DEARBORN – Ford has just ended the option given to Ford electric vehicle customers to buy out the car at the end of the lease. Ford customers who had a lease before June 15 are not affected. This means that they will still have the option to buy out the car at lease end.

The decision applies to the three Ford electric vehicles currently on the market: The F-150 Lightning pickup/truck, an electric version of the best-selling F-150, the Ford Mustang Mach-E sedan and the E-Transit van.

Ford says that this big change is due to the fact that the firm wants to manage the recycling of the battery and other materials well and also the need to make affordable the prices of electric vehicles.

“Ford wants to make electric vehicles more sustainable, drive down the cost for batteries, and ultimately help make electric vehicles accessible and affordable for more Americans,” said Margaret Mellott, a spokeswoman for Ford Credit, Ford’s financial arm, in an emailed statement.