this post was submitted on 24 Aug 2024
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Electric Vehicles

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Recently, there’s been some bad news out of Detroit. Ford’s backing off on some upcoming EV models, including a three-row SUV many had been looking forward to, and will instead be focusing more on hybrids. GM has been having different problems with software, recently laying off 1,000 developers after a string of Silicon Valley types failed to acclimate to more traditional corporate culture.

While these companies would like to have us all believe that making EVs and software for EVs is simply too hard, other companies like Tesla and Rivian have been doing a lot better. Tesla is now making more EVs than anybody, even beating out ICE models in some segments. Rivian is still climbing the profit ladder, but is selling software to Volkswagen, a pretty good sign that “legacy auto” is struggling in odd ways while newcomers are having no problem churning out EVs.

So, we need to ask ourselves why these established players are struggling while newcomers are doing just fine.

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Notable performance was seen in the F-150 Lightning, with sales up 77% to 7,902 units, and the Mustang Mach-E, with sales increasing 46.5% to 12,645 units. The E-Transit van also saw a significant rise, with sales surging 95.5% to 3,410 units.

Uh huh. Really struggling.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

That's a total of 23,957. You think that's good? Tesla in a slump sold 443,956 in Q2.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Teslas are also pieces if shit. Should fort switch to making unreliable, poorly built shitboxes with crappy interior materials and designs? I don't personally think so. Also, how much of Ford's production run was sold versus Tesla's?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Should have searched reliability before posting this. Tesla has the Mach E beat. I hate tesla as much as anyone but I'm not going to spread bullshit about them.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

I like it when you weirdos come through and try SO HARD to pretend Tesla isn't making shitboxes. Especially to people that have owned them. I just hope they're paying you for this work.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Make one that's fast, zero to sixty in under 4 seconds and the quarter mile in the mid to low 11s. Instead you get boring that will get mopped by a minivan.

Make something neat, make something someone wants, and make it affordable. Make a cheap crap version for people who are brand loyal or want a cheap ev.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Not everybody needs a sports car. Maybe we should focus on making sensible vehicles for what people actually need, and less on the ability to drive through a building before the operator knows what went wrong.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The thing about sports cars is, it caters to people who LOVE cars, in turn, these people show these cars to others, their families ask the "car guy" what car they should buy and before you know it everyone is buying the non sports version of the sports car brand that the sports car guy liked. That is exactly how Tesla got to where they are. They built an awesome fast "sports" car that people loved and started telling everyone about. I firmly believe if Ford wouldn't have missed the mark on the Mach-E (and made an actually coupe mustang). I think Ford wouldn't be struggling right now. Ford had no electric car catalyst for car bros to tell their grandma and grandpa how awesome Ford electric cars are. They made another boring SUV.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

It isn't the 1960s anymore and this isn't how people shop for cars. The advice my family has asked is about EVs because I own one. Nothing at all to do with sports car or not.

Tesla got where they are by screwing customers and relying on other companies not taking safety or financial risks that Elon is more than happy to. And if you look, you'll see that Tesla sales have slumped dramatically as real manufacturers started making cars. None of the Tesla models were sports cars until arguably the model 3, which sold because it was half the price of the model s. You don't seem to fully grasp the industry history here.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Tesla single-handedly changed the perception of EVs in the general public. Before Tesla, EVs were perceived as not much more than glorified golf carts that only vegan tree-hugger die-hard climate activists would even consider driving. The Mitshubishi MI-EV was basically the quintessential example. The Nissan Leaf was a more practical car in many aspects, but it was still in the same vein.

Then Tesla came along and made powerful electric cars that were actually fun to drive. Nowadays it's just expected that an EV is quick, but it could have been very different without Tesla. You have to give them credit here, they basically kicked the whole industry in the nuts and started the inevitable EV transition ~10 years early.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Simping this hard for Tesla at least gets you paid, right? Because doing it for free would be so sad.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

You're the one talking about industry history. Tesla is admittedly shit in some areas, as you pointed out, but you have to at least give them credit where they deserve it.

I can give the other automakers credit too: Ford is widely known as the company that invented the assembly line, and Toyota perfected it. They pioneered hybrid cars which is a crucial transition technology. GM has had a weird history with EVs, sometimes being at the forefront, and then infuriatingly taking a step back.

As for being paid, well I do have a bit of stock in some of these companies, but my main investments are elsewhere.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

I give Tesla credit for what they did. Bilk state and federal governments out of billions of dollars with various schemes to build a car company that makes chintzy cars and sells them to over extended buyers for top dollar. That is the Tesla success story. They weren't first, or best, but they were able to expand their production based on debt and fraud unlike other players in the space.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

You must not have read my entire comment. The neat thing about vehicles is, if you don't like one don't buy it, but then don't complain nobody wants to buy your crap.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 months ago (1 children)

'Kay. Now explain why Ford's Q2 sales increased...

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Kay, Ford sales improved by 1%, 5% was their trucks. They sold a total of 23,957 EVs. To put it in perspective, Tesla sold 443,956 EVs. Tesla sales are down because Elon is an asshat.

I'll say it again, make something people want to buy.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 months ago (1 children)

We're talking EVs. Go look at their EV numbers and the improvement percentage.

Tesla sales are down because Elon is an asshat.

Tesla sales are down because the market for shitboxes is saturated and customers figured out they were the mark in the con.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Improvement percentage doesn't mean much when you sold 24k EVs compared to 443k.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 months ago

That's not what the Tesla weirdos said when Tesla increased sales by large percentages. If you eat your cake, you can't have it too.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 months ago (1 children)

People who want to drive and EV aren't the same people who want to drive a giant tank

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Also most people who want to drive EVs want to do so as a cost saving measure. ICEs can go for 25K where I haven't see an EV in my local area go for less than 40k.

I would love an EV but can't find anything in my price range, even used ones that optimistically get 70 miles per charge cost more than what a new ICE would cost. I can't even make a round trip to my parents and back on that.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

I drove 3 hours for my ‘21 id.4 Pro S AWD for $19k and I’m really liking it. Same car in my area would have been much more expensive even with the slightly higher mileage. It also helped that we had the $4k PoS credit too.

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