Toyota starts production at $14B North Carolina battery plant facility

Toyota announced Wednesday that it has officially begun production at its new $13.9 billion battery manufacturing plant in North Carolina, while pledging an additional $10 billion to boost U.S. manufacturing over the next five years.

The 1,850-acre facility in Liberty, North Carolina, marks the automaker’s first battery plant outside of Japan, and is expected to create up to 5,100 new American jobs, Toyota said.

“Today’s launch of our first U.S. battery factory and $10 billion in additional U.S. investment represents a pivotal moment in our company’s history,” said Ted Ogawa, CEO of Toyota Motor North America. “Toyota is a leader in electric vehicles, and the company’s significant manufacturing investment in the U.S. and North Carolina strengthens our commitment to our team members, customers, dealers, communities and suppliers.”

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Along with the factory launch, Toyota announced an additional $10 billion investment in its US operations over the next five years to “support future mobility efforts.”

“This will bring the company’s total investment in the United States to approximately $60 billion since it began operations here nearly 70 years ago,” the company said.

Once at full capacity, the North Carolina plant will produce 30 gigawatt-hours of lithium-ion batteries annually to power Toyota’s lineup of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles.

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Toyota also announced an additional investment of $10 billion in its US operations over the next five years. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

The facility houses 14 production lines, which will create batteries to power the Camry HEV, Corolla Cross HEV, RAV4 HEV, and an all-electric three-row battery electric vehicle (BEV) — Toyota’s first to be manufactured in the United States, according to Toyota.

Additional production lines are expected to be launched by 2030.

Besides manufacturing, Toyota said the facility will also be a “vibrant community,” offering childcare services, a medical clinic, pharmacy and fitness center for employees.

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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy praised Toyota’s announcement, calling it “another show of confidence in this administration’s efforts to bring back manufacturing, generate new, good-paying jobs, and pump billions of dollars into the economy.”

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy during a press conference in Washington, D.C (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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“Under the leadership of president Donald Trump, America is open for business,” Duffy said in a statement.