In a public letter addressed to Ford boss Jim Farley, House Republicans Mike Gallagher and Jason Smith introduced that two congressional committees are investigating the automaker’s licensing deal with Chinese battery maker CATL.
The probe facilities on Ford’s efforts to place CATL’s battery cell know-how to make use of at an upcoming, $3.5 billion battery cell plant in Michigan.
In their letter, the chairs of the House Ways and Means Committee and Select Committee on China name on Ford to hand over details on its settlement with CATL by August 10.
The representatives have requested for communications between Ford and the Biden administration regarding the CATL deal. They additional known as on Ford to elucidate the way it will “ensure imports from CATL to produce LFP batteries in Michigan are free of forced labor or inputs from Xinjiang.”
Reached by TechCrunch, a Ford spokesperson declined to touch upon the specifics of the letter. The spokesperson reiterated a press release that the automaker “alone is investing $3.5 billion and will own and run this plant in the United States, instead of building a battery plant elsewhere or exclusively importing LFP batteries from China like our competitors do.”
Earlier this week, House Republicans introduced a separate investigation into U.S. venture firms’ investments in China.
