Ford, Chinese firm may build US battery plant: report

[TaxmanHog]

Ford Motor is considering the idea of building a U.S. battery plant with a Chinese company in a complex arrangement to avoid Sino-U.S. political complications.

Ford and China's Contemporary Amperex Technology Co may build the plant in Michigan or Virginia to reap tax benefits, according to Bloomberg.

The factory will provide lithium iron phosphate batteries for Ford’s electric models.

The ownership structure would involve Ford owning 100% of the plant, while the Chinese battery giant would operate the factory and own the technology that goes into the cells.

The rest of the story...... https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/ford-chinese-firm-may-build-us-battery-plant-report

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[rdr854]

Will not happen in Virginia because Gov Youngkin believe the Commonwealth would be supporting the Chinese Communist Party.

 

[Amps]

Will not happen in Virginia because Gov Youngkin believe the Commonwealth would be supporting the Chinese Communist Party.

We live in Interesting Times.

The mega-site where it was proposed is at Berry Hill, in the South Boston/Danville distressed economic region. The US needs to be learning from CATL, not flatly rejecting them without due consideration.

 

[jimfigler]

Will not happen in Virginia because Gov Youngkin believe the Commonwealth would be supporting the Chinese Communist Party.

That’s the problem with the world and life in general. The world of division. Not every Chinese company is bad, not every person of X ethnicity or X race is bad. Not everyone From a different political party is bad.

 

[rdr854]

I believe Gov Youngkin made the wrong decision for Virginia, but the right decision for a Presidential run in 2024. While he has not said anything, the talking heads act like he will announce at some point.

 

[ctuan13]

That’s the problem with the world and life in general. The world of division. Not every Chinese company is bad, not every person of X ethnicity or X race is bad. Not everyone From a different political party is bad.

I'm not trying to get too political but I think you can be highly critical of a country's government without demonizing their people or culture. Fact is for better or worse, China and the US have at best, a tense yet dependent relationship.

When it comes to lithium batteries in particular, the US is highly dependent on China for engineering, development and manufacturing. If a future hostile conflict were to occur between the US and China, and we were already moving the industry to majority EV production, it would be an incredible disadvantage to be dependent on China or even Chinese companies eith plants in the US to be the sole or even majority supplier of lithium battery cells.

In fact, in such a scenario if Chinese supplies were subsequently cut off, it could bring US EV production and the industry as a whole, to its knees.

Domestic companies with domestic production have to become part of the future of EVs if we want to maintain adoption and production targets long-term.

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