Michigan secures big role in EV future as Ford plant to be built in Marshall

New Marshall blue oval battery park should be up and running by 2026

DETROITWith Ford’s announcement this week that it will be opening an EV battery manufacturing plant in Marshall, it is now the sixth EV battery-related business in Michigan which now positions the state as one of the top three in the nation to produce next-generation autos.

Charming Marshall, known for its 19th-century American architecture and the home of Win Schuler’s, will now boast the next generation of auto manufacturing in America.

“Winning the EV race is critical to our country’s future and our children’s future,” said William Clay Ford Jr.

Monday’s (Feb. 13) announcement from Ford cemented the state, along with Georgia and Kentucky, as the nation’s top three producers of electric vehicle battery manufacturing.

Michigan will be able to produce between 97 and 136-gigawatt hours worth of EV batteries per year by 2030

“We’re going to make electric vehicles top to bottom right here in the great state of Michigan, and I’m grateful to Ford, an American icon, for believing in Michigan,” said Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

To put that into perspective, the new Marshall plant will be able to power 400,000 EVs a year with its 35 gigawatt hours. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, by 2030, Michigan will have a huge piece of the EV pie which will be anywhere between 10-13 million EVs produced per year.

“The whole point of this project is to lower the cost of EVs so that normal people can buy them,” said Ford Chief Executive Officer Jim Farley.

Ford expects to have the new Marshall blue oval battery park up and running by 2026.


About the Authors:

Brandon Carr is a digital content producer for ClickOnDetroit and has been with WDIV Local 4 since November 2021. Brandon is the 2015 Solomon Kinloch Humanitarian award recipient for Community Service.