Ford

Ford says it will complete the EV battery factory its building in Michigan, even without the generous tax breaks included in the (probably doomed) Inflation Reduction Act. The $3 billion factory is being built in Marshall, about 100 miles west of Detroit, in partnership with China’s CATL. That combination alone (an EV factory? with China?) makes it a likely target of Republicans who are in the process of gutting all the IRA’s clean energy investments. But Ford is sticking with its plan, even without generous tax breaks on the table.

The Blue Oval aims to tackle America’s mountain with a new Mustang Mach-E derived demonstrator with French racing impresario Romain Dumas behind the wheel. This is the third consecutive year that Ford is competing with an electric demonstrator at Pikes Peak, following the SuperVan 4.2 and F-150 Lightning SuperTruck.

Beginning May 2nd, prices on vehicles such as the Mustang Mach-E EV could jump as much as $2,000, which Ford says will arrive in US dealer lots by late June. The news comes after Ford declared the Trump administration’s tariffs are adding about $2.5 billion of costs for the company in 2025.

The automaker started by offering nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) batteries in its electric vehicles, and later added lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries in 2023. “LMR is the answer to ‘what next?’” writes Charles Poon, Ford’s Global Director for Electrified Propulsion Engineering. LMR stands for “Lithium Manganese Rich,” which Poon says is safer, denser, and more cost-effective than other chemistries. And they’re coming close to fruition.

That stands for “extended range electric vehicle,” basically plug-in hybrids with a small internal combustion engine to recharge the EV battery for more range. Ram and VW-backed Scout were the first to announce EREV plans, and now the Blue Oval is working on its own, according to Bloomberg. Ford is getting its clock cleaned by Tesla and GM on EV sales, so the automaker is turning to new powertrains to tide customers over while they wait for its Silicon Valley-based skunkworks team to crack the code on cheap EVs.

Canadians can now take advantage of the recently extended Ford Power Promise promotion, which includes a free home charger plus standard installation, 24/7 live EV support, and access to the BlueOval charging network. You must buy or lease a new Ford F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E, or an E-Transit vehicle between February 1st and March 31st to take advantage. In Quebec, the charger plus installation costs $2,450 plus tax.

As reported by TechCrunch, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is expanding the investigation into the driver-assistance software, which was announced last April.

Ford UI supervisor Ruth Vann shares news on a Sync 4A update that puts all the camera feeds on one screen, migrates settings like Pro Trailer Hitch Assist and Zone Lighting into easier-to-access apps, and merges audio sources into one Media app.

Jim Farley relayed his experience driving the Xiaomi SU7 EV in the US for the last six months on the Everything Electric podcast recently. Ford flew one out from China so he could live with it every day. “I don’t want to give it up,” Farley said. That said, he said he’s confident that Ford is taking the threat of Chinese EVs seriously, touting the company’s “skunkworks team” in Silicon Valley that’s at work on the next-gen EV platform.

An annual subscription to BlueCruise will now cost $495, down from $800, while a monthly subscription is reduced to $49.99 from $75. Ford’s also offering a new one-time payment for BlueCruise at $2,495, or a one-year purchase of $495 — for those that are ready to fully embrace the hands-free lifestyle.

In another sign that automakers are confused about how their customers want to spend their time while confined in their vehicles, Ford released a new karaoke app for the F-150 Lightning and (eventually) the Mustang Mach-E. The process only works while the vehicle is parked, leading Ford to assume this will be a popular activity while EV charging. Me? I’ll take “wandering aimlessly through a Walmart” over this.

The driver-side door keypad was once standard on America’s best-selling vehicle. No longer, reports The Drive, as it will now become a $455 dealer option. I suppose the silver lining is that Ford isn’t trying to turn it into a subscription.