Inspired by Tesla, the Ford Motor Company has confirmed that will use LFP batteries in all-electric commercial vehicles. The lithium-iron-phosphate battery cells are called IonBoost Pro, and they will be joined by the IonBoost lithium-ion batteries and Solid Power solid-state batteries.
The Blue Oval confirmed these details today as part of the Ford+ plan for electrification, which includes the Ion Park center of battery excellence. Dearborn will integrate battery tech vertically just like Tesla, and as part of the plan, it will form a battery-making joint venture with SK Innovation.
BlueOvalSK is the new entity's name, and it is tasked with manufacturing battery cells and arrays in the United States at two plants. The reason Ford wants to control the manufacturing process and supply chain is pretty simple. America’s second-largest automaker expects 40 percent of the global vehicle volume to be fully electric by 2030, which is a tall order if you run the numbers. For reference, FoMoCo sold around 4.2 million vehicles in 2020.
More than $30 billion will be invested by 2035 in electrification, and Ford hasn’t mentioned a word about its next-generation EV platforms. According to sources close to the Dearborn-based carmaker, two more architectures will roll out in the guise of the GE2 and TE1 for unibody and truck applications.
Global Electrified 2 will reportedly underpin the successor of the Mustang Mach-E and a full-electric variant of the Mustang pony car. As for the Truck Electrified 1, this fellow will be utilized by the next generation of the F-150 Lightning and the next-generation Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator.
Last but not least, the Ford+ plan further includes Ford Pro, a vehicle services and distribution business that aims to increase uptime and reduce ownership costs among government customers and commercial customers. Ford Pro will be headed by Ted Cannis, the general manager of the North American commercial business and former head honcho of electrification.
BlueOvalSK is the new entity's name, and it is tasked with manufacturing battery cells and arrays in the United States at two plants. The reason Ford wants to control the manufacturing process and supply chain is pretty simple. America’s second-largest automaker expects 40 percent of the global vehicle volume to be fully electric by 2030, which is a tall order if you run the numbers. For reference, FoMoCo sold around 4.2 million vehicles in 2020.
More than $30 billion will be invested by 2035 in electrification, and Ford hasn’t mentioned a word about its next-generation EV platforms. According to sources close to the Dearborn-based carmaker, two more architectures will roll out in the guise of the GE2 and TE1 for unibody and truck applications.
Global Electrified 2 will reportedly underpin the successor of the Mustang Mach-E and a full-electric variant of the Mustang pony car. As for the Truck Electrified 1, this fellow will be utilized by the next generation of the F-150 Lightning and the next-generation Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator.
Last but not least, the Ford+ plan further includes Ford Pro, a vehicle services and distribution business that aims to increase uptime and reduce ownership costs among government customers and commercial customers. Ford Pro will be headed by Ted Cannis, the general manager of the North American commercial business and former head honcho of electrification.