Toyota has revealed its commitment to electric vehicles (EVs) for the US market with a $50 million investment to build a new facility. It will be located at the automaker's North American R&D headquarters in York Township, Michigan, and will serve as the testing ground for batteries to be used for EVs in the US.

With operations set to begin in 2025, Toyota's Michigan battery facility is expected to develop batteries that conform to the requirements set by North American consumers, namely performance, quality, and durability. It is also seen to support the car brand's manufacturing facility in Kentucky where it will soon build Toyota's new three-row battery-electric SUV - it's first US-assembled BEV.

Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) executive vice president for research and development Shinichi Yasaui said that the upcoming $50 million battery facility will enable the company to better serve the needs of its customers.

The carmaker reportedly wants to begin production of EVs at its Georgetown, Kentucky plant as early as the summer of 2025.

Toyota shared that its Michigan team will also be collaborating with other partner suppliers to incorporate locally-produced battery parts and materials. This approach is part of the automaker's diverse approach to reducing carbon emissions through its fleet of hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

The engineers at the Michigan plant will also be tasked to explore new battery configurations for future products, which can be used moving forward in the development of new EV platforms. TMNA R&D vice president Jordan Choby sees the new facility as an opportunity for the car brand to "experiment and pursue new opportunities as technology and business needs advance."

Toyota has invested more than $8 billion over the last two years in its US manufacturing operations, advancing its efforts in pushing for fully electric vehicles. The Japanese car brand envisions having an electrified option available for every Toyota and Lexus model globally by 2025.

Currently, the Toyota bZ4X is the only fully electric vehicle in the automaker's US lineup.