Facing weakened demand, Ford recently decided to push back its plans to build 600k all-electric vehicles annually to 2024, as well as two million of those units by 2026 as CEO Jim Farley says that EVs in general have become a “political football.” More recently, The Blue Oval paused construction at the future BlueOval Michigan Battery Park site amid ongoing contract negotiations with the on-strike United Auto Workers union, and also scaled back production of the Ford F-150 Lightning pickup at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center – at least temporarily. However, Ford’s cross-town rival GM is also struggling with EV production due to issues with the assembly of battery modules. Now, GM has delayed the start of EV pickup production at the existing Orion Assembly plant as well, accordion to The Detroit News.
The Orion plant already builds the Chevy Bolt EV and EUV, but was previously slated to begin producing EV pickups there next year. Now, those plans have been pushed back to late 2025 “to better manage capital investment while aligning with evolving EV demand,” according to GM spokesperson Kevin Kelly. “In addition, we have identified engineering improvements that we will implement to increase the profitability of our products.”
GM has already been building the GMC Hummer EV and the Cruise Origin autonomous shuttle at its Factory Zero plant – along with the work truck version of the new Silverado EV. Production of other Silverado EV models, along with the GMC Sierra EV pickup, are both slated to begin at the same plant later this year and at some point next year, respectively. Meanwhile, the automaker is investing $4 billion in the Orion plant to convert it for EV pickup production utilizing the automaker’s Ultium platform.
Production of the Bolt EV duo is slated to end at the conclusion of 2024, but the 1,261 employees at the Orion plant will be able to transfer to other facilities. “Consistent with the original plant conversion plan, represented employees at Orion will be offered other opportunities in Michigan, including positions at Factory Zero Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly where production has been steadily increasing and significant scaling is planned for 2024, including a second production shift,” Kelly said.
We’ll have more on everything Ford’s competition is up to soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for non-stop Ford news coverage.
Comments
Americans don’t want EVs, almost every automotive news article states the same thing. Our family joined the grassroots boycott against EVs, the boycott is working.
Great, please let them stick and oil refinery in your back yard and I know you love paying Saudi’s Iranian’s and Russians for oil so they can keep the wars going. How about you move forward not backward.
You may have missed the fact that we lead the world in oil production and it increases each year now that covid is mostly gone.
Glad you hate cheap sustainable energy. Especially that the concept of “peak oil” is now completely false given the advancement of hydraulic fracking.
Ford and GM reaching the limit of American pocket books for big heavy trucks that cost way more than houses. Can’t wait until you use LFP and make a Maverick Truck that goes as far as the Silverado at a price working people can afford. By the way the Silverado EV kicks the Lightening’s butt.
They can stick their EVS where the sun don’t shine this all American boy will never ever own one
Good. Most people don’t want or need an EV.
The best thing GM has going forward is the new E-Ray (V8 hybrid with awd), the Z06 and upcoming ZR1/Zora aside. The E-Ray might actually be the best street car out of the bunch. V8 sound and feel with awd and more efficiency. I’d love to see more V8 hybrids in more vehicles.
Mass market EV has always been an asinine endeavor. The materials required to make the batteries are rare and unsustainable. The mining of said materials is more destructive to the environment. The mining of said materials to create an EV is so much more polluting to the environment that you would have to drive said EV for 28,000 (Chevy Bolt size) to 68,000 (GMC Hummer size) miles before netting any emissions benefit, which if you translate this to years at 12K miles per year, would be have to drive the EV for 2.3 years to 5.6 years before netting any emissions benefit. Seeing as how mass market EVs will fall somewhere in the middle of this range, like 3.95 years before netting any emissions benefit, the emissions benefit of EV’s is an outright lie. In 2021, the average EV age was 3.9 years, early 2022 3.8 years, late 2022 3.7 years, and now in 2023 3.6 years. On average, EV owners never have owned their EVs long enough to be less polluting than ICE, and with the average EV age continuing to decline, never will own their EVs long enough to be less polluting than ICE.
What is more, using 12K miles per year to convert necessary miles driven to necessary years driven to net any emissions benefit is being overly generous. On average, EV owners don’t drive 12K miles per year. EV owners only drive 6300 to 7800 miles annually. Do all the averaging math with these numbers, and the average time mass market EV owners would need to keep their EVs to net any emissions benefit jumps to 6.85 years, almost twice as the current average of 3.6 years.are currently keeping their EVs.
You want to have less pollution and save the planet, quit buying EVs.
Search “solid state buttery” in 2 to 5 years or sooner. In China it’s starting now. It’s the ICE end and great for electric grid back up. Some will go for x10 cycles, no more fires and work in very low and high temperatures. All to compare to current lithium ion butteries. Good luck with ice future 🙂 .
Yes most major auto makers invested a lot.
How new lithium extraction technology could help us to meet electric vehicles targets – CNBC. Great tech. And it could help to electric grid back ups and leveling. Lithium is a new gold.
It’s all propaganda. Americans have clearly shown they don’t want EVs. The EV boycott is evidence of this as well.
The Orion plant is a skeleton right now, they have a LONG way to go just building the plant. The Blue Oval City plant is much further along. And just incase you only read the headline…this is the 2nd plant, they are still building Silverado EVs…but don’t stop me from spoiling your party.
Uh, the first 3 words of the article are, “Facing weakened demand…”
Actually, CNBC recently did a surprisingly well done report on EV demand. Definitely worth the watch if you can find it.
“The Blue Oval City plant is much further along.”
LOL, no it isn’t. Blue Oval City is very much still a skeleton, as well.
The automakers are finally realizing that all the EV BS the politicians forced on them is just that – BS. Toyota’s upcoming solid state battery will change the channel drastically.
Toyota coming with solid state buttery models in 2028. It’s not just Toyota. Most majors already invested in demonstration plants. NIO in China starting now.
Total plug-in EV sales are up a whopping+49% year over year for Q3’23. So demand is clearly there. But that’s offset by so many OEMs coming out with new EV models (increased supply).
Yeah I think what’s happening is we are nearing the steady state for EV demand, but nowhere near that for EV supply. So everyone is going to be fighting for a small piece of this pie, at great expense.
The other thing is, not all segments make sense as a BEV. Fullsize trucks get used for towing a lot, and EVs aren’t good for towing. I don’t think that long distance road trip cars, like fullsize SUVs or minivans make sense as EVs. But midsize or smaller around town CUVs, sure.
At the end of the day, our vehicle portfolio is a mix of different needs and wants. Thatbwill continue to be the case, despite what greedy banks and corrupt govt officials try to force into place.
I don’t think so. In the U.S. trends in the auto industry start in California. Plug-ins are 25% of new vehicle sales. But nationwide, they are only 8%. As EV pricing comes down with scale and 2nd generation EVs come out that are way better, EVs will continue to gain ground vs ICE.
So many naysayers here. You remind me of the old horse owners who would never buy the automobile over 120 years ago. Now you cannot travel or li ve without one. Come back in 12 years when all gasoline cars stop production. Then I will see you crying again. Meanwhile I can charge at home for free! No more gasoline cars ever!
“Free” …lol. In 12 years there will be millions of ICE cars on the road and maybe 8 more EV cars on the road.
Last 4 quarters 14.2 millions electric cars, not to mention semis tracks, buses etc
Even the car CEOs are stating demand is not even close. Give it up, even the CEOs said Americans simply aren’t interested.
Automobiles.won over horses because they cut travel time down. EVs don’t do that, they increase it.
Any government foolish enough to let these EV mandates stand will be met with some seriously hard economic times, and a lot more used cars.
Free my ass!