Ford is building two massive EV and battery factories in the US

[Shawn Knight]

Editor's take: Ford’s biggest investment to date may seem like a gamble, but anyone that has paid attention to the automotive industry as of late can see the writing on the walls. Combustion-based vehicles are on the way out, and before too long, everything will be electric… and eventually, self-driving. That’s a bit of a bummer for automotive enthusiasts that truly love the roar of a powerful engine and the art of driving. But as the song says, “The Times They Are A-Changin’.”

Ford is partnering with South Korean battery maker SK Innovation to build two massive campuses in Tennessee and Kentucky that’ll cater to next-gen electric vehicle and battery production.

Blue Oval City will be located in Stanton, Tennessee, and will be constructed on a nearly six-square-mile site. The $5.6 billion mega campus will create roughly 6,000 new jobs where people will assemble electric F-Series vehicles. A battery manufacturing plant will also be situated on-site, alongside key supplier and recycling facilities.

Ford said it is designing the campus to be carbon neutral with zero landfill waste once fully operational. It’ll also be Ford’s largest, most advanced and most efficient auto production complex in the company’s 118-year history.

The BlueOvalSK Battery Park, meanwhile, will bring 5,000 jobs to Glendale, Kentucky. This $5.8 billion manufacturing complex will feature twin battery plants that’ll supply batteries for next-gen electric Ford and Lincoln models.

Production at the new facilities isn’t expected to begin until sometime in 2025, however, and with any luck, the ongoing chip shortage will have eased or fully passed by then.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/91462-ford-building-two-massive-ev-battery-factories-us.html

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Hey look, an auto maker finally figured otu they need to invest in infastructure to push their EV dream!

Of course all that nickel, lithium, and cobalt is still coming from third world countries with no labor or enviromental protections, but hey we're (slightly) lowering CO2!

 

[yeeeeman]

New batteries will stop using cobalt and use less of rare elements, so you don't have a valid point.

 

[p51d007]

Unless they increase the RANGE and decrease the RECHARGE time, these thing will never really take off. Who wants to stop every couple hundred miles to recharge, for 40-50 minutes or longer.
Oh, and the "couple hundred" miles idea? That's because you run heaters, AC, lights, entertainment systems, full load of people and luggage/cargo and that 400 mile range gets cut in half.

 

[Porkous]

"For the next generation".
This talks a lot about their vision. The new generation won't look at ICE cars, but go for the electric ones.

I, myself, would prefer batteries.

Such a weird behavior humans have, imo, to buy something without caring where the fuel is coming from, a herd mentality, and literally burning entire wagons of it yearly.

 

[merikafyeah]

Unless they increase the RANGE and decrease the RECHARGE time, these thing will never really take off. Who wants to stop every couple hundred miles to recharge, for 40-50 minutes or longer.
Oh, and the "couple hundred" miles idea? That's because you run heaters, AC, lights, entertainment systems, full load of people and luggage/cargo and that 400 mile range gets cut in half.

EVs are perfect as a daily driver for home-owners. You charge at home so you don't have to bother charging elsewhere. EVs are a dream for A-to-B drivers like me since they're practically maintenance-free. For longer trips, rent a gas car.

 

[mgwerner]

How much of the cost of those two facilities are tax-payer subsidies?

 

[Starscream07]

Unless they increase the RANGE and decrease the RECHARGE time, these thing will never really take off. Who wants to stop every couple hundred miles to recharge, for 40-50 minutes or longer.
Oh, and the "couple hundred" miles idea? That's because you run heaters, AC, lights, entertainment systems, full load of people and luggage/cargo and that 400 mile range gets cut in half.

Yo, do you see Teslas driving outside? You still doubt them?

 

[Vanderlinde]

Electric will bring a whole lot of (new) problems to the table.

- Electric infrastructure, you cant charge 50 EV's at the same time on one spot. Most electric grids are'nt up for that at all. Other then that the charging time takes way more then an avg gasoline refill.

- Fire hazzard, even with all the tech inside of it, if these things ignite in a parking lot your toast. You cant kill the fire easily with water. Requires trained specialists of firemen. These fires emit toxic fumes.

- Still not possible to cruise at least a 1000km on a full charge. And if it was its best to avoid towns that dont even know what a EV charger is.

 

[scavengerspc]

Oh, and the "couple hundred" miles idea? That's because you run heaters, AC, lights, entertainment systems, full load of people and luggage/cargo and that 400 mile range gets cut in half.

EV range is configured using average use of accessories. That's why heavy use of the AC or heat only reduces range by 7-8%. And ironically, it's also similar to the loss in gasoline mileage in a smoker with the same passenger and luggage load.

That method only came to be in the last 2 or 3 years though.

The new methodology and early results is below IF you want the facts.

https://www.aaa.com/AAA/common/AAR/files/AAA-Electric-Vehicle-Range-Testing-Report.pdf

 

[scavengerspc]

How much of the cost of those two facilities are tax-payer subsidies?

Are tax breaks being given for the hosting of a massive new business locally?
Is that really what you are asking?