(The Center Square) – Japanese vehicle maker Toyota, for the first time, is producing electric vehicle batteries in North America in what used to be agricultural land of North Carolina.
The units made in the Liberty community of Randolph County at a $14 billion facility will go to plants in Alabama and Kentucky for hybrid electric vehicles. Nov. 12 marked the official first day of production.
Being a major hub for the electric vehicle industry was enhanced in 2025 by North Carolina on multiple fronts. Toyota’s success runs in contrast to VinFast, a Vietnamese company that missed this year’s predicted opening and while remaining committed isn’t even expected to break ground until next year.
Toyota and Scout, arguably, were the biggest positive newsmakers.
Toyota, first to get a Transitional Job Development Investment Grant from the state Department of Commerce, got an initial agreement of reimbursement for $79.1 million spread over 20 years. The taxpayer subsidy grew to $315 million over 39 years when the company triggered the second phase, eclipsing the commitment of 3,875 jobs and $3 billion within 36 months of the original Dec. 6, 2021, announcement.
Toyota said the site’s 5,100 workers, when at full capacity, will have access to the campus for childcare, pharmacy, medical clinic, and fitness center.
Also in November, Charlotte was picked as the corporate headquarters of reborn and iconic American sport utility vehicle manufacturer Scout Motors with the help of millions in taxpayer-funded grants.
Incentives from the state are about $51.3 million, from Mecklenburg County $12.8 million and from the city of Charlotte 7.3 million. Scout Motors is the successor to International Scout, which was owned by International Harvester. The $206.9 million investment is projected to yield 1,200 jobs.
Scout Motors Inc. was relaunched in 2022 and is now owned by German automaker Volkswagen.
Elsewhere, Raleigh in January was the lone North Carolina recipient in another round of federal grants. This time it was $635 million of electric vehicle charging and alternative fueling infrastructure grants from the Biden administration and the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.
In legislative action, the General Assembly overturned a veto from first-term Democratic Gov. Josh Stein on The Power Bill Reduction Act. This law eliminates the interim date for carbon reduction by certain electric utilities, believed to offer savings between $12 billion and $15 billion.
The 2021 law called for 70% reduction of emissions by 2030 and net-zero by 2050. The proposal makes it 70% by 2050.
North Carolina is home or future home to an estimated 300-plus companies in the automotive and electric vehicle industry, from major manufacturers like Toyota to specialized battery and component supplies. They include Siemens Mobility, Thomas Built Buses, Shandoka Electric Motorcycles, Organic Transit, Wolfspeed, Fujihatsu & Toyota Tsusho, Soteria Battery Innovation Group, Forge Nano, and Green New Energy Materials.
The charging infrastructure labels include ABB, Atom Power, Kempower, Ionna, OpenEVSE, and Aegis Power Systems. Leading suppliers of raw materials and elements within the industry chain are Albemarle Corp., Piedmont Lithium and Epsilon Advanced Materials.
