Ford Goes 'All In' on Electric Cars With $11 Billion Investment

Industry Week ^ | 1/15/2018 | cp124

[trebb]

Why would I *possibly* consider an electric vehicle?????

Because it's the Kermit thing to do - it's hard to be green.....

[politicianslie]

“We believe man-made CO2 is contributing to climate change and we’ve got our part to play,”

You're stupid.

I worked for a small electric utility in South Carolina that operated ONE nuclear power plant. The CEO decided that to take the company to the next level that he would build two new Westinghouse AP-1000 plants. They were shutting down "old" coal plants and the plan was to be in a position to "profit" in the future AND to take gov't $$ along the way.

The stock got hammered a few months ago when the partner decided to drop out of the contract (they'd own 1/3 of the two new plants just like they owned 1/3 of the original nuclear plant).

Recently, the South Carolina company was bought out by a Va utility which is going to finish the two new Nuclear plants after getting them for pennies on the dollar.

FORD is probably big enough to absorb an idiotic decision. Until electric cars have batteries with capabilities and range similar to a tank of gasoline, Americans are NOT going to buy them in large numbers, no matter how feel good the government tries to make them "feel."

The "in the know" leftists (like Hussein Obama and Hillary) want to shut down the coal plants to hurt the American economy, NOT to escape globull warming. They know they are lying, but why not? The average American used to listen to their morning propaganda broadcasts and believe every word CNN told them. BUT that is slowly changing.

The idiot CEO of the South Carolina company was a bean counter, he had NO engineering knowledge at all. To listen to him speak was like listening to Gore or Obama talk about a technical subject. I left the company when they were still putting up walls at the new "plant."

[SunkenCiv]

One of the constraints on electric vehicle growth continues to be the supply of the fancy stuff needed to make the batteries. So now, there's this:

[moehoward]

“I own a V8 20 gallon Jeep and I know I get around 60 + MPG but I dont care. ”

Not a chance. I don’t believe there’s anything in the Jeep line that averages better than 25-30. My JKU averages high teens, it’d do better without the customizations.

Wife has a Prius, 55 with that. And I suppose the article could be including Hybrids as ‘electrified’.

[Charles Martel]

I do believe I’m seeing a huge historical screw-up right before my very eyes.

Yes, and on more than one level. Not only is Ford embracing the shift from internal-combustion to battery-electric, they're also set on diminishing one of their historic nameplates in the process. Apparently, a PEV Crossover due out in 2020 will be sold as the "Mach 1". The marketing test group that they used to select that name must've had members all aged 30 and under.

[Charles Martel]

I think he meant 6 mpg, not 60. Jeep + V8 + trail gearing = single-digit mpg.

[HLPhat]

>>FORD is probably big enough to absorb an idiotic decision

I wonder if the Camel-Jockeys were laughing...

...when the Ford Flivver rolled off into the Kalmyk steppe.

https://www.hoover.org/research/big-show-bololand

The only thing that doesn't change... is change.

[moehoward]

I thought about that....but that’s awfully low. Had a bunch of Wranglers both 4 and 6s. All had varying levels of trail upgrades, none below 10MPG. Heck my 1999 10” lifted full size 2500 Suburban with a 454 got 12MPG.

[Charles Martel]

I had a V8 Explorer that averaged around 16 mpg - maybe that was the intended number. 60 mpg might’ve been attainable on really long downhill grades.

[Sam Gamgee]

Can’t fix stupid.