Detroit, USA
Auto maker Ford plans on opening a battery development centre near Detroit by the end of 2022 in a move to manufacture batteries for its electric vehicles. The $185 million lab will be a 200,000-square-foot facility to design and produce battery cells and electronic controls.
The battery centre named Ford Ion Park plans on employing about 150 workers. Ford will start with small-scale development, testing and manufacturing of batteries.
Hau Thai-Tang, Chief Product and Operations Officer, Ford, said that the company wants to lead the switch that is happening in terms of the electric vehicle consumer market from the early adopter stage to the early majority.
This announcement of Ford, under its new CEO, Jim Farley, is a step toward transitioning from internal combustion engines while also ensuring it has enough batteries to avoid shortages in the future. It is a different approach from its previous way of partnering with suppliers for batteries.
The auto industry has been consistently showing signs of movement towards batteries. They have been racing to build their batteries and gain control of supplies such as precious metals (lithium, copper, nickel). It is expected that around 300 new electric car models will be released in the market in the next two years.
Source: The Times of India
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