One of the nation's largest automakers has some big construction projects in the pipeline, and the Tennessee state government isn't going to let anything stand in the way—even the private property rights of black farmers.
In September 2021, Ford Motor Co. announced a slate of new development projects, committing $11.4 billion toward expanding electric vehicle (E.V.) production. In addition to two E.V. battery factories in Kentucky, the auto giant would build a $5.6-billion "mega campus" in western Tennessee named "BlueOval City," which would manufacture both electric trucks and batteries. Ford boasted that the project would be operational in 2025 and employ about 5,800 people.
