Say, Is America Ready To Switch To Electric Vehicles?

Well, sure, if we were all rich, right? Because EVs are primarily toys for the rich

Turn off the gas: is America ready to embrace electric vehicles?

In Detroit, auto plants have for decades churned out trucks built with Motor City steel and fueled by gasoline. But this week’s rollout of the Ford F-150 Lightning electric truck offered a vision of the future in America’s automotive heartland: aluminum-clad pickups running off of electric powertrains with lithium batteries.

An electric model of the nation’s best-selling vehicle at an accessible $40,000 has the potential to shift the auto industry’s course, and do more to advance the transportation sector’s electrification than any recent development, analysts say.

“Offering a well-known vehicle at a competitive price could really help push the EV agenda in the US,” said Jessica Caldwell, executive director of insights at Edmunds.com.

We can all afford a $40k base model truck, right?

It’s uncharted territory, said Autotrader executive analyst Michelle Krebs. The success of the Lightning or any EV hinges on a major infrastructure build-out that’s far from certain.

Wouldn’t the success be based on consumers actually wanting them and buying them?

The Lightning feature that seems to be catching the most attention isn’t under the hood or in the cab, but on the price tag. With EV tax incentives, the truck’s base model could cost about $32,000 – less than a $37,000 gas-powered F-150 with a crew cab. By contrast, the GMC Hummer EV and Rivian R1T, are priced at $80,000 and $70,000 though they are slightly flashier.

That is a lie. You get a tax credit, not actual cash off. And that tax credit doesn’t equate to saving $7000, $7500, $10000, or whatever the credit is.

The Lightning’s range is also notable. One charge will take a base model Lightning 230 miles, or, for an additional $20,000, the extended range trim will travel 300 miles. It can haul up to 2,000lbs of payload and tow up to 10,000lbs. However, Ford doesn’t offer any data on range with a heavy payload or tow, and Car And Drive estimated it at as little as 100 miles.

Wait, $20k to go an extra 70 miles? And towing range is extraordinarily limited?

That’s the type of detail that could keep consumers away from not just the Lightning, but all electric pickups. On a 150kw DC fast charger, the extended-range trim targets up to 54 miles of range in 10 minutes, or just under an hour for a full charge.

It’s not hard to imagine a scenario in which someone who may be buying a truck to tow a camper a long distance once or twice per year opting for a gas-powered F-150 instead being inconvenienced with an hour-long stop to recharge every 100 miles or so, Caldwell said.

You can fill a regular F150 in under 10 minutes, be on your way.

Buy-in from the auto industry could help Biden push his proposal with Congress, though it’s uniformly opposed by the GOP. Republican leadership has pointed to the lack of infrastructure as a chief reason for opposing spending on the EV transition, but at the same time opposes funding an infrastructure build-out.

If the auto industry thought a lot of consumers would buy EVs they’d be making more. Even regular hybrids sell a lot less than straight gas cars (note: I’m heavily considering leasing a Honda Insight when my current one is up in February, provided the lease rates are worth it. Have to be comparable to Civics and Accords). Buy-in means nothing if consumers won’t purchase. Having a shit-ton of charging stations will mean nothing if consumers won’t buy them, if they don’t want them. If they don’t want to deal with the inconvenience, if they realize they can get a car that still gets pretty good MPG and have a lot of features vs more expensive base model EVs.