In July, Ford announced that CATL will supply Lithium Iron Phosphate lithium-ion battery cells for four of its electric vehicles, but the implementation of the partnership requires careful analysis., US-China tensions and the recent Inflation Reduction Act affected the business environment so the two companies are still weighing the options.
The Chinese manufacturer was reportedly considering two countries - Mexico and the US, in which Michigan and Virginia were mentioned as the most probable, byThe rumor says that the two partners might introduce a novel ownership structure, under whichwould own 100% of the battery factory . Meanwhile, CATL would operate the factory and own the battery manufacturing technology. We don't know whether it's true, but it sounds like some kind of a safety measure for the Chinese partner.
"Ford could “economically” import lithium iron phosphate, or LFP, batteries from China, but alluded to other options to localize production."