Panasonic Energy today announced the official opening of its new cylindrical lithium-ion battery factory for electric vehicles (EVs). Located in De Soto, just outside Kansas City, the facility marks the opening of one of the largest automotive battery plants in North America.
The company said it has also begun mass production of 2170 cells at the second North American facility, the Kansas Factory, with plans to establish an annual production capacity of approximately 32 GWh in the future.
Built on a site spanning approximately 300 acres — the size of more than 225 football fields — the Kansas Factory aims to significantly boost Panasonic Energy’s U.S.-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 Panasonic's Nevada Factory. In the near future, the company plans to introduce products using advanced materials that will increase cell capacity by around five percent.
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.
