The Toyota Michigan Battery Lab is a nearly US$50 million electric vehicle battery evaluation facility located on Platt Road in York Township, Michigan, and its opening has slipped from the originally announced 2025 target to 2026, according to Toyota Motor North America. Construction sits at the automaker’s North American research and development headquarters near Ann Arbor.

Toyota Michigan Battery Lab Gains Its Workload as North Carolina Output Ramps

The lab now has live product to test. Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina began shipping lithium ion modules in June 2025, with three production lines running by late 2025 and a fourth being installed. Michigan continues to attract heavy industrial capital across unrelated sectors, a pattern the US$650 million Fairlife Coopersville dairy expansion reinforces.

Project Overview

• Project Name: Toyota Michigan Battery Lab
• Location: Platt Road, York Township, Michigan, adjacent to Ann Arbor and Saline
• Project Value: Nearly US$50 million, per Toyota Motor North America
• Client and Owner: Toyota Motor North America
• Key Components: Battery evaluation laboratory covering cell through pack, Level 2 and Level 3 charging assessment, and upgraded chassis dynamometers at both the York Township and Ann Arbor campuses
• Public Incentives: Michigan Business Development Program grant of US$500,000 plus a State Education Tax Abatement valued at US$1.09 million over twelve years, approved through the Michigan Strategic Fund
• Expected Opening: 2026, revised from the initial 2025 target
• Employment: No net new jobs anticipated, with Toyota reassigning and training existing personnel
• Sustainability: Enrolled in the MIGreenPower programme, attributing 100 percent of Toyota’s Michigan research and development electricity use to renewable projects from 2026
• Strategic Impact: Validates battery output from Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina and supports electric vehicle assembly at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky in Georgetown

Project Team

• Owner and Developer: Toyota Motor North America
• Main Contractor: Not yet disclosed
• Funding and Incentives Body: Michigan Strategic Fund
• State Economic Development Agency: Michigan Economic Development Corporation
• Local Authority: York Township
• Regional Economic Development Partner: Ann Arbor SPARK
• Energy Partner: DTE Energy

Reported 9th June 2023: A US$ 50M Toyota Electric Vehicle Battery Lab is reportedly planned for construction in Michigan. This was revealed by Toyota Motor Corporation, a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer through Toyota Motor North America (TMNA). The facility will be built at the company’s North American R&D headquarters in York Township.

Upon completion, it would test batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles built at a new factory in North Carolina. Additionally, it would test batteries from other battery suppliers. Toyota plans on reassigning employees from other departments and offering training if necessary. Thus, the creation of new jobs is not expected.

Also Read: Construction breaks ground on The Farmstead Community, Michigan

According to the company, 2025 is the due date for opening. Room for expansion is on the table as more electric vehicles are produced. The lab will assess charging capabilities, performance, quality, and durability.

“This new facility also enables us to experiment and pursue new opportunities as technology and business needs advance,” said Jordan Choby, group vice president of Powertrain, in a statement.

Toyota investing in other projects than the Electric Vehicle Battery Lab in Michigan

Toyota announced last month that it plans to add an additional $2.1 billion to the battery factory that is under construction close to Greensboro, North Carolina. To reach the company’s target of selling 1.8 million electric or hybrid vehicles in the U.S. by 2030, it increases the total investment in the Randolph County factory to $5.9 billion.

In 2021, Toyota began construction on the facility. To start with, it will provide batteries to Toyota’s sizable Georgetown, Kentucky, manufacturing facility. The facility will construct a new SUV with three rows of seating, Toyota’s first American-made electric car.

Koji Sato, the newly appointed president of Toyota, pledged what he called an aggressive shift toward the “electrification” of cars, including hybrids. Environmental organizations have criticized the corporation for lagging behind in the sales of electric vehicles and relying on hybrids, which use gasoline, for future sales.