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Michigan Senator Has Eye On Ford EV Battery Plant Amid Blacklist

Construction is underway at the future Ford EV battery plant known as BlueOval Battery Park Michigan, which will build lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) batteries using technology licensed from China-based CATL starting in 2026. However, just this week, the U.S. Department of Defense officially added CATL to its list of companies that it says work with China’s military via what’s formally known as the “Section 1260H list,” which could potentially impact battery production at the future site. That fact has a senator in the state keeping their eye on the future Ford EV battery plant, too.

Ford BlueOval Battery Park Michigan.

According to the Detroit Free Press, that person is U.S. Senator Gary Peters, who stated that he’s “keeping a close eye” on the future Ford EV battery plant in the wake of the DoD’s decision to add CATL to its blacklist. Thus far, CATL has denied these allegations, though being placed on the Section 1260H list won’t change anything in the interim. However, it’s unclear if any sorts of restrictions might be placed on the company in the future. This move could also impact CATL’s plans to build its own plants in the U.S., which hinge largely on any future legislation regarding Chinese companies.

“We always have to be concerned about Chinese involvement in companies,” Peters said. “The Chinese government is intimately involved in their businesses, both at home and abroad. With Ford, it’s a little different – the fact that Ford is in complete control of those plants and the operations that they have, they have assured me that because of their complete control, they can ensure the safety and security of anything they do.”

Ford BlueOval Battery Park Michigan.

When the BlueOval Battery Park Michigan site comes online, it’s expected to employ around 1,500 workers, with a total investment from Ford coming in at around $2 billion. However, Peters noted that this doesn’t lessen the need to be diligent about potential national security concerns, saying this  “doesn’t in any way lessen the due diligence that’s necessary whenever you’re dealing with a Chinese entity.”

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.

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