Panasonic selects Kansas for vehicle battery mega-factory

By JOHN HANNA and SEAN MURPHY
Associated Press

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Japan’s Panasonic Corp. and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly say the company selected the state of Kansas as the location for a multibillion-dollar mega-factory to produce electric vehicle batteries for Tesla and other carmakers. The company was lured to Kansas by taxpayer-funded incentives worth $829 million over 10 years. That’s the largest package of incentives that the state has offered a private business and it was made possible by a law enacted only five months before. The company says it will invest about $4 billion, and state officials expect the new plant to have about 4,000 workers. Officials believe suppliers and other local businesses will create up to new 4,000 jobs as well.