To yesterday’s post…
Ironically, Toyoda was pushed out as the CEO of Toyota over his comments and warnings…
“It is regular users who are the ones who suffer” when government regulations try to shoehorn buyers and automakers into EVs, according to Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda. Speaking publicly as the head of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Toyoda said, “People are finally seeing reality” as sales growth sputters.
With the largest available battery pack, a fully charged 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning electric truck has less energy onboard than a regular F-150 with four gallons of gas in its tank.
Now that you understand where we’re starting from, you won’t be as surprised to learn that the towing range of the electric F-150 is dismal. In MotorTrend testing, an F-150 Lightning Platinum saddled with a camper that nearly maxed out its 8,500-pound towing capacity couldn’t even cover 100 miles. Range improved when we hooked up a significantly lighter trailer, but not by as much as you might expect.
Full article, HERE from Motor Trend.
I do remember a youtube video I saw when they first came out about a guy going to pick up a Model A with one, and him barely making it back to his home base which was less than 100 miles away.
It truly makes me wonder what the EV semis are really going to be capable of… And how long it will take to recharge one of those monsters, and the amount of cargo they will have to remove to stay within weight limits as the batteries are extremely heavy (8000lbs?).
And where will the chargers be, and how many will the truckstops have, and at what cost to the drivers?
I haven’t seen anything about that…
YMMV, but I think it’s going to be a LOT less than predicted…
You might try a strap-in lumbar support pillow. I have a Toyota Tundra pickup which is very comfortable, but I add support when driving 8 hours or more.
John in Indy
If EVs were “All that and a bag of crisps” that they’re hyped as, the free market would have charging station on every corner. Just like gas stations after the Ford model T hit the streets. If governments have to subsidize charging station, and give tax credits and still can’t convince people to buy them, something is definitely wrong.
We went to the Toyota dealer yesterday, and were less than impressed. There wasn’t a lot of stock on the lot, the one vehicle the lackluster salesman seemed interesting in showing us was a hybrid, and he did nothing to assuage our concerns over the battery going on it, because replacing that, as he told us, would cost over $3500. We left without even trying a test drive, and went back to buy a different, all internal combustion vehicle.
From Robert Bryce: “Ford Lost $62,016 For Every EV It Sold In 3Q.”
The bloodbath in Ford Motor Company’s EV division continues. On Thursday, Ford reported an operating loss of $1.3 billion in its EV division during the third quarter. That translates into a loss of $62,016 for each of the 20,962 EVs it sold during the period.
That’s a smaller loss than the company recorded in the second quarter, when it lost $72,762 for each EV and the $66,446 it lost per EV during the first quarter.
***
In its October 26 press release, Ford provided an additional comment on the EV losses, saying, “According to the company, many North America customers interested in buying EVs are unwilling to pay premiums for them over gas or hybrid vehicles, sharply compressing EV prices and profitability.” …
Also:
Auto execs are coming clean: EVs aren’t working:
https://www.businessinsider.com/auto-executives-coming-clean-evs-arent-working-2023-10?fbclid=IwAR1d2dxYcHHiqh_ta9gmIUOnuNWG1wBHS_JyznQqhTM143w0bzGU-1D1tAo
If the subsidies ever end, there won’t be any EV’s made again. I see that happening.
Preach it brother Akio, preach it!
Re: Akio’s career. He resigned as president about two months after his father died, per wikipedia.
I dislike the US congress for their part in automobile regulations. That is one reason why I did not mind the absence of a Speaker. Albeit, too minor a reason to on its own justify a preference for congress to do nothing.
I also dislike Newsome and the rest of the California self proclaimed elites who pushed the California regulations.
Add in poor cold weather performance and you eliminate EV’s from being practical for 2/3 of the US.
You wonder when stockholders will begin to revolt?
I lived on the Northern Tier (Champlain Valley of VT/NY) double-digit below zero temps were common Dec-March. Regular car batteries were lucky to make it through three winters. There were stretches I had to drive that I would never take an EV on in the winter. Service stations were few and FAR between, mountains blocked all radio/cell phone signals, and add the drain of cabin heat, headlights, and wipers, and you would probably find yourself SOL in the middle of nowhere hoping for someone, anyone to drive by in an ICE.
Don’t forget that charging an electric semi will require a 2 MW charger – more than most subdivisions are wired to handle.
Anywhere that wants to charger will need a dedicated high voltage line.
And don’t forget that fast charging shortens the life of the battery, any battery. To get best life, you need to charge slowly – really slowly!
I wonder when the insanity will stop…but it doesn’t seem to. My Toyota FJ seat is comfortable. Some of the sportier models have seats built for “Japanese” sized people. It’s true of the sportier Lexus models too.
This spring due to it being an unreliable piece of garbage i got rid of my 2019 Honda passport. The dealership the last time it was in for yet another electrical problem loaned me a one year old hybrid Camry from their used car lot and I was blown away by it. The last time I had spent in a hybrid was 10 years ago and was not impressed then.
Anyway I decided to seriously look at hybrids and the mechanicals between brands can be surprisingly different. I settled on a Lexus UX250h awd, the smallest they had though I walked in the door looking for the plug-in 450h. None available. Electric range about 40 miles which is all I’d need for in town and I have an electrician friend who could do a level 2 charger for $900 Cdn. No plug in hybrids available then that interested me so I moved on to a straight hybrid.
Going into month #6 I’m beyond impressed. Torque with the electric motor assist is more than adequate and the mileage is superb. Battery is warranted for 10 years/160,000 miles and all hybrid components for 8 years/100,000 miles. Also I’m hoping Lexus is as reliable as their history suggests.
I would have liked a plug in hybrid to have access to two fuels incase that green wingnut prime minister one day decides to limit availability of traditional fuel. Also in Manitoba electricity is pretty reasonable compared to other places. At the time of purchase what I wanted was not available.
When looking at hybrid drive trains you really want to educate yourself as they are so different. As to applications in pick up trucks I don’t know enough to comment intelligently.
I’m very pleased with this Lexus UX250 hybrid. The wife has her own car and we are both retired. It works for me though your mileage, so to speak, may vary.
My best friend just rented a RAV4 hybrid for a road trip to Tennessee. He loved it.
The electric is active until 25mph so there is none of that stopping and starting the engine at stops that these idiot designs do today.
His mileage was about 40.
I always thought the Hybrid concept was stupid on principle.
Overengineered.
I still do.
In my teens it was Ford, GM, Chrysler, and until ’69 Studebaker.
Now every-other car is a Kia or Hyundai, and Ford no longer makes a car I’d like to buy… a sedan.
I’m glad I’m old.
You forgot AMC.
Yesterday I visited a Ford dealer parts department. The lot was jammed with trucks. To one side was a F-150 Lightning. Seems, from the amount of crud on it, the dealer hasn’t bothered to detail it and get it ready for sale. Speaks volumes to someone who was in the business for decades. Inside, a EV Mustang was parked in the least visible corner of the showroom.
My guess the “factory suits” are having a hard time getting dealers to stock EVs. My friends at Kia of Cheyenne don’t want them but must take a few so they can get inventory. The hybrids sell but not the pure EVs. My personal opinion is the styling of the all electric Kia is outstanding! Too bad it is electric. Wyoming distances and Wyoming winters make it a bad choice.
My F-150 3.5 was in the shop for 6 months waiting for a replacement engine. Under warranty.
All the rebuild shops are behind because they can’t get parts to rebuild engines.
There must be a huge market for rebuilt IC engines.
As “thirsty” (and by SUV/truck standards, not so much) my V6 car is, I like that I don’t have to worry about range limits and cold weather (beyond the usual…) And I can “recharge” in a few minutes dang near anywhere I am apt to go.
I can go 300+ plus miles. “recharge” in under 15 minutes (including bio-break) and then go ANOTHER 300+ and “recharge” again in under 15 minutes… and, were I up to it, go another 300+ miles… but I am no longer apt to do “until I get there, so there” drives. Ox… Ancient.
We owned a Ford Escape hybrid from 2005 to 2018 and never had to replace the battery. It may have lost some capacity over the years but I didn’t see much affect on overall mileage or gas consumption.
We now have an F-150 hybrid and routinely get 600 miles of range for highway driving. I haven’t tried towing yet but since I have a 30 gallon gas tank I should have reasonable range.
From: Texas Public Policy Foundation (texaspolicy.com)
https://is.gd/rBhY8i (PDF file)
“Adding the costs of the subsidies to the true cost of fueling an EV would equate to an EV owner paying $17.33 per gallon of gasoline.”
Having worked for a vehicle testing facility recently, I can tell you that electric vehicles are NOT “all that and a bag of chips”. Electric busses and trucks have very limited range, long charging times consuming significant amounts of power, and are heavier than their IC counterparts. Electric semi trucks are waived for an additional 2,000 lbs max weight in the US (82,000 lbs), more overseas.
On top of that, if they aren’t paying taxes on fuel to repair roads, where does the monies come from for the road work that these overweight trucks cause?
If someone ever offered a diesel-electric hybrid vehicle (not gas-electric), especially pickup truck, I’d be all over it. In the meantime, I’ll stick with my ‘07 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the Mercedes 3.0 diesel.
Wandering Neurons
All- Thanks for the comments and personal knowledge. Funny how the man on the street (so to speak), never gets interviewed…
After 40 years of running a small (farm) business, I have a certain amount of respect for those who run successful businesses of any size.
Vehicle manufacturers have had to deal with both cost-environments and markets that are highly corrupted by political decisions. What would YOU do when Governments are talking about banning your primary product?
Peter- I would do what Volvo did in SC back in the early 2000s when threatened and struck by the UAW. Close up shop, dismantle the plant, and go somewhere else.
Ayep..
Sometimes it takes a generation or two, but that’s why most of our manufacturing has gone to Asia.
Energy density is a real thing. And current battery technology sucks when compared to the energy density of gasoline/diesel. This is physics. You can ignore physics. But you can’t avoid the consequences of ignoring physics.
Hey Old NFO;
The cynic part of my believes that they are pushing the EV on us so it will restrict our movement, especially when they restrict the power grid with all the “green initiaves” that are being bandied about. “Gotta keep the dirt people near their homes, like the feudal system of old”. The people in charge will be of course exempt.
This is all a very interesting 1st world issue. Guess I’ll be sticking with my ancient ’86 Toyota 1 ton long bed truck. It’s paid for and CAN get 30+ mpg, if I drive like an old man.