Ford Motor Company today announced the appointment of Lisa Drake as president of Ford Energy, effective immediately. Reporting to Vice Chair John Lawler, Drake will stand up the company’s new battery energy storage systems (BESS) business, first announced in December 2025. In her role, she assumes full responsibility for battery cell manufacturing, system assembly and sales, and will recruit a leadership team to capture a projected multi-billion-dollar market for utility-scale storage. Drake’s prior role as vice president of Technology Platform Programs and EV Systems saw her lead battery industrialization plans and secure key supply-chain partnerships—capabilities Lawler cited as critical for grid-stability projects that utilities and large energy users are pursuing.

The automaker has issued a recall affecting more than 119,000 vehicles in the United States to address a defect in the engine block heater assembly that regulators say may pose a fire hazard. This action brings Ford’s total recalls in the past 12 months to an unprecedented level, reflecting heightened scrutiny from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Ford estimates the recall will cost up to $50 million in parts, labor and administrative expenses, and may result in modest production slowdowns as inspectors and repair crews work through dealer service schedules.

In a strategic realignment, Ford announced a one-time non-cash charge of approximately $19.5 billion to write down investments in its EV programs and discontinue the current F-150 Lightning model. CEO Jim Farley emphasized that the move will free up capital to accelerate development of lower-cost EVs and hybrids, with a new midsize electric pickup targeted at a $30,000 entry price by 2027. Ford has also retooled its assembly operations into a modular “assembly tree” design and is rolling out a Universal EV Platform to improve production efficiency. The company projects these initiatives will narrow losses in its electric vehicle division this year and achieve full profitability by 2029.