Ford Motor Co F has called on the mining industry to work together on "smart deals" that will help offset rising commodity prices amid the legacy automaker's push towards electrification. What Happened: Ford CEO Jim Farley said on Wednesday the company is seeing significant pricing pressure on the commodity side for steel, aluminum, copper, lithium, and nickel. "We're focused on lithium and nickel. We want to do smart deals that work for them and for us," Farley told analysts on a post-earnings call on Wednesday. Lithium and nickel are key ingredients in making EV batteries.