As Ford Authority reported back in June, Blue Oval Executive Chairman Bill Ford touched on a report that the company’s cross-town rival – General Motors – was behind lobbying efforts intended to place tougher rules on “foreign entities of concern,” as well as targeting licensing agreements such as the one The Blue Oval has in place with Chinese battery maker CATL. Ford is indeed licensing technology from CATL to build its own lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) batteries in Michigan, but now, GM is apparently playing the hypocrite by importing batteries from the same company from China, too.
According to GM Authority, The General now plans to import LFP batteries from CATL “as a temporary stopgap measure” as the automaker works to build those types of batteries itself in Tennessee starting in 2027. “For several years, other U.S. automakers have depended on foreign suppliers for LFP battery sourcing and licensing. To stay competitive, GM will temporarily source these packs from similar suppliers to power our most affordable EV model,” the company said in a statement.
It is worth noting that The Blue Oval already imports LFP batteries that are currently used in the standard range Ford Mustang Mach-E from China, though the automaker is in the process of erecting the BlueOval Battery Park Michigan, where it will begin building those same batteries itself using licensed tech from CATL starting in 2026. Lisa Drake, Ford’s vice president of Technology Platform Programs and EV Systems, recently stated that the reason the automaker went this route is because it doesn’t want to “misappropriate [intellectual property].”
Regardless, The Blue Oval’s new LFP batteries will use a Ford-specific design, while the chemistry, manufacturing process, and general design are all being licensed from CATL. Employees from the China-based battery maker will also travel to the BlueOval Battery Park Michigan site to help train and advise workers at the plant on that process, and teach them how to use the equipment.
A potentially life-saving idea.
A very nice example of the large and luxurious ride.
A far more profitable venture at the moment.
He looks a little startled.
The same HOSS 3.0 setup present in the discontinued Wildtrak trim.
Based on current financial figures and rest of year trajectories.
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If you can't beat them, join them.
or maybe,
Two wrongs don't make a right.