Ticker: Ford to get access to Tesla charging network; Walgreens laying off 10% of corporate jobs 

Two auto industry heavyweights and competitors are teaming up to expand access to electric-vehicle charging in North America.

Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley and Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk  announced that, starting next year, Ford’s EVs will gain access to Tesla’s proprietary Supercharger network.

With Ford customers gaining access to more than 12,000 Superchargers, the agreement will more than double the number of EV fast chargers to which they currently have access.

“We’re ramping production and we think this a huge move for our industry and for our all-electric customers,” Farley said. “Widespread access to fast-charging is absolutely vital to our growth as an EV brand.”

“We don’t want the Tesla Supercharger network to be like a walled garden,” Musk said. “We want it to be something that is supportive of electrification and sustainable transport in general. … It is our intent to do everything possible to support Ford and have Ford be on an equal footing at Tesla Superchargers.”

Walgreens laying off 10% of corporate workforce

Walgreens is eliminating 504 corporate jobs, representing about 10% of the retail pharmacy giant’s corporate workforce, the company confirmed late last week.

The affected jobs are mostly at Walgreens’ Deerfield, Illinois, and Chicago offices. The roles represent about 1% of its overall U.S. workforce.

“As we continue to transform our business into a consumer-centric health care company, we are focused on aligning our structure and streamlining our operations to best serve our patients and customers,” Walgreens said in a statement.

“We’re grateful for the many contributions by the team members who will be leaving our organization, and are committed to supporting them as much as possible during this transition,” Walgreens said.