Electronic vehicles are where it’s at for automakers at the moment, and one of the most important aspects of EVs is their batteries. Ford is upping its game in this department, announcing the launch of a new battery development centre focused on figuring out the best ways for it to make its own EV batteries.
Ford’s charging towards in-house battery production
The battery development centre will be based somewhere in Michigan USA, and will be dubbed “Ford Ion Park”. This park will open up late next year, reports The Verge, manned by a team of 150 experts focused on battery development. The purpose of this centre isn’t to mass-produce batteries. Rather, it will be a research centre where Ford thinks up and develops more and better ways to create EV batteries, focusing on aspects such as charging speed, lifespan, ease of production, and environmental impact.
The park will still produce its own batteries, but on a small scale for research purposes only. For full-scale production, Ford will probably build its own factories fit for purpose. The Ion Park will act as a support structure for the automaker’s future EV endeavours. In a press briefing, chief platform and operations officer Hau Thai-Tang said, “It’s really for us to develop that expertise and competency in house, and give us that flexibility in the future.”
Having in-house EV battery production could be a massive boon for Ford. While it has put out some EVs of its own, it’s been a little slow compared to some other automakers. This new development centre seems to indicate that its set on putting more time and effort into its EV offerings.