Hyperdrive

Ford Is Investing $3.5 Billion in EV Battery Plant With Chinese Firm

CATL to provide technology, help with equipment installation
Bill Ford says factory to foster US ‘battery independence’

Workers assemble an engine with an electric motor and battery. — Workers assemble an engine with an electric motor and battery.
Photographer: Jens Schlueter/Getty Images

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By Keith Naughton, Gabrielle Coppola, and Edward Ludlow

February 13, 2023 at 6:45 PM UTC

Updated on

February 13, 2023 at 11:56 PM UTC

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Ford Motor Co. is investing $3.5 billion in an electric-vehicle battery plant in southwest Michigan that it will operate with technology and support from a Chinese battery maker that has stirred political controversy.

The factory near Marshall, Michigan, will employ 2,500 workers, Ford said Monday, confirming a Feb. 10 Bloomberg report. The facility is set to open in 2026 and will produce enough batteries to power 400,000 EVs a year.