Here come the hybrids

[TimW451]

Ford is realizing EVs aren’t the only answer, and need to add more hybrids to the line-up.

Ford teases F-150 reveal, plans to capture buyers not yet sold on electric vehicles — USA TODAY

While competitors pivot from ICE vehicles to all-electric, Ford plans to step up its production of hybrids to offer consumers a different option.

apple.news

 

[adrianp89]

Ford is realizing EVs aren’t the only answer, and need to add more hybrids to the line-up.

Ford teases F-150 reveal, plans to capture buyers not yet sold on electric vehicles — USA TODAY

While competitors pivot from ICE vehicles to all-electric, Ford plans to step up its production of hybrids to offer consumers a different option.

apple.news

This should have been the first step, not the nose dive into EVs

 

[HangOutdoors]

I like the transition strategy. That is the way it should of happened across the entire EV industry, imho.

Electric when you can and Gas when you need it.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Interesting. I just read this article. Guy is annoyed and I would be too.

Man forced to ditch $115K Ford EV truck during family road trip to Chicago: ‘biggest scam of modern times’ | Fox Business

 

[@JC!]

I like the transition strategy. That is the way it should of happened across the entire EV industry, imho.

Electric when you can and Gas when you need it.

No company would move backwards to the old and failed technology of battery powered vehicles if the government incentives and punitive emissions rules weren't in place to force the market to sell things customers don't want.

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

Interesting. I just read this article. Guy is annoyed and I would be too.

Man forced to ditch $115K Ford EV truck during family road trip to Chicago: ‘biggest scam of modern times’ | Fox Business

My personal opinion is that this guy’s an idiot. Sounds like he didn’t properly do his research before buying the truck. The kicker to me is his whining about have to buy a charger and upgrading his home electrical panel. Duh!

Time will tell, but I think the hybrid ship has sailed. I am kinda intrigued by the new Dodge Hornet hornet, however. I like how you can use the paddle shifters on the steering wheel to get a 15 second boost of power. Reminds me of video race games!

Jim

 

[adrianp89]

My personal opinion is that this guy’s an idiot. Sounds like he didn’t properly do his research before buying the truck. The kicker to me is his whining about have to buy a charger and upgrading his home electrical panel. Duh!

Time will tell, but I think the hybrid ship has sailed. I am kinda intrigued by the new Dodge Hornet hornet, however. I like how you can use the paddle shifters on the steering wheel to get a 15 second boost of power. Reminds me of video race games!

Jim

I am surprised anyone even wrote a news article about this guy. He is in an idiot and probably a liar. I have my own gripes about EV but this article screams fake news.

 

[zpaul]

Electric vehicles make sense only when you drive locally at low speeds and charge at home.
For towing and long trips it will not work. You need to just accept it. Your mileage depending on speed you drive will be miserable and charging will be expensive.
Rich had video driving Rivian to Florida and had similar experiences. Bad EV charging infrastructure and $100 charges.

So Tesla is the only one that has good charging network and now Ford, GM, and some others jump to use their chargers. Others want to team up and build alternative charging network.
Some EV charging companies already folding after they used all the gov subsidies.
600 miles on Tesla at 70mph and charging at Superchargers will cost you $80. I can do same or better on regular v6 highlander.
EVs have decent amount of good stuff. Low maintenance cost, great tech, low operating cost if charging at home.
As long as you are aware of all pluses and minuses make your choice.
Personally, on long trips (more then 400 miles) I will not take electric car, you are not saving on gas and you are adding time to your trip stopping to charge for 20-25 min every 200 miles. It can quickly become 40-50 min every 200 miles if Supercharger is full and you share load. Note, some charge by minute, some charge by KWh.

 

[HangOutdoors]

It all seems like it will cost more, there are no gains, a hassle, and an inconvenience. No Thanks. Perhaps someday or if I have extra money that I can go purchase another vehicle that I would use locally maybe, but I have other things I can throw my money away on as well.

 

[adrianp89]

It all seems like it will cost more, there are no gains, a hassle, and an inconvenience. No Thanks. Perhaps someday or if I have extra money that I can go purchase another vehicle that I would use locally maybe, but I have other things I can throw my money away on as well.

I wouldn't say there are no gains. There is something to be said about super car acceleration in truck, and not having to go to a gas station weekly. Some of the other Tesla advancements have trickled down to ICE cars such as one-pedal driving and OTA updates. I think there is a market for both and person for one or the other. The F150 EV would probably be great for my day-to-day life. Quick trips 2 miles to home depot, 15 minute rides to the boat ramp.

 

[Beachbummer]

A gas car is way more complex than an electric car. The challenge now is battery costs and speed to rechange. When parity in these areas is achieved, that's it.Gas is awesome and cheap (compared to anything else) and is very energy dense. Not ready to overcome that right away.

Look inside internal combustion engine, that's some complicated stuff with a lot of moving parts. Simple it is not, BUT they have been made for 90 years en mass, so they are quite reliable now, in spite of the camshaft speed, constant heat and combustion etc etc.

Gasoline engine is a mature technology. Can't suck more blood out of a turnip. Same for diesel. Attempts at greater gas mileage and lower emissions are diminishing returns. Making car worse for a little more economy.

That's where we are.

 

[Beachbummer]

I currently own a Volt which is the best of both worlds. I fuel up every 3 to 6 months. BUT the car is too small for my family now. I'm too tall, my son can't fit behind me unless I schooch forward too close.

A similar phev that works is Rav4 Prime. It is more expensive than a Y.

Compared to a similar gas car (rav4) for another 5-10k you can HALF your 0-6 time to under 4 seconds.... That is for me quite an attractive offer.


I'll be picking something nearer end of the year, but it's all murky right now.

Best of luck. I'm enjoying the added options, we'll see

 

[adrianp89]

A gas car is way more complex than an electric car. The challenge now is battery costs and speed to rechange. When parity in these areas is achieved, that's it.Gas is awesome and cheap (compared to anything else) and is very energy dense. Not ready to overcome that right away.

Look inside internal combustion engine, that's some complicated stuff with a lot of moving parts. Simple it is not, BUT they have been made for 90 years en mass, so they are quite reliable now, in spite of the camshaft speed, constant heat and combustion etc etc.

Gasoline engine is a mature technology. Can't suck more blood out of a turnip. Same for diesel. Attempts at greater gas mileage and lower emissions are diminishing returns. Making car worse for a little more economy.

That's where we are.

This is a great point. Give EV another 50 years and I am sure it will be tremendously different.

More innovation and competition is better for everyone.

Govt. Mandates are worse for everyone.

 

[2kwik4u]

It all seems like it will cost more, there are no gains, a hassle, and an inconvenience. No Thanks. Perhaps someday or if I have extra money that I can go purchase another vehicle that I would use locally maybe, but I have other things I can throw my money away on as well.

It's like a hobby, or any other piece of tech that people like as early adopters.

First iPhone was a POS that was more toy than tool. early adopters LOVED it, and it took some time for it to gain things that would be laughed at today.....Like, remember when an iPhone couldn't copy/cut/paste text? Remember when it wouldn't do OTA updates for software or music loading? Heck, I'll go a step further and ask who remember phones (not just iPhones) that didn't have dual channel bluetooth for headsets? A2DP protocol simply wasn't supported.

NOW.....juxtapose that with electric vehicles. They work just fine, they are plenty capable and fill needs just fine.....if you want them to. They're still at the enthusiast level of early adopters. You have to want to plan your charging stops, you have to want to learn how to get a charger installed, you have to want to track mileage, charge locations, rates, etc. It's still very early times for modern EV's. At one point, it was a MAJOR ordeal to take a gas vehicle cross country. Fuel support, mechanical support, and road infrastructure wasn't available to support a seemless and care free trip at that scale. We're seeing that now with EV's. Likewise, the tech of building, owning, and maintaining a vehicle has progressed so far, that I think most people forget how good we have it.

Sure, modern EV's aren't the ultimate solution for everything, everyone wants to do, all the time. Yet. They can be, they likely will be. I really don't understand the hatred towards them, or the hatred towards the push to make them a more mainstream solution. I think we can all agree we can't keep doing what we're doing, and the markets generally don't shift at this stage of technology development without some level of government intervention. Someone has to make the first step to change the status quo, and without profitability it has to be a mandate. If you (not you in particular, but you as a group) don't like it, don't buy it, but don't tell those of us that do that we're stupid because of it. You can lack understanding of the decisions, or disagree with them, but it doesn't mean they weren't the right ones to make.

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

Here is what I see, locally, in rural southern DE. This Wawa (regional gas station/convenience store) just recently opened:



Charging stations, like this, I think is the future for EV’s. Yes, you could still charge your EV/hybrid at home. But you could also recharge your EV/hybrid while you take a break, use the restroom and get lunch.

Would I personally buy an EV/hybrid truck today? No, as I am quite happy with my ICE truck for now. We are seriously considering buying a compact EV/hybrid as a second vehicle.

Jim

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

It's like a hobby, or any other piece of tech that people like as early adopters.

First iPhone was a POS that was more toy than tool. early adopters LOVED it, and it took some time for it to gain things that would be laughed at today.....Like, remember when an iPhone couldn't copy/cut/paste text? Remember when it wouldn't do OTA updates for software or music loading? Heck, I'll go a step further and ask who remember phones (not just iPhones) that didn't have dual channel bluetooth for headsets? A2DP protocol simply wasn't supported.

NOW.....juxtapose that with electric vehicles. They work just fine, they are plenty capable and fill needs just fine.....if you want them to. They're still at the enthusiast level of early adopters. You have to want to plan your charging stops, you have to want to learn how to get a charger installed, you have to want to track mileage, charge locations, rates, etc. It's still very early times for modern EV's. At one point, it was a MAJOR ordeal to take a gas vehicle cross country. Fuel support, mechanical support, and road infrastructure wasn't available to support a seemless and care free trip at that scale. We're seeing that now with EV's. Likewise, the tech of building, owning, and maintaining a vehicle has progressed so far, that I think most people forget how good we have it.

Sure, modern EV's aren't the ultimate solution for everything, everyone wants to do, all the time. Yet. They can be, they likely will be. I really don't understand the hatred towards them, or the hatred towards the push to make them a more mainstream solution. I think we can all agree we can't keep doing what we're doing, and the markets generally don't shift at this stage of technology development without some level of government intervention. Someone has to make the first step to change the status quo, and without profitability it has to be a mandate. If you (not you in particular, but you as a group) don't like it, don't buy it, but don't tell those of us that do that we're stupid because of it. You can lack understanding of the decisions, or disagree with them, but it doesn't mean they weren't the right ones to make.

Great post!

I haven’t thought about ICE range limitations in a long time (mostly because of where I now live), but I remember having a 5 gallon jerry can mounted in the back of my Jeep pickup (late 80’s) because of the lack of gas stations is some parts of the southwestern U.S. Not a big issue, only took a little bit of planning ahead.

Jim

 

[@JC!]

Great post!

I haven’t thought about ICE range limitations in a long time (mostly because of where I now live), but I remember having a 5 gallon jerry can mounted in the back of my Jeep pickup (late 80’s) because of the lack of gas stations is some parts of the southwestern U.S. Not a big issue, only took a little bit of planning ahead.

Jim

That's complete nonsense, growing up in the 70s/80s we traveled ALOT by car as a family and there were more gas stations at rural interchanges off of interstate, US or state highways and in random small towns than there are now. You can see the skeletons of the abandoned stations throughout the country if you take a road trip.

The energy density, supply and ease of use of gasoline won't be beat by batteries until we all have a Mr Fusion strapped to the engine.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Someday it may mature and become mainstream down the road. But I am in my 50's and I probably won't see that day, nor if it does come in my lifetime I may not be driving.

EV is not the Nirvana it is projected to be. Lithium mines, poor grids, how power is actually generated, and many more points etc. etc. At the end of the day

I think we can all agree we can't keep doing what we're doing, and the markets generally don't shift at this stage of technology development without some level of government intervention.

Not sure I agree the going to EV is a solution long term is better or less negatively impactful. Pretty much on the fence and I have digested a great deal of information and a lot of research.

 

[2kwik4u]

Someday it may mature and become mainstream down the road. But I am in my 50's and I probably won't see that day, nor if it does come in my lifetime I may not be driving.

EV is not the Nirvana it is projected to be. Lithium mines, poor grids, how power is actually generated, and many more points etc. etc. At the end of the day


Not sure I agree the going to EV is a solution long term is better or less negatively impactful. Pretty much on the fence and I have digested a great deal of information and a lot of research.

I agree on most fronts here. EVs win on two factors though......

1st, fossil fuels are a finite resource. We can't renew them on a useful timescale. At some point they WILL run out. We're not likely to see it in our lifetime, but it'll happen. The sooner we realize that and adjust the better.

2nd, as we generate electricity we'll get better at it. Lets say we're 5 years from a major breakthrough in solar tech that suddenly advances the energy generate by an order of magnitude. ALL of the cars running on electricity will benefit from that advancement. Running on a fossil fuel will never get that bump in efficiency or generation methodology change. The process to generate that energy is the same now as it was eon's ago when it started. Generating chemical energy to expend at this level might become a thing (biodiesel, or ethanol), but IMO is more unlikely than improvements in electricity power generation.

Still lots of infrastructure and logistical challenges to overcome, but we gotta start somewhere right?

 

[Farny]

This should have been the first step, not the nose dive into EVs

At least it may give time for the electricity infrastructure of the country time to ramp up.