Panasonic Energy has begun construction on a facility in De Soto, Kansas, to produce 2170 cylindrical battery cells. The company plans to begin mass production by March 2025 and, after completion of the facility, hopes to maintain annual total production capacity of approximately 30 GWh.

Two contractors from the Kansas City area, Emery Sapp & Sons and Kissick Construction, have been awarded contracts for site preparation, and the company says it expects to onboard additional firms in the coming months. Panasonic projects that the facility will provide up to 4,000 jobs. Recruitment for the first positions is slated to begin mid-2023.

Panasonic produces cells at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada, and is currently developing the new 4680 battery cells in Japan. 

“We are already producing more than five million battery cells a day in North America,” said Executive VP Kris Takamoto. “The new facility in Kansas will further grow our capacity, efficiency and economies of scale, which are critical to a net-zero-emissions future.”

Source: Panasonic Energy