BUFFALO Ƶ When ground was broken on Toyota Motor Manufacturing West Virginia during an overcast Fall day 26 years ago, then-U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a man who was instrumental in helping to bring Toyota to the Mountain State, made a subtle, but bold prediction.
ƵI think it will grow,Ƶ said the long-time senator, when asked about the plantƵs future.
His positive prediction proved correct, and TMMƵ has done just that. We started with one engine line and 300 employees. Today, we are home to three engine lines, three transmission lines and 2,000 employees.
In just the past 15 months alone, weƵve expanded three times. In February of last year, we made a $210 million investment to upgrade existing engine production and added 100 new jobs to increase assembly capacity for our four-cylinder engine line. In November, we celebrated at the plant with Sen. Joe Manchin and Toyota North American CEO Ted Ogawa to unveil our 5th Generation Hybrid Transaxle Line. The ink wasnƵt even dry on that $240 million investment when we announced an additional $73 million to increase that line to 600,000 units per year. To date, Toyota has invested $2 billion in our plant.
We are doing amazing things and so much credit goes to our employees. Our team is comprised of smart, safety-minded, creative people who understand how critical we are to ToyotaƵs mission of mobility and happiness. They do not back down from hard problems. In fact, they embrace challenges and develop innovative solutions to help our plant maximize efficiency without sacrificing quality.
At our facility we build four-cylinder engines for the Corolla and RAV4 and V-6 engines for the Highlander and Lexus RX 350. We also build eight-speed automatic transmissions for the Avalon, Camry, Highlander, Lexus ES 350, and RAV4. Our newest line of transmissions are the hybrid models that help power models of the Highlander, Sienna, Lexus NX and Lexus RX. Ƶ Toyota continues to lead the way in vehicle electrification Ƶ we are committed to increasing U.S. sales of electrified vehicles to 70% by 2030 Ƶ West Virginia will be a critical part of that transformation. Our team has embraced this challenge and our dynamic product offerings reflect not only our commitment to ToyotaƵs mission, but also ToyotaƵs deep and abiding faith in this plantƵs ability to grow and innovate.
In 2021, we produced more than 1 million engines and transmissions, serving vehicle plants in Kentucky, Indiana, Mississippi, and Canada, but our impact extends far beyond our facility. WeƵve been an integral partner in helping with safety and access improvements to the newly completed U.S. Route 35, the construction of the Lower Buffalo Bridge across the Kanawha River to better link U.S. 35 and Interstate 64 and upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant to support Toyota operations and the growing needs in Putnam County.
Infrastructure is just one of many ways TMMƵ has demonstrated its strong commitment to giving back to the community.
Our philanthropic efforts extend across southern West Virginia and have included more than $10 million in charitable contributions to support our core focus: STEM education, environmental sustainability, mobility and diversity and inclusion.
For our 25th anniversary celebration last September, we announced a Toyota USA Foundation grant providing West Virginia Institute of Technology $189,000. The funds will support an after-school computer science program to engage 300 middle school students in Fayette, Kanawha, Putnam and Raleigh counties.
This is where we live and work, and we want to make our community the best it can be.
We also want to reduce our carbon footprint and do our part to help Toyota push forward its commitment to environmental sustainability. To reduce our carbon footprint, our facility launched a 6-acre solar panel project in 2020 to help power the Buffalo plant. The solar installation generates about 2.6 megawatts of electricity, which is about 10 percent of peak usage. We also entered into a power purchase agreement with Clearway Energy Group to purchase electricity from a 115 MW wind farm here in West Virginia. The purchase of renewable electricity supports the companyƵs global commitment to making our manufacturing plants carbon neutral by 2035.
Within the plant and on the road, weƵre leading the way through our development of hybrid and electric technology. Ƶ we move into 2022 and 2023, youƵre going to hear more about the ways TMMƵ and our team are working toward sustainable solutions while making certain Toyota drivers are behind the wheel of some of the best, safest vehicles on the road.
Sen. Rockefeller was right, we have grown. We will continue to grow. And we are proud to do it in West Virginia.
