Ford builds $3.5 billion Michigan EV battery plant Virginia Governor refuses
Ford will build a new type of Lithium Ion Phosphate (LFP) battery factory in Marshall, Michigan. The initial multi-billion dollar EV battery plant slated to build in the Commonwealth of Virginia is closed by its newly elected governor, Glenn Youngkin. Virginia’s loss — $3.5 billion in initial investment and at least 2,500 tech jobs — was Michigan’s gain.
The MI facility will be operational in 2026 under similar conditions previously specified in Virginia, including Ford’s announced partnership with Amperex Contemporary Technology Co., Ltd. China (CATL) – the ingredient that caused the deal for the governor of Virginia. Youngkin called this plant the “Troyan horse” of China.
“Ford’s $3.5 billion investment creates 2,500 high-paying jobs at the Marshall Building tram Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said, “Today’s generational investment of an American icon will lift local families, small businesses, and entire communities, while helping our state continue. lead the future in mobility and electrification.Let’s continue to bring home the electric vehicle, chip and battery supply chains while creating thousands of high-paying jobs and revitalizing every region of our state. Since I took office, we’ve secured more than 30,000 jobs in the auto sector and attracted many chip and electric vehicle factories. We’re on the move, so keep your foot on the gas.”
While CATL will be involved in the battery manufacturing operations of the new Marshall facility, the plant itself will be Ford’s (through a wholly owned subsidiary). LFPs offer higher power and energy densities along with cold weather performance, but cost more than traditional Lithium Ion Phosphate batteries due to the materials required. LFP batteries are also more resistant to frequent and extreme charge changes, meaning customers can form the habit of fully charging and discharging the batteries in their cars with little impact. long-term to the charging capacity, at the same time, the LFP battery is more stable and less susceptible to damage catastrophic heat event.
“Ford’s electric vehicle lineup has created huge demand. To deliver as many Ford EVs to customers as possible, we’re the first automaker to commit to building both NCMs and NCMs.” [lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese] and LFP batteries in the United States,” said Jim Farley, Ford president and chief executive officer. “We are delivering on our commitments as we scale LFP and NCM batteries and thousands, and Soon millions of customers will begin to reap the benefits of Ford Electric vehicles with advanced, durable battery technology that are becoming more and more affordable over time.”
The LFP battery will be offered alongside existing Li-Ion packages in Ford’s current electric vehicles. The F-150 lightning and Mustang Both Mach-E will be offered with LFP packages to help alleviate battery-related manufacturing constraints. Before the new Marshall facility comes online (scheduled for 2026), Ford will source that battery directly from CATL. NCM batteries will continue to be used for existing long-range Lightning and Mach-E models. Ford expects LFP to account for about 20% of the company’s battery production capacity once its planned facilities go completely online.
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