In partnership with
Table of Contents
⚡ This Week’s Big Charge
💡 Ford, Mercedes, And The Current Weird Moment In Electrification
Amid a year of tough news for the electric vehicle space, the death of the Ford F-150 Lightning hit differently.
When the Lightning was announced in 2021, it felt like EVs had truly arrived. Here was America’s best-selling vehicle, looking and feeling just as any F-150 truck buyer would expect it to, but battery-powered. Faster than any gas truck, updatable by software, and able to power your tools and even your home. Demand was so strong that Ford doubled production plans, and executive chair Bill Ford called it the most important launch of his career. EVs finally seemed ready to move beyond the Tesla paradigm and into the mainstream.
Then reality set in. Real-world EV range disappointed, prices shot up, and profits never materialized, teaching Ford a hard lesson in how not to make EVs.
To some, the cancellation of the Lightning this week amid Ford’s $19.5 billion pivot away from EVs is proof that the entire electric shift has failed. In reality, things are a lot more complex than that, even if the truck’s demise is the highest-profile symbol yet of 2025’s EV speed bump.
But another new car I drove recently from another so-called “legacy” automaker—the Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class—leaves me with a lot of optimism.
So, as we close out a rough few months for EVs, here are two very different cars that speak volumes about where the space is headed next.
Does your car insurance cover what really matters?
Not all car insurance is created equal. Minimum liability coverage may keep you legal on the road, but it often won’t be enough to cover the full cost of an accident. Without proper limits, you could be left paying thousands out of pocket. The right policy ensures you and your finances are protected. Check out Money’s car insurance tool to get the coverage you actually need.
🛻 What We Know About Ford’s EV Pivot: