this post was submitted on 11 Aug 2025
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Electric Cars

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Ford seems to be refocusing it’s #EV efforts towards smaller, less expensive EVs with cheaper battery technology in an effort to stay relavent given the low cost EVs coming out of China. This is in contrast with GMs efforts which seem to lean towards larger SUVs and trucks.

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[–] reddig33@lemmy.world 10 points 3 days ago (3 children)

That’s interesting, considering that Ford doesn’t ship any sedans in North America. Is this a European plan or something they are planning to sell in China?

[–] cron@feddit.org 23 points 3 days ago (1 children)

DETROIT, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Ford plans to start rolling out its new family of affordable electric vehicles in 2027, including a midsize pickup truck with a target starting price of $30,000, the company said on Monday, as it aspires to the cost efficiency of Chinese rivals. The new midsize four-door pickup will be assembled at the automaker's Louisville, Kentucky, plant.

[–] reddig33@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Their PR shows a “universal EV platform” that shows a sedan, a truck, and an SUV. So we will have to see if they build a sedan on it. If they do, I’m not holding my breath that they’ll ship it in North America. It’s a shame because I’d love to see an electric Escort/Focus.

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago (2 children)

A sedan with a truck chassis will drive terribly.

And I bet it’ll be really tall, not just cause of the battery pack but also because car buyers are old people who don’t want to climb out of their car.

[–] piccolo@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 days ago (2 children)

The maverick is built on the same platform as the ford focus.

[–] lemming741@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

And the Mach E is derived from that platform too. They're building a BEV Maverick for sure.

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Yeah but that's going the other direction, like how the Honda Ridgeline is based on the pilot. And it makes the truck worse for the same reason cars with truck chassis are worse.

Now if people would be willing to buy passenger cars and let trucks be trucks we wouldn't have this problem.

[–] piccolo@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Well they are more a class of UTE, its just americans think anything with a bed is a 'truck'. Personally wish el caminos style would make a come back.

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

I'd love me a ute but Americans don't buy trucks for utility, they buy it because they've been taught to hate station wagons and minivans

[–] SanctimoniousApe 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

sedan with a truck chassis will drive terribly.

I'm no vehicle aficionado, so I don't know just how bad you're thinking it will be. Regardless, if they can make it tolerable then I'd think all it needs is to be functional and cheap to find an audience - particularly if most of their competition is focused elsewhere.

car buyers are old people

What?!?

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago (2 children)

The last cars that had truck chassis were the giant land yachts from the 70s, but even they were on car-body frames and still drove terribly.

How many people under 40 have the $700/month car payment and $300 a month for insurance on a new car?

[–] lemming741@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

2011 Lincoln Towncar has entered the chat

[–] SanctimoniousApe 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

$700/mo for a $30-$40K car seems like a raw deal to me, but I'll admit it's been quite a while since I shopped for a new car. Insurance shouldn't be that high over 30 unless you're in a bad area (or have a bad record).

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The average new car price is closer to $50k, with SUVs and luxury cars sometimes going up to $100k.

But the big problem is interest rates. Even with great credit you could be looking at 10-15%, and loans of 20-25% aren’t uncommon.

Pair that with 84-120 month loans and things get crazy quick

[–] SanctimoniousApe 2 points 2 days ago

I'm vaguely aware of the typical price range, but I was sticking closer to the price mentioned in OP as the topic of discussion.

Those rates are indeed insane - especially over such a long term. I guess I can see why you say it's only old people if that's truly the case, but it also seems like sales suicide for manufacturers to allow that to remain the case.

[–] SteveInVentura@lemmy.today 5 points 3 days ago (2 children)

"The pure EV market in the U.S. seems to us very clear: small vehicles used for commuting and around town," Farley told analysts on an earnings call last month.

[–] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 days ago

small vehicles used for commuting and around town,

Damn right.

Too bad it took them so long to figure that out.

[–] Quadhammer@lemmy.world 0 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Yes commuter cars should be electric. Pickups should stay gas until they're super badass like the rovers in Lost in Space

[–] BlameThePeacock@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 days ago

Pickups should be available in both, it really comes down to the use case at the moment.

If you need to tow shit on a highway, right now you NEED gas. The only way around this will be once we start seeing more trailer units built on EV platforms. There's an RV you can get right now called the Pebble that does this, it has it's own 45 kwh battery and motors. Which means there's almost no range drop from towing it. This allows for a much more functional towing range while not ending up with a semi-truck just so that you have enough battery capacity to tow those long distances.

That being said, If you just haul a bed/trailer full of yard maintenance gear around a 30 mile service area to various client homes all day and have a level 2 charger at your yard/home, an EV pickup would save you a ton of money over it's life. They can also be extremely helpful with powering equipment on jobsites.

[–] SanctimoniousApe 2 points 2 days ago

I'd think you'd prefer diesel if it's power you're after.

[–] spankmonkey@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

Compact electric trucks, like the car sized ones from decades past, should be a high priority. An EV Camino would be fantastic!

[–] 6nk06@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I can't answer but Ford is the only US car brand that exists in France, and it's famous since the 80s for some reason. Chevrolet tried to sell some cars in France but they stopped because people were not buying.

[–] cron@feddit.org 1 points 2 days ago

Ford sells cars here in europe that were never available in the US. For example, the small car "Ford Ka" was never available in the US.