Even if Ford is easing off the accelerator a bit on the electric vehicle front, it's certainly not done making big moves on that front. Case in point: Ford has now acquired Auto Motive Power (AMP), a Los Angeles-based EV power startup, in an effort to strengthen its charging and battery management technology.
The announcement was made yesterday on LinkedIn by Anil Paryani, AMP's CEO. "Today I am super stoked to announce that AMP has been acquired by Ford Motor Company," Paryani said. "Our talented team will start a new journey and integrate our energy management technologies into Ford's winning EV portfolio. Lowering the cost of EV electronics and improving battery utilization has always been both of our company's mission."
Paryani added that the AMP team looks forward to "helping accelerate EV adoption with Ford's manufacturing muscle and know-how behind us."
According to TechCrunch, which was the first media outlet to report the deal, AMP will cease to exist following the deal. Ford will take over the startup's staff, technology, and facility in Santa Fe Springs, California, according to Ford spokesperson Emma Bergg. The automaker did not disclose how much it paid for AMP, according to that report.
TechCrunch reported that since its launch in 2017, AMP raised $26.5 million and hired around 149 people. The startup once claimed to power "most of the world's top electric OEMs." It's unclear whether Ford already uses AMP products in its current EV models.
On its website, which now opens with a pop-up reading "Ford acquired AMP on Nov 1, 2023," AMP claims it has developed "pioneering battery management solutions for leading e-OEMs, including Tesla and Faraday Future." The company describes itself as a "global leader in energy management solutions for e-mobility," noting it has advanced energy and battery management technologies since 2017, using "industry-leading software, hardware, and the cloud."
Its main product appears to be the AMP Energy Management System (EMS), which is described as an all-in-one energy management system that combines cloud, battery management, and charging solutions.
"AMP EMS aims to maximize the vehicle range while ensuring that the battery is operated within safe levels," reads the product's description on the company's website. AMP claims that using its EMS optimizes the performance and efficiency of electric vehicles while keeping them safe.
Among the claimed benefits of the AMP EMS are lower cost, improved range, maximized battery lifetime, faster time-to-market, mitigated risk of thermal runaway, and lower likelihood of vehicle recalls.
Besides the EMS, AMP is also producing charging solutions, including a Tesla NACS-compliant onboard charger, CCS software stack and various other components. AMP also makes low-voltage and high-voltage battery management systems for all EV applications, from 24-volts to 1,000-volts.
Finally, the startup builds the AMP Energy Management Unit (ampEMU), a combination of a DC-DC, On-Board Charger, and Power Distribution Unit, with fast-charge capabilities (500A), all-in-one. The system complies with Tesla's NACS, CCS, and CHAdeMO charging standards.
More and more, automakers are trying to do their various EV components and software in-house as opposed to relying on countless outside suppliers; even Ford CEO Jim Farley has spoken of the headaches involved with that approach. So now, it seems Ford is taking more steps to bring promising EV charging tech inside the Blue Oval brand itself. Anyone who thinks Ford is waffling on EVs entirely may do well to pay attention here.
