Toyota has built its first battery factory in America to produce batteries for electric vehicles
Toyota has built its first battery plant outside of Japan, investing almost $14 billion in the project. The plant in North Carolina is already ready for operation - batteries for Toyota and Lexus electric cars sold in North America will start to be delivered in April.
Here's What We Know
The plant has 14 production lines: 10 of them will produce battery modules for electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), and another four for plug-in hybrids (HEVs). By 2030, Toyota plans to ramp up production to 30 gigawatt-hours per year, enough for more than 400,000 electric vehicles with 70 kWh batteries.
In 2024, the company sold fewer than 140,000 BEVs globally, of which only 18,570 made it to the US. It has only one electric vehicle in its US lineup, the Toyota bZ4X crossover. However, that's about to change: the company plans to launch another 5-7 electric models in the US within two years.
To speed up the process, Toyota has invested $10 billion in a plant in North Carolina and is expanding a manufacturing site in Georgetown, Kentucky, where production of a three-row electric SUV is due to start in 2025. Though recent reports suggest its launch could be delayed until 2026.
Source: InsideEVs
