3 companies including Creative & Innovative Systems (CIS), NS, and Hana Technology
As preferred negotiators...Final supply contract to be signed next month
Support in the field of inspection, electrod

Three South Korean equipment manufacturers were selected for the first battery production line construction project carried out by Ford, a leading U.S. automaker. Among traditional U.S. automakers, Ford is the first to establish an independent production line. Ford's strategy is to optimize its electric vehicle battery system by establishing a pilot line (test production) for battery development and production.

According to the industry on the 27th, Ford of the U.S. recently selected three domestic equipment companies CIS, NS, and Hana Technology as preferred bidders for the battery pilot line construction project. The final supply contract is expected to be signed next month.

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<Ford's key electric vehicle model, F-150 Lightning.>

NS will supply inspection, stacking, and assembly process equipment, while CIS and Hana Technology will supply electrode process and formation process equipment, respectively. The size of the facility order is around 200MWh, and the order amount is about KRW 40 billion. This is significantly smaller than the scale of the latest production plant of the finished battery cell maker because it's a pilot line. This order was made as Ford's independent project separate from BlueOval SK, a joint venture between Ford and SK On.

The battery production line ordered by Ford will be first used for research and development (R&D) purposes, such as designing a battery system for optimizing its own electric vehicle, implementing various performances, and managing battery companies rather than mass production of batteries.

The battery equipment ordered by Ford is a ternary lithium-ion battery (NCM), and the form factor is a pouch production facility. It is also used for R&D purposes such as high-nickel batteries.

The industry also predicts that Ford will acquire mass production technology through the establishment of a pilot line and produce batteries independently in the future. This is the opinion of many of the equipment makers that have negotiated equipment supply with Ford since the beginning of this year.

An equipment industry official said, "Ford is building a pilot line, but it seems that they are considering mass production of batteries in the future. Like Tesla in the U.S., it is highly likely to have its own mass production system while maintaining supply relations with existing battery cell makers to improve price competitiveness and supply power.”

Companies such as Hyundai Motor Group and BMW are currently operating lithium-ion battery pilot lines, and companies that are building mass production systems are Volkswagen, Tesla, and Toyota.

By Staff Reporter Tae-jun Park gaius@etnews.com