"The company announced its plan on Monday, saying it will repurpose "underutilized electric vehicle battery capacity" at a Kentucky plant "to capture the large demand for battery energy storage from data centers and infrastructure to support the electric grid." "Ford plans to produce LFP [lithium iron phosphate] prismatic cells, battery energy storage system modules and 20-foot DC container systems at this facility," the company's announcement [PDF] states. "These systems are at the heart of the energy storage solution market for data centers, utilities, and large-scale industrial and commercial customers.""
"Ford's moves come after it decided to end production of the all-electric version of its iconic F-150 pickup truck, the Lightning. Its replacement, the F-150 Lightning EREV, will include a gasoline engine, which generates electricity to replenish the batteries that power the car's electric engines. The company framed the shift as necessary because it has struggled to sell large all-electric vehicles as "the business case has eroded due to lower-than-expected demand, high costs and regulatory changes." Those issues meant the F-150 Lightning was not a profitable product. Ford hopes the EREV variant will be, and has also introduced several other smaller electric and hybrid vehicles to bolster its range."
Ford will repurpose underutilized electric vehicle battery capacity at a Kentucky plant to produce LFP prismatic cells, battery energy storage system modules, and 20-foot DC container systems. Production will target data centers, utilities, large industrial and commercial customers, and a separate program will create smaller batteries for residential energy storage. Ford plans to deploy at least 20 GWh annually by late 2027. The company ended production of the all-electric F-150 Lightning and will replace it with an EREV variant that includes a gasoline engine to recharge batteries, citing lower-than-expected demand, high costs, and regulatory changes affecting profitability. Ford has also introduced additional smaller electric and hybrid vehicles.
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