Toyota to build a new EV battery plant in Japan

According to a new Nikkei report, Toyota plans to purchase land at an industrial estate in the Fukuoka Prefecture on Kyushu island. The Japanese version of the report mentions the Shin-Matsuyama Seaside Industrial Park in the port town of Kanda as the exact location of the upcoming EV battery plant.

The industrial park is just 40 km away from the Miyata auto plant in Miyawaka city (Fukuoka), where Toyota manufactures the Lexus UX, Lexus NX, Lexus RX, and Lexus ES. The company can build 430,000 vehicles annually at this auto plant and it exports 90% of the volume. In the future, it could make EVs using the batteries from the upcoming production facility in Kanda at this auto plant.

Toyota will decide the construction schedule and other details of its future EV battery plant soon. Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry could give the company a subsidy for this factory under the Economic Security Promotion Act.

Toyota has set a goal of 3.5 million annual EV sales and aims to achieve it by 2030. The Japanese automaker expects Lexus to play a central role in its EV strategy. In related news, it is considering opening a Lexus electrified vehicle plant in Shanghai, China.

Primearth EV Energy was founded in 1996 (under a different name) as a joint venture between Toyota and Panasonic, and Toyota has held 80.5 per cent of the shares since 2010. In March, Toyota acquired Panasonic’s 19.5 per cent share and converted it into a wholly owned subsidiary. The company plans to change its name to Toyota Battery on 1 October. It unveiled the new brand logo just a month ago.

Kyushu, also called Japan’s Silicon Valley, hosts many auto and semiconductor factories and is an integral part of Toyota’s EV supply chain. Earlier this year, Taiwanese company TSMC, the world’s largest chipmaker, opened a factory in Kikuyo, a town in the Kumamoto Prefecture on the island. Toyota has invested in the new Japanese chip plant.

asia.nikkei.com (paywall), nikkei.com (paywall, in Japanese)