Ford has announced that it will build a $3.5 billion battery production facility in the Marshall Township of Western Michigan. The plant comes with an agreement Ford recently confirmed with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL).
Ford has the ambitious goal of producing 2 million EVs annually by 2026, and a key element to that plan is a rapid expansion of production. Ford started with “Blue Oval City,” a massive new production and office facility in Tennesee, and has since then begun construction of its first battery production location and enormous expansions of existing factories throughout the U.S.
Now, the company has doubled down, constructing yet another battery production facility, this one in Marshall, Michigan, with the help of CATL.
The $3.5 billion 2,000 acre megasite, while not Ford’s first battery plant, is the company’s first try with LFP, or lithium iron phosphate, batteries. Ford CEO Jim Farley states that these batteries are designed to be cheaper, charge faster, and last longer. LFP battery packs have been used by other automakers, including Tesla, to combat supply shortages.
Ford’s LFP battery design comes from a collaboration with CATL, who will also be helping the company start the Marshall plant as it comes online in 2026.
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- Charles Poon, Director, Electrified Systems Engineering, Ford Motor Company, holds a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, while Anand Sankaran, Director, Ford Ion Park, Ford Motor Company, holds a nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) battery. Ford currently uses NCM in its electric vehicles, and will add LFP to its lineup beginning later this year to help it produce more EVs and make them more accessible and affordable for customers.
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- Ted Miller, Manager, Ford Battery Cell Research and Advanced Engineering, Ford Motor Company, speaks at Ford Ion Park in Romulus, Mich., on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023, ahead of an announcement where Ford detailed plans to be the first automaker to commit to build both nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) and lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries in the U.S.
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- Ted Miller, Manager, Ford Battery Cell Research and Advanced Engineering, Ford Motor Company, holds a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery during a presentation on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023 at Ford Ion Park in Romulus, Mich. Ford is investing $3.5 billion in the countryÕs first automaker-backed LFP battery plant, offering customers a second battery technology within FordÕs electric vehicle lineup.
Thus far, no Ford EVs currently employ LFP batteries, instead opting for more energy-dense and expensive chemistries. However, that will be changing. This spring, the Ford Mustang Mach-E will be the first Ford EV with the option of LFP battery cells, with more vehicles receiving the same treatment shortly. Ford did not announce how this change will affect the pricing of the Mach-E.
To help fund the plant, the Michigan Strategic Fund announced that it would contribute $210 million on top of funds made available through the Inflation Reduction Act. With the massive stockpile of IRA funds, the Feds are poised to pay anywhere in the range of between $20 and $50 per kWh produced domestically to help with initial production costs. However, that number is highly dependent on material sourcing, operation size, and other factors.
While the project is undoubtedly a great aid to Ford in its mission to electrify its product lineup, it is even better news for Mashall, Michigan, which over the past decade has lost just over 2,000 jobs, according to the “Choose Marshall” organization. With Ford’s infusion of 2,500 new jobs, the entire region is poised to rebound and will likely result in higher standards of living across the board.
Along with nine other new production facilities, Ford is headed toward hitting its 2 million EV run rate and is poised to maintain its position as the second-largest EV brand in the United States. Though, with an equally massive investment being made by General Motors, Stellantis, and others, there is no lack of competition for EV supremacy in the country. Hopefully, more automakers will choose, as Ford has, to invest in the U.S. and work towards growing the number of EVs available for everyone who lives here.
What do you think of the article? Do you have any comments, questions, or concerns? Shoot me an email at william@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @WilliamWritin. If you have news tips, email us at tips@teslarati.com!
Tesla has officially put the Cybercab up for sale, revealing a bargain price and a $299 per month “Autonomy Subscription” that could hit customer hands as soon as December.
The offer requires a $299 monthly Autonomy Subscription, with the first month included in the purchase price, along with a $1,000 non-refundable order deposit. Tesla’s ordering interface shows deliveries targeted for Austin, Texas.
Tesla says that the Cybercab is making transportation more efficient, affordable and accessible than ever before, and that buyers can order their own Cybercab for personal use.
🚨🚨🚨 BREAKING: Tesla Cybercab is officially on sale for $29,990 with a $299/mo “Autonomy Subscription”
Delivery slotted for December! HUGE!
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 13, 2026
The Cybercab is Tesla’s dedicated robotaxi, a gold-finished, two-passenger vehicle without a steering wheel or pedals, designed from the outset for unsupervised autonomous operation. It has been in limited Robotaxi service in Austin since September 2026, operating alongside Tesla’s larger fleet of Model Y vehicles.
Production takes place at Gigafactory Texas, which launched earlier this year. Tesla has stated for some time that it planned to put Cybercabs on sale by the end of the year, and it looks like they will come through on that promise if everything goes according to plan.
The Autonomy Subscription is mandatory for the vehicle to operate because it is void of a steering wheel and pedals. Tesla notes that the subscription and regular vehicle maintenance are required, indicating that personal owners will depend on the company’s software and service infrastructure rather than traditional ownership models.
One month of the subscription is included with purchase and subsequent months are billed separately until canceled.
This limited personal-sales opening marks a shift from Tesla’s earlier emphasis on fleet and transport-as-a-service operations. During the Q3 2026 Earnings Call, executives indicated that the vast majority of Cybercabs would remain Tesla-owned and used for rideshare service, while still aiming to place some vehicles with customers by year-end.
Elon Musk has previously targeted a price below $30,000, which was a huge point of emphasis for the Cybercab being the central point of Tesla’s “transportation-as-a-service” model.
Availability remains restricted to invited customers rather than a public order page, and the initial deliveries are expected only in the Austin area where unsupervised Robotaxi operations are already active. Buyers will need to accept the geographic and operational constraints of current autonomous deployment, as the vehicle cannot be driven manually outside supported zones.
The move gives a small number of early buyers the chance to own Tesla’s dedicated autonomous vehicle at the long-discussed sub-$30,000 price point, while the bulk of production continues to support the company’s expanding Robotaxi network.
UPDATE: The FAA has granted the license for Starship Flight 15.
Starship Flight 15 License has been granted by the FAA!
Let’s go! https://t.co/DugsgjvYAe
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 13, 2026
SpaceX is set to attempt its 15th test flight of Starship this evening from Starbase, Texas.
SpaceX is targeting Starship Flight 15 for a launch as soon as today, Friday, November 13, pending an FAA Flight License, during a 75-minute window that opens at 4:45 p.m. CT (5:45 p.m. ET) from Orbital Launch Pad 2 at Starbase, Texas. The flight remains pending final regulatory approval.
WATCH Starship Flight 15 here:
https://t.co/C6GnCHyF8p
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 13, 2026
The mission, using Booster 22 and Ship 42, aims to achieve the first full recovery of an orbital launch system. Primary objectives include a tower catch of the Super Heavy booster roughly six and a half minutes after liftoff and the first-ever tower catch of a Starship upper stage after more than 22 hours in space.
SpaceX will perform Starship double catch attempt with Flight 15
Between those catches, Ship 42 is planned to enter a low Earth orbit of about 275 km, complete roughly 14 orbits, and deploy 26 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites (Starlink Group 31-2). Three of those satellites carry cameras to inspect the ship’s heat shield in orbit and help controllers decide whether the vehicle is healthy enough for a return to the tower.
Contingency ocean splashdown options exist if either stage is not cleared for catch.
To watch the attempt, check the link to the broadcast in both X posts in this article. The live webcast is scheduled to begin about 30 minutes before liftoff and is planned to continue through the ship catch the next day, with the possibility of extended onboard views during the orbital coast via Starlink.
Because the schedule is dynamic, check back here or on our social media channels for the latest updates on window timing and regulatory status. A successful dual catch would mark a major milestone toward making Starship a rapidly reusable rocket capable of frequent flights.
WATCH Starship Flight 15 here:
https://t.co/C6GnCHyF8p
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 13, 2026
Tesla has trimmed its Model Y offerings as its Standard All-Wheel-Drive configuration has been removed from the online configurator after roughly nine months on sale. The move follows the removal of the Cybertruck, as its trims have also been minimized as that vehicle heads for total discontinuation at the end of Summer 2027.
Launched in February 2026 as a mid-tier dual-motor option between the Rear-Wheel-Drive model and the Premium trims, the Standard All-Wheel-Drive Model Y offered 294 miles of range and a 4.6-second 0-60 mph time in a stripped-down package.
🚨 Tesla has pulled the $41,990 Model Y AWD from its U.S. configurator after nine months on sale.
The cheapest AWD Model Y you can order is now the $49,990 Premium AWD, with Premium deliveries quoted for Jan–Mar 2027.
The $39,990 RWD stays, and AWD units remain in inventory. https://t.co/uROJp2lVpx
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 13, 2026
With it gone, the cheapest new AWD Model Y buyers can configure is now the Premium AWD at $49,990, with estimated deliveries pushed into January–March 2027. The $39,990 rear-wheel-drive Model Y remains available for custom orders, and some AWD units are still listed in inventory.
The move arrives days after Tesla sharply narrowed its Cybertruck lineup. New orders for the Dual Motor AWD and Premium AWD versions have been disabled, leaving only the high-performance Cyberbeast—priced around $109,990 before fees—as the sole configurable option.
Elon Musk has stated that Cybertruck production at Gigafactory Texas will wind down around the middle to late summer of 2027 to free manufacturing space for greater Cybercab output. Tesla has raised prices on remaining trims and is prioritizing higher-margin builds while working through an existing order backlog that exceeds what the line can complete before conversion.
These parallel decisions reflect a broader effort to simplify Tesla’s retail customer lineup. Lower-volume or lower-margin variants are being phased out or deprioritized in favor of core, higher-spec models that generate stronger profitability and clearer production planning.
For the Model Y, this concentrates volume on the remaining RWD and Premium configurations while Premium deliveries already stretch into 2027. For the Cybertruck, it accelerates the transition away from a stainless-steel pickup that underperformed relative to initial volume expectations.
Tesla Model Y Standard Full Review: Is it worth the lower price?
The freed capacity and reduced complexity directly support Cybercab scaling. Tesla began pilot Cybercab production at Giga Texas in early 2026, launched paid autonomous rides in Austin in September, and is preparing for substantial volume growth.
By streamlining the existing vehicle portfolio, the company is reallocating factory space, engineering attention, and supply-chain resources toward its purpose-built Robotaxi, which lacks a steering wheel or pedals and is designed exclusively for unsupervised autonomy.
The result is a leaner retail lineup today and a clearer path to high-volume Cybercab deployment tomorrow.
Tesla Cybercab goes on sale for $29,990, slated for December deliveries
SpaceX Starship Flight 15: How to watch the double catch attempt
