Ford is giving batteries a good deal of attention, and the company is not likely to spend a great deal more money on them than is absolutely necessary.

At the company’s Cash Marketplaces Working day the previous week, Ford product and service advancement chief and CTO Doug Area discussed what this implies: redesigning future-generation electric vehicles with a focus on reducing weight, simplifying the design process, lowering rolling resistance, achieving the optimal ride height, and paying close attention to aerodynamics. This means not imitating existing ICE solutions but rather creating products and solutions that are completely unique from one another. Additionally, this will keep the size of the battery packs to a minimum, which will hopefully keep the costs of the product at a reasonable level.

2025 Ford SUV with three rows –

As it came to light earlier this week, this means that there won’t be an Expedition Lightning, but instead, in 2025, there will be a 3-row electric SUV with a range of 350 miles that comes from a battery pack that is approximately 100 kilowatt hours in capacity.

Later, during a question-and-answer session with industry analysts, Ford CEO Jim Farley gave more colour to this new emphasis on optimising about efficiency, and now going overboard on batteries. He said the company is “going overboard” on batteries.

“I have no idea what’s going on in this market right now,” remarked Farley, clearly grabbing the opportunity for a swipe at GM, which on the very same day launched an all electric Escalade IQ that could feasibly carry above the Hummer EV’s enormous 205-kwh battery pack. “I have no notion what’s going on in this market right now,” said Farley. “I have no notion what’s going on in this market right now.”

Just after the implementation of many fuel-saving measures, the Ford Gen 2 electric SUV

Will large batteries for electric vehicles not provide a profit?

“All I hear are all these reports of 450-mile arrays, a 500-mile array, there was a different individual today about a three-row crossover, it really is going to go electric,” he observed. “All I hear is all these bulletins of 450-mile arrays, a 500-mile array.” “These batteries are substantial, and if you have those form of batteries, you will not make dollars.”

“We’re not going to go to 600-mile variety,” added Farley. “We’re not doing that.” “For the purpose of competitive range, we are working towards developing the most compact battery possible.”

“I will not understand why absolutely everyone is so obsessed with battery sizing,” the CEO continued. “Right now, it is like, what range can you get? The following challenge, however, is determining the dimensions of batteries are necessary to offer a competitive selection. The first question is easier to answer than the second one. Therefore, the size of the batteries in the next generation are absolutely crucial with regard to the cost.

The discussion on performance is not unheard of, and in point of fact, avoiding becoming fixated on assortment alone has been a primary component of Green Vehicle Reports’ suggestions for purchasing electric vehicles for many years. The efficiency advantage that Tesla has maintained throughout the majority of its models, if not all of them, has contributed to the company’s growing success in terms of the accessibility of its on-the-go charging options.

From the beginning, Lucid has maintained that efficiency is far more important than range. Despite this, the company has blown away the competition with its Air sedan, which has a range of up to an EPA-estimated 425 miles from a 92-kilowatt-hour battery pack and up to 516 miles on a 112-kilowatt-hour battery pack, respectively.

Hau Thai-Tang showed Ford’s electric vehicle platforms for the middle of the decade.

However, there are still others advocating for arrays and extra large packs.

Having said that, it is quite encouraging to see Ford jump on board with the idea, and it does appear that automakers are obsessed on a high array range, even if this comes at the expense of a battery pack that is far larger. Earlier this week, Chevrolet said that a variant of the 2024 Chevy Silverado EV might perhaps achieve an anticipated 450-mile range, but the company refrained from mentioning the size of the battery that it will use in this vehicle. In addition, the battery pack of the 2025 Ram 1500 REV, which has a capacity of a massive 229 kilowatt hours, provides a range of up to 500 miles.

There are currently no three-row electric SUVs on the market that can achieve a range of 350 miles according to the EPA, not even the most recent crop of models such as the Mercedes EQS SUV (305 miles on 108 kwh) or the forthcoming Kia EV9 (300 miles on around 100 kwh).

On the other hand, the EPA estimates that the Tesla Product X can go 348 miles on a charge that is equivalent to 100 kilowatt hours. And with its 135-kilowatt-hour (kwh) Huge Pack, the upcoming Twin-Motor version of the Rivian R1S will be able to travel an estimated 340 miles. Additionally, an upcoming 180-kwh Max Pack edition will enable the vehicle to go an estimated 390 miles.

Ford future EVs – propulsion efficiency

After mentioning that a 350-mile range and extremely rapid charging would be the starting point, Subject stated that the obsession with performance would not be present in the initial year of the programme. He made this statement soon after he had mentioned that the beginning point would be the beginning. “It goes on and on, acquiring just about every little change that you can get for aerodynamics, a mile below, a mile there, so we’re not likely to stop,” said the pilot. “It goes on and on.”