Ford CEO says battery supply is EV production constraint while 140kWh F-150s roll off the line
Ford CEO Jim Farley emphasized the necessity of building out a supply chain in the US for critical battery minerals, calling it the constraint to accelerating EV production. Meanwhile, the American automaker continues manufacturing massive batteries, upwards of 140 kWh, for its full-size electric truck, the F-150 Lightning. Imagine how many EVs could be produced by making smaller, more efficient models. Perhaps like an electric Maverick?
Ford CEO claims battery supply is reason for constraints
Ford jumped out of the gate in 2022, selling 61,575 electric vehicles in the US and becoming the second largest EV maker domestically behind Tesla.
However, it also came at a price. Ford revealed last week it expects its EV business unit, Model e, to lose $3 billion this year after losing a combined $6 billion between 2021 to 2023.
Farley said in an interview with Yahoo Finance, “batteries are the constraint here,” as he went on to mention critical battery minerals like “both lithium and nickel are the key constraining commodities.”
The Inflation Reduction Act, passed last August, incentivizes sourcing and producing these minerals in North America or with the US’s free trade partners. However, as Farley goes on to explain:
We normally get those from all over the world — South America, Africa, Indonesia. We want to localize that in North America, not just the mining but the processing of the materials.
And perhaps more importantly, Farley adds that even raw materials mined in the US are often sent back to China for processing, which the US is trying to dissuade automakers from doing through grants and other incentives such as those in the IRA bill.
Although the actions have stemmed some domestic production capacity, China still accounts for over 70% of the market, with battery giants like CATL that continue gaining momentum (read more about CATL and Ford’s new LFP battery factory in the US).
Ford looks to take advantage of the new incentives with a plan to build its “largest, most advanced and efficient auto complex” in the automaker’s 118-year history.
The initiative, called BlueOval City, includes three new battery plants in collaboration with SK Innovation and a new EV manufacturing complex where Ford will produce its second-generation electric truck and EV platform, codenamed Project T3.
Farley says the manufacturing process at the mega-campus will be a breakthrough with “radical simplicity, cost efficiency, and quality technology.”
Ford says the EV battery and manufacturing complex is on track to begin production in 2025. Altogether Ford expects to have 129 GWh of annual EV battery production capacity when the plants are fully operational.
Despite the ongoing battery constraints mentioned by Farley, Ford is aiming to produce 2 million EVs annually by late 2026.
Electrek’s Take
Ford is building out its domestic supply chain and manufacturing capabilities to streamline production, cut costs, and put the company in a position to succeed in the increasingly competitive EV market.
Meanwhile, Ford continues to crank out production of its massive F-150 Lightning with the extended range model battery size of 131 kWh. Perhaps, making smaller, more efficient EV models, something like an electric Maverick-sized truck could benefit the automaker even further.
Ford released its electric Explorer in the European market, a mid-size electric SUV based on Volkswagen’s MEB platform with an expected 52 kWh base battery with more powerful versions offering up to 77 kWh.
For every one Lightning produced, Ford could make two electric Explorers, almost three. Now, if Ford could do the same with a smaller, more efficient truck like the Maverick, production capabilities could easily double, if not triple.
Ford is looking at ways to overcome the battery constraints with new EV battery types like Iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, as well as advanced vehicle platforms and manufacturing processes, but it may be even more helpful to focus on making more efficient alternatives.
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British Columbia got its first 400 kW DC fast charger last week at Canadian C-store chain On The Run, but that’s not the good part. As part of a limited time offer, these chargers are FREE!
The Canadian convenience store chain just took the wraps off its new, ABB-developed, 400 kW chargers earlier this month, but they’re already planning to bring the ultra-fast 400 kW dispensers to at least four more locations in BC this spring, and have them online just in time for the summer road trip season – something On The Run hopes its customers will appreciate.
“The A400 charger delivers an enhanced customer experience, with reliability and performance from a 32-inch screen to higher power charging sessions and power sharing,” reads the company’s official announcement, via LinkedIn. “Download the Journie Rewards app to start the charge – free for a limited time.”
On The Run’s new 400 kW ABB DC fast chargers are compatible with CCS and CHAdeMO plugs, and can accommodate Tesla and other NACS-equipped vehicles with an adapter. That said, the company seems to imply that Tesla drivers in particular will have a maximum charging speed of “just” 50 kW, which feel hilarious (given the current state of affairs between Tesla and the Canadian government), but probably isn’t.
In addition to the ABB A400 400 kW units shown here, On The Run locations also employ the ABB Terra 184 dispensers rated at 180 kW. On The Run plans similar deployments at the four BC locations mentioned above, as well as two more each in Quebec and Ontario slated to go live towards the end of this year.
Electrek’s Take
Tesla’s controversial CEO Elon Musk once mocked 350 kW charging speed as being “for a child’s toy,” despite the fact that, nearly nine years later, his own cars and Superchargers can barely make it to 325 kW while others have sailed right on past. I made fun of that fact on the Quick Charge episode shown, above – and, while I do think it’s funny and relevant, the much more relevant piece of news here is that companies like BP Pulse, Revel, and Wallbox are actively deploying 400 kW solutions, today (while others hit the same mark as far back as 2017).
It’s just a fact: Tesla has fallen way behind.
SOURCE | IMAGES: On The Run, via Electric Autonomy.
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Terawatt Infrastructure‘s first medium- and heavy-duty electric charging truck stop in California is now online, in Rancho Dominguez.
Located 12 miles north of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, the private Rancho Dominguez site, which is shared among multiple fleets, will support electric trucking fleet operations in and out of the largest container ports in the US.
First customers include Dreaded Trucking, Hight Logistics, PepsiCo, Quick Container Drayage, Southern Counties Express, Tradelink Transport, and WestCoast Trucking & Warehousing.
Terawatt’s electric charging truck stop features 20 pull-through and bobtail DC fast charging stalls with a capacity of 7 megawatts (MW), enabling charging for up to 125 trucks per day using a simple reservations system. Terawatt’s site features a proprietary charge management system, in-house technicians, 24/7 customer service, and onsite parts management.
“This launch underscores growing collaboration between enterprises, shippers, carriers, and charging infrastructure providers to advance sustainable technologies across logistics and transportation operations, especially in the medium and heavy-duty sectors,” said Neha Palmer, CEO and cofounder of Terawatt. Palmer added that the company will bring another charging site online in Rialto, California, in June.
Terawatt joined some of the world’s largest shippers and carriers in September 2024 to launch the I-10 Consortium heavy-duty EV operations pilot, the “first-ever US over-the-road electrified corridor.” Terawatt is providing charging infrastructure, including software, operations, and maintenance support at six of its owned charging hubs along the I-10 corridor.
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In its most aggressive attack against offshore wind yet, the Trump administration halted the $5 billion Empire Wind 1, already under construction off New York’s coast.
Norwegian developer Equinor announced yesterday that it received notice from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) ordering Empire Wind 1 to halt all activities on the outer continental shelf until BOEM has completed its review. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum posted this tweet yesterday:
Burgum gave no indication of what insufficiencies there were in the approval process for the fully permitted offshore wind project, despite Trump’s recent declaration of a national energy emergency that speeds up permitting processes.
The commercial lease for the 810-megawatt (MW) Empire Wind 1’s federal offshore wind area was signed in March 2017 during the first Trump administration. It was approved by the Biden administration in November 2023 and began construction in 2024.
The project is being developed under contract with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Empire Wind 1, which was due to come online in 2027, has the potential to power 500,000 New York homes.
“Halting construction of fully permitted energy projects is the literal opposite of an energy abundance agenda,” said American Clean Power Association CEO Jason Grumet in a statement. “We encourage the administration to quickly address perceived inadequacies in the prior permit approvals so that this project can complete construction and bring much-needed power to the grid.”
As Electrek reported, Equinor secured $3 billion to finance Empire Wind 1 in January. The total amount drawn under the project finance term loan facility as of March 31 was around $1.5 billion.
As of March 31, Empire Wind has a gross book value of around $2.5 billion, including South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (pictured above), which was expected to become the US’s largest dedicated port facility for offshore wind.
In response to BOEM’s stop work order, New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued the following statement:
Every single day, I’m working to make energy more affordable, reliable and abundant in New York and the federal government should be supporting those efforts rather than undermining them. Empire Wind 1 is already employing hundreds of New Yorkers, including 1,000 good-paying union jobs as part of a growing sector that has already spurred significant economic development and private investment throughout the state and beyond.
As Governor, I will not allow this federal overreach to stand. I will fight this every step of the way to protect union jobs, affordable energy and New York’s economic future.
Equinor says it’s considering appealing BOEM’s order.
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