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Panasonic has been scouting U.S. sites for a mew Tesla battery factory and the company is eyeing locations in Oklahoma and Kansas.

 

Appearing on COMMUNITY CONNECTION, Rep. Judd Strom, Rep. Wendi Stearman and Sen. Julie Davis talked about the potential landing of the plant without mentioning the name of the company. 

 

Panasonic Corp. is engaged in talks over the site for a new U.S. factory that would supply Tesla Inc. and potentially other electric-vehicle manufacturers with next-generation lithium-ion batteries, people familiar with the matter said.

 

Industry reports say the plant would turn out  the ‘4680’ cells for Tesla, potentially others. And that could also be for the Canoo electric carmaker that is calling Pryor, Oklamoma, home for one of their plants.

 

State Senator Julie Daniels spoke vaguely about the possibility of the "multi-billion dollar mega plant moving to the Mid-America Industial Park" near Pryor and close to Canoo. 

 

State Representaive Wendi Stearman cautions that this possible move has come from state leadership and has not yey received the consent of the citizens in the area.

 

State Representative Judd Strom said, "Regardless aboput how you feel about this, it's great for Oklahoma. I feel like we need to come back an cheerlead more than anything. This state is doing incredibly. We have the opportunity for so many jobs right now. We have worked so hard to diversify our economy and creat opportunities for people."

 

The longtime Tesla supplier is looking at several locations for the multi-billion-dollar factory, including one in Oklahoma and another in Kansas, the people said, asking not to be identified because the discussions are confidential. Sources said the plant could begin operating as soon as 2024.