Panasonic says it may build EV battery plant in Oklahoma

Tokyo, Apr. 16 (BNA): Japan’s Panasonic Holdings Corporation, battery supplier to electric car maker Tesla Inc, said today, Sunday, that it is considering building a battery factory in Oklahoma, its third in the United States.

“Panasonic has entered into an agreement with the State of Oklahoma that specifies the eligibility and terms of incentives under Oklahoma’s LEAD law,” the company told Reuters in an email, referring to the incentive package the state created to attract large corporations to it. Reuters reports that the Mid-America Industrial Park in Pryor.

“There are no other specific decisions made by the company. We will share more information as it becomes available,” the statement said.

Panasonic’s decision to look into Oklahoma, reported earlier by Kyodo News, comes amid surging electric vehicle sales, and other electric car makers along with longtime customer Tesla are eyeing the Japanese conglomerate as a potential battery supplier.

The Wall Street Journal reported this month that Panasonic is in talks with Stellantis and other BMWs about building a new electric vehicle plant in North America.

The Japanese company in July rejected Oklahoma as the location for its second EV battery factory, choosing Kansas instead to make batteries for Tesla. State officials there said the investment of up to $4 billion would create up to 4,000 jobs.

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