Toyota’s $14 billion US battery plant is now up and running. The mega site spans 1,850 acres, or about 121 football fields, but Toyota is saying it will be even bigger.
Toyota’s new US battery plant is set for an expansion
The first batteries rolled off the production line at Toyota’s new battery plant in Liberty, North Carolina, last Wednesday, marking a “pivotal moment” in the automaker’s nearly 70-year history in the US.
Toyota’s new plant houses 14 battery production lines, which will be used to power battery electric vehicles (BEVs), hybrids (HEVs), and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).
At full capacity, the battery plant can produce 30 GWh per year. The plant is phasing in batteries imported from Japan through a joint venture with LG Electronics, which will power the Camry HEV, Corolla Cross HEV, and RAV4 HEV. It also ships hybrid battery modules to its Kentucky assembly plant and to another plant in Alabama, which it co-owns with Mazda.
Toyota’s battery plant is already massive, spanning about 121 football fields, but company executives are saying it will likely be even bigger than expected.
“Our plans are to go 70% electrified by 2030. So obviously that could fuel additional expansion here at the plant,” David Christ, head of the Toyota brand in North America, said during a media briefing on Wednesday (via Triad Business Journal) following a tour of the facility.
Building on its commitment, Toyota announced an additional $10 billion investment over the next five years in electrified mobility.
Toyota didn’t say exactly how it plans to invest the $10 billion, but the new battery plant is likely to see some of it. The battery modules that Toyota produces at the plant vary from hybrid to EV, but the cells are the same, enabling it to adjust based on demand.
It can also adapt to different battery types, which could possibly include solid-state batteries, according to Toyota’s plant president, Don Stewart.
Toyota, which has been one of the biggest laggards in the shift to all-electric vehicles, will continue pushing hybrids as it aims to overcome the new US tariffs.
The plant can supply batteries for around 600,000 hybrid vehicles a year while Toyota builds capacity for another 74,000 PHEVs and 45,000 EVs, including its first three-row electric SUV.
Starting next year, Toyota’s best-selling vehicle, the RAV4, will be sold exclusively as a hybrid. Toyota is also launching several new BEVs, including the C-HR and BZ Woodlands electric SUVs, as well as the 2026 electric Lexus ES.
Electrek’s Take
It’s not a surprise to see Toyota standing by hybrids at this point. What will be interesting is to see how Toyota’s new electric vehicles sell.
After solving many of the issues with its first EV, the bZ4X, will Toyota’s upcoming models sell? Several EVs, like the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and Chevy Equinox EV, have proven that an affordable electric car with enough range and features will sell.
With longer driving ranges, faster charging, and an improved interior and exterior design, Toyota’s upcoming electric vehicles are already a significant upgrade over the outgoing bZ4X. If Toyota sees EV sales improve, we could see production plans at the facility shift once again.
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