Ford & EVs

[Morris Minor]

I'd forgotten this interview that Jim Farley gave Robert Llewellyn last year. Talks about how insanely difficult it is for them to pivot. I really like Farley and really hope he'll succeed in reverting to vertical integration.

The bit on software here (just over 24 min. in:) https://youtu.be/8IhSWsQlaG8&t=1439

Full interview here.

[FoMoJo]

A lot of good information that puts EV development into perspective.  One small mention by Farley regarding the state of EV development was that he said it was at the level of the Model T Ford.  I have previously thought it would be more at the Model A stage with the development of the V8 flathead.  As Farley is far more informed/experienced than I am, this is encouraging as it means that EV development still has a long way to go before reaching its zenith.

[AutobahnSHO]

Our Maverick got updated today- recall because the computer doesn't react right if a brake light burns out. That's a safety thing- mandated. So employees drove 35min one way to wife's work to do the upgrade.

The old analog turn signal relays are simulated by 1s and 0s now...

[Morris Minor]

A lot of good information that puts EV development into perspective.  One small mention by Farley regarding the state of EV development was that he said it was at the level of the Model T Ford.  I have previously thought it would be more at the Model A stage with the development of the V8 flathead.  As Farley is far more informed/experienced than I am, this is encouraging as it means that EV development still has a long way to go before reaching its zenith.

Yup I picked up on that too. I think he was also talking about the development of the manufacturing & production technology, the machines that build the machines.

[AutobahnSHO]

Yup I picked up on that too. I think he was also talking about the development of the manufacturing & production technology, the machines that build the machines.

In 2022 Ford started building the motors for the hybrids in-house rather than buying them. They've been doing hybrids a long time- so it's an example of ramping up production.

[Morris Minor]

Shameless copy/paste of Jim Farley's post on X. This is an awesome move. Well done Jim. It'll cost them a fortune in the short term but they're playing the long game. Nice writing too.



Ford Has a Better Idea: Buy an Electric Vehicle and 'Fill 'Er Up' at Home
Much as I love my 1973 Bronco, the comfort and convenience of our modern world usually beats the hell out of the good old days. Nostalgia is real, though, when it comes to the experience of filling up your car or truck.

The friendly attendant who asked "fill 'er up?" before cleaning your windshield, checking tire pressure, and adding a quart of 10W-30 has given way to the guy or gal behind plexiglass and your choice of lottery tickets and energy drinks.

In the early days of the personal auto, Americans wanted and needed the convenience, peace of mind and expert service of full-service filling stations. After taking two long all-electric road trips — one through the Western U.S. and the other across Europe — I'm convinced that the new generation of electric vehicle owners and would-be owners are also looking for convenience, peace of mind and expert service.

While we've been focused on making public charging easier — including giving Ford owners access to Tesla's Superchargers with an adapter as part of BlueOval Charge Network — we have learned just how important home charging is to overall electric vehicle adoption in the U.S. Nearly 90% of shoppers say they would be more likely to buy an electric vehicle if they knew they could charge at home ¹. Filling up at home with electricity can be a significant cost save for many owners compared to filling up with gas. Problem is nearly half of them don't know how home charging works ¹. Where do you buy the charger? Who installs it? What does it cost?

At the same time, we know many electric vehicle customers want 24/7 support from a real person with expertise if they are going to try new technology. Others want assurance on battery life. Yet our industry seems to want to answer these questions in a time-honored way – cash on the hood. Cheap lease deals on electric vehicles are popping up everywhere. Ford believes it will take more than jumbo rebates to truly break through with the estimated 19 million people in the U.S. interested in electric vehicles. It will take — you guessed it — convenience, peace of mind and expert service. It will take a modern-day version of the friendly filling station, only this time you "fill 'er up" at home.

That's the idea behind the Ford Power Promise that we are announcing today. Here are the details:
Home is Where the Charge is: It's simple. Buy or lease a retail Ford Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning or E-Transit and take a complimentary home charger with you or have it delivered — and when you're ready, an expert comes out to install it at no charge for a standard install. This takes the guesswork out of installation, including costs, to help you save time and money by filling up at home. Less stress, more convenience. If you're a Ford Pro fleet customer, we have you covered with a commercial charging cash incentive.

On-the-Road Charging: Road trips don't happen every day, but when you are on the road, you need to know where to fill up. Our BlueOval Charge Network automatically searches for chargers across various networks, including Electrify America and Tesla Superchargers and adds charging stops to your route via the Connected Navigation in the vehicle. With Plug and Charge, you plug in when you get there, and the payment is automatically made via your FordPass account. It's that easy.

Battery Confidence: We're confident in the quality of our batteries, and we want you to be confident, too. That's why we provide an eight-year/100,000-mile high-voltage battery warranty for every Ford electric vehicle. Ford has your battery covered.

Ongoing Support and Guidance: We're dedicated to providing you with the support you need whenever you need it, including complimentary roadside assistance if your vehicle's range runs too low. We're also expanding our 24/7 Ford advisor for electric vehicle support — you'll be talking or texting with real people. We are here when you need us.

Electric vehicles are an excellent choice for many people. They are fun to drive, quiet and smooth on the road. They can help save you time and money on gas. And for the first time in a long time, filling up just got easier. Now, if I can just get one of my kids to squeegee my windshield.

¹ Ford survey was conducted by Mercury Analytics, a leading market research and consumer insights firm, with a total of 2,007 respondents in the U.S. from Sept 13-17, 2024.
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Original: https://x.com/jimfarley98/status/1840723902168797325

[Laconian]

Hasn't GM been paying for home charging installs for several years now?

[veeman]

Shameless copy/paste of Jim Farley's post on X. This is an awesome move. Well done Jim. It'll cost them a fortune in the short term but they're playing the long game. Nice writing too.

I agree it's a good idea. There are millions of older retired people who get scared off EV when they find out they have to, separate from the purchase of the car at the dealership, pay for and install a charger in their garage which is not through the dealership itself. It's not complicated for younger folks but it causes anxiety in a lot of older folks. My parents fit this category.

[Madman]

A Ford-branded home EV charger plus installation, included in the price of the car, may tempt a few fence-sitters who are already considering an EV.

Otherwise, I really don't think it's going to move the needle, in terms of unit sales, in any meaningful way.

[GoCougs]

Home EV charging has been a thing for many years now. Yes, it costs, so throwing it in free with EV purchase isn't a bad idea but not sure how many it will sway against the backdrop of an EV market in notable decline and atrocious EV residuals.

[MrH]

Hasn't GM been paying for home charging installs for several years now?

Yeah.  My 240 volt outlet was from the free install from GM when I bought the Bolt.

This isn't a big change of course for Ford.  They included the charging station with all Lightnings through the 2023 model year, then stopped for 2024.  Sounds like they're starting that again, and also including free installation with it.

It gets complex though.  GM gave a credit, but then a lot of people had installations more complex than what the credit allowed.

I think the interpretation of the survey data is all wrong though. 

Nearly 90% of shoppers say they would be more likely to buy an electric vehicle if they knew they could charge at home ¹. Filling up at home with electricity can be a significant cost save for many owners compared to filling up with gas. Problem is nearly half of them don't know how home charging works ¹.

If people aren't curious enough to figure out if they can charge from home or how charging works, they aren't ready for an EV.  There are things way more complex you have to understand than how to get a charger installed.  If they can't even take that baby step, do not push them into the deep end.

[Laconian]

But seriously none of it is complicated. We have such low standards for ourselves.

[AutobahnSHO]

But seriously none of it is complicated. We have such low standards for ourselves.

After watching how obscenely animalistic and/or stupid people act in crisis, it's even lower than I thought.

[Morris Minor]

We in the SPIN are interested in automotive stuff - have been all our lives. We like techie things & are curious about how things work. But we're a small minority. The majority has a much lower level of awareness and interest in this stuff.

I always remember seeing Kyle Conner telling an anecdote on YouTube about meeting some poor desperate woman who'd just been sold a Mercedes EQ something-or-other and had no idea that she needed a home charger. She couldn't find a working public charge station. What a lovely car dealer that must have been.

[GoCougs]

The Tyranny of the Normie.

[MrH]

We in the SPIN are interested in automotive stuff - have been all our lives. We like techie things & are curious about how things work. But we're a small minority. The majority has a much lower level of awareness and interest in this stuff.

I always remember seeing Kyle Conner telling an anecdote on YouTube about meeting some poor desperate woman who'd just been sold a Mercedes EQ something-or-other and had no idea that she needed a home charger. She couldn't find a working public charge station. What a lovely car dealer that must have been.

It sounds bad, but I think of a guy I went to high school with.  Not dumb, but a burnout who didn't go to college, just floated around doing odd jobs after school.  He recently started working as a car salesman.  I wouldn't trust that guy to explain anything to me, especially not everything EV ownership entails.

It's more amazing that people this helpless in the world have the resources to buy a new EV, let alone a Mercedes EQ.  It's all fueled by insane debt and financial decisions, but I've given up trying to help people who can't help themselves.

[veeman]

It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks. Someone who is retirement age or older went through a large portion of their life without email, smart phones, etc. There's no way my Dad could figure out Uber on his own. No idea how to download an APP and it would frustrate him a lot. My Mom is better at this stuff because she's not so stubborn and likes new technology.

The Ford dealership guy that my Dad is friends with helps out my parents a lot. They've bought many cars from them over the last 30 plus years. My Dad was enquiring about the Mustang Mach-E and the salesman told him it wasn't the right car for him right now. He told my Dad to give it a few years because he won't be happy with it right now. Bless him. 

[AutobahnSHO]

I hate to be judgemental but the average human doesn't use the intellect very well....

[Morris Minor]

It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks. Someone who is retirement age or older went through a large portion of their life without email, smart phones, etc. There's no way my Dad could figure out Uber on his own. No idea how to download an APP and it would frustrate him a lot. My Mom is better at this stuff because she's not so stubborn and likes new technology.
The Ford dealership guy that my Dad is friends with helps out my parents a lot. They've bought many cars from them over the last 30 plus years. My Dad was enquiring about the Mustang Mach-E and the salesman told him it wasn't the right car for him right now. He told my Dad to give it a few years because he won't be happy with it right now. Bless him. 

My best friend is in his late 60s, a financial wiz - MBA from Babson - can sum up financial statement after a 20 second glance. He's also a certified teacher - tutors high school math. But he's an absolute cripple around technology - can't handle an iPhone, can't follow directions from Google Maps. He just bought a Subaru Forester (yes, I know - sigh) and has panic attacks about the infotainment & the screen.

[veeman]

You can right now get a new Ford Mustang Mach-E financed through Ford at 0% APR for 72 months with free installation of a level 2 charger. "Available to customers who currently own or lease a 2008 or newer Tesla vehicle". That's what it says on Ford's website. 

Eek. I understand they aren't selling well but why offer it to current Tesla owners instead of just anyone?

[AutobahnSHO]

You can right now get a new Ford Mustang Mach-E financed through Ford at 0% APR for 72 months with free installation of a level 2 charger. "Available to customers who currently own or lease a 2008 or newer Tesla vehicle". That's what it says on Ford's website. 

Eek. I understand they aren't selling well but why offer it to current Tesla owners instead of just anyone?

Cuz they want cheap trade ins?

[Laconian]

They care about conquest buyers for some reason.

[r0tor]

Also how many Tesla owners don't already have a L2 charger....

[veeman]

They care about conquest buyers for some reason.

But only from Tesla?  You and I, who have a Kia EV6, won't apparently get this deal. It's unusual advertising.

[FoMoJo]

They care about conquest buyers for some reason.

It does get peoples' attention.  Why only Tesla?

[SJ_GTI]

You can right now get a new Ford Mustang Mach-E financed through Ford at 0% APR for 72 months with free installation of a level 2 charger. "Available to customers who currently own or lease a 2008 or newer Tesla vehicle". That's what it says on Ford's website. 

Eek. I understand they aren't selling well but why offer it to current Tesla owners instead of just anyone?

Kind of surprising, but the Mustang Mach-E was the best selling non-Tesla EV in the US last year.

[Morris Minor]

Kind of surprising, but the Mustang Mach-E was the best selling non-Tesla EV in the US last year.

My wild guess is they're clearing out old inventory getting ready for a Gen II. Which (equally wild guess,) will be an order-of-magnitude better vehicle.

[AutobahnSHO]

Kind of surprising, but the Mustang Mach-E was the best selling non-Tesla EV in the US last year.

They look kinda cool, they're in the middle of the pack $$$ wise, and decent performance, plus the Ford moniker.

I Still think they should have used something NON Mustang, like Thunderbird, Probe, Taurus, Taurus-E, "Mach-E" by itself, or something, ANYTHING else...