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MICHIGAN, 9 June 2023: Toyota Motor North America announced that it will invest USD 50m to build a new battery lab at its North American R&D headquarters in York Township, Michigan. The lab will be used to evaluate and support the development of electric vehicle batteries, from cell through pack.
Automotive Battery Lab
The new lab is expected to open in 2025 and will support Toyota’s manufacturing operations at plants in North Carolina and Kentucky. It will also provide Toyota with the ability to experiment with new battery technologies and configurations.
“This new investment in our North American R&D operation shows Toyota’s commitment to electrification,” said Shinichi Yasui, executive vice president of Toyota Motor North America (TMNA), Research and Development. “By adding these critical evaluation capabilities around automotive batteries, our team is positioned to better serve the needs of our customers and support our efforts to reduce carbon emissions.”
The new lab will be equipped with state-of-the-art testing equipment, including battery cyclers, thermal chambers, and environmental chambers. It will also have a chassis dynamometer that can be used to test the performance of full battery electric vehicles.
Charging technologies
In addition to battery development, the new lab will also be used to evaluate charging technologies and infrastructure. Toyota is committed to making electric vehicles more accessible and convenient for customers, and the new lab will play a key role in this effort.
“We believe that electrification is the future of transportation,” said Jordan Choby, group vice president of Powertrain at TMNA R&D. “This new facility will help us to accelerate our development of electric vehicles and make them more affordable and accessible for customers.”
Toyota’s investment in the new battery lab is part of its broader commitment to electrification. The company plans to have an electrified option available for every Toyota and Lexus model globally by 2025. Toyota has also committed to investing more than USD 70bn in vehicle electrification by 2030.
“We are excited to build this new battery lab and continue our work on developing the next generation of electric vehicles,” said Yasui. “We believe that electrification is the key to a sustainable future, and we are committed to playing a leading role in this transition.”
