the workers who have made this GM plant a center of excellence for manufacturing next generation vehicle components," said Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith following the announcement made by GM Manufacturing Manager Arvin Jones.

Gov. Martin O'Malley, Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, County Councilman Kevin Kamenetz and United Auto Workers representatives also attended the event.

The White Marsh plant is the first electric motor manufacturing facility in the nation to be operated by a major automaker. Electric motors are generally thought to be better for the environment because they do not emit air pollutants and are not dependent on fossil fuels.

The announced investment is in addition to a $246 million investment announced last January, which is expected to create 200 new jobs and fund a separate facility planned to be built on the same site as the Baltimore Transmission Plant.