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BlueOval SK External Affairs Director Keli McAlister says the company is aware that the EV market has not grown as quickly as originally projected, but with sales seeing an 11 percent increase in Quarter One the company is confident their operation is part of a “growing, emerging market.”
“In a nutshell, this year it is estimated that one in four new vehicles that are sold in the United States will be electrified in some way,” McAlister said. “That means they will be full electric vehicles, they will be plug-in hybrids, or a traditional hybrid.”
McAlister gave an update on the company at the Hardin County Fiscal Court’s meeting Tuesday. She discussed common questions the company has received including the potential impact of tariffs and the current status of the Kentucky Two plant, which is still on pause.
“The construction for the most part is completed,” McAlister said. “It has met all safety requirements, and it is shelled out. The interior is empty, and the market will determine when that building is ready.”
When discussing safety, McAlister said after an investigation that lasted about a month, the root cause of the April 27 fire at the plant was determined.
“There was a misalignment of a shaft within a pump,” McAlister said. “The misalignment was likely due to the fact that our equipment is made to run 24/7. It’s supposed to stay on all the time. We’re in what’s called a testing phase right now, so our equipment is turned on and off, on and off.”
When asked about rumors regarding Nissan potentially joining Ford at the plant, McAlister reiterated the company’s previous statement that their parent companies are “always looking for new business opportunities” but Ford is currently their only customer, and she said any news on a new customer would come directly from BlueOval SK.
McAlister said about 1,400 employees have been onboarded, and full production is still on track to begin in the second half of this year.
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