A US-Built Battery for Toyota’s New EV
The Toyota Highlander is going electric for 2027, marking Toyota’s first three-row EV for the US. It’ll be built in Kentucky, and now, its battery pack is officially stamped ‘Made in America’ too.
LG Energy Solution’s sprawling 226-acre facility in Lansing, Michigan, just kicked off production this week. The $2.6 billion site will crank out batteries for everything from EVs to energy storage, with plans to pump out over 35 gigawatt-hours a year once it’s up to speed.
For Toyota, Lansing will be churning out energy-dense nickel-manganese-cobalt cells – just the thing for the 2027 Highlander EV. That means the new SUV’s battery supply chain is now mostly homegrown.
Cole Attisha
The Highlander EV’s Michigan Connection
You can’t order a 2027 Highlander EV just yet, as Toyota pushed back its production to next year, so when these will actually hit driveways remains a mystery. What we do know: assembly is set for Toyota’s Kentucky plant, and the batteries will be fresh out of LG’s new Lansing digs.
Right now, about 900 people clock in at the Lansing plant, but that number should nearly double once things ramp up. LG Energy Solution has already poured over $2 billion into this site since 2022, and more than $5 billion into Michigan since 2010.
Here’s a twist: this plant was supposed to be a GM-LG joint venture, but GM bailed out in December 2024, leaving LG to take the reins solo. That move is part of GM’s bigger rethink on Michigan EV production, as demand hasn’t quite played out as planned. So instead of cranking out batteries for GM, Lansing’s main automotive customer is now Toyota.
LG Energy Solution
Toyota Won’t Be the Only Customer
Toyota isn’t the only automaker cashing in on LG’s Michigan expansion. Next year, the Lansing plant will start making prismatic cells and add another big-name customer. That customer is none other than Tesla.
The plant’s also busy making lithium-iron phosphate cells for energy storage. LG Energy Solution Vertech will slot those into systems for everything from utilities to big industrial setups, with DTE Energy lined up as one of the first to use Lansing-made batteries.
LG Energy Solution wants to crank out over 50 gigawatt-hours of LFP cells in North America by the end of 2026. With Lansing teaming up with its Holland, Michigan plant, the company is putting Michigan right at the heart of its battery empire.
Cole Attisha
