Tesla: ‘There’s almost no reason to have a gas car’ - Page 17

Onkel Neal · 05-13-24, 12:28 PM

https://jalopnik.com/ford-lost-100-0...ear-1851472325

Quote:

It’s tough breaking into the electric vehicle game these days. Startups like Rivian and Lucid have posted massive losses while launching their lineups, General Motors has been slow to ramp up production of EVs and now Ford has shared some truly eye-watering losses from its own electric arm at the start of this year.

The blue oval reportedly lost more than $100,000 for every electric car it delivered in the first quarter of 2024, according to a report from Bloomberg. The sky-high loses forced the American automaker to rethink its EV targets and even cut battery orders for future models. As the site explains:

Ford Motor Co. has begun cutting orders from battery suppliers to stem growing electric-vehicle losses, according to people familiar with the matter, as it throttles back ambitions in a rapidly decelerating market for plug-in models.

The move is part a retrenchment of Ford’s EV strategy, which includes reducing spending by $12 billion on battery-powered models, delaying new EVs, cutting prices, and postponing and shrinking planned battery plants. Ford has forecast EV losses of up to $5.5 billion this year and Chief Executive Officer Jim Farley recently said its EV unit, Model e, “is the main drag on the whole company right now.”

The EV unit’s “drag” on the rest of the company is growing. In the first three months of 2024, Bloomberg reports that losses on every EV sold by Ford doubled to $100,000. In fact, the losses on EV sales are so great at Ford that Bloomberg predicts that over the course of this year they could wipe out all profits made by the Blue division, which is the company’s gas-powered car side.

Losses like this are staggering to see, and just go to show how important it is for EV production costs to start falling, quickly. Thankfully, Ford at least appears to be workin on this, with the company announcing earlier this year that it has an electric model in the pipeline that will be both affordable and profitable. Imagine that!

Affordable and profitable usually share an inverse relationship. If they cannot make a profit from $60,00 e-cars and $80,000 e-trucks, how are they going to wring a profit out of a $28,000 budget e-car?

Platapus · 05-14-24, 04:25 PM

Dropped my car off at the dealer for servicing and was able to get an EV as a loaner. Subaru Solterra. I will see how it is on my daily crappy commute.

The Solterra is one of the EV's I am thinking of getting in late 2025. It is not at the top of my list, but it seems like a nice vehicle.

There is a learning curve though so we will see if this old dog can learn some new tricks.

August · 05-14-24, 04:32 PM

I just bought a 2019 Pathfinder. I'm hoping this one will last me at least until the 2030's.

mapuc · 05-14-24, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by August

I just bought a 2019 Pathfinder. I'm hoping this one will last me at least until the 2030's.

Why year 2030 why not longer ?

As I understand this new anti-combustion law it only say that production of these type of cars are forbidden after Jan 1st 2030/35. It's not forbidden to buy a new car in 2027 and drive it for an another 30 years if one would love to.

Markus

Skybird · 05-14-24, 06:50 PM

The EU wise persons' board wants to release legislation that makes it illegal to operate combustion engine cars a la Cuba style. They want to prohibit even ownership already just a few years after the sales ban.

Worse and worse.

I just wonder whether that sales ban will ever come true. Reality may not submit to ideology. It will get extended, and maybe even more than just once.

August · 05-14-24, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mapuc

Why year 2030 why not longer ?

As I understand this new anti-combustion law it only say that production of these type of cars are forbidden after Jan 1st 2030/35. It's not forbidden to buy a new car in 2027 and drive it for an another 30 years if one would love to.

Markus

I guess it will mainly depend on how well it holds up. I figure that once I retire in 2030 I will not need to have reliable long distance ground transportation and instead will probably get a old pickup truck made before the advent of vehicle computers so I can work on it myself.

JU_88 · 05-18-24, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skybird

The EU wise persons' board wants to release legislation that makes it illegal to operate combustion engine cars a la Cuba style. They want to prohibit even ownership already just a few years after the sales ban.

Worse and worse.

I just wonder whether that sales ban will ever come true. Reality may not submit to ideology. It will get extended, and maybe even more than just once.

Didnt they already try to pass laws to prevent repair to combustion vehicles not up to modern standards? I say 'try' but of course its the EU so its not 'if' the law gets passed, its just 'when' I think they must have nearly a 100% success rate there, And yet they are still talking about getting rid of the MEPs, whos only real power is to slow things down.

Oubaas · 05-19-24, 12:20 AM

If vehicles with internal combustion engines are outlawed, and I suddenly come bursting out of the garage in my monstrosity of a rock crawling pickup truck and roar down the road with the pickup bed full of Jerry cans, who's going to stop me? Even if they're driving the fastest EVs available, I can take shortcuts that their eyes wouldn't believe.

"Come on! Follow me in your Tesla, I dare you!"

Oubaas · 05-19-24, 12:33 AM

And another thing. Will this ban on internal combustion engines affect vital emergency generators in places like hospitals? I want to see them pull that off.

"We'll have the power back on as soon as we charge the generator."

Ostfriese · 05-19-24, 03:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oubaas

And another thing. Will this ban on internal combustion engines affect vital emergency generators in places like hospitals?

No, it won't.

Platapus · 05-20-24, 02:55 PM

https://www.motortrend.com/news/epa-...n-gas-car-ban/

No, President Biden and the EPA are not banning gas cars.

mapuc · 05-20-24, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Platapus

https://www.motortrend.com/news/epa-...n-gas-car-ban/

No, President Biden and the EPA are not banning gas cars.

Maybe not. However no one knows what type of cars that will be sold most of in 5 or 10 years from now in USA.

It could be a majority of cars being sold in 2030 is Electric cars or it could be gasoline cars

What your government ban or not-Doesn't matter. It's up to the buyer what they want.

Markus

05-14-24, 04:25 PM	#242
Platapus Fleet Admiral Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 18,983 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 0	Dropped my car off at the dealer for servicing and was able to get an EV as a loaner. Subaru Solterra. I will see how it is on my daily crappy commute. The Solterra is one of the EV's I am thinking of getting in late 2025. It is not at the top of my list, but it seems like a nice vehicle. There is a learning curve though so we will see if this old dog can learn some new tricks. __________________ abusus non tollit usum - A right should NOT be withheld from people on the basis that some tend to abuse that right.

05-14-24, 04:32 PM	#243
August Wayfaring Stranger Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 22,706 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I just bought a 2019 Pathfinder. I'm hoping this one will last me at least until the 2030's. __________________ Flanked by life and the funeral pyre. Putting on a show for you to see.

05-14-24, 06:50 PM	#245
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 40,636 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	The EU wise persons' board wants to release legislation that makes it illegal to operate combustion engine cars a la Cuba style. They want to prohibit even ownership already just a few years after the sales ban. Worse and worse. I just wonder whether that sales ban will ever come true. Reality may not submit to ideology. It will get extended, and maybe even more than just once. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

05-20-24, 02:55 PM	#251
Platapus Fleet Admiral Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 18,983 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 0	https://www.motortrend.com/news/epa-...n-gas-car-ban/ No, President Biden and the EPA are not banning gas cars. __________________ abusus non tollit usum - A right should NOT be withheld from people on the basis that some tend to abuse that right.

05-19-24, 12:20 AM	#248
Oubaas Watch Officer Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Arkansas, USA Posts: 338 Downloads: 65 Uploads: 0	If vehicles with internal combustion engines are outlawed, and I suddenly come bursting out of the garage in my monstrosity of a rock crawling pickup truck and roar down the road with the pickup bed full of Jerry cans, who's going to stop me? Even if they're driving the fastest EVs available, I can take shortcuts that their eyes wouldn't believe. "Come on! Follow me in your Tesla, I dare you!"

05-19-24, 12:33 AM	#249
Oubaas Watch Officer Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Arkansas, USA Posts: 338 Downloads: 65 Uploads: 0	And another thing. Will this ban on internal combustion engines affect vital emergency generators in places like hospitals? I want to see them pull that off. "We'll have the power back on as soon as we charge the generator."