Republicans Slam Ford’s Plans to Build a Battery Plant in Michigan with Help from a Chinese Company

Republicans slammed Ford Motor Co.’s announcement Monday that it plans to build a battery plant in Marshall, Michigan, in cooperation with a Chinese firm.

The company bragged that the plant, called BlueOval Battery Park Michigan, would employ 2,500 people when battery production begins in 2026. But it also admitted that it would rely on a Chinese firm, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL), for the technology.

According to the New York Times, Ford would own 100 percent of the plant but make battery cells using “technology and services” from CATL.

CATL is the largest electric vehicle battery maker in the world, with 13 factories in Europe and Asia but none in the U.S. It has 100,000 employees around the world, mostly in China, according to the Times. A third of them are in Ningde, China.

Ford’s executive chairman, William Clay Ford Jr., said the alliance “will help us build more [electric vehicles] faster” and would “help us get up to speed so we can build the batteries ourselves,” the Times reported.

Ford is building the plant in Michigan in order to take advantage of tax incentives in the Democrats’ “Inflation Reduction Act” that contained the Biden administration’s climate agenda, the Times noted.

However, there is uncertainty around how the U.S. Treasury Department will interpret requirements in the legislation to withhold consumer tax credits for electric vehicles made with a certain amount of China-linked materials in their batteries, according to Bloomberg News.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) slammed Ford’s announcement:

The Biden Administration won’t quit pushing their leftist green agenda even though it makes us dependent on China. This from Ford shows certain companies are find with that.

Shameful.

Now more than ever we shouldn’t be relying on China for anything.

The Biden Administration won’t quit pushing their leftist green agenda even though it makes us dependent on China. This from Ford shows certain companies are fine with that.

Shameful.

Now more than ever we shouldn’t be relying on China for anything. https://t.co/GHcdUkOnh8

— Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) February 14, 2023

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said in a statement:

We are deeply concerned to learn Ford is partnering with a CCP controlled company. It is inappropriate for US corporations to partner with an adversary in order to sneak into our country. We want all American companies to succeed in America — not by doing business with the CCP.

Ford considered Virginia as a possible location for the plant, but Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin pulled his state out of the running, calling CATL a “Trojan Horse” for China, as Bloomberg News reported.

Democrats, however, are welcoming the new plant.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) tweeted: “We’re coming together to celebrate another win for Michigan. @Ford is investing $3.5 billion and creating 2,500 good-paying jobs manufacturing EV batteries in Marshall. This will be a game-changer for the community and build on our momentum to lead the future of mobility.”

We’re coming together to celebrate another win for Michigan.@Ford is investing $3.5 billion and creating 2,500 good-paying jobs manufacturing EV batteries in Marshall. This will be a game-changer for the community and build on our momentum to lead the future of mobility. pic.twitter.com/5zpbopnHxy

— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) February 13, 2023

And Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) said the move would strengthen U.S. supply chains, despite Ford’s reliance on CATL.

He tweeted, “This new battery plant will mean more good-paying Michigan jobs. This is an example of how Michigan can lead in strengthening our supply chains & national security by making this technology here at home — so we don’t need to import it from China.”

This new battery plant will mean more good-paying Michigan jobs.

This is an example of how Michigan can lead in strengthening our supply chains & national security by making this technology here at home –– so we don’t need to import it from China.https://t.co/vM8XxYpec4

— Senator Gary Peters (@SenGaryPeters) February 13, 2023

Neither of them mentioned CATL and its role in producing the batteries.

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