rperez817

Despite Tesla's disclaimer, California DMV started an official review of whether Tesla violated their regulations "that prohibit misleading advertising concerning automated vehicles." DMV investigating Tesla's self-driving claims - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)

Wow, this must be a painful time for the new car sales staff at the dealership.

Is there a cost advantage or disadvantage to the manufacturer for developing a frame based chassis for BEV pickup truck versus skateboard?

Current exemptions from EPA fuel economy or equivalent testing. Pickup trucks and cargo vans with GVWR over 8,500 pounds Passenger vehicles, such as SUVs and passenger vans with GVWR of 10,000 or more Hummer EV Pickup Launch Edition definitely qualifies for exemption. We'll have to wait for official curb weight and GVWR specs for the other versions of Hummer EV Pickup and SUV to determine if they qualify also.

Hopefully the production version of BEV F-150 Lightning will use a shorty or sharkfin radio antenna. Putting an old fashioned fender mounted whip antenna on a modern, hi tech BEV like F-150 Lightning is weird.

The EU rule change regarding PHEV no longer qualifying as sustainable investments after 2025 has not been implemented yet, it's still in draft phase. Link to draft. Implementing and delegated acts | European Commission (europa.eu)

James Womack from Lean Enterprise Institute talked about those type of events in the context of JIT in an article from over 15 years ago. It's a good read and very relevant today to the situation involving not just Ford Motor Company and the semiconductor device shortage, but the "chaotic world" we have now with the impact of Covid-19 pandemic. Just in Time, Just in Case, and Just Plain Wrong (lean.org) (From January 2006)

This, coming from a moderator on this site. ??

The underlying reason is actually technological and economic. PHEV by definition uses multiple propulsion sources. For production PHEV today, those sources are battery electric and ICE. Combining the 2 adds cost and complexity. Furthermore, the very nature of the ICE portion prevents PHEV from being a true ZEV. 10 years ago when PHEV started to be mass produced, and when the EU regulations that treat PHEV in the same way as BEV were first drafted, it was reasonable to consider PHEV to be a "stopgap" because of limitations with BEV at the time. That is no longer the case today. Beyond meeting Euro 7 emissions requirements in the next 5 years or so, PHEV has become obsolete. One automotive industry executive likened PHEV to "forcing you to carry around extra stuff you don't need".

That's the opposite of JIT. The IndustryWeek article actually mentioned this situation.

EU agenda regarding sustainable investments is based on technological neutrality. In the case of PHEV, they originally envisioned that technology would be "a transition technology towards zero-emission mobility" when the current guidelines were established for PHEV. These guidelines treat PHEV practically the same as true BEV. However, recent research in both EU and elsewhere indicate that PHEV is not a effective transition technology to zero emission mobility. PHEV has a very short lifespan remaining in the EU. Beyond the draft green finance regulations that disallow PHEV from being considered sustainable investments past 2025, policies to ban the sale of new ICE powered cars and light trucks including PHEV between 2030 and 2040 have already been put in place in some EU countries. More countries will follow this approach in the coming years.

Yes sir Clinton77, Lincoln was the lowest rated brand in the most recent Consumer Reports automotive reliability survey. The launch of 2020 Aviator in particular was an epic disaster. I think Ford & Lincoln management were genuinely embarrassed at just how bad things got with Lincoln product quality last year and have taken actions to remediate. To answer your question, the people directly in charge of Ford and Lincoln product quality are Chris Brewer (Executive Director, Quality) and Ron Johnson (Product Launch Manager).

Yes sir road turtle. There's a lot of misunderstanding in the media and among the public about JIT being a problem. The reality is just the opposite. JIT is a solution. This applies to all industries, not just semiconductors or automotive. Good article from IndustryWeek explaining what JIT is and what it isn't. Just-in-Time Is the Hero, Not the Villain | IndustryWeek

Regarding the inventory situation, Cox Automotive reported recently that the vast majority of retail new car shoppers expect higher prices and fewer sales incentives, and 2 out 5 are willing to pay above MSRP! This is for all brands, not just Ford. U.S. New-Vehicle Shoppers Expect Limited Choices, High Prices - Cox Automotive Inc. (coxautoinc.com)

The problem isn't EU laws, but the fact that most PHEV have ridiculously low AER. That applies to all automakers who make PHEV, in all regions around the world where they are sold. PHEV exist only for regulatory compliance. With the exception of PHEV that have a longer AER than ICE range, they are in no way an appropriate substitute for or a "bridge" to BEV.

Vauxhall in particular seems doomed. Currently that brand is only used in one country.

Screen grab of presentation showing 2022 Civic trim levels and prices.

Stellantis CEO says brands have 10 years to prove their worth (detroitnews.com) Stellantis brands. Abarth Alfa Romeo Chrysler Citroën Dodge DS Fiat Fiat Professional Jeep Lancia Maserati Mopar Opel Peugeot Ram Vauxhall

2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E RWD First Test: A Very Cool Electric Pony (motortrend.com)

On May 11, Model S Plaid was tested at Autoclub Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield, California and officially recorded quarter mile time of 9.23 seconds at 152.16 mph trap speed. This is the fastest quarter mile time ever recorded in a production automobile. Tesla Model S Plaid Sets A New 1/4 Mile Record: 9.23 Seconds (cleantechnica.com)

According to AFDC data, through the end of 2019 Ford sold 119,985 plug-in vehicles that qualified for federal tax credit. Alternative Fuels Data Center: Maps and Data - U.S. HEV Sales by Model (energy.gov) I don't have data for 2020, anyone know how many qualified plug-in vehicles Ford sold that year? The Ford press release says 3 Mach-E were sold in 2020 :), but doesn't give the number for Fusion Energi. My guess is about 5,000. Then add 8,565 Mach-E sold in January - April 2021. Plus a small number of PHEV Lincoln Aviator GTs since that model was introduced. Ford probably has about 60,000 qualified plug-in vehicles it can sell before the 200,000 threshold is reached. The current rule with federal tax credit is "when a manufacturer sells its 200,000th qualified vehicle, the tax credit is scheduled to wind down, reducing by half to $3,750 and then half again over a period of time before being reduced to nothing." There are proposals in Congress to increase the number to 600,000 new cars, convert the tax credit to a rebate provided to the customer at the point of sale, and offer customers up to a $2,500 rebate for pre-owned BEV at least 2 years old and under $25,000 sales price.

Ford is always welcome to move its HQ to Austin or other places in Texas. The move can definitely improve Ford's corporate image and attract new talent. Texans will welcome Ford with open arms. The GM offices you mentioned in Austin and Phoenix metro are technology centers, primarily staffed by programmers, network engineers, and other computer specialists. GM operates 2 other U.S. based technology centers: one in the Atlanta area near Roswell and Alpharetta, and the other at the huge GM Tech Center campus in Warren, Michigan. These technology centers were created a few years ago largely as a result of GM bringing in-house a lot of computing related work they previously outsourced to the company that's now called DXC Technology.

Thank you ice-capades sir, I agree it's too early to make any educated guesses on pricing. One thing that I'm confident about is that Ford will price BEV F-150 appropriately as they respond to pent up demand for premium grade, high performing electric pickup trucks.

Or among the luckiest, depending on how you see things. Luckiest of all regarding lightning is the late Roy C. Sullivan, a Shenandoah National Park ranger. He was struck by lightning 7 times and survived all of the strikes. In the 2nd strike, he was hit while in a Ford pickup truck. In the 5th one, he was struck shortly after he exited the truck. Ultimately Mr. Sullivan committed suicide at age 71.

Well said tbone sir. The President's visit next week transcends politics, as you mentioned it's great to have him participate in a big milestone for both Ford Motor Company and the USA. Products like BEV F-150 Lightning have great potential to make U.S. based automakers leaders in a global automotive industry whose future will be defined by 100% electric vehicles. Go team USA!!