News
Ford F-150 Electric’s edge against rivals like the Tesla Cybertruck may be a gas generator
The pickup truck segment is about to be disrupted by all-electric vehicles, with veterans like Ford and General Motors and younger companies like Tesla and Rivian preparing their respective entries into what could very well be a lucrative market. Amidst this budding competition, each company seems to be making the necessary preparations to ensure that their vehicle has key advantages over the competition.
Tesla seems to be relying on its pedigree as an experienced electric vehicle manufacturer, with the Cybertruck boasting specs that are nothing short of insane at its price point. This is on top of an ever-growing Supercharger Network that’s capable of charging the steel beast at rapid speeds. Rivian, on the other hand, seems to be leaning heavily on the luxury adventure market, with its vehicles boasting clever features that are designed to delight those who love the outdoors. Ford, for its part, appears to be going on a rather interesting route.
A recent patent from the veteran hints at what could very well be Ford’s strategy to ensure that customers of its all-electric truck would not experience concerns about the vehicle’s range. While Rivian’s patents tease an auxiliary battery that could extend range, and while Tesla will no doubt push the Cybertruck’s range as far as it could go through its battery innovations, Ford appears to have opted for something much simpler: a gas generator.
Ford’s patent shows a concept for a portable generator that could be fitted into an all-electric pickup truck. The generator is actually pretty sleek, with the unit being designed to look like a toolbox. As noted by the veteran carmaker, high-voltage battery packs typically provide only a limited amount of electric-only driving range. Thus, it is pertinent to provide a way for customers to add electric-only driving range to their vehicles. A generator addresses this need.
Ford’s generator will not be just an off-the-shelf unit, either. The patent states that all of the generator-related components, from the engine to the fuel to the hookup to the vehicle’s power system, would be contained in a unit that could be fitted and removed from the truck as necessary. This generator could then be utilized to charge the vehicle’s battery pack, among other uses. Ford outlines its idea in the section below.
“The electrified vehicle may be operable to travel over a specific distance prior to energy depletion of the battery pack, which may lead to operator range anxiety. Accordingly, the electrified vehicle may additionally be equipped with a generator for increasing the travel range of the electrified vehicle. Like the battery pack, the generator may be operably connected to the electric machine through the inverter over the voltage bus. The generator may also be connected in either parallel or series relative to the battery pack,” Ford’s patent noted.
Of course, using a gas-powered generator in an all-electric truck kind of defeats the purpose of a zero-emissions vehicle, but there is no denying that longtime Ford owners will likely be more open to the F-150 Electric if such a feature is available. Ultimately, after all, every Ford F-150 Electric that is sold is one less traditional, gas-guzzling F-150 on the streets. And that, in the grand scheme of things, matters a lot, at least to a certain degree.
Read Ford’s gas generator patent for its electric pickup below.
Ford F150 EV Range Extender Patent by Simon Alvarez on Scribd
Elon Musk
Brazil Supreme Court orders Elon Musk and X investigation closed
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court has ordered the closure of an investigation involving Elon Musk and social media platform X. The inquiry had been pending for about two years and examined whether the platform was used to coordinate attacks against members of the judiciary.
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
According to a report from Agencia Brasil, the investigation conducted by the Federal Police did not find evidence that X deliberately attempted to attack the judiciary or circumvent court orders.
Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet concluded that the irregularities identified during the probe did not indicate fraudulent intent.
Justice Moraes accepted the prosecutor’s recommendation and ruled that the investigation should be closed. Under the ruling, the case will remain closed unless new evidence emerges.
The inquiry stemmed from concerns that content on X may have enabled online attacks against Supreme Court justices or violated rulings requiring the suspension of certain accounts under investigation.
Justice Moraes had previously taken several enforcement actions related to the platform during the broader dispute involving social media regulation in Brazil.
These included ordering a nationwide block of the platform, freezing Starlink accounts, and imposing fines on X totaling about $5.2 million. Authorities also froze financial assets linked to X and SpaceX through Starlink to collect unpaid penalties and seized roughly $3.3 million from the companies’ accounts.
Moraes also imposed daily fines of up to R$5 million, about $920,000, for alleged evasion of the X ban and established penalties of R$50,000 per day for VPN users who attempted to bypass the restriction.
Brazil remains an important market for X, with roughly 17 million users, making it one of the platform’s larger user bases globally.
The country is also a major market for Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, which has surpassed one million subscribers in Brazil.
Elon Musk
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr criticized Amazon after the company opposed SpaceX’s proposal to launch a large satellite constellation that could function as an orbital data center network.
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
Amazon recently urged the FCC to reject SpaceX’s application to deploy a constellation of up to 1 million low Earth orbit satellites that could serve as artificial intelligence data centers in space.
The company described the proposal as a “lofty ambition rather than a real plan,” arguing that SpaceX had not provided sufficient details about how the system would operate.
Carr responded by pointing to Amazon’s own satellite deployment progress.
“Amazon should focus on the fact that it will fall roughly 1,000 satellites short of meeting its upcoming deployment milestone, rather than spending their time and resources filing petitions against companies that are putting thousands of satellites in orbit,” Carr wrote on X.
Amazon has declined to comment on the statement.
Amazon has been working to deploy its Project Kuiper satellite network, which is intended to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink service. The company has invested more than $10 billion in the program and has launched more than 200 satellites since April of last year.
Amazon has also asked the FCC for a 24-month extension, until July 2028, to meet a requirement to deploy roughly 1,600 satellites by July 2026, as noted in a CNBC report.
SpaceX’s Starlink network currently has nearly 10,000 satellites in orbit and serves roughly 10 million customers. The FCC has also authorized SpaceX to deploy 7,500 additional satellites as the company continues expanding its global satellite internet network.
Energy
Tesla Energy gains UK license to sell electricity to homes and businesses
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
Tesla Energy has received a license to supply electricity in the United Kingdom, opening the door for the company to serve homes and businesses in the country.
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
According to Ofgem, the license took effect at 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday and applies to Great Britain.
The approval allows Tesla’s energy business to sell electricity directly to customers in the region, as noted in a Bloomberg News report.
Tesla has already expanded similar services in the United States. In Texas, the company offers electricity plans that allow Tesla owners to charge their vehicles at a lower cost while also feeding excess electricity back into the grid.
Tesla already has a sizable presence in the UK market. According to price comparison website U-switch, there are more than 250,000 Tesla electric vehicles in the country and thousands of Tesla home energy storage systems.
Ofgem also noted that Tesla Motors Ltd., a separate entity incorporated in England and Wales, received an electricity generation license in June 2020.
The new UK license arrives as Tesla continues expanding its global energy business.
Last year, Tesla Energy retained the top position in the global battery energy storage system (BESS) integrator market for the second consecutive year. According to Wood Mackenzie’s latest rankings, Tesla held about 15% of global market share in 2024.
The company also maintained a dominant position in North America, where it captured roughly 39% market share in the region.
At the same time, competition in the energy storage sector is increasing. Chinese companies such as Sungrow have been expanding their presence globally, particularly in Europe.
Brazil Supreme Court orders Elon Musk and X investigation closed
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
