Ford Motor Company F and its Korean battery partner, SK On Ltd., have secured a $9.63 billion loan from the U.S. Energy Department to construct three advanced electric vehicle (EV) battery plants in Tennessee and Kentucky. This loan, the largest ever issued by the department's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Program, will support the development of 120 gigawatt hours of battery capacity and create 7,500 jobs across the BlueOval SK LLC facilities.

Mallory Cooke, BlueOval SK spokesperson, initially estimated at $9.2 billion, the loan amount was revised upward due to inflation-driven cost increases. The finalization process, which began in June 2023, required extensive due diligence, including evaluations of technical, market, financial and regulatory factors. While repayment terms remain confidential, the loan's interest rate aligns with the U.S. Treasury-equivalent yields, with no added credit spread.

The Energy Department hailed the loan as a significant step toward reshoring manufacturing, reducing reliance on Chinese supply chains and achieving the Biden administration's goal of making half of all U.S. vehicles zero-emission by 2030. However, Ford and other automakers have encountered hurdles on the road to EV adoption, including delayed launches, product cancellations and consumer reluctance to embrace higher-priced vehicles amid ongoing challenges with charging infrastructure.

BlueOval SK has already invested more than $11 billion in the construction of its three facilities, each spanning four million square feet as well as in workforce development and equipment installation. The first Kentucky plant is slated to begin production in early 2025, followed by the Tennessee plant later that year. 

Earlier this month, the Energy Department announced a $7.54 billion loan to StarPlus Energy, a joint venture between Stellantis N.V. and Samsung SDI, to build two battery plants in Kokomo, IN. Last month, the Department of Energy proposed a $6.6 billion loan to Rivian for a Georgia plant to produce affordable EVs by 2028. In December 2022, it approved a $2.5 billion loan to a General Motors and LG Energy Solution joint venture for lithium-ion battery plants in Ohio, Tennessee and Michigan.

Ford’s Zacks Rank & Key Picks

F currently carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).

Some better-ranked stocks in the auto space are Dorman Products, Inc. DORM, Tesla, Inc. TSLA and Blue Bird Corporation BLBD, each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for DORM’s 2024 sales and earnings suggests year-over-year growth of 3.66% and 51.98%, respectively. EPS estimates for 2024 and 2025 have improved 75 cents and 88 cents, respectively, in the past 60 days.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TSLA’s 2024 sales suggests year-over-year growth of 3.36%. EPS estimates for 2024 have improved 22 cents in the past 60 days. EPS estimates for 2025 have improved 7 cents in the past 30 days.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BLBD’s fiscal 2025 sales and earnings suggests year-over-year growth of 10.97% and 12.14%, respectively. EPS estimates for fiscal 2025 have improved 18 cents in the past 30 days.

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