Several years after Ford and the wider automotive industry made sky-high promises about their respective EV lineups, things have come back down to earth. Currently, Ford is scaling back its EV ambitions in favor of a model that favors all types of propulsion, including hybrids and regular internal combustion vehicles. But EV mandates remain a potential issue for the industry as it rapidly approaches some of the earliest deadlines for those type of regulations. In North America, some mandates have already been pushed back. And now, the head of Ford Canada recently offered comments directly opposing the country’s EV mandate.
According to Automotive News Canada, Ford Canada CEO Bev Goodman offered a sharp rebuke of the country’s zero emissions mandate, which essentially becomes an EV mandate in 2035. The federal targets require 20 percent zero emissions sales for model year 2026, then 60 percent in 2030, before switching to 100 percent in 2035. Speaking at the Canada Automotive Summit, Goodman said that “The targets on full battery-electric vehicles need to be aligned with that customers want, and customers have spoken.”
Earlier this year, EV sales in Canada sunk 45 percent after its rebate program ran out of money to offer buyers.
Canada isn’t the only country grappling with EV mandate reform. As Ford Authority previously reported, the Trump administration and the Republican party have effectively axed the non-binding EV mandate and stripped California’s ability to set its own EV mandate, although the state is suing the federal government over the Senate vote. That said, some 2035 mandates are being rolled back, with Vermont pulling the plug on its own ruleset. The UK also granted to relief to automakers by allowing hybrid vehicles sales through 2035, a relaxation of of its own requirements. Ford CEO Jim Farley stated last year that 2035 mandates were unrealistic, even as he has seemingly pinned the hopes of the company on its low cost EV platform, expected to debut in 2027.
An off-road-ready killer rather than sleek and styled.
The perfect way to get to know the high-performance machine.
Enabling remote software updates and downloads.
Still a good looking truck by today's standards.
Yet another wild, one-off creation.
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Farley thinks the mandate is unrealistic because his own company can't put out more EVs. His skunkworks team is working at a snails pace, as other companies are developing better battery technology and even putting out more EVs every year. Look at GM, they are so many options within their brand, while Ford still offers two stale EVs that have had very little change since it's launch. All they do is add some more colors and do minor changes, instead of making real changes, such as a new battery to add more range, add the NACS port, change the location of the charging port from the front end to the rear, and other features that other EVs have.
They want the mandate to go away because they aren't even trying to make vehicles that could help get them to that goal.
Agreed. While GM offers new attractive EV versions of the Blazer and Equinox, with a new Bolt on the horizon, Ford offers nothing but two, long in the tooth EV's. While not a big EV fan, if my usage situation changed, to make an EV my best choice, Ford offers nothing I would even consider.
I'm not a big fan of Farley either, but how come General Motors, Stellantis, and Toyota are backpedaling on their electric vehicle plans?
Ford makes 3 EV's
E Transit, Lightning, Mach E
With the E Transit in 3 different configurations - Chassis cab, Cutaway, Cargo Van
Make sure to get it right if you're going to complain
You are correct, Ford does make 3 EVs, but when most are talking about EVs, they are talking about what the general consumer is offered. The E-Transit is technically under the PRO line and not offered for consumers. How many E-Transits have you seen parked in a driveway in a neighborhood for a family to use?
Even if we want to consider the 3rd option, GM has the Brightdrop and Rivian has the EDV. So again more competition for Ford.
What other EVs is Ford coming out with? Nothing until 2027, if they can get this mid-size EV truck, which won't help them when it does release because the market will already have other EVs.
Farley has a 3-row EV in development and cancelled it because he said no one would want it. Yet Cadillac has at least two 3-row EV SUVs and coming out with another. They aren't cheap and I have seen a good amount of them on the road.
I tend to agree. Farley blows hot and cold: all over the map, with no well thought out strategy - this has been evident time and time again. This leadership vacuum, along with virtually daily recalls (a reflection of Farley’s long tenure in the C-suite) really has me baffled as to why he got the job, why he’s kept the job, and why consumers even consider a Ford product. My conclusion is that Ford customers simply don’t know any better, that there are far superior choices out in the marketplace. A total debacle, that would be entertaining, if it wasn’t so sad.
I really don't appreciate any carmaker executive saying anything to stop EV mandates. Frankly, they should be strengthened and any automaker who can't make it should simply suffer the consequences.
Clueless woke politicians like Biden, Newsome, and Trudeau have no business mandating electric vehicles or any other thing that they know nothing about. The people have spoken and most want ICE vehicles- the smart companies will listen to their customers.
FYI, Biden and Trudeau are no longer.
But they were the idiots that got the ball rolling.
How the heck can you say that Ford or any other company should put more money into a losing situation. Most people don't want a EV!
I would say that companies should give options to vehicles for consumers to buy. If someone wants and ICE or hybrid or EV, give it to them and help them pick the right vehicle for their needs.
I'd have to say that most consumers don't understand EVs and once they do, they are great vehicles. EVs don't work for everyone, especially if someone needs to tow or a hauls a lot of things. As a daily driver, it's a great vehicle. But with the limitations of Ford's range, it puts a lot of consumers off and you have to wonder, why isn't Ford able to make their ranges for their EVs bigger?
GM has their EV trucks at around 400 miles to the charge.
Is Farley and Ford just not wanting to improve on the product they have out when most consumers say that the range isn't enough, but with every year release, all they do is make some new colors and take way/add some features instead of addressing the biggest issue(s) with the vehicles?
In the end, give people choices, make a good reliable product that people can be proud to drive.