In the United States, there seems to be a rat race going on among EV manufacturers. Who has the biggest? That seems to be the most important question when it comes to batteries for electric cars. Ford’s CEO Jim Farley refuses to participate.
The Lucid Air – recently also available in the Netherlands – has a battery pack of 113 kWh and, according to the American manufacturer, can travel about 800 kilometers. And what about Rivian’s electric pickup, the R1T? It carries a 135 kWh battery with it.
Electric Dodge RAM with 229 kWh
But it’s not just these two American newcomers who boast of their enormous battery capacity. General Motors, Ford’s nemesis, is reportedly coming up with a seven-seater SUV with a range of 700 to 800 kilometers. The Dodge RAM 1500 REV announced for 2024 goes all the way. It would have battery packs of 168 and 229 kWh!
Ready, set, go!
Exclusive offers on new Alfa Romeo stock for quick decision makers
Book your test drive quickly and benefit from a price advantage on a new Alfa Romeo from stock and receive an Alfa Romeo F1 Team Polo shirt
Batteries should not be bigger, but more efficient
According to Jim Farley, Ford’s top boss, his company will not participate in that craziness. He said so recently at Ford’s Capital Market Day, according to the website Carexpert, during a question time addressing the brand’s economic outlook.
Wwhen will the electric Ford based on the Volkswagen ID.4 come?
With our free newsletter you will not miss it!
“For a range of 700 kilometers or more you need gigantic battery packs and it is simply impossible to make money with that.” According to Farley, it is much smarter to make battery packs more efficient. He wants cars that still offer a competitive range with the smallest possible battery pack. “This way you save on both material costs and labor costs.”
Seven-seater with 563 km range
As an example, Ford showed a sketch of a seven-seater SUV that should be on the market in 2025, with a range of 563 kilometers. Whether this will be a variant of the electric Ford that is being built together with the Volkswagen ID.4 is not entirely clear. In addition, the manufacturer announced a compact electric pickup.
Ford is making a loss with its EVs
It is not surprising that the Ford boss is so keen on efficiency for the near future. Because despite the popularity of the electric Mustang Mach-E and the Ford F-150 Lightning (battery pack 98 or 131 kWh!) Ford Model e, the electric division of Ford, expects a loss of 3 billion dollars for this year. That is still 1 billion more than it had to collect in 2022. Nevertheless, Ford thinks the electric branch will break even by the end of 2024. It is expected that the new electric Ford, which will soon be produced in Cologne, will contribute to this.