Just as Panasonic prepares to hold a grand opening Monday on the $4 billion battery plant built outside of Kansas City, Kansas, the company has decided to delay full production because of falling electric car sales.
Plus, there is the factor of U.S. government policies that do not support EVs. Word of the delay in production was reported by the Nikkei Asia news outlet. According to Nikkei, the plant was expected to reach full production by March 2027. But a new target date has not been confirmed.
The De Soto battery plant is the one Oklahoma lost in a 2022 race with Kansas to land the project that was projected to create 4,000 jobs. Using tax credits, Kansas was chosen by Panasonic for what was billed as the largest economic development project in Kansas.
Some observers say the plant is now threatened because of tumbling EV sales at Tesla combined with President Trump’s skepticism about EV tax credits supported by the Biden administration.
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