Ford Announces Location Of New Electric Vehicle Battery Plant

DEARBORN, MI — Ford Motor Co. on Tuesday announced the location of its newest plant.

The company said its new global battery center — Ford Ion Park — will be located in Romulus. Ford Ion Park features a cross-functional team of up to 200 engineers, researchers, purchasing and finance leaders, officials said.

“Ford already is delivering on our plan to lead the electric revolution with strong new vehicles including Mustang Mach-E, 2022 E-Transit available late 2021 and the 2022 F-150 Lightning available from spring next year,” Ford Ion Park Director Anand Sankaran said in a statement. “The new lab will help Ford speed up the battery development process to deliver even more capable, affordable batteries and is part of Ford’s renewed commitment to making Michigan a centerpiece of its focus on EVs.”

Opening next year, Ford Ion Park represents $100 million of Ford’s $185 million investment in developing, testing and building vehicle battery cells and cell arrays. It is part of the company’s $30 billion investment in electrification by 2025, officials said.

Ford said it committed in 2010 to making Michigan its center of excellence for electric vehicles and chose the lab’s Romulus location with that in mind. The company has plans to assemble its all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, adding 500 direct jobs with the support of the Good Jobs for Michigan Program.

Ford also repositioned its half-century-old Van Dyke Transmission Plant in May – renaming it the Van Dyke Electric Powertrain Center and expanding its production line to produce electric motors and electric transaxles for hybrid and fully electric vehicles, retaining a total of 225 Michigan jobs.

“Ford’s investment in battery research and development in Romulus will support hundreds of good-paying jobs, attract innovative talent to Michigan, and help us continue leading the world in advanced mobility and manufacturing,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said. “Ford is an American icon that has left its mark on the world over a century, and with the research that will take place at Ford Ion Park, they will shape the next century while reducing emissions and accelerating electrification.”

“We are thankful for the support of the MEDC and the Michigan Strategic Fund in helping establish Ford Ion Park in Romulus,” said Sankaran.

Ford will refurbish an existing 270,000 sq.-ft. facility to house up to 200 engineers and include world-class pilot-scale equipment for electrode, cell and array design and manufacturing engineering and innovation, officials said.