mackinaw

Nobody's mentioned cost so far. A quick search shows that stainless steel costs substantially more than conventional carbon steel. I wonder about repair costs too.

Actually 50,000 Cybertrucks/year is too high. Because of battery difficulties, it's closer to 25,000 units/year. As Elon puts it, "we dug our own grave with the Cybertruck." https://www.thestreet.com/electric-vehicles/heres-the-major-production-problem-limiting-teslas-cybertruck-scalability

Morgan Stanley estimates that Tesla will only sell 50,000 Cybertrucks/year. https://insideevs.com/news/656606/morgan-stanley-cybertruck-low-volume-prediction/

It actually wasn't all that cold. Last week was bitter cold with daytime temps in the single digits. This week is mild. I wish I had more time to talk to the Ford engineer, but he was busy looking at data on his tablet. I did learn that not all Tesla chargers are created equal. There are several varieties with the chargers at the Gaylord site the older type, which won't be compatible with Ford EV's. The newest version Tesla chargers will be. I briefly talked to a gal engineer from one of the other companies who asked me which EV I liked the best. I told her northern Michigan was truck country, so the Lightning.

I thought about that when I got back home. My town, Gaylord, is about 225 miles from the Detroit area. It's about a 3 1/2 hour drive. It was a Monday, and I'm guessing that these engineers all left their office at about the same time (10:00 AM) and drove north. Gaylord is the logical place to stop to recharge batteries, take a bathroom break, and have lunch. I'm going to make it a point of dropping by the EV chargers on Monday afternoons. Who knows what I'll see next.

A foolish statement. The pressure from Wall Street and investment companies on the traditional auto manufacturers is enormous. Where they decide to put their money can make or break an auto company. Woe be to you if you’re seen as lagging behind. Three to four years ago, when EV fever was at its peak, EVERYBODY was trying to prove to Wall Street that they were going to be the next Tesla. Look at GM which, in trying to appease Wall Street, foolishly walked away from hybrids and went into developing EV’s 100% (where did that get them?). Farley had little choice but to prove to Wall Street that Ford too, was all in on EV’s. And look what happened at Toyota. As recently as last summer, several investment companies were demanding that Akio Toyoda (Toyota’s Chairman of the Board) RESIGN because he had the audacity to suggest that the EV transition will take longer than thought, and that there’s still a future for ICE powered vehicles. Toyoda stayed put, but pressure from the investment companies has forced Toyota to commit billions of dollars in developing EV vehicles, so they can stay on Wall Street’s good side. It’s so easy to play armchair quarterback when you’re not the person making decisions involving billions of dollars in investments. I don’t envy any auto CEO. The behind-the-scenes financial stuff they have to deal with is constant and never-ending. No wonder Farley races cars whenever he can.

Just figured I'd share this. My small northern Michigan town is located off I-75 and has both Tesla Supercharger and Electrify America charging stations at a local market. We were shopping this afternoon and saw several EV's clustered around the charger. Of course I wandered over. There were test vehicles from Ford, Toyota, Kia, and GM waiting for their turn at the charger. None of these guys knew each other, it was strictly coincidental that they showed up at the same time. Only three out of the four chargers were working, hence the backlog. I talked to the engineer driving the Mach-E Rally. Nice guy (are they all so young today?). Mainly we talked about how unreliable Electrify America chargers are, and battery performance in cold weather (it was 24 degrees). I asked him about future Ford EVs. He wouldn't tell me much, but is very excited about the future. Being about 225 miles from SE Michigan does pay off.

Maybe now I'll finally see some Rangers on my dealer's lot. They've been scarce to non-existent since Covid.

Norway also has a very high tax level between 40%-45% of GDP. The U.S. tax level is about 28% of GDP..

One reason EV's sell so well in Norway is because of their aggressive EV subsidies: The Norwegian EV incentives: No purchase/import tax on EVs (1990-2022). From 2023 some purchase tax based on the cars’ weight on all new EVs. Exemption from 25% VAT on purchase (2001-2022). From 2023, Norway will implement a 25% VAT on the purchase price from 500 000 Norwegian Kroner and over No annual road tax (1996-2021). Reduced tax from 2021. Full tax from 2022. No charges on toll roads (1997- 2017). No charges on ferries (2009- 2017). Maximum 50% of the total amount on ferry fares for electric vehicles (2018) Maximum 50% of the total amount on toll roads (2018-2022). From 2023 70% Free municipal parking (1999- 2017) Access to bus lanes (2005-). New rules allow local authorities to limit the access to only include EVs that carry one or more passengers (2016-) 25% reduced company car tax (2000-2008). 50% reduced company car tax (2009-2017). Company car tax reduction reduced to 40% (2018-2021) and 20 percent from 2022. Exemption from 25% VAT on leasing (2015-) The Norwegian Parliament decided on a national goal that all new cars sold by 2025 should be zero-emission (electric or hydrogen) (2017). «Charging right» for people living in apartment buildings was established (2017-) Public procurement: From 2022 cars needs to be ZEV. From 2025 the same applies to city buses

Back to the original topic, one more reason that the EV's are struggling is that they do not like the cold weather. The midwest has been experiencing bitter cold temperatures for the past several days. It's so cold the batteries on some Tesla's won't accept a charge and others take hours to charge, that is if the charger works. Read more here: Chicago-area Tesla charging stations lined with dead cars in freezing cold: 'A bunch of dead robots out here' https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/chicago-area-tesla-charging-stations-lined-with-dead-cars-in-freezing-cold-a-bunch-of-dead-robots-out-here

There is a story about the name Thunderbird. One of their stylists, who was from New Mexico, suggested the name. GM apparently also liked the name Thunderbird, so Ford acted quick to lock it in. Later that year (1953?) GM came out with a concept car named the Firebird.

Thunderbird name clunky? These guys don't agree with you.

If I remember the new UAW contract correctly, there is new product of some sort scheduled for Flat Rock.

I kind of like it, especially the front end, which looks different and will stand out in a crowd of SUV boringness.

Marketplace reality strikes again.

The side view of the saloon resembles the prototype Ford BEV that we've been talking about. I guess extreme aero is "in."

Juts saw this at Road & Track. https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a46287087/ford-electric-vehicle-platform-patent/

This is exactly what my dad did before he died. He didn't want to be worrying about a repair bill.

I leased a lot back when I was working. I was in Natural Resource management and spent a great deal of time in the woods. I'd lease a 4x4 Ranger for two years, then get a new one. I was reimbursed by my employer for the miles I drove, which would pretty much cover monthly payments. Plus I also had a truck for personal use. This worked well. I did this until I retired.

We often vacation in Ontario on the north shore of Lake Superior. I'm on an Ontario group on Facebook. The OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) recently visited a school in northern Ontario for a Q&A session, and one of the kids asked if the OPP missed the Crown Vic.

Behind a paywall, but the headline says it all. https://www.autonews.com/dealers/buick-dealer-network-shrinks-nearly-half-through-buyouts

Now, this is rather odd. https://jalopnik.com/chevy-silverado-gmc-sierra-pickup-truck-stop-sale-roof-1851110020#:~:text=General Motors has issued a,explanation for the roof concerns.

I would love to see some numbers for -20F (meaning 20 below zero F).

Perhaps pick up a copy of Hemming's and try and find an appraiser in their "appraiser & broker" section. You'd have to pay them of course.