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I think a big part of this is how these legacy automakers went about it.
Switching to an EV requires a leap of faith because they're asking consumers to completely rethink the second-biggest purchase of their life. My first EV was from a company that only made EVs, and the entire ownership experience was designed around that. Their sales reps knew about what they were selling, service techs knew how to fix them, and the Supercharger network has become almost ubiquitous with outstanding reliability. Contrast that with existing automakers trying to sell them with clueless salesmen, service departments without certified techs, lackluster trip planning software, and untrustworthy third-party charging networks. That frustration drove me back to Tesla after only six months, which made the whole thing an expensive mistake.
With the exception of Toyota, they're all making good cars. But they're more expensive than their gas-powered competitors and deliver a sub-par experience. I think leadership has the right idea, but Farley, Barra, etc. must be smashing their heads against their desks over factors they can't control. Getting dealerships to provide a great EV sale/service experience is like pushing a boulder up Mount Everest, and third-party charging networks are atrocious. The average consumer doesn't care that JimBob Ford in Wheretheheckistan is a separate business from Ford, and the 45-minute wait at the only operational charger within an hour's drive ruins the whole trip.
These factors are getting better, but they put the cart before the horse. Dealerships and charging networks have to be there for consumers to buy-in at a large scale. They tried to scale production before the other factors would enable demand. Tesla is building more and more cars every week, and they're selling what they make. I'm sure Ford and GM will get there, though. I'm willing to own a Lightning now that prices have declined and they have access to the Supercharger network.
It's a shame it's happening this late. I would have saved thousands if this happened a year ago when I got my Model Y.
This is what I have been saying for a while for the legacy automakers and their move to EV's...
Their dealer network, in general, is absolutely atrocious in general... and im not talking just Ford... and for EV's its truly horrific... Where I bought my F350 they had a bunch of Mustang Mach EV's and the sales guy said "yea nobody here gives a **** about them so nobody really took any of the training seriously, but if you want one im sure I can get you a smoking good deal"...
The other thing is, so far, im not seeing any EV's from any of the big 3 that I would want to purchase. They have mostly all taken vehicles they already make and tried to EV them, but, as you know from Tesla, thats not the way to do it IMO. F150/truck guys generally want a truck they dont want 1/2 a truck. And lets not get started on the Mach EV which to me is like an Escape(which was a huge piece of **** to begin with) that they EV'd and threw a big screen in the middle of the dash... yack... GM aint no better because, maybe their EV batteries and motors are engineering marvel's(I dont know, but I doubt) but they are topped with a horrible piece of **** GM product that will be junk before the batteries wear out(so at least we dont have to worry about battery life with any GM EV's LOL)... And Chrysler, well, you cant make a EV with a hellcat motor so they are out completely I think...
Tesla is so far beyond the legacies in what they are offering is why they are the dominate force. You go into one of their demo centers and everybody knows the product and is passionate about it. They give you a car and tell you to come back in 30 minutes. They dont pressure you to do anything because they arent really selling you a car. Then their technology is very forward thinking and "what can we do since we dont have to design around a ICE and gas tank"... The driving experience is excellent. I believe their production and materials are better than when they first started out. My dad just bought a Model 3 and we compared to a Camry and an Accord... Toyota dealer had an 8995 market adjustment...on a 33k Camry... LOL... not to mention their infotainment screen seemed like it would have been right at home in like 1998...otherwise the car was fine. Honda was at least willing to deal a little bit, but the Accord hybrid was just...meh... Lots of people poo poo Musk's designs, but they are selling. The cybertruck, we shall see if its a winner or not when they actually start getting out into people's hands...
And I bet the Ram EV will be just as bad as the F150 Lightning and the chevy ev 1/2 ton whenever it goes into production(or maybe its already out)...
My point is the legacy automakers in the USA simply take an already existing product and throw a battery pack and some electric motors in it and call it "revolutionary"... except its not... and Ram's arent selling anyway(I think I read there is like a 96 day supply of Ram's on dealers lots currently), so lets take a product thats not selling to begin with and try to sell it for even more because "electric"...
It would seem the American buying public is as fickle as ever so while EV technology and its incorporation into existing popular high selling vehicle designs and actual vehicles is at best "difficult"to predict. Simply dumping an EV drivetrain package into a mostly last year's F-150 etc etc wasn't the sales or technological marvel I'm sure The BIg Three hoped it would be.
I do get a chuckle how so many trivial revelations regarding EV sales or technological developments are put forth as the harbinger of great or tragic details to be forthcoming any moment now. As most of us know EV's will survive or disappear based upon their sales---not too much so far has caused any sort of groundswell sales or lack thereof.
The replacement to the USPS LLV is known as the NGDV or Next Generation Delivery Vehicle. The box and chassis are built by Osh Kosh defense but the drive trains are all Ford both ICE and Electric.
These vehicles will be built in a start up plant in SC and with much interference from the overseers of the Post Office, the new plan is to now build 60% electric and 40% gas instead of 10% and 90% respectively. 60% of 165,000 trucks is 99,000 vehicles and earlier this summer, the PO was informed that the entire production line of Electric trucks would be stalled till sometime in 2024. This was all long before the UAW debacle and or any other excuse that could be fabricated for a media frenzy to illustrate that Ford and the big three are unprepared to deliver.
And I bet the Ram EV will be just as bad as the F150 Lightning and the chevy ev 1/2 ton whenever it goes into production(or maybe its already out)...
My point is the legacy automakers in the USA simply take an already existing product and throw a battery pack and some electric motors in it and call it "revolutionary"... except its not... and Ram's arent selling anyway(I think I read there is like a 96 day supply of Ram's on dealers lots currently), so lets take a product thats not selling to begin with and try to sell it for even more because "electric"...
Whatever your point is was not part of any intended discussion with you, just letting you know the company that was Chrysler is throwing their hat in the ev ring.
Whatever your point is was not part of any intended discussion with you, just letting you know the company that was Chrysler is throwing their hat in the ev ring.
yup and like most of their products will likely be a steaming pile of ****...
Since Chrysler fell under the new formed Stellantis after the PSA (Peugeot) buyout of FCA, the entire North American side of the business has suffered. Peugeot has never known how to do business in North America and it shows.
38% of new vehicle sales in China were electric, and the Model Y will be the best-selling vehicle in the world for 2023.
The US has a unique auto market compared to the rest of the developed world, and we've turned them into a political football. I think we also have some of the highest-priced EVs in the world, which doesn't help. If the price and products are right, the market will follow. I'm confident Ford and others will figure it out.
The replacement to the USPS LLV is known as the NGDV or Next Generation Delivery Vehicle. The box and chassis are built by Osh Kosh defense but the drive trains are all Ford both ICE and Electric.
These vehicles will be built in a start up plant in SC and with much interference from the overseers of the Post Office, the new plan is to now build 60% electric and 40% gas instead of 10% and 90% respectively. 60% of 165,000 trucks is 99,000 vehicles and earlier this summer, the PO was informed that the entire production line of Electric trucks would be stalled till sometime in 2024. This was all long before the UAW debacle and or any other excuse that could be fabricated for a media frenzy to illustrate that Ford and the big three are unprepared to deliver.
Is Ford the hold up or is the fact they haven't started putting in the charging infrastructure at any of the stations yet. No point in delivering electric trucks when there's no way to charge them.
That's what I'm looking for long before any trucks get delivered.
The thing to look at when comparing the US to the rest of the world, is look at the size of the countries and the roads in the countries mentioned. The only big country mentioned is China, and the majority of the people live is basically "mini-countries". They live their whole lives in the city or community they were born in or assigned to.
We are a big county with no limits on travel, yet.... That makes for a very complicated EV adaption. In the old days when traveling longer distance, drivers strapped extra gas to their vehicles. Can't do that with batteries.
On the other hand, I do like the looks of the Ram EV, if I could get it to last all day driving in the mountains with no charging stations, nor towns, as I like to do.
Is Ford the hold up or is the fact they haven't started putting in the charging infrastructure at any of the stations yet. No point in delivering electric trucks when there's no way to charge them.
That's what I'm looking for long before any trucks get delivered.
I've been saying all along that the whole EV industry has got the "cart ahead of the horse". If it weren't for Tesla, the whole battery charging options would be extremely limited. At this point I would give Ford a big "F" for their EV execution and Farley recently proved it to himself. I'm shocked Farley is still employed.
A lot of this EV transition mandate was/is driven by elected officials and bureaucrats who live inside the DC beltway or other large metro areas. They rarely drive themselves. The majority don't understand life in the middle of the country, hence the coining of the term fly over country. It seems that a majority of policy making in regard to EVs has been done based on what feels good, not good solid research and fact finding.
But, a politician's first and foremost objective is to get re-elected. A bureaucrats is to appease their elected masters and to justify the existence of the position they occupy. If the voting public begins a groundswell, the elected official must recognize and validate it, or re-election won't be as easy, or happen at all. The bureaucrat has the luxury of being more of an ideologue, that is until the new master dictates new measures.
Here in the US, we who vote still hold a certain amount of sway, for now anyway. No other country has the freedoms that we enjoy. Even in the so called democratic nations of Western Europe, there is a whole lot more governmental control over the populace then there is here. Many are comfortable not having to make hard decisions and allowing a socialist type of governmental control. The US is edging in the at direction, but many here still don't want to give so much control to the government.
Ford is also falling behind schedule for their battery production plant which IMO is a critical path to their success. Not sure the proposed location right in the middle of UAW central was a good idea either.
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.
