Ford announced it plans to invest in new major electric vehicle factories in the United States, to bring EVs to scale for American consumers, with “the largest, most advanced, most efficient auto production complex in its 118-year history.”
Known as Blue Oval City, the complex will be built in Stanton, Tennessee on a 6-square-mile site, to produce electric F-Series pickup trucks and batteries, at a 3,600-acre campus. Blue Oval City aims to be carbon neutral by the start of production in 2025.
Also coming is BlueOvalSK Battery Park, set for Glendale, Kentucky. This site will have twin battery plants set to open in 2025, to make upcoming new Ford and Lincoln EVs.
The joint $11.4 billion USD investment will see Ford spend $5.6 billion for Blue Oval City, expected to create 6,000 jobs. SK Innovation will invest $5.8 billion for the BlueOvalSK Battery Park, also expected to create 5,000 jobs, at its 1,500-acre campus.
“Twin co-located plants will be capable of producing up to 43 gigawatt hours each for a total of 86 gigawatt hours annually,” explained Ford.
“This is a transformative moment where Ford will lead America’s transition to electric vehicles and usher in a new era of clean, carbon-neutral manufacturing,” said Ford Executive Chair Bill Ford, in a statement. “With this investment and a spirit of innovation, we can achieve goals once thought mutually exclusive – protect our planet, build great electric vehicles Americans will love and contribute to our nation’s prosperity.”
Ford says its $7 billion investment is the “largest ever manufacturing investment at one time by any automotive manufacturer in the U.S.”, while also expected to create 11,000 new jobs.
American automakers are trying to catch up to EV leader, Tesla, which has a Gigafactory up and running in Shanghai, China, while others in Austin, Texas and Berlin, Germany, are expected to go online in late 2021 or early 2022.
