Automakers regularly announce and launch new vehicles. In fact, there’s enough news coming out of the auto industry that, in any given month, its easy to miss even the occasional big announcement. With that in mind, I feel it’s important to draw your attention to an important piece of news that came out a little earlier this month: Ford is making an all-electric version of the F-150 pickup truck and is also planning an all-electric transit van.
For those of you who from outside of North America, let me quickly outline the backstory. Ford’s F-series trucks have been the bestselling vehicle in the US for the last 40 years. That’s right, the last four decades in a row. Pickups generate about a third of Ford’s sales and an even bigger percentage of profits so, for the company to be serious about moving to EVs, the F-series needs to get electrified.
A hybrid version was already in the works so this latest announcement is an all-electric addition.
This announcement is more important than one of World’s top automakers electrifying its most important product line. It tells us that Ford is confident enough in the progression of EV battery strength and charge duration that it can move forward with an all-electric F-150.
These vehicles are serious workhorses. Sure, you can get fully-loaded luxury versions for people who want a big, shiny, powerful vehicle but on the whole, they are marketed, sold and used for their designed purpose of hauling, towing and dealing with difficult terrain and road conditions.
Ford isn’t the first automaker to announce that a fully-electrified pickup is on the way. Tesla has announced one, EV startups Rivian and Bollinger are also rivals and GM recently stated it is considering plans to electrify its Sierra line of pickups. However, when it comes to these incredibly popular types of vehicles, Ford is the undisputed leader and where it goes, everyone else will follow.
Good news for EVs. Good news for battery metals.