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Truck OEMs’ Battery Cell Group Hires Ford Exec Kearns as CEO
Cummins, Daimler, Paccar Name JV Amplify Cell Technologies
Kel Kearns is slated to be the CEO at the commercial vehicle battery cell manufacturing joint venture set up by Accelera by Cummins, Daimler Trucks & Buses U.S. Holding and Paccar Inc., the partners said June 4.
The JV partners — two of which were responsible for 69% of all U.S. Class 8 retail sales in 2023 — intend to begin producing battery cells just for commercial vehicles in Marshall County, Miss., in 2027.
A nearly 30-year veteran of Ford Motor Co., Kearns’ most recent position was plant manager of the automaker’s Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center.
A significant part of Ford’s BlueOval City manufacturing complex in Stanton, Tenn., TEVC includes a 5 million-square-foot vehicle assembly plant for the automaker’s next generation of battery-electric vehicles. BlueOval City also includes a 4.2 million-square-foot battery cell manufacturing facility.
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A nearly 30-year veteran of Ford Motor Co., Kearns’ most recent position was plant manager of the automaker’s Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center. (Ford Motor Co. via YouTube)
Kearns, who started at the JV June 4, also worked for Ford in Thailand, China, India and his native Australia, according to his LinkedIn profile.
The name of the joint venture Kearns will join was also revealed June 4 — Amplify Cell Technologies. The partners said formation of the JV was formally completed too.
Amplify is expected to begin construction of the at-least 21-gigawatt-hour factory in Mississippi soon, with an official groundbreaking scheduled for June 28.
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The factory is expected to create more than 2,000 manufacturing jobs and will produce lithium-iron-phosphate battery cells. Most battery cells use nickel-manganese-cobalt or nickel-cobalt-aluminum chemistry.
LFP is ideal for commercial applications because of its durability, greater life cycle and lower costs compared with nickel, manganese and cobalt batteries, Carl Hergart, Paccar senior director of global powertrain planning and agency, told Transport Topics in January.
“We want to have an incredibly durable, abuse-tolerant battery that goes for the life of the truck and that the customer can rely on,” Paccar Chief Technology Officer John Rich said during a media briefing on the sidelines of the CES 2024 conference. “You have to ask yourself [how long] will that battery last. So chemistry has become very important.”
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Paccar is the parent of U.S.-based truck makers Kenworth Truck Co. and Peterbilt Motors Co.
Daimler Truck is the parent company of Freightliner and Western Star owner Daimler Truck North America.
Accelera, Daimler Truck and Paccar each own 30% of the JV. Eve Energy is to serve as the technology partner with a 10% ownership stake and is contributing its battery cell design and manufacturing expertise.
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“Amplify Cell Technologies will enable Paccar to offer customers cost-effective, premium, quality battery-electric powertrains that meet their operational and sustainability needs,” CEO Preston Feight said in a statement accompanying the announcement of Kearns’ appointment and the venture’s name.
DTNA CEO John O’Leary added: “For Daimler Truck, a strict focus on costs and smart capital allocation are the key levers to succeed on the path toward truly sustainable transportation. This partnership enables economies of scale beyond Daimler Truck.”
“It is a key puzzle piece of our battery industrialization strategy, ensuring access to the right battery cell technology at the right cost and right time for our customers,” he said.
