- A new Toyota battery factory is reportedly under construction.
- Japanese factory will produce batteries for Lexus electric cars
- Automakers are pulling back from EV production and targeting
Toyota plans to build a Japan EV battery factory for its Lexus luxury car brand, the Nikkei business newspaper reported Friday.
Circulated by ReutersThe report said the new battery factory will be located in Fukuoka Prefecture in southwestern Japanbut did not provide any further details. Toyota reportedly sees Kyushu, the island where Fukuoka is located, as a hub for its electric vehicle supply chain.
Lexus LF-Z electrified concept
The report comes as other automakers Pull back EV production target. EV output 45% lower than expected, French supplier OPmobility SE say this weekGeneral Motors recently announced that it will delay its goal of reaching one million electric vehicle production capacity, originally set for 2025, while Ford is shifting production of its internal combustion engine Super Duty pickup trucks from electric vehicles to an assembly plant in Canada.
Toyota in 2023 said it will Turn Lexus “Into a Battery Electric Vehicle Brand” by 2035, but there may be some flexibility in the steepness of the ramp toward that goal. Other luxury brands, including Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche, have recently discussed keeping internal combustion models in production for the next decade on the path to an all-electric future. And Toyota has indicated that by 2021 85% of US cars still have exhaust pipes in 2030.
Lexus RZ 2024
Despite showing off some striking concepts, the only Lexus EV currently on sale in the United States is the RZ crossover, an electric test bed but not a mass-market effort. Lexus is adding a cheaper, longer-range version of the RZ for the 2024 model year called the RZ 300e with a range of up to 266 miles, up from the 220-mile maximum range of the original RZ 450e.
ONE Toyota Battery Plant in North Carolina is expected to begin building cells for hybrid and electric vehicles in 2025. The automaker has announced a $2.5 billion expansion to that plant, which is still under construction, that will be used specifically to increase EV battery production capacityToyota also confirmed it will produce two three-row electric SUVs in the United States in 2025 and 2026.
