We’re back in Kansas, Toto!
Battery giant Panasonic is going full guns into producing more EV batteries here in America. It’s new Desoto, Kansas facility will be beyond enormous! The 4.7-million-square-foot plant marks a truly colossal expansion of Panasonic’s U.S. manufacturing possibilities.
The mighty Desoto plant will be Panasonic’s second EV battery facility in America. It’s plant in Sparks, Nevada has been operational since 2017, placed within the Tesla Gigafactory campus. We are told that the new facility will boost Panasonic’s total U.S. battery production capacity to 73 gigawatt-hours.
Quick Takeaways Box
- Facility Size: 4.7 million square feet (Desoto, Kansas)
- Battery Production: 70 battery cells per second (6 million+ daily)
- Capacity Boost: Raises Panasonic’s total U.S. battery production to 73 GWh
- Partners: Supplying batteries for Tesla, Lucid, Mazda, and more
- Jobs Created: Over 4,000 manufacturing jobs; 8,000 supplier jobs
Panasonic also tells us that the new Kansas plant will be 20 percent more productive compared to the Nevada facility. Once it is fully operational, the Kansas mega-plant will produce 70 battery cells per second, that’s over six million batteries per day.
Though the Panasonic Desoto plant may indeed be the world’s largest battery factory in terms of overall physical size, competitors such as LG Energy Solution, BYD and CATL lay claim to larger combined facilities with superior battery production and output through multiple sites. Okay, sure. But those places aren’t in Kansas, damnit!
In fact, recent foreign trade tension and U.S. tariffs in China and other countries have caused a surge of investment in domestic U.S. EV battery investment and production. That’s good for America’s economy with thousands of new jobs in battery manufacturing.
Panasonic says it is aiming for full production from the new Desoto plant later this year. Panasonic’s head of operations in North America, Megan Myungwon Lee, recently told Bloomberg that the battery company is not worried over possible battery production slowdowns due to recent lighter EV sales. In fact, she states that Panasonic is not feeling the slowdown and is actually very bullish.
Panasonic is supplying EV batteries to Tesla, Lucid and Mazda, with more automakers lining up to accept battery packs made here in America. Auto industry insiders predict that Panasonic’s new mega-plant in Kansas will help future-proof America’s EV industry.
One thing is certain; the new plant is the absolute largest economic development project in Kansas history. In fact, it will add over 4,000 well-paying jobs in battery manufacturing and 8,000 jobs for area suppliers.
Source:
- Panasonic Energy Begins Mass Production at New Kansas Factory (Official Panasonic Announcement)
- Panasonic in Kansas – Kansas Commerce (Kansas Commerce Economic Development Info)
