Ford CEO Jim Farley on new EV production plans in Louisville
Ford CEO Jim Farley introduced the car manufacturer’s new “Universal EV Platform” during an announcement at the Louisville assembly plant on August 11, 2025.
- Since 2020, Kentucky has attracted more than $13.1 billion in electric vehicle (EV)-related investments.
- Ford is investing $2 billion in its Louisville assembly plant to produce new electric trucks and create a universal EV platform.
- Blueoval SK, a joint venture between Ford and SK On, has begun full production at Kentucky Battery Park.
For the past five years, Kentucky has emerged as the “US EV capital.”
Efforts to manufacture electric vehicles, battery making, and bring other parts of the EV supply chain to the Commonwealth have been the cornerstones of Governor Andy Besher’s two terms of office.
Since 2020, the state has seen more than $13.1 billion in EV-related investments, bringing many promised jobs, Beshear said on August 11.
More recently, Ford Motor Co. announced a $2 billion investment in the Louisville assembly plant, creating a new universal EV platform for assembly, bringing in a new four-door medium truck EV, securing 2,200 hourly jobs at the factory, reported by a part of the USA Today Network.
“Together, Kentucky and Ford are bringing the future of the EV industry to this world,” Besher said.
And it’s not just Ford is taking part in the federal burgeoning EV industry. See other major EV projects throughout the state and where they stand.
Rising factor
The battery material maker’s promotional factors have invested millions of dollars from the federal government to produce battery materials and new batteries for electric vehicles, reported in 2022.
Since then, the company has reduced plans for the Hopkinsville plant and canceled a $164 million federal grant for cathode active material production, whilst maintaining a larger grant for cathode precursor production, the Courier Journal previously reported.
EV battery companies face legal disputes from contractors over the project due to payment issues. The company is scheduled to begin operations in the second half of 2026.
Fordruivil assembly factory
Ford’s $2 billion $800 million announcement is the first time in rap history, and the first time a factory has produced an electric vehicle. This is a medium-sized, four-door EV pickup truck with a starting price of $30,000 for consumers in 2027.
Ford said the market-to-market trucks are “as fast as Mustang Eco Boost” at accelerating between 0 and 60 mph, with more passenger space than their competitor Toyota RAV4. Like many EVs, the truck has a “frank” or front trunk and has a truck bed.
In addition to producing new EV trucks, Ford has announced that the wrap will be home to the latest iteration of the assembly line called the “assembly tree.”
Additionally, Ford is making his debut in LAP and creating a new universal EV platform that will allow the production and expansion of families of “affordable” vehicles to meet customer demand.
Ford, SK On: Blueoval SK Battery Park
The nearly $6 billion joint venture EV battery production company combines the history of automobiles with Ford’s innovations with SK’s technology.
The company announced that full production began on August 19th.
The facility is located in Hardin County and is committed to employing 5,000 workers. As of May, Battery Park had around 1,400 employees, according to documents submitted to the federal government.
Battery Park is a twin implant facility, and Kentucky 1 currently employs people. Kentucky 2 is currently behind as it said consumer demand for EVS is not where the automaker expected it.
Before fully production began in August, the plant faced many health and safety concerns raised with state government agencies, the Courier Journal reported previously, including concerns about chemical use, appropriate PPE and bat invasion.
Other projects
In 2022, Bowling Green was appointed as the future home for a planned $2 billion-related project, the Courier Journal reported earlier.
Envision AESC, a global battery technology company now known as AESC, is planning to produce battery cells and modules for multiple automakers, and was expected to begin production of batteries to power up to 300,000 electric vehicles per year by 2027.
However, while the building’s shell is being constructed, the project is essentially abandoned, but the Wall Street Journal reported earlier this year that the promised work and output have yet to come into effect in the Commonwealth.
Livian, a little closer to Jefferson County, an electric car maker that builds sports utility vehicles and trucks, invested $10 million in Britt County in 2023 to expand its part operation and remanufacturing facility that rebuilds vehicle parts such as electrical hardware, drive units and battery systems.
And despite the EV market’s struggle with consumers, longtime EV maker Tesla is finally selling vehicles in Kentucky. State law previously blocked consumer sales from automakers, but in the second half of 2024, Tesla found a legal warning and was able to obtain a dealer license. As of this summer, the automakers are selling vehicles and offering leasing options from their Louisville locations, the Courier Journal first reported.
Contact business reporter Olivia Evans at oevans@courier-journal.com or X..