LIBERTY, NC—Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina (TBMNC), Toyota’s first in-house battery manufacturing plant outside Japan, is ready to begin production and will start shipping batteries for North American electric vehicles in April.

The nearly $14 billion battery facility, Toyota’s 11th manufacturing plant in the United States, will produce batteries for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs). At full capacity, the factory is expected to employ 5,000 people.

Overall, the campus will boast 7 million square feet, equating to 121 football fields. Production will be increased in a phased approach, with line launches planned through 2030.

The new battery plant is part of Toyota’s strategy of investing and producing locally. To date, Toyota’s total U.S. investment stands at $49 billion, which supports more than 280,000 jobs in the industry.