LIBERTY, N.C. — Toyota’s first battery plant in the United States will produce batteries for its hybrid electric vehicles made at the Mazda Toyota Manufacturing plant in Huntsville, the company announced.
The highly anticipated start of production at its all-new battery plant in Liberty, N.C., will supercharge Toyota’s multi-pathway approach to global vehicle electrification, according to a news release.
It is Toyota’s 11th U.S. plant and the company’s first and only battery plant outside of Japan. The nearly $14 billion facility will create up to 5,100 jobs.
This will bring the company’s total U.S. investment to nearly $60 billion since beginning operations here nearly 70 years ago.
“Today’s launch of Toyota’s first U.S. battery plant and additional U.S. investment up to $10 billion marks a pivotal moment in our company’s history,” said Ted Ogawa, president and chief executive officer, Toyota Motor North America. “Toyota is a pioneer in electrified vehicles, and the company’s significant manufacturing investment in the U.S. and North Carolina further solidifies our commitment to team members, customers, dealers, communities, and suppliers.”
The 1,850-acre mega site can produce 30 GWh annually at full capacity, Toyota said. It will serve as Toyota’s hub for developing and producing lithium-ion batteries needed for its ever-growing portfolio of electrified vehicles.
The plant will house 14 battery production lines supporting hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (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 3-row BEV — the first of its kind for Toyota to be built in the U.S. Currently, the plant ships HEV modules to Toyota Kentucky and Mazda Toyota Manufacturing in Huntsville.
Toyota assembles 11 HEVs and PHEVs in the U.S. as part of the company’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions and its philosophy of building where it sells.
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