De Soto, Kansas battery factory by Panasonic Energy: status and timeline

De Soto, Kansas battery factory

Make EV cells in the US at Gigafactory scale, about 32 GWh a year at full output, and now also cells for AI data-centre backup power.

DeployStage 4 of 5

Four lines running and 1,800 staff (Jun 2026); second wing due 2027; data-centre cells from about 2028.

Updated 18 Jun 2026Checked 11 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · First lines of the second wing in operation

Redwood cathode supply deal for KansasNov 2022Complete.
Mass production starts; plant opens14 Jul 2025Complete.
Four lines of the first wing running2026Complete.
First lines of the second wing in operationTarget 2027Current milestone.
Full 32 GWh outputNot yet reached.
First data-centre battery cellsTarget 2028Not yet reached.

Most important updates

Upcoming

2027First lines of the second wing in operation (next)
2028First data-centre battery cells

Current obstacles

Ramp set by EV demandFull output, first aimed at March 2027, was pushed back as Tesla sales slowed and US federal EV tax credits ended in 2025.
Re-tooling for data centresSome capacity is being planned for data-centre cells, which need different designs and customers than car batteries.

Physics limits

Lithium-ion is near its chemical ceilingGraphite anodes and nickel cathodes can only hold so much lithium per gram; each further gain in energy density needs new materials such as silicon anodes.
Heat in small cansA cell that fails can heat its neighbours; packing more energy into the same can raises the stakes, so packs need spacing and cooling.
Formation takes time and floor spaceEvery cell must be charged and aged for days before it ships, tying up racks, power and capital that scale with output.

How it works

4 parts

Electrodes

Coating and drying

Cathode and anode pastes are spread on thin metal foils, dried and pressed; their uniformity decides the cell's capacity and safety.

Winding

Jelly-roll in a can

Long strips of cathode, separator and anode are rolled up and sealed in a steel can 21 mm wide and 70 mm long, then filled with electrolyte.

Formation

First charge

Each cell is slowly charged and aged so a thin protective layer forms on the anode; cells that drift are sorted out before shipping.

Automation

Fewer hands per cell

Panasonic says labour-saving automation makes the plant about 20% more productive than its Nevada factory.

Spec sheet

Spec	De Soto, Kansas battery factory
Annual capacity target	32 GWh^R (reported)
Investment	$4 billion^R (reported)
Building area	4.7 million sq ft^R (reported)
Production lines running (Jun 2026)	4 of 8^R (reported)
Employees (Jun 2026)	1,800 (4,000 planned)^R (reported)
2170 cell energy density	800 Wh/L^R (reported)
Productivity vs Nevada plant	+20%^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

4 updates

About Panasonic Energy

The team behind De Soto, Kansas battery factory

Panasonic Energy

2170 EV battery cells, Tesla supplier

Panasonic Energy is Panasonic's battery company. It makes cylindrical lithium-ion cells, mostly the 2170 size used by Tesla, at a Nevada plant it has run since 2017 and a new plant in De Soto, Kansas, and is adding batteries for AI data centres.

By March 2025 it had supplied about 19 billion cylindrical cells, enough for about 3.7 million EVs.
Kansas plant opened July 2025 aiming at 32 GWh a year; with Nevada (about 41 GWh) US capacity would reach about 73 GWh.
Shifting part of its growth to data-centre batteries as US EV demand and Tesla orders slowed.

Company profile →

Founded: 20224 yrs
Headquarters: Japan
Status: Subsidiaryof Panasonic Holdings
Valuation: Panasonic Holdings-owned
Works in: EnergyBatteries
Coverage: 1 program · 4 updateslatest 18 Jun 2026checked 11 Oct
Customers: TeslaZoox
Suppliers: Redwood Materials (opens redwoodmaterials.com)Sila (opens electrive.com)
People: Kazuo TadanobuPresident & CEO

Spec

De Soto, Kansas battery factory

Annual capacity target

32 GWh^R (reported)

Investment

$4 billion^R (reported)

Building area

4.7 million sq ft^R (reported)

Production lines running (Jun 2026)

4 of 8^R (reported)

Employees (Jun 2026)

1,800 (4,000 planned)^R (reported)

2170 cell energy density

800 Wh/L^R (reported)

Productivity vs Nevada plant

+20%^R (reported)

De Soto, Kansas battery factory

Milestones

Most important updates

Upcoming

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Coating and drying

Jelly-roll in a can

First charge

Fewer hands per cell

Spec sheet

Update log

Thu 18 Jun

Tue 9 Dec 2025

Mon 14 Jul 2025

Fri 11 Jul 2025

About Panasonic Energy

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Coating and drying

Jelly-roll in a can

First charge

Fewer hands per cell

Spec sheet

Update log

Thu 18 Jun

Tue 9 Dec 2025

Mon 14 Jul 2025

Fri 11 Jul 2025

About Panasonic Energy