Ford Slashes Lightning Prices, GM Limits Incentives, Old EV Batteries Storing Solar

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It’s a great Tuesday to get some people on the road as we talk about Ford’s recent cuts to F150 Lighting prices. We also talk about GM selling all the cars they are making, as well as a new solution to solve 2 energy problems at once. 

• The EV pricing wars are heating up as Ford Motor Co. has cut prices for its F-150 Lightning electric pickup trucks between $6,000 to $10,000, depending on the model. Marin Gjaja, the chief customer officer for Ford's EV unit, explained the price reductions are due to lower material costs and higher production capacity
  • The cheapest Lightning model, the commercial-focused Pro trim, will now start at $51,990, still 25% more expensive than at launch in April 2022. The highest-priced trim, the extended-range Platinum model, has been reduced by $6,079 to $93,990
  • Ford is also adding an additional $1000 discount for customers ordering a truck before the end of July
  • The $7500 federal tax credit also applies to trucks under $80k meaning the entry level truck with all current discounts and credits costs: $43,490
  • Ford CEO Jim Farley has previously cautioned against aggressive price cuts, arguing they can damage the resale value of vehicles and disappoint customers who purchased at higher prices.
    
    
• According to Rory Harvey, GM’s North America president, the company has strong demand and is having some trouble delivering units to Dealers fast enough. At a Lansing, Michigan event, Harvey said, "At this particular point in time, we could just about sell every product that we can build."
  • He partially credits the management of demand to the fact that "GM very strongly continues to have discipline in terms of incentives…”
  • As far as challenges go, transporting vehicles from the plant to the dealerships by truck or rail is slower than they would like.
  • When it comes to EV sales, Harvey declined to directly attribute the lower-than-expected sales of GM's newest electric vehicles, the GMC Hummer EV and Cadillac Lyriq, to issues with Ultium batteries, a potential bottleneck in production. GM sold 1,348 Lyriqs and 47 Hummers in the second quarter however Harvey predicts a significant increase in the second half of the year
    
    
• One California company in Lancaster, California, is giving new life to used EV batteries to store solar power, tackling two key issues in renewable energy: evening supply and battery disposal.
  • B2U Storage Solutions is using retired EV batteries that still retain 60% to 70% of their original charge capacity to connect to a series of solar panels and then sells the solar power back to the grid during peak demand periods in the evening.
  • Their site includes dozens of trailers full of the used EV batteries which can  store solar power for five to six years before being recycled.
  • Supply is the primary constraint but is obviously expected to increase as EV adop

Join Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier every morning for the Automotive State of the Union podcast as they connect the dots across car dealerships, retail trends, emerging tech like AI, and cultural shifts—bringing clarity, speed, and people-first insight to automotive leaders navigating a rapidly changing industry.

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