Ford to add iron phosphate battery option to Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning

Just months after announcing a “radical” segmentation structure to place its electric vehicle future in a new segment called the Model E, Ford was talking about battery production capacity and sourcing basic raw materials to power all those EVs. I am discussing in more detail. By the end of 2023 its run rate will need to support production of 270,000 Mustang Mach-S, 150,000 Transit EVs, 150,000 F-150 Lightnings, and 30,000 units of a mystery all-new mid-size SUV, which will be released in Europe. is intended for.

However, it was not mentioned, it is a report bloomberg It showed on Wednesday that the company plans to lay off 8,000 people from the Ford Blue segment, which now accounts for its older internal combustion engine-powered businesses.

Part of the plan revealed today includes updates to the batteries used in the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning EVs. It is adding a lithium iron phosphate battery (LFP) made by Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) for Mach-E in 2023 and the F-150 Lightning in 2024.

Ford says these will be available with batteries with existing nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) chemistry, a similar approach to Tesla. In Tesla’s Q1 earnings report earlier this year, the company said, “Nearly half of Tesla vehicles produced in Q1 were equipped with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, which contained no nickel or cobalt,” including most standard-class vehicles. Huh. Ford will take a similar approach by using them for standard-class battery packs, playing to the power of LFP batteries, which are cheaper but not as energy intensive.

Ford now says it has 100 percent of the battery cell production capacity needed to manufacture 600,000 electric cars and trucks annually “by the end of 2023” with the new packs, as well as LG Energy Solutions’ Wroclaw, Poland production facility and additional The cell has double the capacity. Production Capacity from SK ON.

Looking further down the road to its goal of building 2 million electric vehicles globally by the end of 2026, Ford has called on the battery giant to “explore collaboration” to manufacture batteries in China, Europe and North America. Announced a separate non-binding MoU with CATL. This is in addition to previously announced battery plants in Kentucky and Tennessee, as well as agreements directly with mining companies for essential raw materials, which “need most of the nickel in 2026 and beyond.”