Ford Will Take $19.5 Billion Hit as It Rolls Back E.V. Plans
Basically, the huge-personal-truck model doesn't work so well with batteries. Making them cheap enough means making them small...which Ford didn't try to do
Ford should roll back truck plans, not EV plans.
most truck drivers don't fucking need a truck, and might be just as happy with smaller vehicles if Ford hadn't stopped fucking building them.
Focus and Fiesta were great cars, especially in hatch/wagon form. Should be good enough for most people.
make rangers compact again
Ford should roll back truck plans, not EV plans.
Then they will go broke, the F150 is one of the world's best selling vehicles and the only reason why Ford isn't bankrupt.
Focus and Fiesta were great cars
Bullshit, they were awful, because of cheaply designed automatic transmissions that failed repeatedly and Ford kept selling them for 7 years. Even in the sport Focus, they had major engine failures due to poor head gasket design. Focus and Fiesta were top sellers worldwide, but Ford so badly fucked their customers they got out of the car business, now only making the Mustang Boomermobile.
they were awful, because of cheaply designed automatic transmissions that failed repeatedly
ah I wasn't aware of that, the Fiesta ST we had was a manual so we didn't have much reason to know about that issue.
I've still yet to find anyone who is able to post any data except a 2018 axios hit piece about trucks not being used properly or being happy with the use case.
So for the thousandths time on Reddit/Lemmy, what data are you using to form that opinion?
The announcement amounted to an admission by Ford that it had overestimated demand for battery-powered vehicles and underestimated the staying power of vehicles powered by gasoline and diesel. Other big automakers, including General Motors and Stellantis, have also recently changed their plans and placed a far greater emphasis on combustion engine vehicles and hybrids.
The U.S. auto industry’s move away from electric vehicles is also a result of a reversal in government policies since President Trump took office in January. His administration has slashed government incentives for electric vehicles while promoting fossil fuels. This month, the administration announced plans to significantly weaken fuel economy standards, which would reduce automakers’ incentive to make electric cars.
This is the nut of it.
We had a public incentive to shit our method of engine manufacture to all electric and now we don't.
The federal government is artificially subsidizing fossil fuel production and consumption, while penalizing wind and solar as well as lithium battery production.
But don't be too worried folks. At the end of the day, we're gutting the consumer economy with stagflation anyway.
Degrowth, baby! That's Trump's future.
Ford is partnering with Renault to make EVs in Europe.
I don't blame them for bailing on EVs in USA, between Trump's undoing of a decade of progress and his effect on the economy, you would be insane to care about the US auto market.
The US is where the plurality of cars are bought and sold. You can't just ignore it, especially if you're one of the Big Three domestic automakers.
What Ford's running into is a soft cap on the volume of debt Americans are able to assume in order to buy their bloated flatbed trucks and SUVs. It's 2008 all over again.
LFP batteries are cheaper. Makes me wonder if they could increase their profit margins and lower the prices by simply switching existing vehicles to LFP. Trying to remember how many EVs ford makes — two? Mustang SUV and EV Truck is all I can remember.
No one is shipping small cars in the US except one mini and one VW. Ford doesn’t even ship sedans anymore. This is really going to bite them when they realize we’re in stagflation and no one can afford expensive cars or expensive gas anymore. Does Ford even have a small car in another market they could bring here? Or will they be forced to slap their badge on someone else’s product?
Edit: Just read they are revising it to add a gas generator. Thats neither cheaper, nor is it going to sell any better.
The main reason why people avoided the lightning was poor range while towing.
The European Ford EVs will be rebadged Renaults.
No one is shipping small cars in the US except one mini and one VW
Not true, Stellantis will be selling this awesome EV in 2026 from FIAT. Hilarious. Bullshit compliance car to prove Americans won't buy EVs.
Fiat has stopped selling Fiats in most of the US at this point. It’s sad and pathetic.
LFP are still heavier for the same energy.
A small engine would replace most of the batteries in a plug-in hybrid. Complexity makes initial cost a wash, and will be much lighter.
Especially for customers looking to haul or tow, this could be a good thing if done right.
A small engine would replace most of the batteries in a plug-in hybrid.
This would result in the battery being fully charged and fully depleted on a regular basis. Which is what causes batteries to degrade overtime.
Hybrid batteries don’t last very long for this reason. So they increase the amount the owner spends on batteries in addition to the gas drivetrain maintenance and common failures.
Hybrids have all the negatives of gas and electric without the positives.
Ford said it remained committed to building a medium electric pickup in Kentucky that would cost around $30,000,
I'm skeptical, but they say they're gonna do it. Curious if that will be ranger or maverick size.
I'm hoping like a first generation Ranger size. Like all trucks, even the Ranger got larger each generation.
It's the electric Maverick.
Bribes and threats from the oil barons
Byd are already buying up the ford dealerships here, guess they're happy with that carrying on.
The huge personal truck works well with fail videos, though.
It's a stupid product. You get 75 miles of towing, the entire purpose of the truck.
PHEV trucks make a billion times more sense for most owners.
Dont be so rigid in your perspective. First off, when you are towing anything big your range always gets cut in half, it just matters more for electric. Still, my next vehicle will be the electric 150. I have solar panels for free electricity, the truck can also work as a whole house backup power station. It can plow, it can tow well for most of what I need to do, I can commute to work on solar and my whole family fits in it. Its a great truck, its not for everyone but it most certainly has its place.
Fellow lightning owner with solar here:
Yeah, the whole house battery plus vehicle is what made this decision. Bonus points that I don't need to rewire the garage for tools and I don't need to pay for delivery of sheet goods or landscaping stuff. I also just put 4 adults and an infant in the truck for a comfortable day trip. My meter is still net backwards after 6 months of charging exclusively at home.
There are dozens of you.
It's a shitty drivetrain for the f150. I'm glad it works for you.
You get 75 miles of towing
in sunny flat Calfornia. In winter, half that or less in hilly areas.