Panasonic Energy has launched its new lithium-ion cylindrical battery manufacturing facility in De Soto, Kansas., an industrial complex designed to meet the growing demand for electric vehicle batteries in North America. The facility, developed in conjunction with Turner Construction (ACS Group) and Yates Construction, aims for an annual capacity of up to 32GWh once it reaches its full performance.
El opening ceremony on July 14 brought together public officials, academics and company executives around Kansas City, highlighting the role of this plant as one of the largest in North America for electric vehicle batteries and as a driver to strengthen the domestic supply chain in the U.S.
The De Soto plant: key facts
The site occupies approximately 121 hectares (about 300 acres) and has been developed with a budget close to 4.000 millionThe factory has started mass production of cells 2170 and is part of the strategy of dual production between Japan and North America to respond quickly to regional demand.
- Planned capacity: up to 32 GWh/year when it reaches its maximum performance.
- Location: De Soto, in the Kansas City metropolitan area (USA).
- Product: cylindrical lithium-ion cells (2170 format) for electric vehicles.
- Constructors: Turner Construction (ACS) and Yates Construction.
As the company's second EV battery plant in the United States after Nevada (operational since 2017, “approx.” 41 GWh), the Kansas complex will allow Panasonic reaches a combined output of around 73 GWh in the country when both facilities are fully operational.
Economic Impact and Collaboration in Kansas
The project has become one of Kansas's greatest economic development milestones, with forecasts of up to 4.000 direct jobs and around 8.000 positions in total by accounting for suppliers and related industries, which represents a significant boost to the local productive fabric.
To cement this growth, the company works with universities in the region, such as the University of Kansas, in training and applied research initiatives. This way of collaboration company-academia-public sector It seeks to prepare the specialized talent that the electrification of transportation will require and consolidate an innovation hub in the area.
The construction, awarded to Turner in March 2023, has involved strong coordination with the community of de Soto and state authorities to ensure deadlines, quality and sustainability criteria in a work of high technical and logistical complexity.
Technology, productivity and sustainability
The plant incorporates highly automated production lines with which one expects a productivity approximately 20% higher Compared to the Nevada factory. This leap is based on the design of labor-saving processes and a start-up focused on achieving stable manufacturing from early stages.
In the short term, Panasonic plans to introduce advanced materials that allow increase the capacity per cell by around 5%, a breakthrough that will help strengthen the domestic supply chain already the industrial competitiveness of the USA in batteries.
With more than 30 years of experience In lithium-ion batteries, the company is accumulating until March 2025 about 19.000 billion cells supplied and around 3,7 million electric vehicles equipped. Its high-capacity cells stand out for their energy density around 800 Wh/L and a history of no safety recalls.
the factory Nevada, which has been operating since 2017, has a approximate annual capacity of 41 GWh, employs more than 4.000 people and has delivered more than 11.000 billion cells, an industrial background that supports the rapid learning curve of the Kansas plant.
The new De Soto factory consolidates Panasonic's position as a key player in EV batteries in North America., while confirming the role of Turner (ACS) and Yates in the execution of megafactories: a combination of capacity (32 GWh), employment, technology and sustainability which strengthens the industrial ecosystem and the transition towards electric mobility.