De Soto $4B Panasonic Plant Officially Begins Mass Production

Posted July 14, 2025

The $4 billion Panasonic electric-vehicle battery plant in De Soto has officially begun mass production.

The Panasonic Group announced that the plant has opened its doors and started its production of cylindrical lithium-ion batteries. Panasonic held a grand opening ceremony for the facility on Monday.

Located at 10301 Astra Parkway, the plant is expected to create an annual production capacity of approximately 32 gigawatt hours once fully operational. That would increase Panasonic’s total U.S.-based production capacity to 73 gigawatt hours, according to a release.

“The opening of our Kansas Factory marks a major milestone in our journey to scale advanced battery production in the United States,” Panasonic CEO Kazuo Tadanobu said in the release. “This achievement would not have been possible without the strong support of our local partners and the State of Kansas. Together, we are accelerating the shift to electrification, reinforcing regional supply chains, and nurturing the next generation of battery talent. This facility represents not only our commitment to the region but also a foundation for long-term collaboration and innovation in the U.S.”

The De Soto-based Panasonic plant has begun mass production of 2170 lithium-ion batteries. Photo courtesy of Panasonic.

The De Soto plant is the second battery manufacturing facility in the U.S. Panasonic also operates a facility in Nevada, which has been operational since 2017. The De Soto plant is also expected to create up to 4,000 direct jobs and approximately 8,000 jobs in total, including those in supplier and related industries. Around 1,000 staff members have already been hired at the site as of Monday.

The site for the facility spans approximately 300 acres, while the building itself is around 4.7 million square feet. Outfitted with “labor-saving production lines,” the De Soto plant is estimated to achieve 20% higher productivity compared to its sister Nevada Factory.

Gov. Laura Kelly said the plant is expected to inject around $2.5 billion annually into the state of Kansas.

“The monumental effort that has gone into every aspect of this project has culminated in this historic day as the plant begins mass production of EV batteries. It’s hard to overstate what Panasonic’s investment means to Kansas and the value of the partnership that made it possible,” Kelly said.