Ford lauded by battery coalition

The Washington-based Responsible Battery Coalition (RBC) says member automaker Ford Motor Co. has taken “bold action” with the introduction of the electric Vehicle (EV) version the largest selling pickup truck in the United States, the Ford F-150. The F-150 EV, to be called the Lightning, initially will be assembled in Dearborn, Michigan, Ford’s headquarters city.

RBC labeled Ford’s plans for the Lightning EV as demonstrating the company’s “commitment to a responsible EV battery life cycle.” The RBC also points to the 2021 semiconductor chip shortage as the “basis for a national conversation” regarding reliance on sourcing and design of EV battery materials to avoid a reliance that creates a national security vulnerability.

 The same day President Joe Biden visited Michigan to test drive a Lightning, Ford announced it would have to idle eight assembly plants in North America for two weeks because of a shortage of imported microchips. Plants in Dearborn and Claycomo, Missouri, that assemble the F-150 are in that group of eight.

“Ford Motor Co. has long committed to the sustainable design, sourcing and overall life cycle for lead-acid batteries and now is dedicated to the same for the batteries used in its new line of electric vehicles,” said RBC Executive Director Steve Christensen. “Ford, along with other RBC members, understand that in order for there truly to be an EV revolution, the entire lifecycle of EV batteries must be the focus of the next industrial revolution in our country to achieve the environmental gains intended and avoid creating a national security vulnerability or supply shortage like we are seeing with semiconductor chips for vehicles.” 

RBC describes itself as a coalition of stakeholders in the manufacturing, use, sales and recycling battery sector. The group says it aims “to deliver next step life cycle management for all vehicle and industrial batteries regardless of chemistry.”

Members of the RBC include automakers Ford and Honda; small vehicle producer Club Car; battery producer Clarios; fleet operator FedEx; industrial battery user LafargeHolcim; retailers Advance Auto Parts, AutoZone, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Walmart; solar panel installer Renova Energy; recyclers Li-Cycle and Terracycle; and remediation firm Environmental Restoration.