Ford is jumping into the battery energy storage business, betting that booming demand from data centers and the electric grid can absorb the EV battery capacity it says it’s not using.
To achieve this, Ford plans to repurpose its existing EV battery manufacturing capacity in Glendale, Kentucky, into a dedicated hub for manufacturing battery energy storage systems.
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In a massive shakeup for the US electric vehicle supply chain, Ford and South Korean battery giant SK On announced today that they are ending their massive “BlueOval SK” joint venture.
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The next generation of electric vehicle batteries will be here sooner than expected. After opening the first-of-its-kind pilot plant for its all-solid-state EV batteries this week, SK On said it plans to bring the breakthrough battery tech to market ahead of schedule.
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South Korea’s top automakers and battery companies are teaming up for the first time to take on China and advance new technology. Hyundai and Kia announced a new alliance with three EV battery giants to help Korea gain an edge.
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US President Donald Trump recently announced a raft of new, expensive import tariffs on cars, trucks, and even parts and batteries imported into the country – which means that Ford might have timed its BlueOval SK battery factory going online perfectly.
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Nissan became the first Japanese automaker to sign a supply deal with South Korea’s SK On. Under the new agreement, SK On will supply Nissan with nearly 100 GWh of US-made EV batteries, or enough for around 1 million midsize models.
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Last week’s inauguration of President Trump stole the headlines, but it wasn’t the only big election news — a supermajority of workers at BlueOval SK voted to file a petition last week with the National Labor Relations Board to unite with the UAW.
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Global EV battery maker SK On now has a joint development agreement with Sakuu, the “world’s first manufacturing platform for printing battery electrodes.”
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EV battery maker SK On has signed a non-binding agreement to buy lithium from ExxonMobil’s first planned extraction project in Arkansas.
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Ford Motor Company will reportedly partner with LG Energy Solution to erect a new battery plant in Turkey capable of an annual capacity up to 45 gigawatt-hours (GWh). In order to work with LG, Ford will have to back out of a previous deal with SK On, the battery division of SK Innovation and a current partner on several other projects.
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