Panasonic Energy, a unit of technology conglomerate Panasonic Group, has plans to build a $4bn factory in Kansas, US, to manufacture and supply lithium-ion batteries to electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers.
The project, to be built at De Soto, is expected to create up to 4,000 new jobs in the US state.
After Kansas Governor Laura Kelly pushed the state legislature to give approval to an incentive package of up to $1bn earlier this year, Panasonic Energy decided to choose Kansas for setting up the new factory instead of Oklahoma, reported Reuters.
Governor Kelly said: “This project will be transformative for the Kansas economy, providing high-quality, high-tech jobs while bringing a new industry to the state that is forging a more sustainable future. This is a significant milestone for Kansas that is sure to drive economic growth and development.”
Panasonic Energy CEO and president Kazuo Tadanobu said: “With the increased electrification of the automotive market, expanding battery production in the US is critical to help meet demand.
“Given our leading technology and depth of experience, we aim to continue driving growth of the lithium-ion battery industry and accelerating towards a net-zero emissions future.”
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By GlobalDataThis plan comes as Panasonic Energy intends to expand its production of EV batteries given that the automotive industry is moving towards sustainable electric technologies.
Panasonic Group commenced production of lithium-ion batteries at Panasonic Energy of North America (PENA) in Sparks, Nevada. It operates this gigafactory with Tesla.
PENA is currently one of the largest lithium-ion battery factories in the world. It shipped more than six billion EV battery cells.
The Kansas facility is expected to be larger than the Nevada factory, reported TechCrunch.
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Image: The $4bn EV battery factory will be built at De Soto in Kansas. Credit: Goran Horvat from Pixabay.