Ford Motor Company's reorganization into Ford Model e (EV operations) and Ford Blue (ICE operations) finally provides an explanation as to why the Blue Oval opposed Tesla's attempt to register the Model E trademark in 2014.
At the time, Ford stepped in to block Tesla's trademark application, justifying its action with a 2010 agreement between the companies that prevented Tesla from using the letter E for a car name.
While it didn't have a car in the past named Model E, Ford argued that Model E sounded too similar to the original mass-market hit automobile, the Ford Model T.