John Deere to build batteries in North Carolina factory, launch new EVs by 2026

John Deere mowers tractors are known for being green. Now, the company is taking that “green cred” to another level with the launch of fully electric tractors scheduled to hit the market by 2026 – and they’ll be built in North Carolina.

John Deere completed its acquisition of Kreisel Electric and announced plans to expand its production capabilities in North America late last year, with the announcement that it had selected Kernersville, North Carolina, as the home of its new facility coming a few months later.

Kreisel produces innovative battery technology suitable for both vehicles and battery energy storage systems, as well as comprehensive DC fast charging solutions. Deere says that the planned 115,000 sq. ft. production facility will support a production capacity of up to 2 GWh.

“We anticipate that that will create 50 jobs, including positions for assembly and packaging, with the potential to contribute over $3.3 million to the region,” North Carolina Secretary of Commerce, Machelle Baker Sanders, told Yale Climate Connections. “When companies locate in North Carolina … we see a multiplier effect, where not only the company locates and grows, but any vendors and suppliers that support the company or feed into those supply chains have an opportunity to come here.”

Deere says the first fully electric and battery-electric hybrid John Deere heavy construction and ag equipment models to ship with batteries made in the new NC facility are expected to hit the market by 2026.

Electrek’s Take

Whether it’s a collaboration with Space X to connect autonomous and remote-controlled equipment or the acquisition of Kreisel to develop an in-house charging solution to ensure that they can control the owners’ charging experience, John Deere seems to be studying everything that Tesla did right when it comes to launching an EV line and pulling ahead of its competitors in its bid to create a fully autonomous farm.

This new John Deere facility in North Carolina, and the jobs it creates, will surely go a long way towards convincing some of the more “EV-resistant” people of the area that electric has a place in the ag space – and might even convert a few, while it’s at it!