Focus (Ford)

Ford has been progressing on construction of its BlueOval City complex in Tennessee, which includes an EV battery plant and separate EV assembly site 

The BlueOval City battery plant, operated in a joint venture between Ford and SK On, is set to begin trial operations in August to test out the facility’s readiness in terms of building batteries.

SK On will send personnel to the site to help with this process, with those workers focusing on “electrode-related processes, including assembly, activation, and battery packs.”

When it begins full-scale production in late 2025, a few months later than previously expected, the battery plant will have a total annual capacity of 45 GWh. 

The joint venture is still building two plants at the site, but will only utilize one for the time being, as Ford has also recently decided to downsize its Michigan-based battery plant

EV assembly at the BlueOval City complex has pushed back its planned production start date for a next-generation Ford F-150 EV pickup from 2025 to 2026.

(multiple sources on July 15, 2024)

On July 12, RWTH Aachen University's Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM) announced the completion of the HaPiPro2 electric motor research project, which focused on the development of the production concepts for the hairpin stator, a key component in electric drives. The German Ministry of Economic Affairs of North Rhine-Westphalia funded the project.

In the project, the consortium succeeded in manufacturing hairpin stators for both passenger cars and heavy-duty commercial vehicles such as electric trucks on the same production line.

PEM plans to research further the impact of different factors on hairpin stator production, expand rotor components' infrastructure, and integrate digitalization systems throughout the production process. It also intends to create a digital twin of the prototype stator production line for future process and production simulations.

HaPiPro2 was a joint project involving PEM and the Digital Additive Production (dap) Chair at RWTH Aachen University, along with partners Ford, ENGIRO, AMS Anlagenbau, Berg & Co., and thyssenkrupp System Engineering.

Based on RWTH Aachen University press release

For the second model year of Chevrolet’s all-electric pickup truck, the 2025 Silverado EV will be highlighted by several notable updates, including the introduction of the all-terrain Trail Boss model.

The 2025 Silverado EV Work Truck will now be available with three battery sizes,  including the Standard Range (2WT), the Extended Range (5WT), and the Max Range (8WT), replacing the 2024 Silverado EV‘s 3WT and 4WT trim levels.

The 2025 model year will also see the introduction of the LT trim, positioned as an affordable consumer-focused variant with capabilities similar to the Silverado EV WT, and non-First Edition RST trims.

With production of the 2025 model yet starting on September 3, the Silverado EV continues to be built on the GM BT1 platform at the Factory Zero plant in Michigan. 

(multiple sources on July 8, 2024)