Ford Selects Compact Power to Supply Li-ion Battery Pack for Ford Focus Electric On Sale in US in 2011

From Green Car Congress:

Ford has selected Compact Power, Inc. (CPI), a wholly owned subsidiary of LG Chem, as the supplier of lithium-ion battery packs for the 2011 Ford Focus Electric for the US market. CPI/LG Chem are also supplying the battery packs for the Chevrolet Volt.

The Focus Electric battery packs will leverage CPI and parent company LG Chem’s expertise in advanced prismatic lithium-ion cells and advanced liquid-cooled modules and battery management systems. The cells will incorporate LG Chem’s proprietary chemistry and its safety-reinforced-separator technology that provides high safety performance.

CPI, based in Troy, Mich., will begin battery pack assembly for the Ford Focus Electric next year and is finalizing production site selection for the US. The lithium-ion cells for the packs will initially be sourced from Korea through LG Chem. LG Chem and CPI will be localizing cell production at their new site in Holland, Mich.

Focus Electric will have a targeted range of up to 100 miles per full charge with zero tailpipe emissions. It is one of five electrified vehicles Ford is bringing to market in the US in the next two years. These include the Transit Connect Electric, a small commercial van in 2010; Focus Electric in 2011; two new lithium-ion battery-powered hybrids; and a plug-in hybrid in 2012.

Focus Electric, a full battery electric passenger car, will be produced at Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich., which will begin producing gasoline versions of the all-new 2011 Focus later this year.

Ford previously announced plans to invest $550 million to transform Michigan Assembly Plant from a large SUV factory to a modern car plant to build the new Focus and Focus Electric. The plant also will produce a next-generation hybrid and a plug-in hybrid in 2012. All of the vehicles will be built off the company’s new global C-car platform.

This complements Ford’s overall strategy to establish a center of excellence in Michigan for electrification of a broad range of vehicles, including lithium-ion battery-powered hybrids, plug-ins and pure electric vehicles.

CPI is an emerging leader in the lithium-ion battery field and we are pleased to have them as a strategic supplier as we prepare to bring the Ford Focus Electric to market. We are moving aggressively with our electrification strategy and our work to help make Michigan a center of excellence for a range of electrified vehicles.

—Sherif Marakby, Ford director, Sustainable Mobility Products and Hybrid programs