Japanese battery company to build factory in Kentucky

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A Japanese electric vehicle battery technology company will build a $2 billion factory in Kentucky, creating 2,000 jobs that reinforces the state’s leadership in battery production, Gov. Andy Beshear said Wednesday.

The Envision AESC plant at Bowling Green in south-central Kentucky will produce battery cells and modules to power the next generation of electric vehicles, the governor said.

The project will cement the Bluegrass State’s leading role in the automotive industry, Beshear said.

It follows last year’s announcement that Ford and its battery partner will build twin battery plants outside the Glendale community in central Kentucky. That mega-project will create 5,000 jobs to produce batteries for the automaker’s next generation of electric vehicles.

“So once again a company that is redefining the automobile industry is betting their future on Kentucky and our workforce,” Beshear said Wednesday.