Ford Ion Park – the automaker’s forthcoming battery research and development center – was announced back in April, but Ford didn’t reveal where, exactly, it would be located. Now, Ford has confirmed that Ion Park will be located in Romulus, Michigan, where the automaker will invest $100 million to refurbish an existing 270,000 square-foot facility and fill it with 200 engineers and an array of state of the art equipment.
“Ford’s investment in battery research and development in Romulus will support hundreds of good-paying jobs, attract innovative talent to Michigan, and help us continue leading the world in advanced mobility and manufacturing,” said Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “Ford is an American icon that has left its mark on the world over a century, and with the research that will take place at Ford Ion Park, they will shape the next century while reducing emissions and accelerating electrification.”
The Ion Park facility is intended to accelerate Ford’s eventual goal of producing its own batteries in-house, as part of its future electric power systems known as IonBoost. The automaker expects to begin battery manufacturing as soon as 2025 as it invests a total of $30 billion in EVs between now and that same year. The automaker expects to eventually transition to an all-electric lineup in North America but has not yet set a date for that to happen.
“Ford already is delivering on our plan to lead the electric revolution with strong new vehicles including Mustang Mach-E, 2022 E-Transit available late 2021, and the 2022 F-150 Lightning available from spring next year,” said Anand Sankaran, Ford Ion Park director. “The new lab will help Ford speed up the battery development process to deliver even more capable, affordable batteries and is part of Ford’s renewed commitment to making Michigan a centerpiece of its focus on EVs.”
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Comments
Right by the airport. Good location.
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