Environment & Energy

hatrack

(65,062 posts) Wed May 6, 2026, 08:35 AM 22 hrs ago

Ford Just Wrote Off $20 Billion In Dumped EV Investments, But Swears An "Affordable" EV Pickup On Its Way

Last year Ford Motor suspended production of an electric pickup truck, shut down a battery factory in Kentucky and booked a $20 billion loss to account for its diminished plans. Then, last month, the senior executive who oversaw development of this new technology left the company.

But Ford executives insist that those setbacks do not mean that the company has given up on electric vehicles. As evidence, they point to a former warehouse here in Long Beach, Calif.

There, a team lead by Alan Clarke, a Tesla veteran, is building a new electric pickup truck that will go on sale next year, the first of many models designed to compete on price and technology with the best cars sold by Chinese automakers.

Ford has begun lifting the secrecy that has shrouded the project, and last week allowed reporters to tour its Electric Vehicle Development Center in Long Beach.

EDIT

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/business/ford-motor-electric-pickup-truck.html

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Ford Just Wrote Off $20 Billion In Dumped EV Investments, But Swears An "Affordable" EV Pickup On Its Way (Original Post) hatrack 22 hrs ago OP

Don't worry. Be happy. We're about to enter hydrogen nirvana. NNadir 21 hrs ago #1

Louisville Assembly Plant is where a mid-sized pickup truck will be built Finishline42 11 hrs ago #2

NNadir

(38,419 posts)

1. Don't worry. Be happy. We're about to enter hydrogen nirvana.

Reply to hatrack (Original post)

Wed May 6, 2026, 10:33 AM

21 hrs ago

I've been hearing about hydrogen for the last 50 years, along with fusion nirvana, most recently here at DU, where, I remember it well, a guy with an odd name, Elon Musk, was often represented as heroic.

After 50 years of trying, it's got to work, right?

Neither electrlytic hydrogen nor batteries are "green" unless electricity is "green" which despite hype to the contrary, now bordering on climate denial, it isn't.

Hydrogen however is a great way to rebrand fossil fuels. Who cares about exergy destruction if it's good for marketing?

Finishline42

(1,168 posts)

2. Louisville Assembly Plant is where a mid-sized pickup truck will be built

Reply to hatrack (Original post)

Wed May 6, 2026, 08:15 PM

11 hrs ago

Just South of the airport on Fern Valley Road. The plant previously put together the Escape but was shut down in December 2025 to revamp for the new EV pickup - slated to sell for $30k starting in 2027.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisville_Assembly_Plant

From what I've read the batteries of an EV comprise approx 30% of the cost. The are also getting better and cheaper, kind of like flat screen TV's.

CATL's new design supposedly delivers 900 mile range.

CATL's Shenxing III is a 3rd-generation LFP (lithium iron phosphate) battery launched in April 2026, offering groundbreaking "10C" ultra-fast charging that achieves a 10–80% charge in just 3 minutes and 40 seconds. It enables a full charge in roughly 6 minutes and provides significant range even in cold temperatures (-30°C).Key Features and TechnologyPerformance: Achieves a 10%–98% charge in 6.5 minutes.Extreme Cold Performance: Functions at -30°C with only about 3 minutes added to the charging time.Internal Resistance: Minimized to 0.25 milliohms, which is 50% lower than the industry average.Innovations: Uses graphite expansion technology to speed up lithium ion movement and a synthetic Solid Electrolyte Interphase (SEI) layer for improved stability.Cooling: Features specialized "cell shoulder cooling" in addition to bottom cooling to handle heat from rapid charging.

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