Ford F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E to come with LFP batteries

Ford is struggling to keep up with the demand for its first electric cars - the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning and its commercial electric cars are proving to be very popular as well. The supply chain delays and geopolitical issues surrounding rare earth materials are forcing all automakers to look for new solutions.

Ford has confirmed that it is adding a new battery type to the current NCM packs - Lithium-Iron Phosphate or short LFP. According to the company, this new battery will increase the production capacity and will give the customers many years of operation. The very important part is 15% savings in raw material costs compared to the current NCM batteries.

Ford plans to to sell 600,000 electric vehicles next year, including 270,000 Mustang Mach-E and 150,000 F-150 Lightnings. Commercial vehicles are expected to reach 150,000 units and then Ford plans to sell 30,000 units of the new, smaller crossover model in Europe.

The LFP battery packs will be manufactured by CATL and initially will be fitted to Mach-E models with the F-150 Lightning getting them later in 2024. Ford has apparently already secured 70% of the battery capacity it needs to produce over 2 million electric vehicles by 2026. The main battery suppliers will be CATL, LG and SK On.

For the first time ever this year the majority of new car buyers expressed the desire to buy an electric car. The EV market is not growing - it is exploding. Manufacturers around the globe are struggling with supplies of raw materials and chip shortages are forcing many automakers to produce incomplete cars in hope to have the missing chips installed at a later stage. Securing reliable battery supplies can mean a difference between success or demise for any company that wants to take part in this EV race.

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