Ford Motor Company announced today the appointment of Lisa Drake as President of its new energy products and solutions unit, Ford Energy, with responsibility for launching the company’s planned new battery energy storage systems (BESS) business.

The appointment follows an announcement by Ford of plans to launch the new BESS business in December 2025, after reporting a $19.5 billion charge and rationalizing its U.S. EV-related assets and product roadmap due to lower than expected demand.

The new BESS business will allow Ford to repurpose some of its existing U.S. battery manufacturing capacity, with the company targeting growing demand for battery energy storage emerging from data centers and infrastructure to support the electric grid. The company has said that it plans to invest approximately $2 billion over the next 2 years to scale the BESS business, with initial capacity coming online in mid-2027, and plans to deploy at least 20 GWh annually by late 2027.

Drake said:

“Ford Energy allows us to maximize the value of our battery manufacturing capabilities. We’re building a business focused first on utility-scale battery energy storage systems for large customers while also offering battery cells for residential energy storage solutions.”

Drake takes on her new role after more than 30 years with the company, most recently serving as Vice President, Technology Platform Programs and EV Systems, responsible for leading the industrial plan for batteries and electric propulsion engineering.

In addition to launching the BESS business, rake will be responsible for Ford Energy’s end-to-end operations, including battery cell manufacturing, system assembly, and sales, and for building the leadership team for the new opportunity, the company said.

Ford Vice Chair John Lawler said:

“Lisa has deep expertise in scaling complex industrial systems and securing critical supply chains. Her leadership is essential as we stand up Ford Energy to capture the growing demand for reliable battery energy storage that supports grid stability and resilience for utilities and large energy users.”