Though it remains committed to producing ICE and hybrid-powered vehicles for the foreseeable future, Ford is in the midst of a major EV transition that even saw the company split itself into two distinct entities – Model e for EVs, and Ford Blue for ICE vehicles, which is proving to be a bit of a challenge for its traditional dealer model. Regardless, CEO Jim Farley previously stated that he believed mass EV adoption would begin as early as 2023, exceeding the automaker’s expectations in that regard. In a recent interview with former engineer and current YouTuber Sandy Munro, Farley also admitted that the world’s EV transition is occurring faster than anyone previously expected, too.
“It seems to be going much faster than all of us forecasted,” Farley said. “China is now above 20 percent. Europe is too. And it jumped…I mean it’s gone so much faster than people think. So much faster than the charging experience. So much faster than the purchase price. So much faster than you would have predicted.”
The early success of FoMoCo’s first EVs – the Ford F-150 Lightning, Ford Mustang Mach-E, and E-Transit – surprised the automaker to begin with, though Jim Farley also recently stated that he’s not entirely sure traditional ICE customers will like the company’s upcoming all-electric models. There are also plenty of obstacles that the automaker must overcome to achieve its goals of producing 600,000 EVs by the end of 2023 and two million annually by 2026, including serious issues with existing infrastructure.
Regardless, Farley is a big believer in Ford’s all-electric products, and customers are certainly lining up to buy them as well, quickly exceeding Ford’s production capacity for both the F-150 Lightning and Mach-E. Though Farley believes that increased competition in this space will eventually lead to a price war, but there simply isn’t enough product to go around at the moment, which is why The Blue Oval has been working to secure ample raw materials via a number of suppliers in recent months. Regardless, EVs recently crossed the five percent market share threshold in the U.S., which experts believe is the turning point in mass adoption, so it may already be happening.
We’ll have more on the state of the EV market soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for comprehensive Ford news coverage.
Comments
While I fully understand it’s not Ford’s problem, what are the electrical generation sources and/or fuels?
Don’t forget, the American population is incredible stupid on technical questions.
With all the work that’s going into increasing efficiency of solar, wind, and fusion, the trend is moving us toward lower carbon electricity. Whether the vehicle market gets ahead of that wave, or not, is immaterial. I find it curious that Farley would admit that he didn’t anticipate this. Musk knew this was happening, but then his company is the reason it’s coming so fast…. I almost feel sorry for GM. Then again, I watched a whole batch of my GM shares turn to dust in 2009, when they went into chapter 11.
They will never hit their production goals. People can’t afford them, fit in them, travel long distances without adding hours to trips, can’t tow, less dealers casn fix them. ICE will be around for years when EVS go up in price and production falls short.
The broken record crew back at it again in the comments…
I see that ford a many other auto makers are turning to ev products. But how do they solve the problem with chargering stations Nation wide and the you have a electric grid in our country that is so out dated . We have major problems with ,and then what do you do with the lithium batters . They won’t last for ever . I’m for change ,but when will comon sense come into play over profit .
He is lying through his teeth if you look at the raw numbers. They ate purposely suppressing the production of regular cars. He even said they have chips but the are giving them to EVs instead. He is worried about his job plain and simple.
Just a warning that are free to ignore, but when the real transition gets going, it will not be a smooth ride to the end of gasoline. When the consumption drops to about 40%, filling stations will start dropping like flies. Most make their money from sales of food and drink. Gas brings in the customers. A lot of owners will ultimately get trapped with vehicles that cannot be fueled. The price of gasoline, where you can find it, will add more grief one option that ICE cars will have is to get “crate” electric drives installed in place of their gas engines. It will be a big business for a while.
There will be people that love ICE and won’t ever consider EV until ICE is no longer available but that will probably be a decade or more from now. Please just enjoy your favorite drive train and don’t be too critical of others.
I drive an EV and really love it! I also have solar panels and pwr walls so I’m all in. I just really enjoy the technology and ease of ownership. After two years all I’ve had to do is add washer fluid to my car. Virtually no maintenance! Enjoy what you drive and respect others decisions. The grid will follow and so will chargers each individual situation will be different and we’ll all do what we’ll do.
Surprising that EV’s have only 5% market penetration in the U.S. Been driving one for years…there’s nothing like waking up to a fully charged vehicle each morning, pumped full of free electricity sent via rooftop solar, and driving by every gas station on the way to and from work, waiving at the poor suckers wasting time and money sucking at the teat of big oil. In one year alone I save at least 10 hours of gas station drudgery, not to mention the $4,000 in fuel costs that do not get donated to Exxon and Saudi Arabia.
ICE or EV, why can’t Ford design better looking vehicles?
The Mach E standard slotted tab front is so ugly, and the Lightening front end is so cheap and boring looking. If the Ford /BMW solid state EV battery projects works, then maybe they will be cheaper and double the range. The Government should not provide subsidies for rich people to buy EV s with more government debt. Let the consumer decide and get the government out of the way.
Everybody has to prove a point that they have the one and only answer. EVs have a long way to go before the USA is ready for mass adoption. Currently, you basically need a dedicated parking spot with decent charging speed to make an EV worthwhile. When I lived in Baltimore City, I had street parking. An EV would have been a nightmare. But now that I’m a suburbanite with a driveway and a garage, an EV makes a lot of sense for me. Even with a 250 mile practical daily range, that’s more than I drive. I will “fill up” every night from my garage. I’m a free market capitalist. I want consumers to buy the product that works for them. I don’t get my feelings hurt if someone else buys something else. Ford can’t make enough EVs right now. People want these vehicles. The market will ultimately decide.
Not that I would expect anything different from people commenting on Ford Authority, but Christ there is so much innaccurate and tired arguekents in here. It’s called progress people, I know most of you want to stay in the 50’s when things were better for ya. Gas engines are incredibly inefficient and run on a “finite” resource (that means it will run out). EVs are 85%+ in terms of the energy efficiency and they will ultimately (as we transition and build the infrastructure) to a infinite resource. See the difference? As everything scales and the industry transitions, all your tired and crappy arguments become irrelevant. But then again, you don’t give a crap…
I thought they were still mad about horses being replaced?
What a horrible CEO. He basically just said “We had no idea until we looked around and saw how hot the market was.” That’s a clueless leader. He’s a follower who will never “catch” the market.
Having no HPEV Bronco in 2023 and the Mustang looking more like an European sports car, Ford has not given me an avenue to come back. It’s the new age love story: Supply ignores demand.