Ford Powers Up: New Energy Storage Venture Launched

Ford has formally established Ford Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary dedicated to producing and selling US-assembled battery energy storage systems. This new venture aims to serve utilities, large industrial customers, and data centers, with the first customer deliveries anticipated by late 2027. The initiative leverages Ford's significant manufacturing capacity, particularly repurposing its Kentucky battery plant.

Ford Energy's flagship product, the DC Block, is a standardized 20-foot containerized system utilizing lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells, known for thermal stability and longer duty cycles in stationary applications. The systems will come in two configurations, FE-250 and FE-450, offering two and four hours of duration, respectively, and are designed for a 20-year service life.

This strategic move by Ford capitalizes on strong demand for large-scale energy projects, driven partly by AI data center buildouts straining grid infrastructure. The focus on domestic manufacturing is intended to enhance eligibility for Investment Tax Credits and meet domestic-content requirements, making projects more attractive to clients. Ford aims to deploy at least 20GWh of storage capacity annually.