On February 5, Toyota announced that its first in-house battery manufacturing plant in the U.S. – and its first located outside of Japan – is ready for production to begin. Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina (TBMNC), which broke ground in Liberty, North Carolina in 2021, will produce lithium-ion batteries to power North American-built hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The company will dedicate four production lines to batteries for HEVs and ten for batteries for both PHEVs and BEVs. The company stated that the seven million-square-foot plant, as large as 121 football fields, will begin shipping the batteries in April 2025. Moreover, the company has announced an intention to power the facility entirely with clean energy.
The investment in TBMNC currently stands at $13.9 billion, expanded over time. When Toyota first announced the location in 2021, it represented a $1.29 billion investment that would create 1,750 new jobs. The following year, it increased its investment by $2.5 billion as part of a larger $5.6 billion national battery commitment, reaching a total of $3.8 billion specifically for TBMNC. In May 2023, Toyota announced another $2.1 billion to help the battery plant provide the inputs for a new three-row, battery-electric SUV that it would assemble at Toyota Kentucky. The allocation brought the total announced investment in TBMNC up to $5.9 billion. It added another $8 billion and 3,000 more jobs the following October. TBMNC marks the company’s eleventh manufacturing facility in the U.S., with a total investment of $49 billion.
At the time, North Carolina Senator Phil Berger said, “Toyota’s latest expansion in North Carolina is monumental. The additional jobs and increased capital investment are proof that the Triad and our rural communities are prepared to support high-tech manufacturing.” Then-North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore, who now serves in the United States Congress, added, “Toyota’s success is a prime example of how a balanced budget, a strong workforce, and a AAA credit rating pave the way for business growth. Toyota’s additional investment in North Carolina is a sign that we are on the right track.”
Photo Courtesy Toyota
It is all centered on Toyota’s ‘best in town’ approach, which encompasses investing in and contributing to local communities. Akio Toyoda, chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation, has repeatedly referenced this concept, stating in 2007, “We cannot make customers happy by just promoting the total number of vehicles. Becoming the best in town is what is most important. Toyota affiliates, plants, distributors and dealerships should always aim to be the best-in-town company that people in their respective towns trust the most.”
Last year, Toyota hired 1,200 team members for TBMNC, but it plans to expand the team to 5,100 employees at full capacity. To support the area’s workforce readiness and education in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics, Toyota in 2022 donated $1 million to be split evenly between Communities in Schools of Randolph County (CiSRC) and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T).
CiSRC used the funding for programs such as Jobs for America’s Graduates, which will help students stay in school, acquire more skills, and pursue employment or secondary education opportunities. NC A&T, meanwhile, used it to create the College of Education’s Toyota STEAM Lab, where students majoring in elementary and secondary education can prepare to teach students ranging from kindergarten to twelfth grade. Some of the funding also went toward mentorship programs for elementary and high school students.
Photo Courtesy North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Toyota has continuously demonstrated commitment to the community, totaling $3.5 million in community donations. In 2023, for example, it gave $200,000 to several nonprofits, such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Asheboro and Greensboro. Others included the Junior Achievement of the Triad, which helps young people to advance toward work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy; Shift_ed, which provides students with education and planning support; and the Volunteer Center of the Triad, which connects people to volunteer opportunities. Toyota is nurturing the area around the battery manufacturing plant while contributing to a domestic battery pipeline.
