Ford & SK Innovation Break Ground On EV Battery Factory In Kentucky, Create 5,000 New Jobs
Ford and SK Innovation broke ground today in Glendale, Kentucky, on a battery factory that will create 5,000 new jobs.
The training for these workers will also take place locally at the new Elizabethtown Community and Technical College BlueOval SK Training Center. The facility is a whopping 42,000 square feet and the state has ponied up (pun intended) $25 million. Construction of the training facility is slated to begin next year with completion in 2024.
The battery factory will sit on about 1,500 acres and have a capacity of more than 80-gigawatt hours per year. BlueOval SK has already invested $5.8 billion to produce batteries for Ford and Lincoln vehicles, with production expected to start in 2025.
“Ford’s roots run deep in Kentucky, and BlueOval SK is going to help Ford to lead the EV revolution, bringing thousands of new, high-tech jobs to the Bluegrass State,” said Lisa Drake, vice president, Ford EV Industrialization, “Ford is building on more than a century of investment in Kentucky and its incredible workforce.”
This is all part of a shift to have American batteries, parts, and production play a central role in the EV revolution — encouraged as part of the new Inflation Reduction Act. And, more and more of these EV-related multi-million-dollar initiatives are calling the midwest their home. Such recent activity is happening in Ohio with the Lordstown Motors plant and plans to produce the Fisker P.E.A.R. EVs in Ohio as well (with partner Foxconn).
Ford is also building a factory to produce electric F-Series pickups in Stanton, Tennessee, and BlueOval SK is constructing a battery factory in Tennessee as well.
Ford is anticipating production of about 2 million EVs worldwide by the end of 2026 and the new BlueOval SK Battery Park features prominently in its plans.
BlueOval SK Battery Park Kentucky | Built For America, YouTube
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