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Ford is in ‘deep development’ of its next-generation EV pickup truck

Ford EV pickup concept (Credit: Tyler Kwon) *Not an official Ford design*

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Ford is in “deep development” of its next-generation electric vehicles, including a new, full-size EV pickup that will complement the automaker’s already-successful F-150 Lightning.

Ford has been working on several new developments for its “Model e” division dedicated toward EVs in hopes of creating an industry-leading platform. One of these developments, revealed last year, was an all-new pickup design that packs a completely new nameplate and is rumored to be a completely fresh slate for Ford to build upon.

Electric trucks have become a growing part of the overall EV market in the United States. Rivian, Ford, and General Motors all currently have competitive offers available, with Tesla, Lordstown Motors, and others planning to release additional pickups within the next year.

On last night’s Ford Earnings Call, CEO Jim Farley hinted toward the new EV pickup, and his comments seemed to solidify reports from late last year that indicated the company’s next electric truck would not be a transitional model that sports the same name as a gas model:

“Now, we are deep in the development of our second-generation EVs, including our next-generation electric full-size pickup, which, by the way, is awesome.”

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Farley’s vague and relatively undetailed comments are unsurprising, but they absolutely catalyze plenty of potential for a carmaker like Ford. The company has been selling the most-popular pickup brand in America for 46 consecutive years and America’s best-selling vehicle 41 times in the F-150 series.

The F-150 Lightning has also been a Ford EV pickup concept (Credit: Tyler Kwon), selling 15,671 units of the all-electric pickup in its first year on the market.

Ford F-150 Lightning wins MotorTrend’s 2023 Pickup Truck of the Year award

While details are scarce at the current time, Ford did detail some of the plans it has for the next-generation EV architecture, which will be developed completely from scratch. Farley said the new platform would encourage simplification, which should improve manufacturing and engineering through various streamlined processes. Ford will need it, too, especially as the company is planning to reach a volume potential of 1 million units with “just a handful of orderable combinations.”

Other things can be optimized. “We didn’t know that our wiring harness for Mach-E was 1.6 kilometers longer than it needed to be. We didn’t know it’s 70 pounds heavier, and that that’s worth $300 of battery. We didn’t know that we underinvested in braking technology to save on the battery size,” Farley added later in the call.

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While the two-row crossover is what Farley referred to as “the core civic of the EV business,” it still wants to focus on profitability, of course. Still, it intends to continue offering a strong and marketable product at a price that is attractive to customers and viable for Ford to continue bringing in profits.

Ford is still working through the kinks, and its business overall has plenty to optimize. …We left about $2 billion of profit on the table due to cost and especially continued supply chain issues,” Farley said. “These are the simple facts. And to say I’m frustrated is an understatement.”

I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.

Quotes provided by The Motley Fool.

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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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Tesla launches new feature that cold climate drivers will love

Tesla’s steering wheels are getting better with this simple yet effective software update.

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Credit: Weibo (via YYDS on X)

Tesla is launching another new feature in its cars, this time it will cater to those in colder climates, and those drivers will love it.

Perhaps one of the best things about Teslas is that they routinely receive over-the-air software updates that either improve the ownership experience, add features, or make their performance more robust.

Every update offers some sort of bug fix or new feature that simply makes the cars better than they were before. For example, earlier this week, we reported on a new third-party charger latch release feature that will help those with non-Tesla home charging plugs.

Tesla adds useful Model 3/Y feature home chargers will love

Now, Tesla is releasing a new improvement to its heated steering wheel system, which has been around for several years. The new feature is one that will improve its performance and have your wheel nice and toasty the next time you get in, and it is a bit chilly outside.

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According to Not a Tesla App, Tesla rolled out the Heated Steering Wheel improvements with the 2024.14 software update:

“If the steering wheel heater is set to Auto, the steering wheel will now heat up based on the cabin temperature, even if the climate system is set manually.

Previously, the climate system needed to be set to Auto for the steering wheel heater to turn on automatically.”

The change impacts all five Tesla models, the release notes state.

The heated steering wheel is one of the features that Tesla has used to help cater the vehicle’s overall performance to those in colder climates.

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Tesla Model 3 with heated steering wheel begins US deliveries

Just as the air-conditioned and cooling seats are beneficial during the Summer months, the heated steering wheel is incredibly beneficial to those drivers in colder parts of the globe.

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Tesla announces massive new achievement with 8 million cars produced

Tesla’s 8 millionth car comes just 8 months after it built its 7 millionth car.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla announced a massive new achievement in relation to its automotive division as it has officially built 8 million cars globally.

The 8 millionth car rolled off production lines at Gigafactory Berlin on Friday, the company announced. The car was an Ultra Red Model Y, images show:

The car comes just about eight months after Tesla built its 7 millionth car at the Fremont Factory last October, a major accomplishment considering the claims of a lack of demand from the media.

Tesla celebrates 7 million vehicles produced

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Additionally, Tesla was able to achieve this major threshold with a stoppage in production at each of its four production facilities earlier this year. The manufacturing halt was attributed to a production line changeover for the new Model Y crossover.

The car has been the best-selling vehicle in the world for two consecutive years, and the company pausing production for two weeks, yet still managed to produce one million cars in eight months is impressive.

Tesla currently only produces the Model Y at Gigafactory Berlin, but the car is also manufactured at Gigafactory Shanghai, Gigafactory Texas, and the Fremont Factory.

It is the only model to be produced at all four of Tesla’s global manufacturing plants, which span across three different continents.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk and Donald Trump to speak with each other Friday: report

White House aides have scheduled a call between the CEO and U.S. President on Friday.

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The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
President Donald J. Trump purchases a Tesla on the South Lawn, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)

Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s feud seems to be thawing, at least to some degree.

As per a recent Politico report, White House aides have scheduled a call between the CEO and U.S. President on Friday.

Musk vs. Trump

Musk turned into a staunch critic of Trump amidst the administration’s efforts to pass the “Big Beautiful Bill,” which the CEO claimed would add trillions to the country’s deficit. Trump, for his part, claimed that Musk turned on him due to the adverse effects of the proposed bill on his companies.

The spat between the two powerful men became so notable that Musk called for the impeachment of Trump on X. He also claimed that Trump was in the Epstein list. The U.S. President, for his part, threatened to cancel billions of dollars worth of government contracts with Musk’s companies such as SpaceX.

Potential Truce

As per Politico, however, White House aides have stepped in to temper the tensions and broker peace between the two powerful men. When asked by the outlet about his ongoing feud with the CEO, Trump reportedly stated that “it’s okay” and that “it’s going very well, never done better.” The U.S. President also highlighted his favorability ratings, stating that his “numbers are through the roof.”

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While the CEO was very aggressive against Trump in his X posts, he did back down somewhat after some time. When hedge fund manager Bill Ackman argued that Trump and Musk should make peace for the benefit of the United States, the CEO responded with, “You’re not wrong.” Musk also walked back on his decision to decommission SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which is essential to NASA’s operations.

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