rmc523 Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 Ford Energy Announced, Veteran Executive Will Lead New Unit Just last month, Ford announced that it was dissolving its joint-venture with SK On, and pivoting production of the BlueOval SK Battery Park plant in Kentucky from EV batteries to lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) batteries destined for energy storage purposes. That plant will lay off all its workers as Ford retools it for that purpose, and it will invest $2 billion as it launches a brand new business catering to that fast-growing industry. Now, that new entity has a name, as well as a president. Officially dubbed Ford Energy, this new subsidiary will be led by Lisa Drake, who most recently served as vice president, Technology Platform Programs and EV Systems, leading the industrial plan for batteries and electric propulsion engineering. Drake will report to Ford Vice Chair John Lawler, overseeing the launch of this brand new battery energy storage systems (BESS) business. In this new role, Drake is responsible for the full scope of Ford Energy’s end-to-end operations, spanning battery cell manufacturing, system assembly, and sales. Just last month, Ford announced that it was dissolving its joint-venture with SK On, and pivoting production of the BlueOval SK Battery Park plant in Kentucky from EV batteries to lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) batteries destined for energy storage purposes. That plant will lay off all its workers as Ford retools it for that purpose, and it will invest $2 billion as it launches a brand new business catering to that fast-growing industry. Now, that new entity has a name, as well as a president. Officially dubbed Ford Energy, this new subsidiary will be led by Lisa Drake, who most recently served as vice president, Technology Platform Programs and EV Systems, leading the industrial plan for batteries and electric propulsion engineering. Drake will report to Ford Vice Chair John Lawler, overseeing the launch of this brand new battery energy storage systems (BESS) business. In this new role, Drake is responsible for the full scope of Ford Energy’s end-to-end operations, spanning battery cell manufacturing, system assembly, and sales. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biker16 Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 This company spends money like water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted February 2 Author Share Posted February 2 On 1/30/2026 at 7:25 PM, Biker16 said: This company spends money like water. Well, in this case, the alternative is to leave a brand new plant empty... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Rosadini Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 39 minutes ago, rmc523 said: Well, in this case, the alternative is to leave a brand new plant empty... Which leads to the question....Does Ford look ahead with a well thought out plan or jump to conclusions and or respond to the loudest voice that gets the attention of the guy at the top. 🤔 Like Ford Pro...All kinds of praise and its appeal to the "commercial" market while the only thing we see is Transits and software sales. Think the plumber/ electrician/ building contractor with 3 or 4 trucks takes the time to look at that info? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 9 minutes ago, Bob Rosadini said: Which leads to the question....Does Ford look ahead with a well thought out plan or jump to conclusions and or respond to the loudest voice that gets the attention of the guy at the top. 🤔 Like Ford Pro...All kinds of praise and its appeal to the "commercial" market while the only thing we see is Transits and software sales. Think the plumber/ electrician/ building contractor with 3 or 4 trucks takes the time to look at that info? I would be willing to conclude that if Ford Energy does not pan out to Ford's financial satisfaction, they will spin it off to a third party. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 1 hour ago, Bob Rosadini said: Like Ford Pro...All kinds of praise and its appeal to the "commercial" market while the only thing we see is Transits and software sales. Think the plumber/ electrician/ building contractor with 3 or 4 trucks takes the time to look at that info? Oh please Bob. Ford Pro sold roughly 1.5M units last year worldwide. That's far more than just Transits and software. Why do you ignore F150/250/350/450/650/750 just because they don't have a class 8 entry? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted February 2 Author Share Posted February 2 3 hours ago, Bob Rosadini said: Which leads to the question....Does Ford look ahead with a well thought out plan or jump to conclusions and or respond to the loudest voice that gets the attention of the guy at the top. 🤔 Like Ford Pro...All kinds of praise and its appeal to the "commercial" market while the only thing we see is Transits and software sales. Think the plumber/ electrician/ building contractor with 3 or 4 trucks takes the time to look at that info? Ford deserves its fair share of criticism for its recent product cadence blunders.......however, market factors at the time are a major reason - BEV was being mandated, and companies responded. Too soon? Yeah, in hindsight, but they were trying to be at the forefront of the movement and not get left behind. Unfortunately, that came at the expense of ICE products, instead of a slower, simultaneous development many of us advocated. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgan20 Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 9 hours ago, Bob Rosadini said: Which leads to the question....Does Ford look ahead with a well thought out plan Is that a rhetorical question Bob Rosadini my friend? 😄 I think you know the answer. Neither look ahead nor well thought out plan are phrases that the big shots at Ford understand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgan20 Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 On 1/30/2026 at 7:25 PM, Biker16 said: This company spends money like water. Actually, Ford has made sincere efforts at managing water use. As for its efforts to control money spending, that's another matter entirely 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Rosadini Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 9 hours ago, akirby said: Oh please Bob. Ford Pro sold roughly 1.5M units last year worldwide. That's far more than just Transits and software. Why do you ignore F150/250/350/450/650/750 just because they don't have a class 8 entry? AK, I wish I could agree with you but every ad I ever see..guess what, I see Transits and MAYBE a 150. As a stockholder of significance, I would be overjoyed to see a 450/550 in a plug for Ford Pro set up with a boom wrecker, roll back whatever...to say nothing of a 750 utility truck with a Pole Cat....but I don't. I would really like to see the Ford Pro sales stats by vehicle. Which by the way a question. Does anyone know if a dealer who is NOT a Ford Pro sell say, a 450 chassis, is that included in Ford Pro numbers?? I've mentioned this before but the Ford Dealers of New England organization frequently runs ads that feature a variety of commercial vehicles..including of all things a 650/750 dump pulling a tag trailer with a backhoe on it. Seems to me these guys recognize why they spent money to build new service bays with 14' OH clearance. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 31 minutes ago, Bob Rosadini said: AK, I wish I could agree with you but every ad I ever see..guess what, I see Transits and MAYBE a 150. As a stockholder of significance, I would be overjoyed to see a 450/550 in a plug for Ford Pro set up with a boom wrecker, roll back whatever...to say nothing of a 750 utility truck with a Pole Cat....but I don't. I would really like to see the Ford Pro sales stats by vehicle. Which by the way a question. Does anyone know if a dealer who is NOT a Ford Pro sell say, a 450 chassis, is that included in Ford Pro numbers?? I've mentioned this before but the Ford Dealers of New England organization frequently runs ads that feature a variety of commercial vehicles..including of all things a 650/750 dump pulling a tag trailer with a backhoe on it. Seems to me these guys recognize why they spent money to build new service bays with 14' OH clearance. Do you really think commercial fleet buyers are influenced by tv ads? I don't remember seeing tv ads for bobcats, front end loaders or dump trucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Rosadini Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 15 hours ago, akirby said: Do you really think commercial fleet buyers are influenced by tv ads? I don't remember seeing tv ads for bobcats, front end loaders or dump trucks. They must..why would Ford Pro advertise Transits?? Why does a regional Ford dealer group run TV ads featuring a full line up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 25 minutes ago, Bob Rosadini said: They must..why would Ford Pro advertise Transits?? Why does a regional Ford dealer group run TV ads featuring a full line up? Because a lot of individual tradespeople buy Transits and F150s and F250/350 - plumbers, electricians, delivery services. I think commercial fleet buyers do a lot more research, RFPs, etc. and deal with their fleet sales people. They do a lot more research on capacities and limitations and volume discounts. Totally different buyer. Nobodybuys a fleet of F450s because they saw atv ad. The local dealer is trying to win local fleet sales by showing they have whatever you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 6 minutes ago, akirby said: Because a lot of individual tradespeople buy Transits and F150s and F250/350 - plumbers, electricians, delivery services. I think commercial fleet buyers do a lot more research, RFPs, etc. and deal with their fleet sales people. They do a lot more research on capacities and limitations and volume discounts. Totally different buyer. Nobodybuys a fleet of F450s because they saw atv ad. The local dealer is trying to win local fleet sales by showing they have whatever you need. I wish deanh were still active, he could really shed some light on that from a salesman perspective who specializes in fleet sales. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 On 2/2/2026 at 10:32 AM, rmc523 said: Ford deserves its fair share of criticism for its recent product cadence blunders.......however, market factors at the time are a major reason - BEV was being mandated, and companies responded. Too soon? Yeah, in hindsight, but they were trying to be at the forefront of the movement and not get left behind. Unfortunately, that came at the expense of ICE products, instead of a slower, simultaneous development many of us advocated. called it from the get go and copped flak for it...they went all in on EV ( including battery factories ) and shot themselves in the foot...cost them a LOT of money, GOVT pressure didnt help in the slightest either...you get into bed with the Devil youll have consequences, not sure the figure is accurate, but rumor was Ford was losing 50k on each Mach E...again, sounds incredibly inflated, but losing copious amounts on moola on specific vehicles just to appease, is not a good business decision...Toyota played it a LOT better, and maybe the best in the Automobile kingdom, but I think Fords learnt a valuable lesson, licked their wounds and will respond well...fingers crossed. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Rosadini Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 7 hours ago, akirby said: Because a lot of individual tradespeople buy Transits and F150s and F250/350 - plumbers, electricians, delivery services. I think commercial fleet buyers do a lot more research, RFPs, etc. and deal with their fleet sales people. They do a lot more research on capacities and limitations and volume discounts. Totally different buyer. Nobodybuys a fleet of F450s because they saw atv ad. The local dealer is trying to win local fleet sales by showing they have whatever you need. Well again, my contention is most class 7 and lower sales are to the people you describe-small business trade people/contractors. Do the Verizons, Comcasts, (7M3's employer) of the world place large orders for class 4/5 trucks? Yes but I'm talking about the thousands of businesses in this country that buy these lower classes in support of their business. I have to say, the only large fleet orders I see for class 6 and 7 Fords are UPS and Enterprise Rentals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgan20 Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 9 minutes ago, Bob Rosadini said: Do the Verizons, Comcasts, (7M3's employer) of the world place large orders for class 4/5 trucks? Yes but I'm talking about the thousands of businesses in this country that buy these lower classes in support of their business. Here's the breakdown for the 10 largest commercial vehicle fleets in the U.S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 (edited) 1 hour ago, Bob Rosadini said: Well again, my contention is most class 7 and lower sales are to the people you describe-small business trade people/contractors. Do the Verizons, Comcasts, (7M3's employer) of the world place large orders for class 4/5 trucks? Yes but I'm talking about the thousands of businesses in this country that buy these lower classes in support of their business. I have to say, the only large fleet orders I see for class 6 and 7 Fords are UPS and Enterprise Rentals. If ads are so important then how did Ford sell 1.5M vehicles last year without them? Lack of ads doesn't make them any less of a commercial success. Some buyers are brand loyal like my brother in law who only buys F350s for 7 crews and himself. Others just want the best price. For most of them this is not their first or truck and they know what they want or don't want. Edited February 4 by akirby 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 52 minutes ago, morgan20 said: Here's the breakdown for the 10 largest commercial vehicle fleets in the U.S. You forgot M-tex in Midland Texas. They have a shitload of F250s......... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackinaw Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 58 minutes ago, akirby said: You forgot M-tex in Midland Texas. They have a shitload of F250s......... I thought they were F-350's........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgan20 Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 1 hour ago, akirby said: You forgot M-tex in Midland Texas. They have a shitload of F250s......... Thanks my friend, but the list ain't my creation, it comes from an fleet management journal. Maybe the big shots at M-tex didn't get their data submitted to the journal on time. 😄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 1 hour ago, mackinaw said: I thought they were F-350's........ I guessed since they weren't dualies........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 6 hours ago, Deanh said: called it from the get go and copped flak for it...they went all in on EV ( including battery factories ) and shot themselves in the foot...cost them a LOT of money, GOVT pressure didnt help in the slightest either...you get into bed with the Devil youll have consequences, not sure the figure is accurate, but rumor was Ford was losing 50k on each Mach E...again, sounds incredibly inflated, but losing copious amounts on moola on specific vehicles just to appease, is not a good business decision...Toyota played it a LOT better, and maybe the best in the Automobile kingdom, but I think Fords learnt a valuable lesson, licked their wounds and will respond well...fingers crossed. A few big losses sorts the men from the boys…. Glad to see Ford has another purpose for its battery plants and while I wish them well, I keep wondering what could possibly go wrong with this plan…….. Recall on 500 massive battery banks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgan20 Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 6 hours ago, jpd80 said: I keep wondering what could possibly go wrong with this plan…….. Is Lisa Drake going to hire some of the Ford skunkworks wizards to work at her business unit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 I don't care what they do at this point as long as they do something and follow it through. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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