Panasonic is Laying the Foundation for a Strong 30 GWh Gigafactory in Kansas, Focused on 2170 Cylindrical Cells

Panasonic Corporation today announced that it has broken ground on a new 30 GWh gigafactory in Kansas, USA. The new facility, which will focus on the production of 2170 cylindrical cells, is scheduled to begin operations in early 2023.

The new factory will help Panasonic meet the growing demand for its lithium-ion batteries, which are used in a wide range of applications, including electric vehicles (EVs), energy storage systems (ESS), and consumer electronics.

The 2170 cell is the standard battery cell used in Tesla vehicles. Panasonic is the exclusive supplier of these cells to Tesla.

The new factory will be located in the city of Buffalo, Kansas. It will cover an area of approximately 1.6 million square feet (150,000 square meters).

Panasonic has been manufacturing batteries in the US for more than 20 years. The company currently has two factories in Nevada and one in Ohio.

The new factory in Kansas will create about 2,000 jobs.

"We are very pleased to break ground on our new gigafactory in Kansas. This new facility will allow us to further increase our production capacity of 2170 cells to meet the growing demand for our batteries," said Panasonic President & CEO Yoshihiko Yamada.

"This new factory is another example of our commitment to the US market and our long-term vision for the future of transportation," he added.

The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Kansas Governor Laura Kelly and other local officials.

"Panasonic's decision to build its new gigafactory in Kansas is a vote of confidence in our state's workforce and our commitment to the future of the transportation industry," said Governor Kelly.

"This project will create thousands of good-paying jobs and help position Kansas as a leader in the electric vehicle market," she added.