Ford, battery maker SK On and cathode materials company EcoProBM are partnering to build an EV battery materials facility in Bécancour, Québec, the three companies announced yesterday. 

The approximately $885.9 million factory will produce cathode materials that will supply batteries for Ford's EV lineup. The site is slated to begin production in the first half of 2026 with a capacity of up to 45,000 tonnes of cathode anode material per year for nickel cobalt manganese EV batteries. 

The 1.3-million-square-foot facility marks Ford's first investment in Québec, part of the automaker's strategy to localize raw material production in regions where it manufactures electric vehicles, the company said. Ford announced plans in April to overhaul its Ontario, Canada, manufacturing complex to produce EVs. 

"Ford has been serving customers in Canada for 119 years, longer than any other automaker, and we’re excited to invest in this new facility to create a vertically integrated, closed-loop battery manufacturing supply chain in North America designed to help make electric vehicles more accessible for millions of people over time," Bev Goodman, president and CEO of Ford of Canada, said in a statement. 

The deal marks Korea-based EcoProBM's first entry into North America. The company established a Canada-based business segment in February, of which SK On and Ford will become investors. 

Ford and SK On have become frequent partners in bolstering the automaker's battery supply chain. The two companies are partnering to build three battery manufacturing plants, including two in Kentucky and one in Tennessee. 

SK On is also building two battery manufacturing plants in Georgia that were first announced in 2018 and finalized plans earlier this year to build a $5 billion EV battery campus in the state with Hyundai. 

Ford, meanwhile, has been busy hunting down battery material suppliers. The automaker signed multiple long-term lithium supply deals in May, part of a bid to de-risk its supply chain. The company also invested in an Indonesia-based nickel facility in March.