In a letter to Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley dated Sept. 3, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the agency remains “deeply alarmed” by the automaker’s reliance on technology from China and its impact on American jobs.
The DOT said it recognizes the intense competitive pressures of the global market, but it emphasized that Ford’s decision to partner with companies in China paints a troubling picture of the American brand actively “intertwining its future with Chinese state-backed enterprises.”
“Ford must demonstrate a level of corporate citizenship that prioritizes the long-term resilience and technological sovereignty of the United States automotive ecosystem over short-term arrangements or questionable foreign alliances,” Duffy wrote.
In particular, the DOT said it remains “deeply alarmed” by Ford's continued reliance on licensed technology from China-based battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. at the operational BlueOval Battery Park facility in Marshall, Michigan.
In February 2023, Ford announced it was investing $3.5 billion in the Michigan battery plant to manufacture batteries for its future electric vehicles. Although the plant is wholly-owned by Ford, it reached a licensing agreement to manufacture lithium iron phosphate battery cells using CATL’s “battery cell knowledge and services,” per the release. The first battery cells produced at the plant are expected to ship by the end of the year, Ford announced in June.
