Ford's EV battery reset leaves 1,600 Kentucky jobs in limbo

Ford Motor Company announced Monday, it is converting its brand new electric vehicle battery plant into a manufacturing facility for large-scale battery storage systems.

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Ford Motor Company is changing course at the Glendale EV battery plant and leaving more than 1,000 Kentucky workers in limbo.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear confirmed that approximately 1,600 workers at the Glendale battery plant will be impacted as the automaker abandons its original plans for the facility.

The workers, who were part of what was supposed to be a transformative partnership between Ford and BlueOval SK, will be laid off but can reapply for positions as Ford repurposes the Kentucky plant for an entirely different mission: manufacturing large-scale battery storage systems for data centers and electrical grids instead of EV batteries.

It's a stunning reversal for a project that state and local leaders had celebrated as a game-changer for the region.

What was promised vs. what's happening

When Ford and SK On announced the BlueOval SK partnership, the promise was clear: thousands of good-paying jobs manufacturing batteries for Ford's electric vehicle future.

At the time, Governor Andy Beshear said the investment would make Kentucky a leader in EV battery production. The Glendale facility in Hardin County was supposed to be humming with activity, churning out batteries to power Ford's electric truck lineup. Instead, several factors, including changes in White House administration, have left the plant failing to meet expectations.

Now, Ford is fundamentally changing course, announcing it is dissolving the BlueOval SK joint venture entirely. Under a new agreement, Ford subsidiaries will independently own and operate the Kentucky battery plants.

"This is a customer-driven shift to create a stronger, more resilient, and more profitable Ford," CEO Jim Farley said in announcing the changes, though that reasoning likely offers little comfort to workers now facing uncertainty.

The human cost

For the 1,600 workers facing layoffs, the ability to reapply for positions under the new battery storage operation offers a lifeline- but not necessarily a guarantee. The skills required for manufacturing large-scale grid storage systems may differ from EV battery production, and there's no assurance that all 1,600 positions will be replaced.

Governor Beshear's office has confirmed the job impact numbers but hasn't yet detailed what support might be available for affected workers or how many positions the retooled facility might ultimately employ. He did say his office is working with those impacted to find new employment opportunities.

What happens next

Ford says the Kentucky battery storage business could be operational within 18 months.

The message is clear: Ford is retreating to its comfort zone, building what customers are actually buying today rather than betting big on an electric future that hasn't arrived on schedule.

For Kentucky workers, community leaders, and state officials who bought into that electric vehicle vision, Monday's announcement represents not just a corporate strategy shift but a fundamental reshaping of what they were promised- and a reminder that in the rapidly changing auto industry, even billion-dollar commitments can evaporate when market realities don't cooperate.

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