Toyota opens new battery development center in Michigan

Toyota has inaugurated the Toyota Battery Center of North America (TBC) in Saline Township, Michigan. The approximately 30,000-square-foot facility represents a $50 million investment aimed at strengthening the company’s research and development capabilities for electrification.

The center will serve as a primary North American hub for evaluating battery technologies, covering the entire lifecycle from raw material research to vehicle implementation and recycling. Engineers at the facility will work to analyze battery performance and address technical issues arising during vehicle use, specifically focusing on developing batteries with longer lifespans tailored to U.S. driving conditions.

The Michigan hub is designed to support Toyota’s broader North American production network, including a $13.9 billion battery manufacturing project in North Carolina. Additionally, the initiative includes a collaboration with the University of Michigan Electric Vehicle Center.