30 Million Americans Would Consider Buying An Electric Car

AAA conducted a survey of 1,004 Americans in February to find out how they feel about electric vehicles. The results show that 15% are considering an electric car when they buy their next car. AAA says that translates into 30 million people — one seventh of the US car buying population. “With their lower ownership costs and compatibility with emerging autonomous technologies, electric vehicles are poised to be a key vehicle of the future,” says Greg Brannon, AAA’s director of automotive engineering.

What AAA finds significant about the poll results is that interest in electric cars remains fairly strong despite relatively low gas prices. AAA conducts the survey every year and finds the level of interest is about the same as it was five years ago when gas prices were considerably higher.

The survey showed interest among millennials was somewhat higher than the average. 18% of people in that age bracket told the pollsters they would consider an electric car next time around. Concern for the environment, lower long term costs, desire for the latest technology, and access to car pool lanes are all factors that contribute to the interest in electric vehicles.

The survey also showed that nearly one third of potential car buyers would consider a hybrid or plug-in hybrid car. The fear of running out of battery power while away from home is the biggest factor people mention when talking about why they would not consider an all electric car.

Demonstrating the schizophrenia the American public has about big government and CAFE regulations, 70 percent of car buyers say they consider fuel economy to be an important thing to weigh when selecting a new car. Other factors that are high on their priority list are safety technology, brand recognition, styling, and smartphone connectivity.

The AAA survey makes a liar out of Ford CEO Mark Fields, who continues to insist that nobody wants to buy electric cars. Pssst. Hey, Mark. 15% of car buyers says they would consider buying an electric car. That’s the same percentage as those who told AAA they would consider buying a pickup truck.

Having pigheaded leaders like Fields in charge of one of America’s leading car companies is one reason why the electric car revolution continues to lag behind expectations in America. Mark, here’s a thought. How about showing some leadership skills to go along with that fancy salary of yours?

Source: AAA

Ford EV Plans For China Are Ambitious. For The US? Not So Much.

Mark Fields is in China this week to talk about Ford EV plans. “The time is right for Ford to expand our EV lineup and investments in China,” Ford’s CEO said. “We are prioritizing our electrification efforts on China to reflect its importance as a global electrified vehicle market and to make lives better, simpler and more cost effective for Chinese consumers.”

Fields confirmed his company will have two new electrified vehicles for China and a broad range of EVs by 2025. The Mondeo Energi — a rebadged version of the Ford Fusion Energi — will arrive in China in 2018. It will be manufactured in China by a joint venture between Ford and Changan. The company will also introduce a fully electric SUV to the Chinese market within 5 years.

China is the world’s largest new energy vehicle market thanks to strong government support and growing customer acceptance. According to the Society of Automotive Engineers of China, “new energy vehicles” — which include hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and electric cars — are expected to account for more than 15% of total passenger vehicle sales in China by 2025.

More than 20 million new cars are sold in China every year, making it the largest automobile market in the world. To address the diverse needs of consumers in China, including the growing demand for EVs, Ford will offer a comprehensive range of electrified solutions by that time. In fact, Ford expects 70% of the cars it sells in China will have an electric motor by 2025.

Ford will begin building powertrains in China by 2020. It plans to expand its new energy vehicle engineering capabilities at its Nanjing Research and Engineering Center with a focus on incorporating Chinese customer needs into Ford’s next generation EV technologies. In January, Ford confirmed that 13 new global EVs will launch in the next five years as part of its $4.5 billion investment in future mobility solutions. Its planned small electric SUV is expected to have a range of 280 miles. It will be sold in North America, Europe, and China.

Gas2 readers may be suffering a bit of cognitive dissonance at this point. Isn’t this the same Mark Fields who says people in the US don’t want electric cars? Isn’t he also the same fellow who has been haranguing Donald Trump to undo the CAFE regulations put in place in January, claiming they will lead to the loss of 1,000,000 American manufacturing jobs? Why is he now on the other side of the world bragging about Ford’s commitment to EVs?

That $4.5 billion investment in mobility over ten years is a joke. Hyundai and Kia are spending more than double that to bring their Ioniq/Niro cars to market now with an all electric SUV set to debut next year. Ford says it will have an electric SUV in 5 years. Has it even started on its SUV yet? The Tesla Model X will be 7 model years old by the time the Ford EV SUV hits the road. Ford is rapidly becoming a “Me, too” company, one that follows the market rather than leads. At this rate, it will be lucky to still be in business by 2025.

Source: Electric  Cars Report

Ford CEO told Trump 1 million jobs at stake because of fuel economy regs

Bloomberg is reporting that Mark Fields, Ford's CEO, pushed President Donald Trump for market-driven national fuel economy standards, and that up to a million jobs could be at stake if those national regulations didn't take consumer expectations into account.

Fields was reporting on his conversation with Trump in remarks made at the National Automobile Dealers Association in New Orleans, Bloomberg reports. The report also states that he and fellow CEOs Mary Barra of GM and Sergio Marchionne of FCA aren't seeking to eliminate fuel economy standards altogether, but rather to make them more flexible.

Bloomberg reports that Fields didn't cite the studies he was referring to in support of his job loss figures, so we can't independently verify Fields' math at this time. But his push to stop selling cars consumers don't want – that is to say, more hybrids and EVs than consumer demand supports right now – is clear. We've already reported on that.

To level an educated guess at what will happen next, Trump seems likely to reduce the stringent 2025 fuel economy targets, perhaps freezing them at current levels. The automakers are already invested in producing vehicles that meet current standards, and they also have to think about foreign markets like Europe that aren't likely to relax standards below current levels. If you consider economies of scale, automakers are likely to ask for federal standards that match global standards for their largest markets as closely as possible.

We'll see if Trump buys Fields' math, but Ford isn't hedging its bets. Backing out of the Mexican assembly plantcost the company $200 million – not a huge sum compared to the total value of Ford, a massive company which had its second best year ever, but still an important gesture to Trump about Ford's priorities.

Google, Ford to Partner on Autonomous Cars

Ford CEO Mark Fields shows off its self driving car

Despite what many in the industry predicted, Google will not build its own autonomous cars (at least, not yet). Instead, it is forming a partnership with Ford to build self driving cars together, according to Yahoo! Autos. The announcement of the partnership will take place during the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show that begins January 5.

The partnership gives both parties what they want most. Ford gets autonomous driving technology pioneered by Google over the past 7 years and Google gets to avoid the pain and expense of actually building and distributing a car. People tend to underestimate how hard manufacturing a car really is. Even the unflappable Elon Musk has found translating dreams into finished cars a daunting task.

Sources say that venture will be part of a new company that is legally separate from Ford Motor Company, no doubt to insulate the company from any potential liability. The courts have yet to hear any cases alleging negligent behavior by self driving cars, but you can bet such suits are coming. Volvo, Mercedes and Google have said publicly they would accept any liability for the autonomous cars. but Ford apparently feels more comfortable wearing both a belt and suspenders here at the beginning of the self driving age.

It is understood that the deal between Ford and Google isn’t exclusive. Think of it more like an “open marriage”, meaning that Google will be free to seek other business partners if it wants to- and, judging form the way Ford handled its hybrid truck technology partnership with Toyota– Google is probably smart to play the field!

Ford spokesman Alan Hall, for Ford’s part, said the automaker works with many companies on its Ford Smart Mobility plan, adding: “We keep these discussions private for obvious competitive reasons, and we do not comment on speculation.”

Ford + Google is Already a Thing

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Casual industry observers may not know that there are already several links between Ford and Google. John Krafcik, who heads Google’s autonomous car program, worked at Ford for 14 years. Several other former Ford employees are working alongside him, and former Ford CEO Alan Mulallyformally joined Google’s board last year.

Last week, Google announced that its autonomous car operation would become a separate entity under the Alphabet umbrella, according to Bloomberg News. It says it plans to offer a car service or “ride for hire” program to compete with Uber, which is busy developing its own self driving cars. The future of mobility, many people think, will be one in which no one actually owns a car but rather rents one on an on-call, as-needed basis. It’s possible the adorable little Google bubble car — or something like it — could still be built to provide vehicles for that market, as well.

Source: Bloomberg News.