Ford and partners to build 30-45 GWh battery plant in Turkey

Ford has proposed to form a joint venture with Turkish industrial conglomerate Koç Holding and South Korea’s SK Innovation to make EV batteries at a new plant near Ankara. The factory, which is expected to have an annual capacity of 30 to 45 GWh, will supply batteries for Ford’s commercial vehicles, which are expected to be produced in high volume at Ford’s assembly plants in Turkey.

The new facility will manufacture high-nickel NMC cells. Production is intended to start as early as 2025.

Ford Otomotiv Sanayi (aka Ford Otosan), the Istanbul-based commercial vehicle joint venture, recently announced plans to invest 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) in order to boost annual production capacity from 455,000 to 650,000 vehicles. That’s slated to rise to 900,000 once the company completes its recently-announced acquisition of a Ford plant in Romania.

The Turkey plant is just one of many new battery factories Ford is planning around the world. The automaker plans to have 240 GWh of global battery capacity by 2030. Some 140 Gwh of this is expected to come from joint ventures with SK Innovation, and the remaining 100 GWh will be sourced from Europe and China, including the proposed plant in Ankara.

Ford and SK On, an SK Innovation unit, announced plans last year to invest $11.4 billion to construct three battery factories and an assembly plant for electric F-Series pickups in Tennessee and Kentucky.

“At Ford, we are continuing to ramp up our actions to accelerate and lead the electrification revolution as we continue to create a carbon-neutral business and also building on our strength as Europe’s leading commercial vehicle brand through our new Ford Pro vehicle services and distribution business,” said Stuart Rowley, Chair, Ford of Europe. “This proposed new battery joint venture is a prime example of how we are leveraging strategic partnerships to strengthen our business. It is also the first in a number of significant electrification and commercial vehicle announcements we will make this year as part of the ongoing redesign of our operations to create a leaner, stronger and sustainable all-electric Ford business in Europe.”

Sources: Ford, Bloomberg, InsideEVs

Translate »