Ford to spend $ 7 billion on EV campuses in Ky., Tenn.

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Blue Oval City in Tennessee, a $ 5.6 billion project, will span six square miles. Ford said the site will be vertically integrated in the same way as the Rouge complex.

The assembly plant, which is Ford’s first entirely new plant since Kentucky Truck opened in 1969, will be carbon neutral and built with the potential to use geothermal, solar and wind power, said Ford.

“This is meant to be an incredibly efficient ecosystem,” Drake said. “It doesn’t really matter if you are building an EV if you are not as aware of how you are building it. The entire site setup and environment is just as important as the product that we are building. “

Officials declined to say whether the trucks built there from 2025 would be F-150s or Super Duty pickups, but said it would allow the company “to reach new customers with an expanded lineup. electric trucks “. It will showcase the company’s new dedicated EV architecture unveiled in May.

The automaker plans to start selling an electric F-150 next year, although its architecture largely mimics the current gasoline pickup. The company has taken 150,000 reservations for the truck in the form of refundable deposits.

Drake said Ford sees future vehicle production at the Tennessee assembly plant as an increase over the internal combustion F-150s currently built in Missouri and Michigan, as well as the electric F-150 Lightning, which will also be manufactured in Michigan.

“We think we have room to grow the F-Series franchise,” said Drake. “This investment is about growth. It’s a fantastic thing for the Kansas City and Dearborn employees, because it only strengthens the strength of the F-Series franchise.”

The Blue Oval City campus will include space for Redwood Materials, a battery recycling company created by Tesla co-founder JB Straubel. Ford this month announced a partnership with Redwood to recycle EV battery components and potentially use recycled parts in future products.

Drake said Ford plans to immediately begin hiring salaried positions in Kentucky and Tennessee and will begin filling hourly positions closer to plant openings.

Since the Kentucky battery factories will be part of a joint venture, she said it would be up to that entity and its workers to determine whether the factory is unionized. Drake said she expects the automaker’s strong relationship with the UAW to continue in Tennessee.

“We need to modernize some of our agreements, but we look forward to a really fruitful relationship with them in Tennessee,” Drake said. “Ultimately, the employees of the establishment will have to choose how they want to organize themselves.”

UAW President Ray Curry echoed Drake’s comments in a statement.

“The UAW has always taken the lead in manufacturing innovation with our employer partners,” he said. “We look forward to reaching out and helping to develop this new workforce to build these world-class vehicles and battery components.”

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