Ford Picks Leader for New BESS-Manufacturing Unit

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Written by Eric Funderburk for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land Texas)

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Summary

Ford has tapped Lisa Drake to head up its new BESS-manufacturing unit, which it announced in December.

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Latest Appointment

Ford Motor Company (Dearborn, Michigan) has named Lisa Drake as the president of a new energy unit that it announced in December, when the company reported strategic shifts in its approach to its manufacture of electric vehicles (EV).

A pivot from market adoption of fully battery-powered EVs toward hybrids, as well as a turn back toward internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, have left some U.S. battery-manufacturing capacity underutilized. This capacity was built during years of heady predictions regarding EV adoption. Two Ford battery plants will now be used to manufacture battery energy storage systems (BESS) for both commercial and residential applications.

The Pivot

After President Donald Trump's began his second term in office in 2025, his administration began a severe shift away from EV-supporting policies that were established during the Biden administration. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was passed in July 2025, ended a $7,500 subsidy given toward the purchase of an EV less than two months after the bill's passage.

After less than a month of Trump's return to office, the administration paused billions of dollars allocated toward the establishment of a nationwide EV-charging network, increasing potential customers' "range anxiety" in areas with few charging stations available. However, only a few days ago, this move was ruled unlawful by a federal judge in a lawsuit filed by 20 states and the District of Columbia that challenged the funding suspension.

While that judgement may represent a positive move in EV adoption, Reuters reported that the U.S. Senate was slated this week to consider legislation that has already cleared the House that redirects $879 million in funding allocated to EV charging stations to other infrastructure projects.

The Results?

The yanking of the $7,500 in credits at the end of September provided a severe punch to the gut for the U.S. EV sector. While few U.S. automakers report specific sales figures, a CNBC article reporting on EV sales in October 2025, the first month without the credit, provided a few dismal figures:

• Ford reported a 25% drop in year-over-year all-electric EV October sales.
• In October, Toyota sold a mere 18 units of its sole all-electric vehicle, down from 1,401 units a year earlier.
• Hyundai's U.S. sales of its Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 9 EVs fell by 80% and 71%, respectively, from September to October.

And that was the first month. Since that time, while EV sales may actually be up for some manufacturers, the rate of growth has declined significantly. A very significant saturation of EVs into the general market is going to take longer than anticipated.

A Battery Buildout

During the Biden years, billions of dollars of EV battery plants began construction with the anticipation that EV market saturation would be strong and rapid. With a much more tepid rise in sales than anticipated, some of this manufacturing capacity is capable or will be capable of providing much more battery capacity than the automobile market demands.

Ford was among these companies. Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Industrial Manufacturing Project Database shows nearly $9 billion invested in completed or ongoing battery-manufacturing projects that the company began in 2022 and 2023, at the height of EV optimism.

Among those projects is the construction of grassroot battery plants in Marshall, Michigan, and Glendale, Kentucky. Industrial Info places Ford's combined investment in these plants at slightly less than $6 billion.

Ford's Solution

The Kentucky and Michigan plants now represent excess battery capacity for the auto sector and are allowing Ford to pivot into the likes of utility-scale power grids, residential power supplies and data centers.

Last month, in addition to a restructuring of its EV manufacturing that most significantly harbored the end of its current EV model of the F-150 pickup, the company announced that it would form an energy-focused division to leverage its now-excess battery capacity with an aim toward manufacturing batteries for commercial and residential BESS units.

BESS units store energy and can provide power to solar facilities at times when the sun isn't shining, which has been their primary commercial deployment in the U.S. to date. Increasingly, data centers are implementing BESS units to cut down on the use of backup diesel-fueled generation at times when the grid goes down and the facilities need to remain in operation.

Ford also will manufacture residential backup battery units.

A Leader at Last

Lisa Drake's appointment to the newly formed Ford Energy provides leadership through Ford's battery plans. Drake previously served Ford as vice president for Technology Platform Programs and EV Systems, heading up Ford's battery-industrialization efforts, so she should be very much in the know regarding the best ways to implement Ford's plans to accommodate shifting battery markets.

Ford intends to manufacture its commercial BESS units for power generation and data center backup at its Glendale, Kentucky, plant. The Marshall, Michigan, plant will manufacture smaller, residential battery units as well as the batteries for a new midsize electric truck that Ford is introducing this year.

Both plants will manufacture lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries, which do not employ nickel or cobalt, lowering costs.

Drake's appointment represents a significant move off the planning table and into the real world, where Ford will, of necessity, pivot away from automobiles and into new areas.

Key Takeaways

• In December, Ford announced that it would enter into the BESS market and has now tapped Lisa Drake to head up the effort.
• Industrial Info's GMI Project Database shows Ford began battery-manufacturing projects in 2022 and 2023 requiring slightly less than $6 billion in total investment.
• Ford's all-electric EV sales declined 25% year-over-year for October 2025, the first month without the federal government's $7,500 EV subsidy.

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About IIR News Intelligence
IIR News Intelligence is a trusted source of news for the industrial process and energy markets, powered by Industrial Info Resources' Global Market Intelligence (GMI).

About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 Trillion (USD).