Kentucky-based manufacturers and global companies with facilities in the Bluegrass State are accelerating production of components for electric vehicles.
The latest example is this week’s announcement by Ford Motor Company of a $5.8 million battery manufacturing campus in the small community of Glendale in Hardin County that will produce batteries for Ford and Lincoln electric vehicles.
A statewide coalition is encouraging the creation of more charging stations, with the goal of eventually making recharging an electric vehicle as easy as stopping to fill up at the gas station.
Kentucky has more than 2,600 fully electric vehicles registered in counties across the state, according to 2020 data. The previous year, the state had about 1,800 fully electric vehicles registered.
Executive Director of the Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition, Emily Carpenter, said plug-in hybrid vehicles, which also have a gas engine, are among electric vehicles on Kentucky roads.
“We do have lower numbers of the vehicles on the road than many other states, but it’s number that continues to rise year over year,” said Carpenter.
Major investments by Ford, Toyota, Hitachi, Firestone and Kentucky-grown companies like Trace Die Cast in Bowling Green show the Bluegrass State is speeding up engagement in “green” technology to meet the rising demand for electric vehicles.
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