MARSHALL (WWJ) – Ford has announced plans to bring a $3.5 billion battery plant to Michigan that will give electric vehicle drivers more choices.
Production at the BlueOval Battery Park Michigan is expected to begin in 2026, initially bringing an estimated 2,500 new jobs to Marshall, near I-69 and I-94, east of Battle Creek.
Ford officials say the plant will be the country’s first automaker-backed lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery plant. LFP batteries are “exceptionally durable” and use fewer high-demand, high-cost materials, according to the company.
The LFP batteries will help power a variety of Ford’s next-generation EVs and give customers more choice when it comes to range, power and cost, depending on how they use an EV, according to WWJ AutoBeat Reporter Jeff Gilbert.
While Ford prepares to ramp up LFP production with the Marshall plant in 2026, the company will begin introducing the battery for some EVs in the near future, beginning with the Mustang Mach-E this year and the F-150 Lightning in 2024.
The plant will have 35 gigawatt hours of capacity per year, according to Ford Vice President Lisa Drake, who says that will make the plant capable of powering approximately 400,000 future ford EVs.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was on-hand Monday as Ford made the announcement at its Battery Lab in Romulus. Whitmer told WWJ she “can’t imagine if this announcement was made in another state, how we’d all be feeling right now.”
“So we should never forget that we’ve got to compete and we’ve got to win, but I’m thrilled for our state,” Whitmer said.
Ford CEO Jim Farley called Michigan the “hands-down favorite” to land the new plant. Whitmer’s office said Ford’s decision to choose the state will “have a far-reaching impact on the entire state, with the influx of jobs resulting in spinoff investments and local redevelopment opportunities.”
“Unlike traditional powertrain systems, EV battery packs must be produced in proximity to vehicle assembly. As the state grows its battery production capacity through investments like today’s announcement, the better positioned Michigan will be to win future OEM vehicle assembly plants and related suppliers including potential chipmakers,” her office said, noting more than $29.7 billion in new personal income is expected to be generated by the direct, indirect, and induced jobs that this opportunity will create over 20 years.
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