Panasonic Energy, part of the Japanese electronics company Panasonic Group, has unveiled its new electric vehicle (EV) battery factory in De Soto, Kansas, US. It is Panasonic Energy’s second site in the US, following the Nevada factory established in 2017.
Spanning approximately 121ha, the new site will manufacture cylindrical lithium-ion batteries and address the rising demand from automotive customers for electric vehicle production.
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The Kansas facility has begun mass production of 2170 cells, with plans to reach an annual production capacity of 32 GWh. Through both sites, Panasonic aims to significantly boost its US-based production capacity to approximately 73 GWh once fully operational.
The Kansas factory’s new labour-saving production lines will boost productivity by about 20 per cent over the Nevada factory. Panasonic Energy also plans to launch products with advanced materials, increasing cell capacity by approximately 5 per cent. These initiatives aim to enhance the domestic supply chain for EVs in the US.
The new site will create up to 4,000 direct jobs and approximately 8,000 jobs in total. Additionally, the company is collaborating with educational institutions to promote long-term industry-academia partnerships focused on technological advancement and specialised talent development.
Kazuo Tadanobu, CEO of Panasonic Energy, expressed his gratitude towards local partners and the State of Kansas for the new factory.
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By GlobalData“Together, we are accelerating the shift to electrification, reinforcing regional supply chains, and nurturing the next generation of battery talent,” he added.
