rperez817

Several reasons, but the 2 biggest ones are. BEV in Ford's largest markets (North America, Europe, and China) are well into the mass adoption phase and continue to grow exponentially. State of Climate Action Report 2023 (see attached) found that the EV sector growth globally should be on track to meet 2030 targets associated with ameliorating the worst impacts of the global climate emergency. As such, Ford and other automakers need to expand, not scale back, any and all efforts to produce BEV and BEV components like HV batteries. state-climate-action-2023.pdf

That's correct. Now that the UAW-Ford labor agreement has been ratified, Jim Farley said that Ford is "working flat out on our next generation of electric vehicles and software platforms". A 42% reduction in BlueOval Battery Park's output isn't compatible with that goal, or with Ford's aim "to lead the EV revolution" as mentioned earlier. Hopefully Ford corrects its misstep before it falls further behind with BEV.

In preparation for Black Friday, production Cybertrucks are now being displayed at Tesla stores throughout the U.S. Example from Tesla store at University Town Center in San Diego.

Former Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda once said "It is in Toyota's DNA that mistakes made once will not be repeated". The company had an opportunity to bring its most iconic products like Camry and Prius into the BEV era but failed to capitalize on it. Unfortunately for Toyota, strategic mistakes of that magnitude are so severe that the company is now "gagging on the electric-car revolution’s dust", as Nitish Pahwa of Slate said.

Just the opposite. By scaling back investment at the BlueOval Battery Park facility, Ford is effectively handing future market share in the rapidly growing U.S. BEV market to competitors, both legacy and startup. It's Ford that will go out of business if strategies like this continue. Ford is still committed to an 100% ZEV product lineup "in leading markets no later than 2035", but the announcement in the OP is very worrisome for a company that claims to pursue a "global push to lead the EV revolution".

Regardless of "sales figures for Toyota's hybrids" nowadays, the company's Beyond Zero, multi-pathway strategy that puts too much emphasis on hybrids and FCEV (fool cells) is irresponsible because it weakens the company's competitiveness amid the ongoing automotive industry revolution. Electrek wrote about this earlier this year. Toyota shareholders raise concerns over Tesla's EV lead (electrek.co)

That's correct Rangers09. Those provisions come from CARB Advanced Clean Cars II Rule, which originated in California but has either been adopted or is being considered by these additional U.S. states. States that have Adopted California's Vehicle Regulations | California Air Resources Board Colorado Maryland Massachusetts New Jersey (administrative rule issued; first applicable model year not finalized) New Mexico New York Oregon Vermont Virginia Washington Advanced Clean Cars II is deliberately conservative in its targets. That's probably a calculated move on CARB's part - automakers and others are less likely to file lawsuits over the Advanced Clean Cars II Rule as it's currently written. This also makes it more likely that federal government agencies associated with vehicle emissions regulations (EPA and NHTSA) will adopt the CARB standards in the future, harmonizing standards for ZEV mandates across all 50 U.S. states.

The reason can be found in the New Jersey Statutes Annotated and New Jersey Administrative Code. Public Safety and Occupational Safety and Health | Retail Gasoline Dispensing Safety Act and Regulations (nj.gov)

Ford hasn't changed its stance on CARB Advanced Clean Cars II yet. If any revisions are in order, it would be for Ford to exceed the minimum % ZEV requirements. For example, CARB only requires 68% by 2030. If Ford is going to be a leader among legacy automakers in the transition to an all electric future, it should set an internal corporate goal of 80% ZEV or higher by 2030.

Since this is in the Ford Motor Company Discussion Forum, here is Ford's official statement on the CARB Advanced Clean Cars II standards, which New Jersey's administrative rule is based on. Ford Statement on Proposed Advanced Clean Cars II Regulations in California | Ford Media Center

From the New Jersey Monitor article. Details for California's requirements, which New Jersey's are based upon, are here. View Document - California Code of Regulations (westlaw.com) (c) Annual ZEV Requirements (1) Requirements for Intermediate and Large Volume Manufacturers. (A) Calculating Annual ZEV Requirement. For a given model year's production of passenger cars and light duty trucks, manufacturers, other than small volume manufacturers, must comply with an Annual ZEV Requirement calculated according to this subsection (c). The Annual ZEV Requirement shall be calculated as: Annual ZEV Requirement = Annual Percentage Requirement x Production Volume Where: Annual ZEV Requirement = manufacturer's ZEV production required, expressed in whole vehicles, for the applicable model year Annual Percentage Requirement = the annual percentage requirement per subsection (c)(1)(B) for the applicable model year Production Volume = manufacturer's production volume of passenger cars and light-duty trucks calculated in accordance with subsection (c)(1)(C), expressed in whole vehicles, for the applicable model year. (B) Percentage Requirement. The table below identifies the percentage requirement to be used in the calculation of the Annual ZEV Requirement for the applicable model year. Model Year Percentage Requirement 2026 35% 2027 43% 2028 51% 2029 59% 2030 68% 2031 76% 2032 82% 2033 88% 2034 94% 2035 and subsequent 100%

Good points GearheadGrrrl. I should amend my previous statement to say "You'll love the quick acceleration Volvo EX30 provides". You are correct that a passenger car configuration would be better as an all-around performance BEV, especially for autocross or HPDE. Maybe for the 2028 NACTOY awards, VW will have a production version of this as a nominee.

You are correct KCinPD. Timely resolution to customer issues is not something Ford is known for.

That's correct silvrsvt, but that term is more common in Europe and Asia compared to the Americas. In the U.S., synonyms for charging pile include electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), charging stations, recharging points, and charging points.

You'll love Volvo EX30, one of the SUV of the Year finalists. The Twin Motor Performance variant of EX30 is the fastest accelerating Volvo car ever.

That's correct Chrisgb, not unless Ford makes substantial changes to FCEV Super Duty in its second year. Or introduces a new Super Duty Variant, like Super Duty Lightning/BEV in that timeframe. NACTOY says that "The process of selecting the Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year begins with a “long list” of all eligible new or substantially changed vehicles for that year". About NACTOY - The North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year (northamericancaroftheyear.org) As an example, Ford F-150 won the truck award for NACTOY multiple times (2023, 2021, 2015, 2009, 2004, 1996) but in each case it involved a redesign or a new variant.

Good points Rick73. Ioniq 6 SE RWD LR is the sweet spot. It's the variant I test drove this summer. MSRP for 2023 model year was $46,615. For model year 2024, Hyundai dropped the price to $43,565. The pricing is very reasonable for the combination of style, quality, efficiency, performance, and refinement this vehicle offers. But to pictor's point, the federal tax credit available for U.S. domestic BEV like Tesla Model 3 isn't available on Ioniq 6. And even with the recently announced partnership with Amazon, the ordering and buying experience for a new Ioniq 6 is not as pleasant and straightforward compared to a new Model 3. Hyundai USA still has this warning on its website:

Cadillac Optiq uses GM's BEV3 platform which is also used for Equinox EV as well as Lyriq, Blazer EV, Electra E4/E5, Celestiq, Cruise Origin, Prologue, and ZDX, but it's not "based on the Equinox EV" or any other BEV3 platform vehicle. Here is more information from Optiq's debut at 2023 Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition. The vehicle was originally slated to be China market only, but GM decided to expand its availability to include U.S. as well. All-New Cadillac Optiq EV Makes World Debut In China (gmauthority.com)

It's a trend, specifically, that the superiority of BEV in general keeps gaining more recognition in the automotive press as automakers introduce more of them. Hopefully in 5 years or less, 100% of the finalists will be BEV. Bias in the process isn't an issue in NACTOY because 50 different jurors are involved independently. More information here. Meet the NACTOY Jurors - North American Car Utility & Truck of the Year (northamericancaroftheyear.org)

Congratulations on your Tesla Model 3 pictor! You are correct that Tesla's online, direct to consumer buying experience is the best, most painless automotive retail experience around for consumers. Hyundai USA announced last week that it's partnering with Amazon to sell vehicles online via the Amazon.com consumer site. Franchised dealers are still involved, so it's not a true direct to consumer experience. Hyundai and Amazon Partner to Deliver Innovative Customer Experiences and Cloud Transformation - Hyundai Newsroom

Ioniq 6 SE (the 3rd finalist in the 2024 NACOTY car category) offers a great combination of style and value. If Hyundai were an American company and if it offered a direct-to-consumer sales model for BEV, I would have bought an Ioniq 6 rather than a Tesla Model 3 earlier this year.

If Toyota refuses to put forth a "great EV effort" ASAP and continues its irresponsible hybrid push (as evidenced with 2025 Camry), DeluxeStang you may get your wish of Toyota heading to the bottom of the automotive history trash bin sooner rather than later.

Subaru will bring desperately needed wage and benefit increases for workers at the SIA plant in Indiana. As with Toyota and Honda, it's direct result of UAW negotiations with GM, Ford, and Stellantis. Subaru to raise US plant worker wages in light of UAW deals with Detroit automakers -CEO | Reuters

Putting this in the Ford Motor Company Discussion Forum because 1 finalist is a Ford product. North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year™ Jurors Celebrate Finalists for 2024 Awards - North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year (northamericancaroftheyear.org) 2024 North American Car of the Year Finalists 2024 North American Truck of the Year Finalists 2024 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year Finalists Honda Accord Hyundai Ioniq 6* Toyota Prius/Prius Prime Chevrolet Colorado Chevrolet Silverado EV* Ford Super Duty Genesis Electrified GV70* Kia EV9* Volvo EX30* * Indicates electric vehicle

Here is a spec sheet for the China domestic market 2024 Lincoln Nautilus. 全新一代航海家FHEV Nautilus Leaflet手机阅读版 (lincoln.com.cn)