F-150 Lightning production halt, LFP battery, VW plug-in hybrid, Ford hub motor: Car News Today
Ford plans to make LFP batteries for electric vehicles and will soon include them in the Mach-E and F-150 Lightning. A battery problem halted Lightning production. All eyes are on Tesla and whether it will open up Supercharger hardware. And Volkswagen is back with its old plug-in hybrid message. This and more, at Green Car Reports.
Monday Ford confirmed a Michigan battery factory that, starting in 2026, will make cheaper lithium iron phosphate (LFP) electric vehicle battery using technology from China’s CATL. In the meantime, the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning will get this technology next year.
ONE The battery problem caused the Ford F-150 Lightning to stop production, though that has yet to affect sales. With an analysis underway, it remains unclear whether this is an issue that could lead to the recall.
In the face of Dieselgate’s self-imposed disruption, VW saw plug-in hybrid as a “bridge” to electric vehicles. After years of saying that hybrids and PHEVs for the US market would only shift focus away from all-electric models, VW seems to be returning to that old message.
Standards for federal EV charging sites are coming soon. Will Tesla opens its Supercharger network with other EVs and augment its proprietary connectors to access that government funding?
And Ford patented the combination of a combination of solid shaft and hub motor for electric vehicles, and it reminds us of the setup used by Lordstown Motors in Endurance—a setup that Ford has said is not durable enough for the F-150 Lightning. Does it make sense for a future off-road vehicle after all?
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