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Ford’s electric vehicles are winning over the hearts of long-time Ford fans with an upgraded driving experience and new capabilities. EV owners are using their vehicles’ frunks and added technology such as vehicle-to-load (V2L) to upgrade their Halloween festivities, taking trick or treating to the next level. This Halloween, a few Ford EV owners showcased the innovative features and added benefits of going electric.

You may notice more Ford electric vehicles roaming around your neighborhood as the automaker continues to see soaring interest in its EV models.

Is it the instant torque, superior technology, or smooth, emissions-free ride? Either way, EVs are finally getting the attention they deserve. However, electric vehicle drivers are finding their ride offers more than just getting them from point A to point B.

Ford’s electric vehicles, in particular the F-150 Lightning, have been used to provide portable power during emergencies, such as during a Kentucky flood and, more recently, Hurricane Ian.

Ford’s electric vehicles were even used to make a movie set in the forest, powering everything from on-set effects to cameras and even the production crew’s coffee maker.

How is this possible, you ask? Ford’s electric vehicles, including the F-150 Lighting and E-Transit, are equipped with vehicle-to-load (V2L) technology, or what Ford calls Pro Power Onboard.

Pro Power Onboard converts Ford’s EVs into powerful mobile generators with up to 9.6 kW power and 11 outlets. Four in the Mega Power Frunk, two inside, four in the bed, and last but not least, a 240V in the bed.

The power generation is plenty to provide backup energy or even make a movie, but a few Ford EV drivers are taking it a step further, using their electric vehicles to enhance the holiday spirit. Halloween is a time when ghosts and goblins “come alive,” and Ford’s electric vehicles are powering up the festivities like never before.

Ford electric vehicles are upgrading the Halloween experience

Jace Craft Miller and Justin Koenig, from Clevland, Ohio, were among the first to order the Ford F-150 Lightning after it was unveiled in May 2021. After test-driving one at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center launch event in Dearborn, they were sold and couldn’t wait for to get their hands on one.

They were able to submit their order for the Ford F-150 Lightning Lariat ER model in June 2022, with the EV truck arriving on October 7, just in time for Halloween. Jace and Justin were excited it came before the holidays so they could recreate their display on their Mustang Mach-E model last Halloween.

Jace Craft-Miller and Jason Koenig Ford electric vehicles

The couple took two work lamps with a couple of Philips Hue bulbs and plugged them into the outlets of the Mega Power Frunk. They then grabbed all the pumpkins and decorations they could find to fill the Frunk.

Since Jace and Justin live on a main road, they say they don’t get many trick-or-treaters, but they say this is a fun way to participate in the Halloween festivities.

Jace tells me the “experience has really been above and beyond anything we imaged,” adding, “we knew it would be good, but it’s so quiet and quick.”

Both of them work in the roofing industry in Clevland, and they use the Ford F-150 Lightning out in the field every day. Since a ladder and roofing gear are always in the bed, they enjoy the added Frunk storage room.

Although the boating season is coming to an end in most places, Jace tells me they were able to get out once this past weekend and were “pleasantly surprised with the efficiency” of towing their 21-foot 5,000 lb boat.

Ford-electric-vehicles-Halloween
Joe’s F-150 Lightning Lariat XR

Joe from New York used his Ford electric truck to power the 9-foot Jack Skellington (pictured above) from the 240V outlet in the bed while the spotlights, light-up pumpkins, and animatronic Jack Skellington were plugged into the Mega Power Frunk.

Joe received his Ford F-150 Lightning Lariat XR on June 3 and told me he has loved “every mile driven” of the 11,000 miles so far. He says he has done more road-tripping this past summer than ever before.

With the “acceleration of a sportscar,” Joe says it’s the most luxurious truck he has driven after driving them for over 10 years. He too has used the Ford Lightning to tow. Joe took his 36-foot, 9,500 lb travel trailer to Cape Cod, Maine.

https://twitter.com/Dadalorian13/status/1586138472334729216/photo/1

Cory LaViska Ford F-150 Lightning

Cory, another Ford-150 Lightning driver, used his electric truck for a convenient trick-or-treating spot for the neighborhood.

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Block leads rebound in fintech stocks as analysts downplay JPMorgan data fee risk

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Block leads rebound in fintech stocks as analysts downplay JPMorgan data fee risk

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey testifies during a remote video hearing held by subcommittees of the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee on “Social Media’s Role in Promoting Extremism and Misinformation” in Washington, U.S., March 25, 2021.

Handout | Via Reuters

Block jumped more than 5% on Monday, leading a rally in shares of fintech companies as analysts downplayed the threat of JPMorgan Chase’s reported plan to charge data aggregators for access to customer financial information.

The recovery followed steep declines on Friday, after Bloomberg reported that JPMorgan had circulated pricing sheets outlining potential fees for aggregators like Plaid and Yodlee, which connect fintech platforms to users’ bank data.

In a note to clients on Monday, Evercore ISI analysts said the potential new expenses were “far from a ‘business model-breaking’ cost increase.”

In addition to Block’s rise, PayPal climbed 3.5% on Monday after sliding Friday. Robinhood and Shift4 recorded modest gains.

Broader market momentum helped fuel some of the rebound. The Nasdaq closed at a record, and crypto rallied, with bitcoin climbing past $123,000. Ether, solana, and other altcoins also gained.

JPMorgan announces plans to charge for access to customer bank data

Evercore ISI’s analysts said that even if JPMorgan’s changes were implemented, the most immediate effect would be a slight bump in the cost of one-time account setups — perhaps 50 to 60 cents.

Morgan Stanley echoed that view, writing that any impact would be “negligible,” especially for large fintechs that rely more on debit, credit, or stored balances than bank account pulls for transactions.

PayPal doesn’t anticipate much short-term impact, according to a person with knowledge of the issue. The person, who asked not to be named in order to speak about private financial matters, noted that PayPal relies on aggregators primarily for account verification and already has long-term pricing contracts in place.

While smaller fintechs that depend heavily on automated clearing house (ACH) rails or Open Banking frameworks for onboarding and compliance may face real pressure if the fees take effect, analysts said the larger platforms are largely insulated.

WATCH: Congress moves to redraw $3.7 trillion crypto market rules, opening door to Wall Street

Congress moves to redraw $3.7 trillion crypto market rules, opening door to Wall Street

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EV sales hit 9.1M globally in H1 2025, but the US just hit the brakes

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EV sales hit 9.1M globally in H1 2025, but the US just hit the brakes

The global EV market is still charging ahead. According to new numbers from global research firm Rho Motion, 9.1 million EVs were sold worldwide in the first half of 2025, up 28% compared to the same period last year. But not every region is accelerating at the same pace.

China and Europe are doing the heavy lifting

More than half of the world’s EVs this year have been bought in China. That market hit 5.5 million sales in the first six months of 2025 – a 32% jump year-over-year. Around half of new cars bought in China are now electric.

While some Chinese cities’ subsidies have dried up, Rho Motion expects momentum to pick back up later in the year as more funding is released.

In Europe, 2 million EVs were sold in the first half of the year, up 26%. Battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales also rose 26%, thanks in part to affordable models like the Renault 4 (pictured) and 5 entering the market. Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) weren’t far behind, growing 27% year-to-date. Chinese automakers are leaning into PHEVs as a way to work around the EU’s new tariffs on BEVs.

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Spain is leading the pack with EV sales soaring 85% so far this year. Its generous MOVES III incentive program was extended in April and has kept sales strong. The UK and Germany are also seeing solid growth – 32% and 40%, respectively. France, however, is slumping. With subsidies cut, EV sales there have dropped 13%.

North America is stuck in the slow lane

Things aren’t looking quite as bright in North America. EV sales in the US, Canada, and Mexico are up just 3% so far this year.

Mexico is the one bright spot, with a 20% boost. The US is up 6%. But Canada is down a whopping 23%.

And things could get bumpier. On July 4, Trump signed Congress’s big bill into law, which axes all the Inflation Reduction Act EV tax credits. Those consumer credits for EVs now officially end on September 30.

Just over half of the EVs sold in the US this year qualified for those credits. Rho Motion predicts a rush in Q3 before the subsidies disappear – and a decline in sales after that.

Rho Motion data manager Charles Lester said, “With Trump’s latest cuts in his ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ the US could struggle to see any growth in the EV market overall in 2025.”

Global EV sales snapshot, H1 2025 vs H1 2024

  • Global: 9.1 million (+28%)
  • China: 5.5 million (+32%)
  • Europe: 2.0 million (+26%)
  • North America: 0.9 million (+3%)
  • Rest of world: 0.7 million (+40%)

Read more: China breaks records as global EV sales hit 7.2 million in 2025


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The Lucid Air is crushing the competition as the best-selling luxury EV sedan in the US

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The Lucid Air is crushing the competition as the best-selling luxury EV sedan in the US

Lucid’s electric sedan can drive further, charge faster, and packs more advanced tech than most of the competition. That might explain why it’s leading the segment. The Lucid Air remained the best-selling luxury EV sedan in the US after widening its lead in the Q2.

The Lucid Air is America’s best-selling luxury EV sedan

The 2025 Lucid Air Pure arrived as the “World’s most efficient car” with an EPA-estimated range of 420 miles and a record 146 MPGe.

It just set a new Guinness World Record last week for the longest journey by an electric car after travelling 749 miles (1,205 km) on a single charge.

That record was set in the range-topping Lucid Air Grand Touring model, which is rated for up to 512 miles of EPA-estimated range. On the WLTP scale, it’s rated at 597 miles (960 km). Either way, it still crushed the estimates.

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According to second-quarter sales data, released by Kelley Blue Book on Monday, the Lucid Air is still America’s best-selling luxury EV.

Lucid sold 2,630 Air models in Q2, up 10% from the previous year. Through the first half of 2025, Lucid Air sales are up 17% with 5,094 units sold.

Lucid-Air-best-selling-luxury-EV-sedan
Lucid Air (Source: Lucid)

Tesla, on the other hand, only sold 1,435 Model Ss during the quarter, 71% fewer than it did in Q2 2024. Tesla Model S sales in the US are down 70% through the first half of the year at 2,715.

Although Porsche Taycan sales were up 32% with 1,064 models sold, the significantly upgraded 2025 model year was expected to see even more demand. Porsche has 2,083 Taycans in the US this year, up just 1% from 2024.

Lucid-best-selling-luxury-EV-sedan
Lucid Air Pure interior (Source: Lucid)

Other luxury EV sedans, such as the BMW i5 (1,434), i7 (820), and the Mercedes EQS (498), experienced steep double-digit sales declines year-over-year.

And it’s not just electric luxury sedans. The Lucid Air is currently outselling many gas-powered vehicles in its segment.

Lucid-Air-best-selling-luxury-EV-sedan
Lucid Air (left) and Gravity (right) Source: Lucid

Lucid’s first electric SUV, the Gravity, is also rolling out. Although only five were sold in the second quarter, Lucid is quickly scaling production. Lucid aims to produce 20,000 vehicles this year, more than double the roughly 9,000 it built in 2024.

Earlier today, Lucid’s interim CEO, Marc Winterhoff, confirmed during an interview with Bloomberg that the company expects higher Gravity output in the second half of the year.

The interview was at the grand opening of Panasonic’s new battery cell plant in De Soto, Kansas. Winterhoff said Lucid will start using new cells from the facility, but not until next year.

Lucid’s CEO stressed the importance of establishing a local supply chain, as policy changes under the Trump Administration are taking effect. Lucid and Panasonic are collaborating to localize EV materials, such as graphite. Last month, Lucid secured a multi-year supply agreement with Graphite One for US-sourced Graphite.

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