LG Chem's U.S. Subsidiary to Make Lithium-Ion Batteries for Ford Focus Electric
By Scott Doggett July 13, 2010
By Scott Doggett, Contributing Editor
Ford Motor Co. today announced it has selected Troy, Michigan-based Compact Power Inc. to build lithium-ion battery packs for the 2011 Ford Focus Electric, which will go on sale in the U.S. next year.
In so doing, Ford joins General Motors in turning to CPI for help with its electric vehicles. GM last year tapped CPI, a subsidiary of South Korea's LG Chem, to supply the lithium-ion cells the automaker uses in its homemade battery packs for the Chevy Volt.
LG Chem announced in March that it will complete construction of a $303 million battery plant in Holland, Michigan, toward the end of next year. The company had announced plans for the plant last October but did not release a timetable then.
A month later, Volkswagen AG disclosed that was in talks with a Robert Bosch GmbH and Samsung SDI Co. joint venture and LG Chem as Europe's biggest carmaker broadened its search for suppliers of electric-car batteries.
The Focus Electric battery packs will leverage CPI and parent company LG Chem's deep expertise in advanced flat format lithium-ion cells and advanced liquid-cooled modules and battery management systems.
"CPI is an emerging leader in the lithium-ion battery field and we are pleased to have them as a strategic supplier as we prepare to bring the Ford Focus Electric to market," said Sherif Marakby, Ford's director of Sustainable Mobility Products and Hybrid programs.
CPI will begin battery pack assembly for the Focus Electric next year and is finalizing production site selection for the U.S., Ford said in a statement.
The lithium-ion cells for the packs will initially be sourced from Korea through LG Chem. LG Chem and CPI will be localizing cell production at their new site in Holland, Mich.
The cells will incorporate LG Chem's proprietary chemistry and its industry-leading safety-reinforced-separator technology that purportedly provides unparalleled safety performance.
Focus Electric will have a targeted range of up to 100 miles per full charge with zero tailpipe emissions. It is one of five electrified vehicles Ford is bringing to market in the U.S. in the next two years. These include the Transit Connect Electric, a small commercial van in 2010; Focus Electric in 2011; two new lithium-ion battery-powered hybrids; and a plug-in hybrid in 2012.
Focus Electric, a full battery-electric passenger car, will be produced at Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan, which will begin producing gasoline versions of the all-new 2011 Focus later this year.
Ford previously announced plans to invest $550 million to transform the Michigan Assembly Plant from a large SUV factory to a modern car plant to build the new Focus and Focus Electric. The plant also will produce a next-generation hybrid and a plug-in hybrid in 2012. All of the vehicles will be built off the company's new global C-car platform.
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