<div id="readability-page-1"><div><p><span>Ford Motor </span><span> may have found a cleaner way to ride the electrification trade without leaning first on vehicles. Shares jumped almost 14% on Wednesday, their biggest gain in more than six years, after the company formally launched Ford Energy, a grid-battery business that could give the Detroit automaker exposure to rising power demand from AI-linked data centers. The move comes at a difficult moment for Ford's EV ambitions, with its Model e division still losing money and the US EV market facing pressure after federal tax credits for new vehicle buyers were removed.</span></p><p><span>Ford Energy is being built from the Kentucky battery manufacturing site tied to Ford's now-defunct joint venture with South Korea's SK On Co. Ltd., a project Ford impaired and took over as part of a $19.5 billion write-down of its EV business. The company plans to spend $2 billion retooling the site, with a goal of producing up to 20 gigawatt-hours of battery capacity a year and beginning deliveries in 2027. While that remains below Tesla's roughly 46 gigawatt-hours of annual energy-storage battery capacity across California and Nevada, the timing could be useful, with US demand expected to double by 2030 to more than 100 gigawatt-hours, according to Bloomberg NEF.</span></p><p><span>The key investor question is whether this can become more than a salvage operation. Ford is licensing the underlying technology from CATL, the world leader in grid batteries, which could add credibility and help the company move faster after years of EV pressure. Morgan Stanley </span><span> estimates the business could become a roughly $600 million EBIT contributor within a few years, even after licensing fees. That would not erase the burden from Model e, which consensus estimates forecast could lose an average of about $4 billion a year at the pre-tax line through 2028, but any positive contribution could matter. For Ford, grid batteries may offer a bridge: a way to keep its EV options alive while tapping a power-storage market being pulled higher by data centers, grid stress and the broader push toward electrification.</span></p></div></div>

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<p>Ford shares surged nearly 14% after the launch of Ford Energy, a grid-battery business aimed at capitalizing on rising power demand from AI-linked data centers. This initiative comes as Ford's Model e division struggles financially. The company plans to invest $2 billion to retool its Kentucky battery manufacturing site, targeting 20 gigawatt-hours of annual battery capacity by 2027. While this capacity is less than Tesla's, it aligns with projected US demand growth. Analysts suggest Ford Energy could contribute $600 million in EBIT, providing a potential lifeline for Ford's EV ambitions amid ongoing losses.</p>

- Ford Motor has launched Ford Energy, a grid-battery business, which led to a 14% increase in its shares.  
- The initiative comes amid challenges with Ford's EV ambitions, as the Model e division continues to face losses amid changes in the US EV market.  
- With plans to produce up to 20 gigawatt-hours of battery capacity annually by 2027, Ford may leverage rising power demand to support its transition to electrification, despite existing financial burdens.

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Ford Jumps 14% As AI Power Pivot Revives EV Hopes