F-150 Lightning production, Nissan solid-state focus, Volta commercial trucks: Today’s Car News

Ford is making F-150 Lightning electric pickups for customers, and a second electric truck could just be just over a couple years away. Volta has big commercial trucks with no allowance for internal combustion. And Nissan is hoping solid-state cells create even better EVs later in the decade. This and more, here at Green Car Reports. 

Nissan once jointly developed the battery cells for its pioneering Leaf electric car; now it’s following a similar philosophy with all-solid-state cells that, it claims, will be available in a production EV in 2028. The cells are potentially “a game changer for EV democratization,” according to Nissan, with the potential to double energy density by weight, while offering a third the fast-charging time and a targeted cost of $75/kwh—all of which would also make the calculations work for larger electric trucks and SUVs, too. 

Ford yesterday confirmed the Michigan start of production for the 2022 F-150 Lightning electric pickup—although at present orders aren’t being taken for the truck. Ford said it will expand Lightning production to 150,000 units annually in 2023, and CEO Jim Farley clarified that the Tennessee-built mass-market electric truck to be made starting in 2024 won’t be a successor to the Lightning; it will be in addition to it. 

And the new series of electric commercial trucks revealed by Volta Trucks of Sweden scales from about 16,500 to 35,000 pounds, but there’s one difference that’s obvious from the start: These models weren’t designed for internal combustion at all. The lower driving position puts the driver at street level, allowing a better vantage point for pedestrians and access. 

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Author: EVAI