Ford is building a battery plant in Marshall, Michigan, and plans to license CATL technology to produce low-cost lithium-iron batteries at the facility. That plan has been controv

The automaker has long faced pushback over its plan to license Chinese battery technology at its multibillion plant in Michigan.

Ford has a licensing agreement to manufacture electric vehicle batteries with technology from a Chinese company that's under scrutiny at the Pentagon.

The U.S. Defense Department added CATL and Tencent Holdings, to its annual list of companies alleged to have ties to China's military.

Other battery suppliers do exist, but CATL still holds the largest market share. Directly behind CATL is another Chinese supplier, BYD/FinDreams, which also doubles as an EV manufacturer. Korea-based LG Energy Solution sits as the third-largest supplier, while Panasonic, a Japanese-based electronics company, is the fourth-largest.

A key partner for Elon Musk’s Tesla is threatening to sue the U.S. government over the Pentagon’s decision to blacklist it from federal contracts, blasting it as a “mistake.”

The Pentagon's running list of companies with ties to the Chinese military now includes CATL, an integral partner to some U.S. automakers.

The addition of Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) to a Chinese military-linked entities list has thrust Tesla’s reliance on the Chinese battery giant into the spotlight. While the designation currently imposes no direct sanctions,

The Pentagon recently added Tesla’s battery suppliers, Contemporary Amperex Technology, and Tencent to its list of companies with ties to the Chinese military. While the designation has minimal direct business impact,