Toyota has started production at its all-new battery plant in Liberty, North Carolina, the company’s 11th US plant and its first and only battery plant outside of Japan. The nearly $14 billion facility will create up to 5,100 new jobs in the USA. The automotive manufacturer has also announced an additional investment of up to $10 billion over the next five years to support future mobility efforts. This will bring the company’s total US investment to nearly $60 billion over nearly 70 years.
Ted Ogawa, president and CEO of Toyota Motor North America (TMNA), said: “The launch of Toyota’s first US battery plant, and additional US investment up to $10 billion, marks a pivotal moment in our company’s history.”
The 1,850-acre mega site can produce 30GWh annually at full capacity. It will serve as Toyota’s hub for developing and producing lithium-ion batteries needed for its ever-growing portfolio of electrified vehicles. The ‘state of the art’ plant will house 14 battery production lines supporting hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid EVs (PHEVs), making it a historical investment for Toyota and a substantial economic impact on the Tarheel State.
Batteries assembled at Toyota North Carolina are set to power the Camry HEV, Corolla Cross HEV, RAV4 HEV, and a yet-to-be-announced all-electric three-row BEV — the first of its kind for Toyota to be built in the USA. Currently, the plant ships HEV modules to both Toyota Kentucky and Mazda Toyota Manufacturing in Alabama. Additional production lines at Toyota North Carolina are set to launch by 2030.
Don Stewart, president of Toyota North Carolina, said: “We are excited to see this innovative facility come to life and to provide cutting-edge careers for more than 5,000 North Carolinians. This celebration would not be complete without thanking our team members. Their dedication, commitment, and resolve have truly led us to this historic moment. We also are grateful for the support shown to us by the State of North Carolina, Randolph County, and the greater Triad region, a place we are all proud to call home.”
A pioneer in electrified vehicles, Toyota has sold more than 6.6 million hybrid, plug-in hybrid, fuel-cell and battery-electric vehicles in the USA since 2000. Toyota currently assembles 11 HEVs and PHEVs in the country as part of its commitment to reducing carbon emissions and its philosophy of building where it sells.