Toyota intends to establish a battery quality testing facility at its North American R&D headquarters in Michigan.
The $48 million lab is scheduled to open in 2025 and will study batteries in all their forms, from individual cells to the packs used in electric vehicles. According to the firm, the facility will also test the charging capabilities of EVs and how well they communicate with existing power grids. Engineers will also develop battery innovations for future goods.
Toyota claims the facility will aid production at its North Carolina and Kentucky facilities.
Recent efforts by Toyota to enhance investment in electric vehicles worldwide and in North America have coincided with the opening of this lab west of Detroit in York Township. In May, the Japanese automaker revealed that beginning in 2025, production of an electric SUV would begin at the company’s factory in Kentucky. Toyota’s new North Carolina battery plant will supply the batteries for the three-row SUV. The battery plant is an additional $2.1 billion in expenditures that Toyota has announced.
Toyota has been called an “EV laggard” compared to other major manufacturers that have boldly promised to convert most of their product lines to battery electric vehicles. On the other hand, Toyota has suggested that hybrids and plug-in hybrids should also be included.
The firm claimed that every Toyota and Lexus vehicle in the world will have an electrified option (a label that includes hybrids and plug-in hybrids) by 2025. Toyota will spend more than $70 billion worldwide on car electrification by 2030.
“This new investment in our North American R&D operation, which has been a key pillar of the Michigan automotive industry for more than 50 years, shows Toyota’s directional shift towards electrification for all,” said Shinichi Yasui, executive vice president of Toyota Motor North America’s R&D program.
