F-150 Lightning production halt, LFP batteries, VW plug-in hybrids, Ford hub motors: Today’s Car News

Ford plans to make LFP batteries for EVs and will soon put them in Mach-E and F-150 Lightning. A battery issue has halted Lightning production. All eyes are on Tesla and whether it will open up its Supercharger hardware. And Volkswagen is back to old messaging on plug-in hybrids. This and more, here at EV kind of cars. 

Ford Monday confirmed a Michigan battery plant that, starting in 2026, will make cheaper lithium iron phosphate (LFP) EV batteries using tech from China’s CATL. In the meantime, the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning are set to get this tech over the next year.

A battery issue has halted Ford F-150 Lightning production, although that hasn’t affected sales quite yet. With an analysis underway, it’s also not yet clear whether this is an issue that might lead to a recall. 

Before its own self-imposed disruption of Dieselgate, VW saw plug-in hybrids as a “bridge” to EVs. After years of saying that hybrids and PHEVs for the U.S. will only divert the focus from its fully electric models, VW appears to be returning to that old messaging. 

Standards for federal EV charging sites are due soon. Will Tesla open its Supercharger network to other EVs and augment its proprietary connectors to access that government funding?

And Ford has patented the combination of a solid-axle and hub-motor combination for EVs, and it reminds us of the setup used by Lordstown Motors in the Endurance—a setup Ford had said wasn’t durable enough for the F-150 Lightning. Might it make sense after all in a future off-roader?

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