DEARBORN, Mich. (WXYZ) — Ford announced Tuesday it is investing $185 million in a new global battery center of excellence which will be located in Allen Park.
The plant will be called Ford Ion Park and the company will use it to accelerate research and development of battery and battery cell technology.
“We’re already scaling production of all-electric vehicles around the world as more customers experience and crave the fun-to-drive benefits of electric vehicles with zero emissions,” said Hau Thai-Tang, Ford's chief product platform and operations officer. “Investing in more battery R&D ultimately will help us speed the process to deliver more, even better, lower cost EVs for customers over time.”
At Ford Ion Park, the team will look at all aspects of the value chain, from mines to recycling, for innovation opportunities.
The team at Ford Ion Park is already underway, and they will also develop, test and build vehicle battery cells and cell arrays next year.
The 200,000-square-foot learning lab will also help the company learn new manufacturing techniques.
It will be led by Anand Sankaran, who is a 30-year veteran of Ford. He holds 32 U.S. patents in automotive power electronics and hybrid vehicle technologies
“Ford’s modern EV journey started with Escape Hybrid in 2004, the world’s first hybrid SUV, and it continues today – all driven by the inspiration to deliver no-compromise vehicles for a better world,” he said.
