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The all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning has made its way overseas. Ford announced that the first F-150 Lightning pickup had been delivered in Norway, its first market outside North America.

Ford delivers its first F-150 Lightning in Norway

Ford’s electric pickup is going global. After seeing the overwhelming demand for capable EVs in Europe, Ford said it would expand F-150 Lightning deliveries outside of North America for the first time.

The American automaker announced last April that Norway would be its first overseas market, saying the Lightning is ideal for the nation’s “terrain, outdoor spirit, and EV passion.”

Norway hit another record with 82.4% EV market share last year, up from 79.2% in 2022 and 64.5% in 2021. With improved EV incentives this year, The Norwegian EV Association is confident it will reach 100% zero-emission car sales in 2025.

With about two-thirds of the nation’s vehicles equipped with AWD, Ford believes Norway is the perfect first overseas market for the F-150 Lightning.

Gunnar Berg, managing director of Ford Norway, said he’s never seen demand from drivers in his 25 years at Ford as he has with the Lightning. Berg said, “I’ve had customers literally banging on my door and pleading with us to bring the electric pickup to Norway.”

Ford-first-F-150-Lightning-Norway
(Source: Ford)

They won’t have to plead for much longer as the first F-150 Lightning was officially handed over in the nation. Berg announced on social media that the first electric pickup was delivered in Norway on Friday.

The owners, Dag and his wife Angela are from Texas and run a US barbeque business outside of Oslo. With two teenage sons over 6 feet tall, the electric F-150 Lightning will be the perfect fit.

Ford launched a limited Lightning Lariat edition with 240 miles range, over 1,000 Nm torque, 7,700 lbs (3.5 tons) towing, and mobile power capabilities.

Ford’s Lightning was the best-selling electric pickup in the US last year, with over 24,000 units sold, up 54% from 2022.

2024 Ford F-150 Lightning trim Starting Price Range
(EPA-estimated miles)
Pro $54,995 240
XLT $64,995 240
Flash $73,495 320
Lariat $79,495 320
Platinum $84,995 300
Platinum Black $92,995 300
2024 Ford F-150 Lightning prices and range

After updating prices earlier this month, the 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning now starts at $54,995 in the US. Ford added a new Flash trim for the 2024MY that hits the “sweet spot” with features pulled from the XLT and Lariat trims.

Ford-F-150-Lightning-Flash
2024 Ford Lightning Flash trim (Source: Ford)

The new trim includes 320 miles range, a tech-heavy interior, a heat pump, and Ford’s Tow Tech package, starting at $73,495.

Have you been eyeing Ford’s electric pickup? We can help you find the perfect Lightning model at the right price. You can use our link to find great deals on the 2023 and 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning at a dealer near you.

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Communication is now even more important to getting renewable projects off the ground, experts say

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Communication is now even more important to getting renewable projects off the ground, experts say

(From left) CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick moderates an IoT panel with Cenk Alper, CEO of Sabanci Holding, Christina Shim, chief sustainability officer of IBM, and Mitesh Patel, interim CEO and COO of SunCable International, at CONVERGE LIVE on March 13, 2025.

Renewable energy companies can shorten the long approval process needed for their projects by communicating better with stakeholders, according to experts.

Christina Shim, IBM’s chief sustainability officer, said sponsors need to focus on the business value — in addition to the environmental benefits — when discussing their projects.

“That being said … there are some triggering words now, depending on where you sit around the world, and I think the more that you can quantify business value for what you’re doing and tie it to, again, the business operations and business decision making, it’s only going to be more and more important,” Shim said Thursday.

“As long as the outcomes are the same, you just need to make sure that you’re communicating in an appropriate way with the right stakeholders.”

She compared it to how one might talk to a CFO, versus an investor, versus someone in procurement. “You kind of have to talk about things a little bit differently.”

Mitesh Patel, interim CEO and COO at SunCable International, agrees that adjusting communication for the right audience is crucial.

“For politicians, the voters are their constituency, not your project or not your company. You have to help them translate what benefits your project will bring to the constituents,” said Patel, whose company is developing a project to deliver solar energy from Australia to Singapore via undersea cables.

The project, called Australia-Asia PowerLink, is valued around $24 billion and expected to supply Singapore with 1.75 gigawatts of electricity — or around 15% of its electricity needs, according to the company.

The comments by Shim and Patel, who were speaking to CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick on a panel in Singapore, come as renewable energy projects often take many years to get off the ground.

A report from the Global Infrastructure hub, which is part of the World Bank’s Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility, noted the complex nature of preparation needed before an infrastructure project gets underway. It put the average project preparation time at 6 years but said it can take up to 14 years if the project is not planned properly.

Political will is 'absolutely essential' for cross-jurisdiction sustainability projects: SunCable International

Cenk Alper, CEO of Sabanci Holding, a Turkish conglomerate, said the biggest obstacle to getting renewable energy projects off the ground is often regulatory.

“The biggest problem is still government — the permits. Because from licensing to making a project ready, the total time is longer than the construction time,” he said.

The situation in Europe is worse, he added, citing a project where connecting to the grid took two years.

Alper said Western countries need to streamline the approval process for renewable energy projects, noting China has embarked on more projects in the last five years than the rest of the world combined.

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Killing IRA EV tax credits will ruin US EV and battery industries – Princeton study

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Killing IRA EV tax credits will ruin US EV and battery industries – Princeton study

A new study from the REPEAT Project led by Princeton University’s ZERO Lab warns that the repeal of Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) tax credits could decimate the growing EV manufacturing sector.

The report “Potential Impacts of Electric Vehicle Tax Credit Repeal on US Vehicle Market and Manufacturing” clearly outlines the risks. The Princeton study states that repealing the IRA federal tax credits and the EPA’s clean vehicle regulations would sharply reduce EV demand.

Specifically, EV sales could drop around 30% by 2027 and nearly 40% by 2030 compared to sticking with the policies implemented by the Biden administration. That means the share of EVs among new cars sold would shrink dramatically – from about 18% to 13% by 2026 and from 40% to just 24% by 2030.

“While no one has a perfect crystal ball, this is our best attempt to survey available quantitative forecasts and develop an outlook on US EV sales,” explained the study’s project leader, Jesse D. Jenkins, assistant professor at Princeton’s Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering and Andlinger Center for Energy & Environment in an email. “The report is also the only analysis I’m aware of to date that draws the connection to US manufacturing as well.”

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Here’s why this matters: The report points out that repealing these policies wouldn’t just slow down EV adoption – it could seriously derail the US manufacturing renaissance now underway. Up to 100% of planned expansions for EV assembly plants could be canceled or shuttered. Battery manufacturing would also take a huge hit, with between 29% and 72% of battery cell production capacity becoming redundant by 2025. That means factories under construction or those just coming online would be at risk.

To put that into perspective, an Environmental Defense Fund report released in January found that $197.6 billion worth of investments in EV and battery manufacturing have been announced at 208 facilities around the US, with two-thirds announced since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in August 2022.

It’s probably a good time to point out that, in order to qualify for IRA federal tax credits, EVs must be domestically assembled, use battery components that have been substantially domestically produced, and use critical minerals produced, processed, or recycled in North America or free trade agreement countries.

Why, then, is the Trump administration torpedoing an industry that’s achieving the very thing it says it wants to achieve, which is to boost domestic manufacturing and jobs?

And let’s not forget the broader EV supply chain – materials, parts, and component suppliers across the country would also suffer, though these effects haven’t even been fully quantified yet.

Bottom line: Repealing the tax credits and regulations wouldn’t just slow down EV sales – it would threaten the jobs, investments, and communities counting on America’s EV manufacturing boom.

Read more: Republican districts lose billions as clean energy cancellations surge


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Cadillac’s most affordable EV just got even cheaper

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Cadillac's most affordable EV just got even cheaper

The Optiq, Cadillac’s most affordable EV, just got a price cut. Despite being on the market for less than two months, GM cut lease prices by nearly $100 a month. Here’s how you can snag the deal.

GM cuts lease prices on Cadillac’s most affordable EV

Compared to Cadillac’s other electric vehicles, like the Escalade IQL, which starts at over $130,000, and the Vistiq, which has a price tag of over $77,000, the Optiq already looks like a steal at about $55,000.

Cadillac’s electric SUV arrived in January with lease prices starting at $489 per month. Although this was already its cheapest SUV (gas or EV), GM is making it even more affordable this month.

The 2025 Cadillac Lyriq is now listed at just $399 for 24 months with $4,929 due at signing. In less than two months, the OPTIQ’s lease prices have fallen by $90, or almost 20%. The deal is for the 2025 Cadillac Optiq AWD Luxury 1 with an MSRP of $54,390.

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Cadillac’s lease deal runs through March 31. However, there are a few limitations you should know about. The deal includes a $2,000 loyalty or conquest offer.

Cadillac's-most-affordable-EV-lease
Cadillac Optiq EV lease deal (Source: Cadillac)

The fine print states you must be a lessee of a 2020 model year or newer non-GM vehicle for at least 30 days. According to online car research firm CarsDirect, this extends to 2011 and newer electric vehicles from a competitor brands such as Tesla, Rivian, Porsche, BMW, Ford, and Honda, among several others.

At 190″ long, 75″ wide, and 65″ tall, the Cadillac Optiq is about the same size as the Tesla Model Y (187″ long x 76″ wide x 64″ tall).

Powered by an 85 kWh battery pack, the electric SUV has a driving range of up to 302 miles. With 150 kW DC fast charging, the Optiq can gain up to 79 miles of range in about 10 minutes.

2025 Cadillac Optiq trim Starting Price
(including destination)
Driving Range
(EPA-estimated)
Luxury 1 $54,390 302 miles
Luxury 2 $56,590 302 miles
Sport 1 $54,990 302 miles
Sport 2 $57,090 302 miles
2025 Cadillac Optiq price and range by trim

Inside, the Optiq features a massive 33″ infotainment and “segment-leading” cargo (57 cubic feet) and second-row space.

GM has been introducing new deals on new EV models all year. Chevy’s new Equinox, Blazer, and Silverado EVs are all available with 0% APR with leases starting as low as $299 per month.

Ready to take advantage of the savings? We can help you get started. Check out our links below to find deals on GM’s most popular EVs in your area.

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