More advanced, lower-cost power packs should be faster to charge and last longer
The 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E is set to become more affordable for European buyers – and potentially Australians when the all-electric Ford SUV arrives here – following the switch to new lithium-ion-phosphate (LFP) battery technology.
According to the Blue Oval, the LFP battery-powered Ford Mustang Mach-E will be more freely available and affordable because of the cheaper chemistry; the LFP batteries will be built in-house at the car-maker’s new $US3.5 billion ($A5.1b) BlueOval Battery Park in Michigan when it opens in 2026.
Better still, as well as being cheaper to produce, the LFP cells are more durable and can tolerate more frequent and faster charging.
Ford has confirmed it will sell the LFP-equipped Mach-E alongside the current version, which is powered by more expensive nickel-cobalt-manganese battery tech, but has not yet revealed how much cheaper SUVs equipped with the LFP batteries will be.
Instead, it has announced that the same LFP battery tech will also become available in the Ford F-150 Lightning and will help it meet its goal of producing 600,000 EVs by the end of 2023 and two million battery-powered vehicles in 2026.
It’s thought the majority of the LFP cost savings come from using less nickel and cobalt, plus the economies of scale that come from making batteries in-house.
Commenting on the new LFP-equipped Ford Mustang Mach-E, Ford president Jim Farley said: “Ford’s electric vehicle line-up has generated huge demand. We’re delivering on our commitments as we scale LFP and NCM batteries and thousands, and soon millions, of customers will begin to reap the benefits of Ford EVs with cutting-edge, durable battery technologies that are growing more affordable over time.”
Ford has already announced it will invest an incredible $US50 billion ($A73b) in EVs by 2026 as the US car-making giant gears up to become carbon neutral in Europe by 2035 and worldwide by 2050.
Despite being on sale in other markets since 2021, the Mustang Mach-E, which could spawn a ‘coupe’ version, won’t arrive Down Under before late 2024, due to high demand and long waiting for the EV in markets like Europe and the US.
A nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) battery and a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery
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Keyword: Ford Mustang Mach-E gets cheaper new LFP batteries