If you’re one of the many looking for a Ford EV and hoping to eschew greedy dealer markups by first leasing and then buying an F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E, or E-Transit, that’s no longer an option. In a letter to dealers across the nation, Ford laid out plans to eliminate the customers’ option to buy at the end of the lease term as it hopes to better control battery lifespan.
First spotted by CarsDirect, the change went into effect for 37 states across the country back on June 15th. Ford says that the remaining 13 states will see the same adjustment before the fourth quarter of this year. That means that you’ll need to buy through one of those remaining states fairly soon if you want to have the option to purchase at the end of the lease period.
In the letter sent to dealers, the carmaker says “Ford Motor Company is committed to making Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) more sustainable and affordable for our customers by localizing the complex battery supply chain network, creating recycling options for end-of-life vehicles, and increasing U.S. battery production.”
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It further specified how this particular shift in policy will allow them to improve sustainability and production: “The purchase of the BEV Lease is to aid in our goal of delivering carbon neutrality by 2050 by controlling the vehicle battery through its life, keeping it in the Ford network.”
Ford aims to build some 600,000 EVs globally by the end of next year and 2 million by the end of 2026.
Tesla has had similar restrictions on its own vehicles for some time so Ford isn’t the first to do this dance. It’s also worth noting that this change doesn’t seem to have anything to do with hybrid or plug-in hybrid models, so vehicles like the Maverick, the Escape PHEV, and the Escape Hybrid are unaffected by this policy. If you’re in the market for one of these Ford EVs, now might be the time to pull the trigger.
