Hyperdrive
China to Scrutinize Ford-CATL EV Battery Deal to Ensure Core Technology Isn’t Shared
- Beijing concerned Ford may access sensitive battery tech
- Scrutiny unlikely to result in the agreement being blocked
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China will scrutinize Ford Motor Co.’s recent agreement with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. to ensure the Chinese battery giant’s core technology isn’t handed over to the US carmaker, another sign of geopolitical tensions between the two powers complicating business deals.
Ford said Monday the tie-up would see CATL’s lithium iron phosphate, or LFP, battery technology licensed for use in a new $3.5 billion electric-vehicle battery plant that Ford will run and control in southwest Michigan.