Ford is officially winding down electric-vehicle battery production at the BlueOval SK plant in Glendale. According to a WARN notice, roughly 1,600 employees will be laid off, with cuts slated to begin around February 14, 2026. That sets a long runway for the transition.

The facility will stop operating in its current form as Ford shifts strategy. In its place, the site is slated to launch production of energy storage systems for data centers and utilities. The company estimates that dismantling equipment and retooling will take at least 16 months, and the new operation is not expected to start up until 2027. The timeline alone hints at the scale of the overhaul.

Ford says it intends to hire up to 2,100 employees for the future project, though workers who are being let go have been asked to reapply later. For many who relocated to the state for EV-battery roles, that prospect feels less like continuity and more like starting over.

A labor dispute with the UAW further complicates the picture. The union’s election was recorded as a win by an 11-vote margin, but Ford is contesting 41 ballots. The National Labor Relations Board must now decide whether to recognize the result. If the union is certified, the company could be required to negotiate the plant’s closure and compensation terms.