Panasonic Energy, a major Tesla supplier, said on Wednesday it had selected Kansas as the site for a new battery plant that state officials said would create up to 4,000 jobs and represent an investment of up to $4 billion (¥550.6 billion).
The move comes as Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said the maker of electric vehicles (EVs) faced challenges ramping up production of its in-house batteries, contributing to limited auto output. He described new Tesla factories in Texas and Berlin as "gigantic money furnaces" which are losing billions of dollars.
The plant, to be built in De Soto, Kansas, is central to Panasonic's effort to ramp up production for electric vehicles as it pushes for gains in battery power and performance.