Ford announces Ford Ion Park, a battery Centre of Excellence
Maryam Farag
Industry Automotive Manufacturing automotive manufacturing battery manufacturer manufacturing
Photo: Ford.
Ford announced a new global battery Centre of Excellence, called Ford Ion Park, to accelerate research and development of battery and battery cell technology, including future battery manufacturing.
“We’re already scaling production of all-electric vehicles around the world as more customers experience and crave the fun-to-drive benefits of electric vehicles with zero emissions,” said Hau Thai-Tang, Chief Product Platform and COO, Ford. “Investing in more battery R&D ultimately will help us speed the process to deliver more, even better, lower cost EVs for customers over time.”
The Ford Ion Park team is exploring integration opportunities across all aspects of the value chain, from mines to recycling, working with all teams within Ford, including experts at Ford’s new Battery Benchmarking and Test Laboratory, Ford Customer Service Division, and key suppliers and partners.
In addition, a $185 million collaborative learning lab in Southeast Michigan that is dedicated to developing, testing and building vehicle battery cells and cell arrays opens late next year.
The 200,000 square feet learning lab will include pilot-scale equipment for electrode, cell and array design and manufacturing and will use state-of-the-art technology to pilot new manufacturing techniques.
Ford’s new Battery Benchmarking and Test Laboratory in Allen Park, Mich., will help test and identify the right battery cells and chemistries to power Ford’s growing EV lineup.
