BlueOval Battery Park Michigan remains on track to begin production of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries in 2026 for Ford’s future electric vehicles.
Ford today received a revised incentive offer from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Michigan Strategic Fund for BlueOval Battery Park Michigan in Marshall, Michigan, to match the reduced scope of the project announced last November.
The agency also revised its incentive offer for another job-creation and investment initiative spanning several Ford facilities in Michigan. The company announced this project in June 2022 and later revised its plans with a new third crew at Michigan Assembly Plant, including some employees from the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center.
When complete, the two projects will have created or retained upwards of 5,000 Ford jobs in Michigan. Several thousand of those jobs have already been added or retained since 2022, bringing Ford’s total to more than 44,000 employees in the state.
“We are grateful to the Michigan Strategic Fund board and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation for their support as we build upon Ford’s strong history of job creation and investment in Michigan,” said Tony Reinhart, the company’s director of state and local government affairs. “We are nimbly adjusting our manufacturing operations to match evolving customer demand and the Michigan Strategic Fund board is revising its incentive offers accordingly.”
BlueOval Battery Michigan expects to benefit from the advanced manufacturing production tax credit under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act.
Ford anticipates that BlueOval Battery Park Michigan will create more than 1,700 jobs. The plant’s leadership team is forming now, headed by Scott Davis, CEO of BlueOval Battery Michigan LLC, a wholly owned Ford subsidiary. Davis is a 17-year resident of Marshall.
BlueOval Battery Park Michigan plans an annual LFP battery production capacity of approximately 20 gigawatt hours, with production starting in 2026. The batteries built at the facility will power Ford’s future electric vehicles.
“BlueOval Battery Park Michigan will play an important role in our plan to help make electric vehicles more accessible and affordable by producing low-cost LFP batteries in the U.S. and not relying on imports,” said Lisa Drake, Ford’s vice president of electric vehicle programs and energy supply chain. “We continue to make great progress establishing America’s first automaker-backed LFP battery plant right here in Michigan.”
Environmental protection a priority as construction advances
Construction of BlueOval Battery Park Michigan is approximately 20% complete. The main facility will be nearly 1.8 million square feet, comprising a cell plant and a pack plant. Additional support buildings will take the total operation to approximately 2 million square feet.
BlueOval Battery Park Michigan will span 500 acres, with another 230 acres originally set aside for Ford now available to the Marshall Area Economic Development Authority for future commercial activity.
Ford ensured that another 245 acres of the site along the Kalamazoo River would be placed in a conservation easement to be protected against industrial development and preserved for generations. Ford Philanthropy donated $100,000 to Calhoun County to develop a plan for the community to best utilize this land along the river.
Ford’s aspiration is to protect the environment and local community, including the Kalamazoo River. To help minimize and avoid stormwater runoff, the Marshall Area Economic Development Authority is installing a stormwater management system to serve the entire campus.
Chemical storage structures will have safety features that go beyond what is needed, such as emergency secondary and back-up containment systems.
The plant will use air abatement equipment, which is advanced technology designed to reduce air emissions, protect air quality, remove potential odors and comply with high standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state of Michigan.
Ford supports community landmarks and tree planting
Ford’s contributions to the communities surrounding BlueOval Battery Park Michigan are now approaching $450,000.
More than 1,300 Calhoun County residents responded to a recent Ford survey and identified the Brooks Memorial Fountain in downtown Marshall, the Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek, and the Bohm Theatre in Albion as the region’s most important community assets, guiding $200,000 in Ford donations to those landmarks this spring.
“We know this community is excited about the economic opportunity that BlueOval Battery Park Michigan will bring, and we understand and share residents’ passion for Calhoun County’s historic charm,” said Gabby Bruno, Ford’s community relations director. “Ford is committed to being a great neighbor, and that means we will continue learning and supporting the causes most valued by the community.”
Significant recent Ford investments in and around the Marshall community include:
- $50,000 to the Calhoun County Fairgrounds to support various community events including sponsorship of the 175th annual Calhoun County Fair next month
- $35,500 to the Wilder Creek Conservation Club for a riding mower
- $25,000 to the city of Marshall for tree planting to help the municipality regain its status as a Tree City USA
- $22,000 for a new marquee at the Franke Center for the Arts in Marshall
- $10,000 to fund an upcoming Marshall Bucks matching program which supports local small businesses
SOURCE: Ford
