Ford Building “Ion Park” Battery Research Lab In Michigan To Optimize Its EV Growth

Ford today announced that it has opened a battery research center near Detroit, in Allen Park, Michigan. The R&D campus will be called Ion Park.

There, 150 experts in battery technology development, research, manufacturing, planning, purchasing, quality, and finance will help Ford implement its electrification plans more efficiently.

“We’re already scaling production of all-electric vehicles around the world as more customers experience and crave the fun-to-drive benefits of electric vehicles with zero emissions,” said Hau Thai-Tang, Ford’s chief product platform and operations officer. “Investing in more battery R&D ultimately will help us speed the process to deliver more, even better, lower-cost EVs for customers over time.”

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The team will also be tasked with finding innovations in all aspects of battery production, from the mines where the elements are acquired to recycling centers where the batteries will be sent at the end of their lives.

“We are creating new tools and solutions we need for a carbon-free, affordable and better future,” Thai-Tang said. “We are modernizing Ford’s battery development and manufacturing capabilities so we can better control costs and production variables in-house and scale production around the world with speed and quality.”

In addition, Ford also plans to build a $185 million, 200,000 sq-ft learning lab in Southeast Michigan that will test and build vehicle battery cell arrays. It will be charged with developing state-of-the-art technology and piloting new manufacturing techniques to help Ford scale its battery production up.

Anand Sankaran, a 30-year veteran at Ford, is being put in charge of Ion Park. The engineer holds 32 patents in the US for automotive power electronics and hybrid vehicle technologies. He is also a fellow at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

“While some automakers have placed their bets, we are going to use this lab with the help of partners and suppliers to fine-tune our batteries to our vehicles and customer needs–exploring next-generation lithium-ion solutions, including solid-state batteries,” Sankaran said.