When we say automakers are pivoting to electrification, we’re not exaggerating at all. While Tesla wasn’t the first, the firm showed a formula for EVs that worked. Soon, all other carmakers were making EVs of their own, catering to different markets. Ford is one of them, and the company wants to lead America’s pivot to electrification by building new facilities to speed up production. To achieve that, the company is making huge investments in facilities and personnel training.
First is the Blue Oval City. To be built in Stanton, Tennessee, the $5.6-billion, 3,600-acre mega campus will house an assembly plant for electric F-Series trucks and future EVs from Lincoln and Ford. But making EVs is just a part of what will make the facility really green. Through biomimicry in its design, this new campus will help Ford achieve its goal of carbon-neutrality. For one, it will be tapping local renewable energy sources like wind, solar and geothermal power. Then it will feature an on-site water collection and wastewater treatment plants, ensuring zero freshwater withdrawals for its assembly processes. Then zero-waste-to-landfill processes will be employed so that scraps will be recycled on-site or processed at off-site facilities. Best of all, this will provide up to 6,000 new jobs for the area.
Then there’s the BlueIOvalSK Battery Park. To be built in Glendale, Kentucky, the $5.8-billion, 1,500-acre plant will make batteries for the car manufacturer’s current and future EVs. Teaming up with South Korean firm SK Innovations, this facility is seen to produce up to 86GWh worth of batteries annually once operational. This would generate up to 5,000 new jobs.
Given how people are anxious about electric vehicles, these upcoming projects might really change the way we see the future of personal mobility.
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