Ford batteries, Ram premature electrification, Tesla sales dominance: Today’s Car News

Tesla passed Honda and GM in California sales. A DOE loan will help Redwood Materials ramp up. Ford is expected to announce LFP battery production in Michigan. And the first Ram electric truck won’t look as revolutionary as teased. This and more, here at EV kind of cars

Leading into a Super Bowl ad yesterday about “premature electrification,” Ram showed the production version of its 1500 REV electric truck, emphasizing that it’s nothing close to the design revolution shown by the brand’s recent Ram 1500 Revolution BEV Concept. 

According to a report summing up California sales, Tesla took 11% of the market in 2022 in the Golden State, passing GM, Honda, and others. And it did that with only EVs, and no pickups yet, as EVs surged to 17% of the California market in 2022. 

A $2 billion U.S. Department of Energy loan is reportedly likely to help Redwood Materials’ $3.5 billion recycling and manufacturing facility in Nevada get a jump on a U.S. supply chain for battery materials. The loan will help give the company, started by former Tesla CTO JB Straubel, some runway to build up a sustainable process.

And a plant that could produce battery cells enabling Ford EV affordability is reportedly set for Michigan. The facility with CATL is expected to make LFP (lithium iron phosphate) cells, according to reports, with official announcements likely due today at a Ford event. 

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