Ford Appoints Lisa Drake to Lead New Battery Energy Storage Business

Ford Motor Company has named Lisa Drake as President of its newly formed energy products and solutions unit, Ford Energy, tasking her with launching the company’s planned battery energy storage systems business as Ford expands beyond vehicles into grid-focused energy infrastructure.

The appointment follows Ford’s December 2025 announcement that it would enter the battery energy storage market after reassessing its electric vehicle strategy. The move came after the company recorded a $19.5 billion charge and streamlined parts of its U.S. EV asset base and product roadmap amid slower-than-expected demand growth. Battery storage now represents a complementary pathway to deploy capital and capabilities already built for electrification.

 

Repositioning Battery Assets for Grid Demand

 

Ford Energy is designed to repurpose portions of Ford’s existing U.S. battery manufacturing capacity toward stationary energy storage. Demand for large-scale battery systems is rising rapidly, driven by data center expansion, grid modernization, and the need to balance renewable power generation. Ford has identified utility-scale storage and infrastructure customers as the initial focus of the business.

The company plans to invest approximately $2 billion over the next two years to scale the new unit. Initial production capacity is expected to come online in mid-2027, with Ford targeting annual deployments of at least 20 GWh by the end of that year. Alongside large installations, Ford Energy also intends to supply battery cells for residential energy storage solutions, broadening its reach across the energy value chain.

 

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Leadership Continuity and Industrial Execution

 

Drake brings more than three decades of experience at Ford to the role. Prior to her appointment, she served as Vice President of Technology Platform Programs and EV Systems, where she led industrial planning for battery manufacturing and electric propulsion engineering. Her background positions her to oversee the full lifecycle of Ford Energy’s operations, from cell production and system assembly to commercial sales and customer delivery.

In outlining the strategy behind the new unit, Drake said Ford Energy is intended to maximize the value of the company’s battery manufacturing capabilities by applying them to fast-growing segments beyond vehicles, starting with utility-scale storage while maintaining flexibility to serve residential markets.

 

Strategic Rationale and Market Context

 

Ford’s leadership emphasized that energy storage offers a more stable demand profile compared with passenger EVs, particularly as electricity systems integrate higher shares of variable renewable generation. Vice Chair John Lawler highlighted Drake’s experience in scaling complex industrial systems and securing critical supply chains, noting that these capabilities will be central to establishing Ford Energy as a reliable supplier of grid-scale storage.

The launch reflects a broader trend among automakers and battery manufacturers seeking to diversify revenue streams as electrification evolves. Grid-connected storage is increasingly viewed as core infrastructure, supporting resilience, peak demand management, and the integration of renewables, while offering long-term offtake opportunities with utilities and large commercial customers.

 

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Looking Ahead

 

With Ford Energy, the company is positioning itself at the intersection of manufacturing, energy systems, and infrastructure investment. If executed as planned, the business could provide a pathway to monetize battery capacity while supporting grid stability and decarbonization objectives. Drake’s mandate now is to translate Ford’s industrial scale into a competitive presence in a market that is becoming central to energy transition strategies worldwide.