Ford's EV Plans - Very Positive News

[mkhuffman]

There have been a lot of people saying they think Ford has given up on the EV market due to their shift to EREV vehicles. I had a hard time agreeing with that position, and really thought Ford likely has a long range plan for how to win when all everyone wants is a BEV. They would have to be idiots to ignore where the market is going (which has very little to do with government policy).

This article reveals my suspicion was correct: Ford knows BEVs will eventually dominate the vehicle markets, and if they cannot compete with China, they will go out of business. So they better develop vehicles that are competitive while there is still time to do that.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/for...cheapest-ev-motors-for-its-30k-electric-truck

The Universal EV project all hinges on a major rethink of how Ford designs and manufactures vehicles with an aim to slash thousands of dollars in per-unit cost. To that end, the Universal EV is built with 25 percent fewer fasteners than the typical vehicle and a wiring harness 4,000 feet shorter and 22 pounds lighter than what went into the Mustang Mach-E. The next-gen truck combines dozens of structural components into large aluminum unicastings and the top of the battery pack doubles as the floor of the cabin.​

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The automaker claims the next-gen EV will roll off the line at its Louisville, Kentucky, assembly plant 15 percent faster than the Ford Escape that was previously assembled there. The key to that, Field said, isn’t necessarily automating tasks that otherwise be carried out by humans but eliminating tasks entirely. Ford has previously announced the number of workstations in the Louisville plant will be reduced by 40 percent.​

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[COdogman]

I’m not sure if people believe Ford is giving up on EVs entirely. I think it’s just a general disappointment in these legacy companies that have the resources and history to change the future of transportation, yet they don’t have the courage or motivation to do it. They are following, not leading. That is why I was attracted to Rivian in the first place. Having the audacity to change the path we were on…

Ford will screw this next gen EV up too. They have not shown any sign of change other than saying this is coming and it’s new. I will believe it when I see it.

 

[Davethadog]

lol. Ford sold twice as many evs alone in 2025 than Rivian made altogether. I'm sure your Rivian is a wonderful car next to your F150 but you're kidding yourself if you don't see which of the two companies is in a much more vulnerable spot. Now that the US seems to be In the oil piracy game, it's going to be a profitable few years for legacy manufacturers who still make V8s and they'll have a lot more runway to get EVs right.

 

[mikehmb]

I give Ford credit for seeing the problem. But as of now, I have little faith in their ability to execute a path to a solution.

Problems like this are structural, baked into every layer and every person in an organization.

 

[captainjp]

lol. Ford sold twice as many evs alone in 2025 than Rivian made altogether. I'm sure your Rivian is a wonderful car next to your F150 but you're kidding yourself if you don't see which of the two companies is in a much more vulnerable spot. Now that the US seems to be In the oil piracy game, it's going to be a profitable few years for legacy manufacturers who still make V8s and they'll have a lot more runway to get EVs right.

lol. Most of those sales were fleet contracts and not individual sales.

 

[Budman]

What they did with the Lightning product was not a long term viable solution in the marketplace. They had to regroup and rethink the whole thing. I don’t fault them for stopping the Lightning experiment. I truly wish them luck.

 

[COdogman]

lol. Ford sold twice as many evs alone in 2025 than Rivian made altogether. I'm sure your Rivian is a wonderful car next to your F150 but you're kidding yourself if you don't see which of the two companies is in a much more vulnerable spot. Now that the US seems to be In the oil piracy game, it's going to be a profitable few years for legacy manufacturers who still make V8s and they'll have a lot more runway to get EVs right.

You are probably right about that, but we have seen this story before. They always waste that “runway” and by the time they put out their EV it’s a Ford Lightning or a VW Buzz.ID or whatever the fuck it’s called🫠 That thought process isn’t innovation, it’s just lazy.

 

[mkhuffman]

I will believe it when I see it.

Same here. It is a good approach in general since we are constantly bombarded with the next breakthrough in battery tech yet it never actually makes it into a vehicle we can buy.

I guess I am just more optimistic than others about what Ford will do. The "start clean" approach with a team independent from Ford corporate is the right way to do it.

Time will tell.

 

[COdogman]

Same here. It is a good approach in general since we are constantly bombarded with the next breakthrough in battery tech yet it never actually makes it into a vehicle we can buy.

I guess I am just more optimistic than others about what Ford will do. The "start clean" approach with a team independent from Ford corporate is the right way to do it.

Time will tell.

True, IF they are serious, this is the only way it might succeed.

They have another huge problem, though - their dealer network, which actively revolted when they tried to shift to EVs. And those same dealers will sue them if they try to sell direct outside of the normal channels because then Ford would be competing with them (I assume they will claim). Until they solve this problem I doubt any of the claims they are making...

 

[SactownD]

It’s a news release designed for investors. There is no way they can deliver on what was promised. Instead of iterating on the Lightning to make it better and less expensive they just threw the towel in. That is not the strategy of someone serious about getting into the space.

 

[ENVErider]

lol. Ford sold twice as many evs alone in 2025 than Rivian made altogether. I'm sure your Rivian is a wonderful car next to your F150 but you're kidding yourself if you don't see which of the two companies is in a much more vulnerable spot. Now that the US seems to be In the oil piracy game, it's going to be a profitable few years for legacy manufacturers who still make V8s and they'll have a lot more runway to get EVs right.

Where you see a LONGER RUNWAY, some, including myself, see a DEEPER HOLE that Ford needs to dig out of. If they couldn't dig out of the late-start hole they dug this last decade, what chance do they have once Tesla and others are offering L4 autonomy and lower than ICE costs, once dirt-cheap Sodium batteries are the norm? As a former Ford owner and American, I want to see Ford around for my grandchildren; IMO this is the right decision short term, but a terrible decision long term. Gas prices haven't moved much in the last 20 years, and that's not sustainable, even with continued government pressure and some piracy to boot. Electricity will come back down once grids catch up with the AI demand, and eventually, gas will rise to its true cost.
From my own research on the Ford issue, their losses have as much to do with quality issues on all vehicles, including their cash cow F150 ICE, and the EV losses might be a convenient scapegoat to hide the bigger issues. Reporting is that Ford's 2025 year set records for recalls from any automaker and the highest in Ford's history. I really do hope they turn it around; I don't want my kids to live in a future where most new cars on our roads are a Tesla or a Chinese EV.

 

[emoore]

lol. Ford sold twice as many evs alone in 2025 than Rivian made altogether. I'm sure your Rivian is a wonderful car next to your F150 but you're kidding yourself if you don't see which of the two companies is in a much more vulnerable spot. Now that the US seems to be In the oil piracy game, it's going to be a profitable few years for legacy manufacturers who still make V8s and they'll have a lot more runway to get EVs right.

But things don't last forever and large companies that refuse to see that are going to go the way of Kodak, etc. Refusal to move to the future is going to mean they will be gone in 20 years.

 

[mkhuffman]

Where you see a LONGER RUNWAY, some, including myself, see a DEEPER HOLE that Ford needs to dig out of. If they couldn't dig out of the late-start hole they dug this last decade, what chance do they have once Tesla and others are offering L4 autonomy and lower than ICE costs, once dirt-cheap Sodium batteries are the norm? As a former Ford owner and American, I want to see Ford around for my grandchildren; IMO this is the right decision short term, but a terrible decision long term. Gas prices haven't moved much in the last 20 years, and that's not sustainable, even with continued government pressure and some piracy to boot. Electricity will come back down once grids catch up with the AI demand, and eventually, gas will rise to its true cost.
From my own research on the Ford issue, their losses have as much to do with quality issues on all vehicles, including their cash cow F150 ICE, and the EV losses might be a convenient scapegoat to hide the bigger issues. Reporting is that Ford's 2025 year set records for recalls from any automaker and the highest in Ford's history. I really do hope they turn it around; I don't want my kids to live in a future where most new cars on our roads are a Tesla or a Chinese EV.

Tesla doesn't currently make anything I want to buy. I think that is true for many, many people. So it is unlikely they will be the sole U.S. based BEV maker. Don't get me wrong, their products are a great fit for some people. Just not me. One day they might make something I want. Maybe.

The Chinese competition is more worrisome, but there is a lot I hate about what they are making, and I will personally never buy a CCP infected vehicle. If the approach taken by the current administration is continued for years, China will have a very hard time competing in our market. And our market is huge, with lots of room for competitors besides Tesla.

 

[emoore]

Tesla doesn't currently make anything I want to buy. I think that is true for many, many people. So it is unlikely they will be the sole U.S. based BEV maker. Don't get me wrong, their products are a great fit for some people. Just not me. One day they might make something I want. Maybe.

The Chinese competition is more worrisome, but there is a lot I hate about what they are making, and I will personally never buy a CCP infected vehicle. If the approach taken by the current administration is continued for years, China will have a very hard time competing in our market. And our market is huge, with lots of room for competitors besides Tesla.

I wouldn't buy a CCP car either but so many people have zero issues with made in China stuff so I think they can have a very large presence here in the auto market. If they can sell an EV for $30k that gets 400+ miles I think people will overlook the made in China. Most people just want to spend the least money possible so I don't think Tesla or Rivian will topple the big 3. I think it will be the Chinese EVs that will topple them.

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