Panasonic begins mass production at new EV battery factory in Kansas
Panasonic Energy has begun mass production of ‘2170’ cells — a type of cylindrical lithium-ion battery — at the Kansas factory. The facility is expected to create up to 4,000 direct jobs and 8,000 jobs in total.
Japan’s Panasonic Energy, a Panasonic Group company, has announced the official opening of its new cylindrical lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery factory for electric vehicles (EVs) in De Soto, just outside Kansas City in the United States.
Panasonic Energy has also begun mass production of ‘2170’ cells — a type of cylindrical lithium-ion battery — at its Kansas factory, the company’s second North American facility, with plans to establish an annual production capacity of approximately 32 GWh in the future.
The factory is expected to create up to 4,000 direct jobs and approximately 8,000 jobs in total, including those in supplier and related industries, the company said.
Built on a site spanning approximately 300 acres — the size of more than 225 American football fields — the Kansas factory signifies Panasonic Energy’s long-term commitment to investing in and advancing the electric vehicle industry through a dual-region model in Japan and North America, according to a media release.
As the company’s second EV battery production site in the region, following the Nevada factory, which has been operating since 2017 with the current annual capacity of approximately 41 GWh, the Kansas Factory aims to significantly boost Panasonic Energy’s US-based production capacity to approximately 73 GWh once fully operational. The new plant will also help meet the demand from automotive customers expanding their electric vehicle production.
By introducing labor-saving production lines, the Kansas factory is expected to achieve approximately 20 percent higher productivity compared to the Nevada factory. In the near future, Panasonic Energy plans to introduce products using advanced materials that will increase cell capacity by around five percent, the media release said.
Panasonic Energy is also collaborating with institutions such as the University of Kansas to promote long-term industry-academia partnerships focused on technological advancement and specialized talent development.
“The opening of our Kansas factory marks a major milestone in our journey to scale advanced battery production in the United States. This achievement would not have been possible without the strong support of our local partners and the state of Kansas,” said Kazuo Tadanobu, CEO of Panasonic Energy. “Together, we are accelerating the shift to electrification, reinforcing regional supply chains, and nurturing the next generation of battery talent. This facility represents not only our commitment to the region but also a foundation for long-term collaboration and innovation in the US.”