Ford announced that it is building a battery factory with CATL near Marshall, Michigan, in the United States. The plant plans to invest $3.5 billion (currently about 23.87 billion CNY) and is expected to go into operation in 2026 with 2,500 employees.
According to CSI Taurus, the person in charge of CATL responded by saying, “We have accepted Ford’s invitation to cooperate and will provide preparatory and operational services for its battery plant in Michigan and license its patented battery technology.”
Currently, Ford Motor is looking to strengthen the U.S. electric vehicle manufacturing supply chain, aiming to produce 2 million electric vehicles per year globally by the end of 2026. Ford said it already has about 70% of the battery capacity it needs to meet its 2026 goal.
Financial data show that Ford Motor’s net income in the fourth quarter of 2022 will reach US$1.3 billion (currently about 8.866 billion CNY), and its annual net loss will be US$2 billion (currently about 13.64 billion CNY), which is lower than the estimated level. The main reasons are the rising costs caused by the unstable chain and production and the lower-than-expected output.
In January this year, CATL announced that it expects net profit in 2022 to be 29.1-31.5 billion CNY, a year-on-year increase of 82.66%-97.72%. CATL said that during the reporting period, the new energy industry at home and abroad developed rapidly, the power battery and energy storage industry market continued to grow, and the company’s production and sales volume increased significantly.
