Ford to Build New Battery Plants
Ford Motor Company has announced plans to build two new advanced campuses in Tennessee and Kentucky that will produce the next generation of electric F-Series trucks and the batteries to power future electric Ford and Lincoln vehicles, the company announced.
Ford, together with its partner, SK Innovation, plans to invest $11.4 billion and create nearly 11,000 new jobs at the Tennessee and Kentucky mega-sites, the company said
An all-new $5.6 billion campus in Stanton, Tennessee, called Blue Oval City, will assemble an expanded lineup of electric F-Series vehicles and will include a BlueOvalSK battery plant, key suppliers and recycling. Ford’s new Tennessee assembly plant is designed to be carbon neutral with zero waste to landfill once fully operational.
In central Kentucky, Ford plans to build a dedicated battery manufacturing complex with SK Innovation – the $5.8 billion BlueOvalSK Battery Park – creating 5,000 jobs. Twin battery plants on the site are intended to supply Ford’s North American assembly plants with locally assembled batteries for powering next-generation electric Ford and Lincoln vehicles. Investments in the new Tennessee and Kentucky battery plants are planned to be made via BlueOvalSK, a new joint venture to be formed by Ford and SK Innovation, subject to definitive agreements, regulatory approvals and other conditions.
“This is a transformative moment where Ford will lead America’s transition to electric vehicles and usher in a new era of clean, carbon-neutral manufacturing,” said Ford Executive Chair Bill Ford. “With this investment and a spirit of innovation, we can achieve goals once thought mutually exclusive – protect our planet, build great electric vehicles Americans will love and contribute to our nation’s prosperity.”
Ford’s $7 billion investment is part of Ford’s more-than-$30 billion investment in electric vehicles through 2025. Overall, Ford expects 40% to 50% of its global vehicle volume to be fully electric by 2030.
The 3,600-acre Blue Oval City campus, covering nearly 6 square miles, will encompass vehicle assembly, battery production and a supplier park in a vertically integrated system that delivers cost efficiency while minimizing the carbon footprint of the manufacturing process. The assembly plant will use always-on cloud-connected technologies to drive vast improvements in quality and productivity. The mega campus is designed to add more sustainability solutions, including the potential to use local renewable energy sources such as geothermal, solar and wind power.
The $5.8 billion, 1,500-acre BlueOvalSK battery manufacturing campus in Glendale, Kentucky, is targeted to open in 2025.
Twin co-located plants will be capable of producing up to 43 gigawatt-hours each for a total of 86 gigawatt-hours annually. Together, these American-made batteries will power next-generation electric Ford and Lincoln vehicles.
