Ford CEO Calls For More U.S. EV Battery Gigafactories

[TruckElectric]

Shouldn't Ford have invested in battery plants a few years ago?
Ford CEO Jim Farley would like to see more large lithium-ion battery plants in the U.S.to avoid EV battery shortages, similar to those with chips right now.

The company intends to talk about this topic with the government:

"“We need to bring large-scale battery production to the U.S., and we’ll be talking to the government about” that, CEO Jim Farley said Wednesday at the Wolfe Research Auto Conference. “We can’t go through what we’re doing with chips right now with Taiwan. It’s just too important.”"
“This is a huge, multi-solution opportunity,” Farley said. “For legacy players, we have to deal with our labor issues, so more in-sourcing is more important to us.” - Automotive News

Of course, we can't forget that Ford is affected by the most recent SK Innovation battery ban in the U.S.
Jim Farley calls for a voluntary settlement between LG Chem's LG Energy Solution and SK Innovation, but at the same time is forced to start looking for a new supplier for the Ford F-150 Electric. Knowing the situation, other battery manufacturers now have an upper hand in the negotiations.
Utilizing the chip shortage to convince the government to establish a new set of incentives for the battery industry sounds like a smart idea.

Europe is already getting tons of new battery investments in multiple countries and it would be great to see like 5 or 10 new battery gigafactories in various states as well.
However, we guess that it would've been far better to think about the battery supply earlier, much earlier.
Energy and storing energy is one of the key areas for any country and because of the electrification, a crucial element of this and next decade.

SOURCE: INSIDEEVs



Ford CEO calls on U.S. government to support EV batteries, charging
By Paul Lienert
2 MIN READ

(Reuters) - Ford Motor Co’s Chief Executive on Wednesday called on the U.S. government to support battery production and charging infrastructure development, as he outlined the automaker’s plan to develop electric platforms for its top-selling trucks, vans and SUVs.

“We need to bring large-scale battery production to the U.S.,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said at a financial conference, adding that he planned to highlight the issue in talks with government leaders.

President Joe Biden is meeting with lawmakers Wednesday to discuss how to secure supplies of electric vehicle batteries, semiconductors used in vehicles, rare earths and pharmaceuticals.

Policy support for increased U.S. production of EV batteries and better charging infrastructure for electric commercial vehicles will help drive demand for those vehicles, Farley said.

“We can’t go through what we’re doing now with chips,” he said, referring to the shortage of imported semiconductors that has caused the temporary shutdown of several U.S. auto plants.

General Motors Co Chief Executive Mary Barra is scheduled to speak to investors at the same conference later Wednesday.

Most of Ford’s profit comes from the sale of big pickups in the United States. The company plans to launch an all-electric version of its best-selling F-series pickup later this year, followed by an electric version of its large Transit van. Ford has not detailed electrification plans for its SUV lineup.

Ford will work with partners to develop electric vehicle architectures for less profitable vehicles in Europe and China, Farley said.

He said Ford expects to launch a commercial automated vehicle business by 2025 and is working now on a strategy that could include automated delivery of goods.

He also said Ford wants to build recurring revenues from both digital services and physical services, such as vehicle charging and repairs, especially for its growing base of commercial customers.

SOURCE: REUTERS

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[CyberT]

Tesla didn't cry about the shortage of batteries that would be needed in the future. Instead, they hired the smartest minds and developed a plan on their own to reach 100GWh by the end of next year and 3 TWh by 2030.

Ford is trying to get the government to do the work for them instead of following Tesla lead.

 

[Crissa]

Ford is trying to get the government to do the work for them instead of following Tesla lead.

The government - which means all of us together - has much more economic power than a single company. So it makes sense that the government should do this.

Tesla has been lobbying legislatures to do more investment in technology, that's the point of making statements and joining lobbying groups and taking part in systems like the EV credits trading.

And yes, Ford should have seen this ahead of time. But so should our government. But they do now, so we can work together now.

-Crissa

 

[Frankenblob]

Tesla didn't cry about the shortage of batteries that would be needed in the future. Instead, they hired the smartest minds and developed a plan on their own to reach 100GWh by the end of next year and 3 TWh by 2030.

Ford is trying to get the government to do the work for them instead of following Tesla lead.

Yep, I smell another "VICTIM" sob story so they can get handouts by the billions!

If one does NOT scream, cry and stomp their feet hard enough then no one pays any attention - ahhh "free enterprise", the USSA way!

 

[Crissa]

Yep, I smell another "VICTIM" sob story so they can get handouts by the billions!

Billions is more than a company can usually raise otherwise.

That's the point of government: To do the things together, that we can't otherwise do apart.

-Crissa

 

[TechOps]

It must be a really sucky feeling to be a CEO and not to have your company's supply chain destiny in your own hands.. you are left publicly asking two battery companies to come to a settlement, and whining about not enough manufacturing supply. Imagine if you could just invest in your supply chain and have control over production of the components that are absolutely predictable in their future scarcity.

 

[DMC-81]

This meme bears repeating...

They are not laughing now. It seems to me they are scrambling.