South Korea's SK Innovation has teamed up Ford Motor Company to build two electric vehicle (EV) battery mega campuses in Tennessee and Kentucky. The investments in the battery plants will be made via BlueOvalSK, a joint venture to be formed by the two companies, subject to definitive agreements and regulatory approvals.

Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford says the two sites will produce the next generation of electric F-Series trucks and the batteries to power future electric Ford and Lincoln vehicles. Ford plans to make the largest-ever single investment in electric vehicles by a US company, and together with its SK Innovation plans to invest US$11.4 billion and create nearly 11,000 jobs at the two sites.

A US$5.6 billion mega campus in Stanton, Tennessee, called Blue Oval City, will create approximately 6,000 new jobs. It will become a vertically integrated ecosystem for Ford to assemble an expanded lineup of electric F-Series vehicles and will include a BlueOvalSK battery plant as well as facilities for key supplies and recycling.

Ford, together with SK Innovation, also plans to build a US$5.8 billion complex with two battery plants in central Kentucky, creating 5,000 jobs. Called BlueOvalSK Battery Park, the facility will supply Ford’s North American assembly plants with locally assembled batteries for powering next-generation electric Ford and Lincoln vehicles. It is targeted to open in 2025.

Ford is investing more than US$30 billion in electric vehicles through to 2025, and this latest investment supports the company’s longer-term goal of creating a sustainable American manufacturing ecosystem and accelerating its progress towards achieving carbon neutrality. Overall, Ford expects 40-50% of its global vehicle volume to be fully electric by 2030.

Blue Oval City will be among the largest auto manufacturing campuses in US history. The 3,600-acre campus covering nearly six square miles will encompass vehicle assembly, battery production and a supplier park in a vertically integrated system that delivers cost efficiency while minimizing the carbon footprint of the manufacturing process. The assembly plant will use always-on cloud-connected technologies to drive vast improvements in quality and productivity. The mega campus is designed to add more sustainability solutions, including the potential to use local renewable energy sources such as geothermal, solar and wind power.