Detroit, May 26, 2026, 05:04 (EDT)
Ford Motor was last at $14.93 ahead of regular Tuesday trading in the U.S., sticking to levels seen after Friday’s rally. The move drew focus to the automaker’s new energy-storage push after the Memorial Day break. The New York Stock Exchange calls Memorial Day, May 25, a market holiday in 2026. NYSE core trading session is from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET.
Timing is key here. Ford is offering investors more than the typical auto-cycle story for now—there’s talk about a shot at supplying power to data centers and the grid. The next move in the stock will show if Wall Street buys that as a real earnings story, or if it was just some quick rerating after a quiet holiday weekend.
Ford Energy, a fully owned unit, is leading the push to sell battery energy storage systems, or BESS, to utilities, data center players and industrial buyers. Last week, Ford Energy and EDF power solutions North America said EDF might buy up to 4 gigawatt-hours of the systems each year under a five-year deal, for up to 20 GWh total. A gigawatt-hour measures stored electricity.
Lisa Drake, who heads Ford Energy, said the deal with EDF “validates the market’s need” for a large-scale manufacturing supplier. Tristan Grimbert, chief executive at EDF power solutions North America, said “supply chain reliability and product quality are paramount.”
Ford stock moved fast after new attention on its storage business. Reuters said this month that shares jumped 13% in a day—the biggest one-day move for Ford in six years—as Morgan Stanley analysts called out its battery tech deal with China’s CATL as a strength. Ford is putting $2 billion into the storage business and expects first deliveries to customers by late 2027.
Ford didn’t stop. The stock finished Friday at $14.93, the best close in almost three years, MarketWatch said. Shares jumped more than 9% for the day, up about 24% for the month. That put Ford among the S&P 500’s better performers lately, breaking from the caution that had followed steep electric vehicle losses in past years.
Ford is now sizing itself up against Tesla, not just General Motors, on battery storage. The company’s energy pitch links it to Tesla, a player Barron’s called the pioneer in storage, noting Tesla has rolled out about 45 GWh over the last 12 months. Ford is aiming for at least 20 GWh a year.
Ford is still dealing with the legacy side of its auto business. The automaker posted first-quarter revenue of $43.3 billion, net income at $2.5 billion, and adjusted EBIT at $3.5 billion. Adjusted EBIT, a metric investors track, strips out certain items. Ford bumped up its full-year adjusted EBIT outlook, now at $8.5 billion to $10.5 billion. This quarter’s results got a $1.3 billion lift from a one-time tariff benefit.
Risks are clear. EDF won’t start deliveries until 2028, and Reuters says Ford started pushing storage after it took a $19.5 billion EV writedown and shifted Kentucky plant space that had been planned for EV batteries. If orders dip, battery costs jump, or power demand from data centers eases, investors might refocus on Ford’s old worries: truck profits, EV losses, tariffs, and whether it can execute.
Ford’s test comes Tuesday as traders look to see if Friday’s price sticks with normal volume back. A flat open keeps Ford around highs last seen in 2022. If shares slip back, the market is asking for more evidence before bidding up a business that won’t ramp up for years.
Ford usually tells investors to think beyond the next launch. Now, the focus has shifted. It’s about batteries, both for cars and for the bigger power market. The stock price needs to show what’s already priced in from this shift.
