Ford axes EV assembly line. Will produce gas powered pickup trucks instead.

Photo Above - Back by popular demand. F150 gasoline models are replacing electric vehicles on at least one Ford assembly line.

I bet President Biden is sure pi$$ed now. He photobombed a UAW picket line not too long ago, to help the union score their $140,000 annual wage. Then, earlier this year, Ford cancelled its planned battery plant. Today the other shoe fell – Ford is going to switch at least one EV assembly line back to gas guzzling F150s (See link below).

Well, if you’re not going to make batteries, then you don’t need to make EV cars to put them in either, right?

I take no happiness in this. As stated previously, I’d LOVE to buy an (American made) EV in the $30-40K price range. Closer to 30, actually. The Mustang Mach-e (which is neither a Mustang, nor does it reach anything close to Mach speed) typically costs more than $60K. I hardly ever see one on the road. Electrified F150 lightnings start at $80K, and go well past $100K if you want the right stuff.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Biden ONLY appeared on the picket line as a publicity stunt to keep public attention focused on EVs. Instead, the focus ended up being on exorbitant UAW wages which are double or triple what schoolteachers make in the flyover states.

I’m being too tough on Biden. He may not have known why he took Air Force One to the picket line. He might not remember ever being there. But whoever sent him, their heart was in the right place. The government has promised new 500,000 EV chargers nationwide. How about some vehicles to plug into them?

The average cost of a DC fast charging station is $80,000. Yeah . . . wow! A cheap one costs $30,000 (Less than an EV) while a “nice” one costs $140,000. The government envisions 500,000 DC fast chargers, coast to coast, no more than 50 miles apart (most MUCH closer). The probable cost to taxpayers? $40 billion. For chargers. But most people would probably vote for a $2,000 tax credit to install a level 2 charger in their garage, no?

Maybe Ford's decision to temporarily bail on batteries and EVs will be a good thing in the short run. America already can’t keep up electrical demand for Bitcoin mining, AI “training”, and air conditioning in Texas. Don’t think the coming winter will spell relief. Not too long ago all of Texas’s wind turbines froze solid on some cold day, so this isn’t a global warming thing.

As I write this, CNN is reporting an international computer outage affecting airlines AND banks. But the government rushed to assure everyone that it's NOT hackers. And that it will be fixed soon(ish). An outage affecting most of America, and lots of other nations. But definitely NOT hackers. And not some weirdo on a roof nobody noticed either.

We need to figure out how to keep the lights on, and companies from being ransom-wared to death. I’m holding off on my personal EV purchase until we can master the basics.

I’m just sayin’ . . .

Ford to spend $3 billion to expand large truck production to a plant previously set for EVs (msn.com)