Ford F-150 Lightning gets $10K price cut, $50K MSRP as ramping supply meets demand
Ford Motor Company says it is in the home stretch of massive upgrade to its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Michigan – soon enabling the facility to triple F-150 Lightning production. This level of scaling paired with reduced raw materials costs is now enabling Ford to cut the price of all trims of the F-150 Lightning, delivering MSRPs closer to numbers originally promised when the electric pickup first debuted. But is the price cut purely supply side?
As Ford continues to pivot its global business strategy for the all-electric age, its no wonder one of the first conversions on its to-do list was the F-150 pickup – the best selling truck in the US for nearly 50 years. Not only did Ford successfully create an all-electric version of its most popular model, but did so with specs and a price point consumers ate up – leading the EV to sell out its first tow years of production.
To keep up with growing demand, Ford committed to a global investment of $50 billion to repurpose its production facilities to build EVs – including the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center (REVC) in Dearborn, Michigan. This past March, Ford shared plans to triple Lightning production at Rouge, but while the American automaker was continuing to try and scale, other economic woes rattled its bottom line.
Raw material costs in batteries for instance as well as the costs of the aforementioned facility upgrades did affect Ford – who had to raise the price of its Lightning trims and even had to suspend new reservations at one point to come up for air.
By May, reservations had reopened, and a month later, Ford was reporting it remained on track to reach scale at the REVC by this fall – prioritizing XLT deliveries for new customers. Still, higher prices have stuck with the Lightning models – but as Ford looks to reopen the REVC, major MSRP discounts will coincide.
Ford’s plant upgrade enables lower priced Lightnings
Per news out of Ford HQ this morning, the automaker appears poised to reached scaled Lightning production promised months ago, enabling it to lower the price of all trims for new customers. The
Ford shared that the Rouge facility has been temporarily shuttered to complete the final upgrades toward its complete EV production revamp – enabling an annual output rate of 150,000 electric pickups beginning this fall.
Beginning as early as this October, new customers will be able to build their own Lightning truck to order at a price closer to what was originally promised a couple years ago. Ford cites upgrades to the REVC and improved battery material costs as the catalysts to lower MSRPs, which will now be as follows:
| Lightning Model | Previous MSRP | Updated MSRP | Savings |
| Pro | $59,974 | $49,995 | $9,979 |
| XLT 311A | $64,474 | $54,995 | $9,479 |
| XLT 312A | $68,474 | $59,995 | $8,479 |
| XLT 312A Extended Range | $78,874 | $69,995 | $8,879 |
| Lariat 510A | $76,974 | $69,995 | $6,979 |
| Lariat Extended Range | $85,974 | $77,495 | $8,479 |
| Platinum Extended Range | $98,074 | $91,995 | $6,079 |
In addition to the price cuts above, Ford customers can take advantage of an additional $1,000 bonus if they build their own XLT, Lariat, or Platinum (still no Pros, sorry) Lightning through Ford’s website or dealer network before July 31. Ford Model e’s chief customer officer Marin Gjaja spoke to the new pricing opportunities:
Shortly after launching the F-150 Lightning, rapidly rising material costs, supply constraints and other factors drove up the cost of the EV truck for Ford and our customers. We’ve continued to work in the background to improve accessibility and affordability to help to lower prices for our customers and shorten the wait times for their new F-150 Lightning.
It also important to note that at these reduced prices, most of the Ford F-150 Lightning models (excluding Platinum) may qualify for up to $7,500 in federal tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act. Let’s also not forget that future F-150 Lightning drivers are going to have access to Tesla’s Supercharger network next year. Big wins all around, except for the the Ford (F) stock price which dropped over 4%
Electrek’s take
As we’ve said on Tesla’s many price reductions, the motives aren’t all supply side as Ford has laid out. Auto manufacturers will sell their vehicles at the highest prices the market will bear and it appears that Ford can now out-produce the demand at its previous price points.
Tesla’s Cybertruck is also set to enter the conversation later this year and the Chevy Silverado EV is now selling to fleet customers with 100+ more miles of range.
We also know that Ford isn’t yet profitable on EVs so cutting prices on F-150s would seem to be a demand-focused change.
Either way, it means lower price points for consumers which we love to see and combined with IRA discounts, this $1000 bonus and other incentives like drastically lowered cost of ownership, will spur on EV adoption.
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A view of offshore oil and gas platform Esther in the Pacific Ocean on January 5, 2025 in Seal Beach, California.
Mario Tama | Getty Images
Oil prices jumped on Friday as the U.S. Treasury Department announced sweeping sanctions against Russia’s oil industry.
Brent gained $1.92, or 2.5%, to $78.84 per barrel by 11:12 a.m. ET, while U.S. crude oil advanced $1.89, or 2.56%, to $75.81 per barrel. Brent broke $80 per barrel for the first time since October earlier in day, hitting a session high of $80.75.
The sanctions target Russian oil companies Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas and their subsidiaries, more than 180 tankers, and more than a dozen Russian energy officials and executives. The sanctioned executives include Gazprom Neft CEO Aleksandr Valeryevich Dyukov.
The sanctioned vessels are mostly oil tankers that are part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” that has dodged existing sanctions on the country’s energy exports, according to the Treasury Department.
“The United States is taking sweeping action against Russia’s key source of revenue for funding its brutal and illegal war against Ukraine,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement.
Brent crude futures, 1 year
“With today’s actions, we are ratcheting up the sanctions risk associated with Russia’s oil trade, including shipping and financial facilitation in support of Russia’s oil exports,” Yellen said.
The perception in the oil market is Indian and Chinese refiners that have imported Russian oil will have to scramble for barrels from the Middle East, said Bob Yawger, executive director of energy futures at Mizuho Securities, in a note to clients Friday.
The Biden administration has sought to ratchet up pressure on Russia and dispense aid to Ukraine before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
“The Biden administration opted for more robust energy sanctions, which caught the oil market especially complacent about sanctions risks,” said Bob McNally, president of Rapidan Energy Group.
“Therefore, we expect today’s material risk premium in Brent to stick pending signals from the Trump team as to whether they will continue these sanctions,” McNally said.
Hydrostor’s GEM A-CAES has received a conditional loan guarantee of up to $1.76 billion from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to build the Willow Rock Energy Storage Center, a cutting-edge compressed air energy storage (CAES) system, in Eastern Kern County, California.
If everything goes as planned, Willow Rock will bring 500 megawatts (MW) and 4,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of long-duration energy storage (LDES) to the southern California power grid.
This system will lower energy costs, improve grid reliability during peak demand, and expand the rollout of renewable energy into the grid. Here’s how it works and why it’s unique.
How compressed air energy storage works
CAES technology is all about storing energy for later use, especially when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing. Here’s how it works:
- Storing energy: The system takes surplus energy (often from renewable sources like solar or wind) and uses it to compress air, which is stored in underground caverns.
- Releasing energy: When the grid needs power, the compressed air is released, passing through a turbine to generate electricity. Willow Rock will be able to dispatch stored energy at full power for over eight-hour periods.
Unlike conventional batteries, CAES can scale up based on the size of the storage cavern and doesn’t rely on scarce critical materials. It’s durable, too –systems like Willow Rock are designed to last over 50 years.
Why advanced CAES is different
Traditional CAES systems face two big challenges: wasted heat and inconsistent power output. Willow Rock’s advanced compressed air energy storage system (A-CAES) technology solves these problems:
- Thermal energy capture: Conventional CAES loses around 50% of energy during the air compression process. Willow Rock pairs a proprietary thermal storage system with this process, so it captures, stores, and reuses heat from the compression cycle.
- Constant Pressure: Traditional systems lose efficiency as underground air pressure drops. Willow Rock maintains consistent pressure by using water from an above-ground reservoir. As a bonus, the facility will be a net producer of fresh water, as water condensed during the compression process will be captured and reused.
This innovative design means A-CAES systems can be installed in a greater variety of underground conditions – an estimated 80% of US geology could support similar systems, opening the door for wide deployment.
Willow Rock will create up to 700 construction jobs at its peak, and 40 full-time operations roles will follow. These positions require skills similar to those used in the oil and gas industry, making it a natural fit for Kern County, a region with roots in fossil fuel production.
GEM A-CAES is a subsidiary of Hydrostor USA Holdings, a subsidiary of Hydrostor of Canada.
Read more: The world’s highest solar + storage project is online in Tibet
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Chinese EV automaker Build Your Dreams (BYD) has unveiled its ATTO 2 compact SUV to the European public. The launch, which took place at the Brussels Motor Show, kicks off BYD’s next EV entry into European and UK markets. The BYD ATTO 2 is smaller and more affordable than its SUV siblings, with a decent range to boot, perfect for European roads.
The ATTO 2 is a rebranded version of the Chinese EV automaker BYD’s Yuan Up – an ultra-affordable compact SUV that debuted in China in February 2024. BYD may not be bringing “Yuan” branded EVs over to new markets in Europe, but that lineup continues to grow each month.
BYD currently sells four all-electric models in the UK and seven in Europe, including the ATTO 3 SUV. Today, BYD debuted a rebranded version of the Yuan Up called the ATTO 2, which will go on sale to customers in the UK and Europe next month.
BYD unveils ATTO 2 in Brussels, sales begin in February
The Brussels Motor Show recently kicked off as the first major automotive expo in Europe in 2025, and BYD showed up with a new affordable BEV option to complement the ATTO 3. Per BYD executive vice president Stella Li:
We’re excited to start 2025 with another important model for our plans in Europe. The B-segment SUV class is incredibly popular here, and with the ATTO 2, we have an agile and versatile offering that will appeal to that large potential customer base. It takes all of BYD’s strengths in batteries, electric motors and Cell-to-Body construction and combines them in a compact package that brings new intelligent technologies to the urban SUV class.
The ATTO 2 is 4,310mm long, 1,830mm wide, and 1,675mm tall—145mm shorter and 45mm slimmer than its ATTO 3 sibling. Despite its compact size, the ATTO 2 offers up to 1,430 liters of cargo capacity with its rear seat down.
The ATTO 2 also sits atop BYD’s e-Platform 3.0, the first of the brand’s compact SUVs to utilize Cell-to-Body (CTB) construction, which integrates the battery completely into the vehicle chassis—this design results in optimized space and overall increased vehicle rigidity.
Speaking of batteries, the EU and UK customers who opt for an ATTO 2 can experience BYD’s proprietary Blade Batteries, which integrates LFP cells directly instead of fitting them into multiple modules. BYD says customers can choose between two battery sizes in their ATTO 2 order. At launch, a standard range edition will utilize a 45.1 kWh Blade Battery, delivering a (WLTP) 312 km (194 miles) range.
However, BYD said a larger-battery version of the ATTO 2 will arrive in the coming months and offer drivers greater range. The automaker is not yet sharing individual pricing for the ATTO 2 in the UK or Europe. Still, a representative for the company said the compact SUV is expected to land between the BYD Dolphin and ATTO 3 BEVs, which in the UK cost 26,140 GBP ($32,157) and 37,140 GBP ($45,689) respectively.
ATTO 2 sales are expected to begin in February.
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