Ford's lack of support for EVs

[PJFW8]

The 2017 is a significant refresh. Next Fusion 2020 or 2021. 2020 is also the debut year for the Ford Model E. Recall that the last Generation fusion was refreshed in 2010. The current body was introduced as a 2013. An early 2020 may happen. I'm guessing that 2017 is the last CMax Energi. The car has been basically untouched since minor aero tweeks in 2014. The line is moving to Mexico for 2018. I expect no surprises from Ford.

[mrbigh]

I'm more than a little surprised there's no response to the Bolt's 200 miles.

The vehicle was just introduced and it is a nice looking vehicle

[stevedebi]

The 2017 is a significant refresh. Next Fusion 2020 or 2021. 2020 is also the debut year for the Ford Model E. Recall that the last Generation fusion was refreshed in 2010. The current body was introduced as a 2013. An early 2020 may happen. I'm guessing that 2017 is the last CMax Energi. The car has been basically untouched since minor aero tweeks in 2014. The line is moving to Mexico for 2018. I expect no surprises from Ford.

I tend to agree on the C-Max Energi, and possibly the entire C-Max line in the US. They should have been at least leaking rumors of the 2017 model, and the Euro vehicle has been known for some time. I think Ford is reconsidering the need for the C-Max, considering that the Escape is the same platform, and the FFE sells better and can carry the PHEV banner.

Edited March 29, 2016 at 04:55 PM by stevedebi

[PJFW8]

Exactly!

[Fat Fusion]

The vehicle was just introduced and it is a nice looking vehicle

 

The rumor has been pretty strong for quite a while on the Bolt.  I'm just surprised there's not even a decent rumor about something competitive in this market.  And, frankly I'm not impressed with the Bolt's styling.  If the Model 3 turns out to be the clear winner, I'll probably buy my first non Ford vehicle.

[Boston_Pilot]

Well, first of all I will stay loyal to American made.  Flame away if you want about foreign being made here blah blah, but that is what I have always done and what I will do.  My last foreign car was a VW diesel rabbit in '79.  Secondly, Ford has a bottom line that it needs to fulfill.  Electric cars are NOT what the country is buying.  I think the Electric and PHEV idea will catch on and quickly now that it has some momentum, but this is still a highly competitive industry and profit is the bottom line.

 

I am amazed at what some of you guys are saying.  Think about where the EV market was 10 years ago, even 5 years ago, and Ford isn't doing anything? Give me a break.  I am extremely happy with both of the EV cars I have bought from Ford, I think they are working on major developments that we will see in a few years, but with only 3 percent of the market share, hybrid/PHEV cars, just don't justify major investment for development.

 

Yes, it angers me that they are removing features from our cars, but it really isn't the manufactures fault when so many people (who aren't driving the cars like they should) complain about the displays not showing the numbers that were promised.  I owned my own businesses for 40 years, you get tired of the customer din after a while, and in Ford's case, the legal ramifications are real.

 

I for one, am more than pleased with what Ford is doing and I will continue to stand behind them.

 

JMHO

 

 

Hilarious......built in Mexico dude, though I can understand your confusion. The Energi is, in fact Mexican. My wife's Toyota was built,in Kentucky......that make it an American car? Can we even define American anymore?

[murphy]

Technically anyone who lives in North America or South America is an American.

[Russael]

So, my cousin did get his Bolt.  It was more of a base model, but it is a lot better than I expected.  The seats are comfortable (a huge complaint from me for older Chevrolet vehicles), has a LOT of headroom, etc.  It is styled a bit similar to the CMAX, but it is a shorter vehicle.  It can seat 5 fairly comfortably as well.  Not much in terms of a trunk or hatch though.

 

What really surprised me about it is its performance.  He put the thing in sport mode, floored it, and it VERY handily throws you back in your seat.  It is rated at less than 7 seconds to hit 60MPH.  The motor itself gets a little loud when you do that, but the whole thing actually impressed me.

 

The infotainment system is pretty cool; it's android auto and apple carplay compatible.  The sound system (even though only had the basic one) didn't sound half bad.  The instrument cluster provides a lot of information at once... speed, energy draw, the song playing from the stereo, etc.

 

At the moment, he only charges it off of 120v since GM never got him a 240v set up for it.  It has the option of charging at 3 different speeds... 12A, 8A, and I think 4A.  He runs it at 12... and I warned him he may melt his electrical outlet since the Ford ones seem to have that tendancy.  His model did not come with DC fast charging (that's an option), but it does have a 7.2kwh charger onboard.  He uses 240v at work and the 120v at home to float it up as much as he can.

 

Since we're in Michigan, his Bolt predicts about 175 miles of range from the original estimated 238 miles.  He spends most of his commute on the expressway, he runs climate, so on and so forth that reduces his predicted range.

 

So far, he's happy with it and impressed.  He has to give it back some time in March though so GM can study it, etc.  He did have one problem where the instrument cluster went out on him; LG and GM were extremely interested in the problem and fixed it right away, but I bet LG will hunt down the problem and make any necessary production changes.  (LG makes the instrument cluster as well as the batteries).

 

Definitely a small car, but I'm definitely impressed with it.  :)

[Fat Fusion]

Hilarious......built in Mexico dude, though I can understand your confusion. The Energi is, in fact Mexican. My wife's Toyota was built,in Kentucky......that make it an American car? Can we even define American anymore?

 

Yes.  Look at where the headquarters, top engineering and accounting folks, and the bulk of the highest paying jobs in the company are. 

 

Technically anyone who lives in North America or South America is an American.

 

Name one other country with America in it's name.

[shaggy314]

Well, my C-Max is made in Michigan (for now).

 

However I disagree about EV being the future. Tesla is being kept alive by government incentives. The technology is not yet cheap enough for mass market, and I see it more likely that hydrogen (which does not have the manufacturing pollution behind it that LiIon battery tech entails) is potentially more viable.

No... Tesla BUYERS get an incentive. Tesla repaid their loan a while back with both interest and early payment penalties.

 

Hydrogen is almost as bad as E85 in that to get the H2 you have to spend a lot of power to separate it from the water and transport it. Fuel cells were a nice idea, but energy negative.

[Fat Fusion]

The Tesla argument was that without the incentives from the state, Tesla's revenue from the car sales wouldn't allow it to earn a profit.  All things being equal, of course.  IMO Tesla buyers would buy the cars with or without the incentive.  It's amazing how the politicians from a particular side will cry their eyes out about income inequality, yet perpetuate it in clear terms with these tax incentives to the "rich."

 

I think that argument is a couple years old now, which is light years in Silicon Valley for a business of Tesla's scale.  It'd be interesting if someone revisited the topic in depth.