Toyota unveiled its new battery research facility in Washtenaw County’s York Township Thursday.
The $50 million, 30,000 square foot Toyota Battery Center east of Saline will be its primary testing facility in North America, the automaker said.
Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI 6) said investment like this one from Toyota will help keep out Chinese influence in electric vehicle technology.
The battery center, Dingell said, “is a tangible representation of what it means to keep Michigan at the cutting edge of innovation.”
“This facility is creating good-paying high-tech jobs, supporting American manufacturing, and ensuring that the next generation of automotive innovation happens right here in Michigan,” said Dingell.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer echoed those sentiments.
“This state-of-the-art facility will develop, test, and improve the batteries powering the next generation of vehicles,” Whitmer said.
Toyota will open the facility to the University of Michigan Electric Vehicle Center. Whitmer thinks that will help keep graduates from leaving the state.
“Researchers and students will work alongside industry experts to research cutting-edge technology, and this partnership will prepare students to tackle the biggest challenges of the future, right here at home,” she said.
In all, Toyota employs 2,000 people on the York Township campus. The battery center there will increase the number of jobs, but Toyota’s biggest battery investment is in North Carolina.
The company says it has invested nearly $14 Billion in a battery production facility there, with plans for more than 5,000 jobs.
