2nd Ford EV battery plant in Hardin County could supply Nissan vehicles, WSJ reports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Ford plans to use the second of its two new electric vehicle battery plants in Hardin County to supply Nissan, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

BlueOval SK's first battery plant is on track to open later this year, but equipment, hiring and production are indefinitely delayed at the second factory. The announcement of that delay came not long after Ford backed off its previously communicated targets for EVs, saying it is unsure when it will reach a goal of producing 2 million EVs annually.

However, Kentucky's deal gives BlueOval SK until the end of 2030 to reach the full 5,000-job target for the battery campus.

For Nissan, the move is a chance to reduce some tariffs as it suffers losses and begins layoffs. The company recently canceled a planned battery factor in Japan.

The Hardin County factories were part of $7 billion investment Ford made back in 2021, betting aggressively on EV demand that has yet to materialized.

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