WASHINGTON — Ford Motor Co. first considered sites in Canada, Mexico and elsewhere for the $3.5 billion battery plant it plans to build in Michigan, company officials said Monday, but hefty new incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act pushed them to choose the United States.
It's an early indicator that the unprecedented spending in the IRA, pushed by the Biden administration, is having its intended effect: pulling emerging electric vehicle supply chains into the country with the promise of billions in federal support to attract jobs-creating investment and build technical expertise.
"The IRA was incredibly important for us and, frankly, it did what it intended to do," said Lisa Drake, vice president of EV Industrialization for Ford. "It allowed the United States to capture 2,500 fantastic technical jobs and all the indirect jobs that go with it, plus future growth. It's a big win for the U.S."
