Ford, too, is creating a battery plant to make prismatic LFP cells for future EVs. The site in Marshall, Michigan, has attracted political opposition amid controversy over Ford’s decision to license intellectual property for those cells from CATL, China’s largest battery company. Ford pushed back on the criticism, arguing that America needs LFP batteries to lower EV costs and “reshore” a technology initially invented in the US. GM, meanwhile, says the IP in its LFP cells is fully owned by the two Ultium partners, LG and itself.
So far, Hyundai-Kia has not said it will offer LFP cells in any of its US EVs. The release date of its 2026 Kia EV4 compact sedan, expected in 2026, is now “delayed until further notice” due to “changed market conditions.” The EV4 was thought to be priced in the mid $30,000s. No VW Group brands, Toyota, Nissan, or other EV makers selling in the US have announced LFP plans.
Make ’Em Smaller
The largest single segment in the US market is small crossover SUVs. Future low-cost EVs will be “the same subcompact and compact segments we know today,” says Stephanie Brinley, principal automotive analyst at S&P Global Mobility. “The larger the vehicle, the higher the cost, and the larger the battery it needs.”
New low-cost EVs can’t be much smaller than today’s small SUVs, and yet they have to remain utility vehicles. The 2026 Nissan Leaf and the 2027 Chevrolet Bolt fit this mold (kind of): They’re tall hatchbacks with the “presence” and “stance” of SUVs, minus all-wheel drive.
The new Leaf S+ starts at $31,485 including mandatory destination fee—and offers an EPA-rated 303 miles of range. The more popular mid-range SV+ still stickers below $36,000 for 288 miles, And Nissan promises a bare-bones Leaf S to come in below $30,000. When the 2027 Chevrolet Bolt LT hits dealers early next year, it will start at $29,990—but a 1LT trim with fewer features will follow later in 2026 for $28,995.
Make ’Em Simpler
Another approach is to offer a very different vehicle at a very low headline cost. Startup Slate Auto plans to offer a $25,000 compact pickup truck that radically simplifies the vehicle: no central touchscreen (drivers mount their phones on the dash), one color (wraps are optional extras), no power accessories (the windows wind manually!). The basic vehicle is a two-door, two-seat, small pickup roughly the size of the gasoline and hybrid Ford Maverick. Slate may be onto something: Reportedly, Toyota is now planning its own smaller EV pickup models.
The $25,000 “Blank Slate” version will have 150 miles of rated range. The sole factory option is a larger pack, at 84.3 kWh versus the base 52.7 kWh, to take range to an estimated 240 miles. Slate hasn’t revealed a price for the bigger battery. A $5,000 accessory converts the two-seat pickup into a five-seat SUV, which can be installed by the owner (out of a flat pack) or by a distributor for a fee. The most popular Slate may cost around $35,000, if it ships by the end of 2026 as planned.
