Ford Motor is “completely” all for following Tesla and General Motors in producing its personal batteries for electrical automobiles, new CEO Jim Farley mentioned Friday.

The feedback are a reversal from Farley’s predecessor, Jim Hackett, who instructed traders in July that the automaker noticed “no benefit” in producing the batteries as a substitute of buying them from a third-party provider. Farley succeeded Hackett on Oct. 1.

Farley mentioned Ford is taking a look at producing EV batteries, together with the complicated cells that energy the automobiles, however no plans have been finalized. He mentioned such manufacturing might be a solution to offset anticipated manufacturing unit job losses as EVs require fewer employees to provide.

“Completely, we’re discussing it as a staff,” Farley mentioned throughout a Reuters automotive convention. “We expect that it is a pure time now as a result of our quantity is absolutely rising.”

Ford is ready to launch an all-electric crossover called the Mustang Mach-E within the coming weeks, adopted by an EV model of its Transit commercial van subsequent 12 months and an all-electric model of its flagship F-150 pickup in 2022.

Farley mentioned Ford is discovering there’s not quite a lot of flexibility to extend capability from third-party suppliers for batteries. He mentioned now’s the time to debate battery manufacturing because it grows its EV portfolio forward of a next-generation of automobiles coming round 2025.

“There’s quite a lot of different causes past value to make a transfer,” Farley mentioned. “It is one thing we’re discussing inside the corporate and it is the suitable time to debate it.”

Earlier than Tesla began producing batteries in its Gigafactory with Panasonic in 2017, automakers had been sourcing batteries, that are extraordinarily complicated to provide, from third-party suppliers. GM final 12 months introduced a $2.3 billion join venture with LG Chem to provide its proprietary Ultium batteries and cells at a brand new facility at present beneath development in Ohio.