Ford in negotiations with BYD for battery supply deal

Ford looking to strike a deal with BYD to supply its hybrids with their batteries

It looks like Ford's electrified vehicles will soon have battery packs supplied by the leading New Energy Vehicle (NEV) brand, BYD.

According to reports by Car News China and The Wall Street Journal, Ford Motor Company is currently negotiating a deal with BYD to set up a partnership that would see the Blue Oval sourcing its batteries from BYD for some of its hybrid vehicles.

The exact specifics of the deal are still being determined by both parties, as there are several options Ford and BYD could agree on. One of those is Ford shipping BYD-supplied batteries to its manufacturing plants outside the US.

Should an agreement be reached, Ford would gain access to BYD's extensive battery technology for both plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs). The partnership would also align with Ford's strategic plan of scaling back from pure EV operations and focusing more on hybrid vehicles. While BYD previously operated a commercial vehicle plant in California for making electric buses, BYD has yet to build vehicle batteries for the US market.

With Ford shifting its attention to hybrids, striking a potential deal with BYD could help the Blue Oval with its battery technology without having to invest heavily. We'll be keeping a close eye on this development between Ford and BYD.