Ford’s Model E is the reason why Tesla’s Model 3 is marketed with the ‘3’ stylized as 3 horizontal lines. Model E was Elon Musk’s first choice for the name of the vehicle, but Ford owned the trademark even though they haven’t used it for a long time.

Ford threatened to sue over the naming scheme and at the time, Musk said that “Ford tried to kill sex” – Model S, E and X would have made the lineup ‘SEX’. Well, now it’s ‘S3X’.

At least, it looks like Ford is about to use the trademark and fortunately for EV enthusiasts, it looks like it will be for a long-range electric vehicle.

It could even be for an EV platform with different models. Autonews reports:

“The Model E, available as a crossover as well as a car, will follow a strategy similar to that of the Hyundai Ioniq, which is to be offered as a hybrid, plug-in hybrid and pure electric vehicle. The EV version is expected to have a range of about 200 miles per charge, a target CEO Mark Fields confirmed Ford is shooting for to challenge Tesla and the Chevrolet Bolt. Production is planned for the spring of 2019 in Mexico.”

2019 is a little late considering the Bolt is hitting the market later this year and the Model 3 is expected in 2017, around the same time as the next generation Nissan LEAF, but better late than never.

The Model E will be part of Ford’s $4.5 billion investment in 13 new electric vehicles coming by 2020, though some of those are expected to be plug-in versions of existing Ford models.

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