Panasonic Energy Blog

Q1 Construction Update from De Soto Facility

Written by Panasonic USA | Jul 22, 2024 8:25:50 PM

Our new EV battery facility construction site in De Soto, Kansas has about 800 tradespeople working on site every day. As construction progress continues, the plant will reach about 200 employees by early spring, and we expect the number of plant employees to be closer to 1,000 by next fall.

The design of the 4.7 million-square-foot plant features two “wings,” allowing for construction—and completion—to occur in multiple phases. The first wing is on track to have its production lines up and running in early 2025 as work continues to complete the final phases of construction on the second wing.

For perspective, the length of the facility from east to west is nearly as long as two cruise ships, and three passenger planes could line up nose-to-tail in the central common area between the facility’s two wings.  

Recent milestones from the site include the following:

  • Mass grading and concrete foundations on the site are now 99% complete.
  • Steel erection is 93% complete in Wing 1 of the building, and 44% complete in Wing 2.
  • In Wing 1, the first-floor concrete decks are 43% complete, with 70% complete on the second floor.
  • Wing 1’s roofing is also 43% complete.