Subsidiary of Korea’s LG Chem to build electric Ford Focus batteries
By APTuesday, July 13, 2010
Korea’s LG Chem wins Ford Focus battery pack deal
DEARBORN, Mich. — Ford Motor Co. has picked a subsidiary of Korean battery maker LG Chem to supply battery packs for an electric version of the Ford Focus that will hit showrooms sometime next year.
The subsidiary, Compact Power Inc., is building a lithium-ion battery factory in Holland, Mich., that also will supply cells for the Chevrolet Volt rechargeable electric car.
Initially the battery cells will be made in South Korea by LG Chem and shipped to the U.S., where Compact Power, based in Troy, Mich., is looking for a site to assemble them into packs.
Ford says once the Holland factory is up and running, the cells and packs will be produced in the U.S.
Ford’s assembly plant in Wayne, Mich., will build a new version of the Focus.
