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Ford bumps its EV investment to $30B, F-150 Lightning grabs 70k pre-orders

2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum, Lariat, XLT. Pre-production model with available features shown. Available starting spring 2022.

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Ford has announced that it will boost its electric vehicle investment to $30 billion, up from its previous figure of $22 billion, the company said on Wednesday. Ford is anticipating at least 40% of its vehicle production lines to be manufacturing electric cars by the end of the decade, and the F-150 Lightning, the EV version of its best-selling pickup has accumulated 70,000 preorders just a week after its unveiling event.

Ford now intends to spend at least $30 billion on electric car development by the end of 2025, increasing its spending figure by $8 billion. CEO Jim Farley said that EVs could usher in a new era of growth for Ford and that it’s “our biggest opportunity for growth and value creation since Henry Ford started to scale the Model T.”

Ford also announced that it had picked up a total of 70,000 reservations for the all-electric F-150 Lightning. Just two days after the event, Jim Farley had announced that preorders had reached 44,500, and received a congratulations from Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Ford F-150 Lightning unveiled: Price, Release date, Range, Features and more

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Now making it clear that electrification is its clear-cut focus moving forward, Ford’s bump in its EV investment plan will bring new opportunities to the legacy automaker for long-term growth as EVs begin to gain momentum in auto markets across the globe. After beginning deliveries of the all-electric Mustang Mach-E, a crossover that carries the name of Ford’s legendary muscle car, Ford has plans to produce the F-150 Lightning starting next year in a string of variants that will offer all buyers something specific for their taste. Past the passenger market, Ford also electrified its popular Transit van, simply calling it the E-Transit. Ford’s focus for electrifying its fleet and contributing to a healthier environmental relationship with its vehicles goes past passenger vehicles, as businesses and entities who choose to go with the popular light-cargo van will also utilize Ford’s electric architecture for business needs.

Ford evidently has the support of President Joe Biden as well, who spoke at the company’s Dearborn, Michigan, plant last week in support of the company’s transition to electrification. Biden, who labeled himself as a “car guy” at the beginning of his speech, had the opportunity to ride in the F-150 Lightning as well, who was impressed by the performance and speed of Ford’s introductory electric pickup that will compete with the Tesla Cybertruck, Rivian R1T, and GMC Hummer EV.

Supporting the company’s expansion to electrification, Ford also formed a joint venture with South Korean company SK Innovation last week. The companies venture, called BlueOvalSK, will give Ford the ability to manufacture battery cells at two U.S.-based plants for Ford and Lincoln vehicles.

Ford stock was up over 6% at 12:30 PM in New York, trading at $13.61.

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Disclosure: Joey Klender is a TSLA Shareholder, he does not own any Ford stock and has no intentions to initiate any positions within 72 hours.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below, or be sure to email me at joey@teslarati.com or on Twitter @KlenderJoey.

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk reveals shocking Tesla Optimus patent detail

What looked promising on paper and in simulations failed to deliver the reliability required for a robot expected to handle delicate tasks like folding laundry, assembling electronics, or assisting in factories and homes.

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Credit: Tesla

Elon Musk revealed a shocking detail on the Tesla Optimus patent that was revealed last week. Despite it being made public for the first time, Musk said the company has already moved on from the design, an incredible truth about the development of new technology: things move fast.

Musk dropped a bombshell about the Tesla Optimus humanoid robot hand patent that was released last week. Musk, candidly replying to a post late at night on X, revealed that what is a new technology to many fans and insiders is actually old news to those developing the tech directly.

“We already changed the design,” Musk said. “This one didn’t actually work.”

Patents, after all, are often viewed as blueprints for future products. Yet Musk revealed that the rolling contact mechanism—intended to provide smooth, low-friction articulation in the fingers—had already been scrapped after real-world testing exposed its shortcomings.

What looked promising on paper and in simulations failed to deliver the reliability required for a robot expected to handle delicate tasks like folding laundry, assembling electronics, or assisting in factories and homes.

The hand has been one of the biggest challenges for Tesla engineers since Optimus development started years ago. Musk has said that there is not enough recognition for how incredible and useful the human hand is, and designing one for a humanoid robot has been the biggest challenge of all.

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Tesla is stumped on how to engineer this Optimus part, but they’re close

This moment underscores the persistent engineering hurdles in achieving reliable humanoid hand dexterity. Human fingers are marvels of evolution: 27 bones, intricate tendons, ligaments, and a network of sensors working in perfect harmony. Replicating that in metal and silicon is extraordinarily difficult.

Rolling contacts promised reduced wear and precise motion, but testing likely revealed issues with durability under repeated stress, grip stability on varied surfaces, or the micro-precision needed for fine motor skills.

These aren’t minor tweaks, but instead they represent fundamental challenges that have plagued robotics teams for decades. Even advanced competitors struggle here—hands remain the Achilles’ heel of most humanoids because the margin for error is razor-thin.

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A fraction of a millimeter off, and a robot drops a glass or fails to button a shirt.

What makes Musk’s reply remarkable is how it signals Tesla’s direct communication style on prototype limitations. While many companies guard failures behind glossy marketing and vague timelines, Tesla openly shares setbacks.

Musk was forthcoming about the failure of this recent design. This transparency builds trust with investors, engineers, and fans. It shows Tesla treats Optimus development like true science: rapid iteration, rigorous testing, and zero tolerance for hype that doesn’t match reality.

The disclosure from Musk also highlights Tesla’s blistering pace of development. By the time the patents are published, which is often over a year after the initial filing, the technology has already evolved.

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Optimus is far from a static product, and it’s a living project advancing weekly.

In the high-stakes race for general-purpose robots, Tesla’s approach stands out. Admitting a finger-joint design “didn’t actually work” isn’t a weakness—it’s confidence.

True innovation demands confronting failure head-on, and Musk just reminded the world that Optimus is being engineered that way. The next version of those hands is already in testing, and it will be better because Tesla isn’t afraid to say what didn’t work.

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Elon Musk

Tesla is sending its humanoid Optimus robot to the Boston Marathon

Tesla’s Optimus robot is heading to the Boston Marathon finish line

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Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot will be stationed at the Tesla showroom at 888 Boylston Street in Boston, right along the final stretch of the Boston Marathon today, ready to cheer on runners and pose for photos with spectators.

According to a Tesla email shared by content creator Sawyer Merritt on X, Optimus will be at the Boston Boylston Street showroom on April 20, coinciding with Marathon Monday weekend. The Boston Marathon finishes on Boylston Street, and the surrounding area draws hundreds of thousands of spectators along with international broadcast coverage. Placing Optimus there puts it in front of a massive public audience at zero advertising cost.

The Tesla showroom is at 888 Boylston Street, between Gloucester Street and Fairfield Street. The final mile of the marathon runs directly along Boylston Street, with runners passing the big stores before reaching the finish line at Copley Square.

Optimus was first announced at Tesla’s AI Day event on August 19, 2021, when Elon Musk presented a vision for a general-purpose robot designed to take on dangerous, repetitive, and unwanted tasks. In March 2026, Optimus appeared at the Appliance and Electronics World Expo in Shanghai, where on-site staff stated that mass production of the robot could begin by the end of 2026. Before that, it showed up at the Tesla Hollywood Diner opening in July 2025 and at a Miami showroom event in December 2025.

Tesla’s well-calculated display of Optimus gives the public a low-pressure first encounter with a robot that Tesla is preparing  to soon deploy at scale. The company has previously indicated plans to manufacture Optimus robots at its Fremont facility at up to 1 million units annually, with an Optimus production line at Gigafactory Texas targeting 10 million units per year.

Tesla showcases Optimus humanoid robot at AWE 2026 in Shanghai

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Musk has said that Optimus “has the potential to be more significant than the vehicle business over time,” and separately that roughly 80 percent of Tesla’s future value will come from the robot program. Whether that holds depends on production execution. For now, Boston gets a preview of what that future looks like, standing at the finish line on Boylston Street while 32,000 runners pass by.

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Tesla expands Unsupervised Robotaxi service to two new cities

This expansion builds directly on Tesla’s existing operations. Robotaxi has been ramping unsupervised rides in Austin for months and maintains activity in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has taken a major step forward in its autonomous ride-hailing ambitions.

On April 18, the company’s official Robotaxi account announced that Robotaxi service is now rolling out in Dallas and Houston, Texas. The update signals the rapid scaling of unsupervised autonomous operations in the Lone Star State.

The announcement includes a compelling 14-second video captured from inside a Model Y. Shot from the passenger perspective, the footage shows the vehicle navigating suburban roads in both cities with zero driver intervention, with no Safety Monitor to be seen.

Tesla also shared geofence maps highlighting the initial service areas: a compact zone in Houston covering parts of Willowbrook and Jersey Village, and a similarly defined area in Dallas near Highland Park and central neighborhoods.

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This expansion builds directly on Tesla’s existing operations. Robotaxi has been ramping unsupervised rides in Austin for months and maintains activity in the San Francisco Bay Area.

With Dallas and Houston now live, Texas hosts three active hubs—an impressive concentration that triples the company’s Lone Star footprint in just weeks. The move aligns with Tesla’s Q4 2025 earnings guidance, which outlined a broader H1 2026 rollout across seven U.S. cities, including Phoenix, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and Las Vegas.

Texas offers favorable regulations, high ride-share demand, and relatively straightforward suburban-to-urban driving patterns ideal for early autonomous scaling. While initial geofences appear modest—roughly 25 square miles per city—Tesla has historically expanded these zones quickly as it gathers real-world data.

Tesla confirms Robotaxi expansion plans with new cities and aggressive timeline

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Unsupervised operation marks a critical milestone: passengers can summon, ride, and exit without safety drivers, a leap beyond many competitors still requiring human oversight.

For Tesla, the implications are significant. Successful scaling in major metros could accelerate the transition to a fully driverless fleet, unlocking new revenue streams and validating years of Full Self-Driving investment.

Riders gain convenient, potentially lower-cost mobility, while the company edges closer to Elon Musk’s vision of Robotaxis transforming urban transport.

As Tesla pushes into more cities this year, today’s launch in Dallas and Houston underscores its momentum. Hopefully, Tesla will be able to expand unsupervised rides to another U.S. state soon, which will mark yet another chapter in this short-but-encouraging Robotaxi story.

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