Plenty of Fortune 500 and large companies have gone out of business because they failed to make the changes necessary before going obsolete. Kodak, Polaroid, Sears, etc. - just to name a few.
This is tough for the people being laid off, but it needs to be done. Even so, Ford is about 15 years behind Tesla and it may already be too late. Time will tell. Please show some kindness and compassion to your coworkers who are laid off as well as those kept - each will have many challenges ahead. It’s not greed, it’s not the recession, it’s the innovation that needs to be done so Ford won’t go under. In a perfect world, Ford would have been able to keep producing ICE vehicles with EV’s, but the EV’s are going to cannibalise the ICE vehicles. Once you drive electric and don’t have to pump gas, you will never go back to ICE. Once prices come down and range goes up in EV everyone will want one.
15 replies (most recent on top)
I am also a proponent of the control theory. Things just fall into place too nicely and you can see more left wing countries in Europe doing similar things: when they wanted to people to "quarantine" at home during the height of the pandemic, they just closed bathrooms so they couldn't go anywhere. Then they checked ID's at stores to make sure you're not coming from anywhere far away.
For anything like this to work you have to make people dependent (debt) and take their power.
Another ignorant/naive poster on EV .....
Rivian layoffs are coming in addition to Ford.
It will all implode and a better mousetrap will emerge
This is a federal government mandate to control the masses.
You will not travel more than 100 miles from home.
You will be tracked on social media and assigned a credit score allowing or dis-allowing you access to food, money etc.
We need to save the planet... bla bla bla china is burning more coal that circulates around the world. People better wake up and resist EV's before it is too late. Electricity to charge evs come from oil, natural gas, nuclear, not wind or sun. Silly wrabbit. So glad the infastructure is being literally rebuilt.
The ignorance and idiocy is strong in the thread.
Kodak, Polaroid, Sears failed because they did not embrace something better. Please enlighten me on how EVs are better? Oh they’re quick, okay where can I even drive that fast legally? Oh they’re green, hmm read an article where the Hummer EV contributes more CO2 than a Chevy Malibu ICE. Oh they’ll save you on gas, okay but I have to spend $50K minimum to get my foot in the door but still have to pay to charge it (and the fast charging is not cheap for the amount of energy you get compared to a gallon of gasoline). Energy independence, okay but I have to go to countries that hate the United States to get the ingredients to make one. If all else fails push climate change.
If Ford needs to change to EV, then every power company in the country (no…world) needs to intensify their power grid. The US power grid is vulnerable, at best, and not ready for 50% of the cars on the road to be plugged into the power grid.
@1deb . . . "The main profit carrot is with data, software, and subscriptions as has been said on this forum before, and as stated by Ford leadership many times over."
Seriously ? As has been said on this forum before as well: That's complete nonsense !
What subscriptions ? What data ? If you want data on customers who drive a Ford - FIRST you have to sell them a Ford ! Then - even if you have ALL THE DATA on EVERY customer - how much is it worth ? It's basically worthless to the world . . . Govt. and Industry want EVs to monitor and control everyone in the new comming utopia - Consumers will resist this for a long long time and that's why it is being forced. e.g. Gov. of CA said EVs should be MANDATED already !
Sorry Mr. Farley, I think hybrids will be the winners for the next 10-15 years.
EV's as the OP says here really is not the complete answer for success in the future mobility space that Ford is transitioning to. Vehicles (including some ICE) are only a medium for delivery digital goods. The main profit carrot is with data, software, and subscriptions as has been said on this forum before, and as stated by Ford leadership many times over.
The layoffs that are coming are strictly to position Ford for this transformation.
EVs seem to spontaneously combust i would say thats a big problem and could ki-l companies as you say like with sears and the like.
Even happens with Tesla the company ypu believe to be the greatest and one of the biggest benefectators of taxpayers
He-l they have a wikipedia about all the fires EVs produce then there is the electric grid that cant handle alot of evs, the limitation on the range of the battery and how expensive the battery is should it need to be replaced.
Solve those problems first and then EV is viable.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plug-in_electric_vehicle_fire_incidents
EVs need to introduced into the market organically and when the infrastructure is ready for them including affordability to the average consumer. Not forced down our throats because of arbitrary dates and goals.
This is a strawman argument. As a previous poster stated EVs are being pushed with political science, not engineering science.
The electrician grid will not support mass charging of EVs. Some states in south are already telling people not to charge EVs in the daytime. The materials for the batteries will have be imported. ( China) The resale of EVs will be almost zero. The oil shortages are artificial.
The past has plenty of failed technology. Super fast, unsinkable ocean liners come to mind.
If Ford builds EVs with the same extremely poor quality as they do their ICE vehicles they have no future. I am sure Ford will figure out a way to have their EVs burn down customers houses.
Fake Post. Nice try Jim F.