When the automaker originally revealed plans for its new BlueOval Battery Park Michigan site, Ford noted that the future EV battery plant would employ 2,500 workers, churn out 35 gigawatt hours of batteries annually, and cost around $3.5 billion to erect. Following a drop in demand for EVs in general, Ford opted to scale back those plans to 1,700 workers, 20 gigawatt hours, and a $2.5 billion dollar investment for the 500 acre site, versus the 730 acres as previously planned. However, it seems as if the project will wind up costing a bit more than expected, regardless.
Ford just announced that it has invested $3 billion in the BlueOval Battery Park Michigan plant, which perfectly splits the difference between its original and revised estimates, in fact. Otherwise, it seems as of those revised plans remain intact, as the automaker still expects to employ 1,700 people when the facility begins building lithium-iron phosphate batteries for EVs starting in 2026.
It was unclear if BlueOval Battery Park Michigan would make it to that point at all, following the Trump administration’s efforts to end federal EV production tax credits that would have covered roughly one-quarter of that $3 billion dollar cost. Back in late May, Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford revealed that the site was facing an uncertain future that hinged on efforts to eliminate the credit, but as Ford Authority reported yesterday, Lisa Drake, Ford’s vice president for technology platform programs and EV systems, confirmed that the plant will in fact be built, regardless of what happens with that credit.
As for what vehicles will utilize the LFP batteries set to be built at BlueOval Battery Park Michigan – using technology licensed by China’s CATL – one of them is expected to be the first model riding on Ford’s new low-cost EV platform, a mid-size pickup – all in an effort to keep costs as low as possible and make that model more affordable.
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Well they still have the 33% coverage from the $1B Whitmer approved