- The EV battery lab will open in 2025 and will evaluate existing products and develop new EV battery technology.
- The R&D facility will support manufacturing in other states.
- The facility will open up new job opportunities around Ann Arbor, Michigan.
- Toyota will use the research to develop electrified versions of all Toyota and Lexus models by 2023.
On June 8, 2023, Toyota announced it will construct a new EV battery laboratory in York Township, Michigan. This EV battery lab will focus on evaluating Toyota batteries for electric vehicles to determine if the EV batteries meet Toyota’s standards for performance, quality, and durability. Toyota expects to invest about $50 million to open the lab with an expected opening date in 2025.
Moving Toward Electrification for All
As Toyota moves toward electrification for all, the executive vice president of Toyota Motor North America, Shinichi Yasui said, “Our team is positioned to better serve the needs of our customers, including Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, the latter of which will soon be assembling the recently announced all-new, three-row, battery-electric SUV.”
Toyota expects to work with other North American partner suppliers to create locally-produced battery parts as the automaker focuses on its lineup of hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery-electric vehicles. The research and development at the Toyota battery lab will help support Level 2 and Level 3 charging for electric car batteries. Researchers will also focus on power sources and infrastructure with the ultimate goal of reducing vehicle emissions and carbon reliance.
Toyota’s investment will also upgrade the chassis dynamometers at the R&D campuses in Ann Arbor and York Township. These upgrades will give the dynamometers the ability to accommodate fully electric vehicles with batteries. The new facility and upgraded tools will let Toyota Motors North America experiment with EV battery technology to advance it to new levels.
Using Renewable Energy and Configuring New Products
Engineers at the new facility will experiment with new battery configurations to develop new configurations for EV car battery technology. Research could also enhance Toyota’s EV architecture and the capabilities needed to support new electric car battery opportunities.
Along with developing technology to reduce emissions, Toyota will enroll the new facility in DTE Energy’s MIGreenPower program. Involvement in this program shows Toyota’s dedication to renewable energy, as the battery lab will get 100% of its energy from renewable sources beginning in 2026.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said, “The $50 million investment in a new laboratory facility to evaluate electric vehicle batteries will create high-skilled, good-paying jobs in Saline and support efforts to help electric vehicles run longer and go farther than ever before.”
Toyota’s battery R&D project will help the Michigan economy by moving toward the future of EV batteries and electric vehicles.
Pioneering Electric Vehicles
Toyota has sold over 23 million hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery-electric vehicles. Toyota and Lexus currently offer 22 electric vehicle options in the United States, and by 2025, the automaker plans to have an electrified option for every model in the global Toyota and Lexus lineup. To achieve this electrification goal, Toyota has invested over $8 billion in the United States, and the automaker expects to invest over $70 billion globally by 2023.
SOURCE | IMAGES: TOYOTA
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