Toyota Opens the Doors To Its First EV Battery Plant In the US (electrek.co) 39
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Electrek: Production is now underway at Toyota's new $13.9 billion battery plant in North Carolina, the company's first outside Japan. After the first batteries rolled off the production line at its new facility in Liberty, North Carolina, on Wednesday, Toyota said today marks a "pivotal moment" in the company's history. The facility is Toyota's 11th plant in the US and its first battery plant outside of Japan.
Toyota first announced plans to build EV batteries in the US almost four years ago. The nearly $14 billion facility will create up to 5,100 jobs in the area. In addition, the Japanese auto giant announced plans to invest an additional $10 billion in its US operations over the next five years. Since it first arrived in the US nearly 70 years ago, Toyota has invested close to $60 billion.
The mega site spans 1,850 acres, or about the size of 121 football fields, and can produce up to 30 GWh annually. Toyota will use the hub to develop and build lithium-ion batteries for its growing lineup of "electrified" vehicles, including battery electric (EV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV), and hybrid (HEV) models. Batteries from the plant will power the new Camry HEV, Corolla Cross HEV, RAV4 HEV, and Toyota's yet-to-be-announced three-row electric SUV.
Toyota first announced plans to build EV batteries in the US almost four years ago. The nearly $14 billion facility will create up to 5,100 jobs in the area. In addition, the Japanese auto giant announced plans to invest an additional $10 billion in its US operations over the next five years. Since it first arrived in the US nearly 70 years ago, Toyota has invested close to $60 billion.
The mega site spans 1,850 acres, or about the size of 121 football fields, and can produce up to 30 GWh annually. Toyota will use the hub to develop and build lithium-ion batteries for its growing lineup of "electrified" vehicles, including battery electric (EV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV), and hybrid (HEV) models. Batteries from the plant will power the new Camry HEV, Corolla Cross HEV, RAV4 HEV, and Toyota's yet-to-be-announced three-row electric SUV.
A disconnect somewhere. (Score:2, Interesting)
Interesting a battery plant in a country run by a regime that believes in "clean coal" and sabotages everything renewable.
Re:A disconnect somewhere. (Score:5, Informative)
Toyota makes cars that last in factories that last. They're preparing for January 2029 when the Troll-in-Chief leaves office.
Re: (Score:1)
He'll probably be dead by then, from whatever's ailing him now.
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Preparing or gambling?
I think the main delay with Toyota has been their always-5-years-away solid state battery tech.
Re:A disconnect somewhere. (Score:4, Informative)
You do realize don't you that at the time the funds were allocated for this project it was a time that we and replaced an unfit and insane president for a sane president and nobody in their right mind imagined the prior insane president would be going anywhere but jail or at best house arrest and not back in power again.
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
actually NOT, according even to Giuffre, one of Epstein's most vocal and wide accusing accusers.
No, what she said was she didn't SEE him doing anything. She carefully worded her response to be technically true, unless she was in the same bedroom when it happened. I'm guessing that's something she wasn't keen on watching in person. [*shudder*]
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Maybe the lights were off
Re:A disconnect somewhere. (Score:5, Informative)
There's an Epstein email that said la Presidenta spent several hours with one of Epstein's underage girls. They were playing chess?
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TDS? I don't think we need to bring the ability to believe el Bunko into this. The Maggots are happy with their TDS.
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Interesting a battery plant in a country run by a regime that believes in "clean coal"
Not surprising at all. There's still plenty of investment in clean energy in the US, because "run by a regime" is an exaggeration. There are actual authoritarian regimes available today for comparison (and incidentally a number of them are investing in clean energy).
A lot of what goes on in the US is "run" by business, for better or for worse, and business will continue to invest in renewables. It's unfortunate that the federal government is slowing that down at the moment.
Ironically, exaggeration such a
Well good (Score:3)
Toyota makes one hell of a product and their future investments are pretty much assured. I have a 2007 Toyota with 200K miles that refuses to rust or wear out. Great car.
Re: (Score:2)
I had over 230k on my 1989 240SX when I sold it. It had all expected compression and ran perfectly. Got to love timing chains, it had never had any engine work done. 200k isn't impressive from any Japanese car since about 1980.
How many direct jobs, Toyota? (Score:5, Interesting)
How many direct full-time jobs will be created in the manufacturing plant once it is operating for 1 year.
The upto X jobs created is always suspect because it can include temporary construction workers, road building crews, extra government jobs, and more...
I'd want to know the (expected direct additional state and local tax revenue collected from the plant and its workers) minus (tax incentives hand out corporate welfare given to Toyota) over 10 years.
I'd want to also know how many full time permanent jobs pay more than 2.5x the federal poverty level per hour. That's about $20 per hour. The other way to see this is how many full time permanent jobs pay enough so that the worker has more than $1000 disposable income per month after basic housing, food and utilities.
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It's Toyota. They are known. They employ over 63,000 Americans already. They are good jobs. This announcement marks the start of producing batteries - not some hazy "agreement" about the future if this and if that and if the other. It's a done deal and it's a good thing.
I'm not opposed to EVs, but... (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm opposed to very large packs of NMC and similar chemistry batteries in current form that are ticking time bombs that regularly burn down other cars, parking structures, and homes.
Wow, imagine the horror you'll face when you find out about the explosive energy hidden in a 16 gallon tank of gasoline of an internal combustion engine.
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Of all the ridiculous things in the world to be worried about, this is one of the very most ridiculous of all. The rate of fires is massively lower than for ICE cars. You have loads of lithium battery devices in your house already, and you don’t (presumably) shriek with fear each hour of each day as you contemplate the terrifying death traps they apparently represent, tucked away next to your combustible household goods. And of course, it’s also such an outdated fear, because LFP is already well
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Or try stuffing a gallon of gasoline in your luggage and you'll see exactly how "safe" it is.
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You know what, you should start by convincing yourself, blahabi, that you truly think batteries are dangerous. That would mean getting rid of all the computing devices in your possession, and that would mean an end your inanely stupid comments on Slashdot, so it would be winners all round! Go for your life, big boy. Show us your courage by giving in to your fear of the deadly batteries that menace you at every turn. Watch out! There's one behind you, creeping up ready to explode and set fire to you right no
Almost four years ago... (Score:5, Informative)
Wow. Committed to close to the start of the previous administration. I wonder how it'll get spun differently.
Re: (Score:2)
Well, better than Hyundai did, where the whole MAGA "oh noes immigrants" overrodw the whole "Made in America" and handcuffed, detained and locked up a bunch of South Koreans in those miserable ICE facilities to the point every one of them filed human rights violations. It took South Korean diplomats a week to get them back.
I'm guessing by the time Trump took over Toyota had sent back all its workers and it's up to the locals to operate the plant, so they got lucky. Chances are though the Japanese engineers
Location, Location, Location (Score:2)
From wikipedia:
'Randolph [county]'s economy is largely based in manufacturing. In its 2024 county economic tier ratings, the North Carolina Department of Commerce classified Randolph as among the state's 20 least economically distressed counties, or "tier 1".'
It's about 30 Minutes / 20 Miles, SE of Greenville, NC.
It has direct access to NC421 (Limited Access Highway), about 9 miles from the I640 beltway
imagine 121 football fields (Score:2)
You can't? Me either.
But yea, 1850 acres is a decent size. About 2.8 square miles, 7.5 km^2, or 1% the size of Memphis.
A fully mechanized plant? (Score:2)
EV? (Score:2)
Seeing as Toyota has said it is not particularly interested in producing EVs, but is placing its bets on hybrids, I'm not sure I would characterize this as an EV battery plant. Rather a vehicle propulsion battery plant.