nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com

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

  • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.worldEnglish
    23·
    2 months ago

    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.

    • SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.caEnglish
      2·
      2 months ago

      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.

      • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        2 months ago

        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.