THE MORNING RANT – Periodic Roundup of the EV Follies (7/26/2024)

Some great news on the EV front – consumer rejection of EVs built by legacy automakers is so thorough that Ford and GM are being forced to adjust their capacity away from unwanted electric novelty cars and back toward heavy-duty trucks for which there is strong demand.

“GM Delays EV Projects in Latest Industry Pullback” [WSJ – 7/24/2024]

General Motors said it would delay plans for a new Buick electric vehicle and push back the opening of an EV truck factory, the latest retrenchment by automakers that had been pushing hard into battery-powered cars.

That must be greatly disappointing to CEO Mary Barra’s handlers in the Biden administration. Perhaps she is preparing for a change in the occupant of the White House next January.

“Ford pivots from EVs to Super Duty truck production at Canada plant” [Yahoo – 7/17/2024]

Prior to Thursday’s announcement, Ford had planned to build its next-generation three-row EV SUV at Oakville, with an initial rollout for 2025, which was pushed back to 2027 in April of this year. The EV pushback at Oakville came as Ford delayed EV production at its massive BlueOval City EV campus in Tennessee to 2026 from its initial 2025 start date.

It seems [CEO Jim] Farley, who bet heavily on EVs with the automaker’s Ford+ plan revealed in early 2023, is continuing to adjust the rollout of the company’s future EVs as demand has weakened in the US.

Unfortunately for Ford, its left-wing CEO, Jim Farley, is lamenting the popularity of Ford’s most successful product. Mr. Farley is quite open about his disgust with Ford’s loyal customers for wanting to purchase products that his eco-communist buddies in Davos do not approve of.

“Ford execs send mixed signals about EV commitment” [The Street – 7/21/2024]

However, Ford's move to prioritize a gas guzzler over an EV does not mean that the company is not fully committed to electric cars; it simply reflects current conditions.

“We have to start to get back in love with smaller vehicles. It’s super important for our society and for EV adoption. We are just in love with these monster vehicles, and I love them too, but it’s a major issue with weight," Farley said.

No, Comrade Farley. It is not important to get back in love with smaller vehicles. It is not important for our society, nor is there any need for EV adoption.

In a few short months, President Trump will kill off the Biden mandates that provided cover for destructors like Farley who are obedient to Klaus Schwab rather than to shareholders. Ford’s board would be wise to get someone in place in the CEO office who will seize the great profit opportunity awaiting Ford, rather than keeping a CEO who is striving to kill off Ford’s most profitable vehicles.

The EV transition is collapsing in Europe too.

“Fiat boss says it is reintroducing a petrol-engineered 500 city car because older drivers don't want EVs” [MSN – 7/17/2024]

Fiat will reintroduce a petrol-engineered 500 city car in the next two years due to a lack of demand for electric vehicles, particularly among older drivers, its CEO has said. Olivier Francois confirmed the new petrol 500 Ibrida will arrive in early 2026 due to a slower than anticipated uptake of EVs across Europe, according to Autocar.

There are a great many reasons why consumers make the wise choice to reject EVs, but in Europe this might also weigh on their minds…

“European Newspaper Says Citizens Better Get Used to Not Having Electricity All The Time” [Daily Caller – 6/20/2024]

“The message is clear: the Netherlands will have to get rid of the idea that electricity is available at all times and for everyone,” a translated version of the NRC piece states.

Having the government turn off access to electricity adds another dimension to EV charging anxiety.

With consumers rejecting electric vehicles, things are not looking good for the manufacturers of EV batteries.

“Battery maker SK On declares ‘emergency’ as EV sales disappoint” [Financial Times – 7/07/2024]

A leading South Korean producer of electric vehicle batteries has declared itself in crisis as its customers struggle with disappointing EV sales in Europe and the US.

Unsurprisingly, this is one of the many EV companies that seduced Georgia’s gullible governor, Brian Kemp (R), into throwing hundreds of millions of Georgia taxpayer dollars its way.

Ford also partnered up with SK On, and was able to persuade the US government to flush $9.2 billion US taxpayer dollars at a venture involving this now-failing battery company.

Please, President Trump, make this insanity stop. I am so ready for the Day 1 promise to end all the ridiculous EV mandates and incentives.

External Combustion Vehicles

There is a lot of news regarding EVs spontaneously erupting into dangerous conflagrations…

When do insurance companies stop providing coverage for houses with electric car chargers in the garage? And are my insurance premiums going up so steeply to help cover the risk of insuring these fire-starting mechanisms?

“NFL receiver Randall Cobb, family 'lucky to be alive' after escaping house fire started by Tesla charger” [Fox News – 6/27/2024]

"We are lucky to be alive," [Aiyda Cobb] wrote in a post to her Instagram Stories. "The Tesla charger caught on fire in the garage late last night and quickly spread. We got out of the house with nothing but the clothes on our back and no shoes on our feet."

"Thank you GOD," she added.

The Cobb family offered much praise and gratitude to the brave firemen who came to their aid.

“Tesla bursts into flames at EV charging station in Upper Allen” [CBS-21 7/10/2024]

Upper Allen later released a statement about the incident, thanking the other responding agencies for helping with such a difficult fire: “UAFD would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all the companies that came out to assist us with this incident. These are not easy fires to put out and the hazmat concerns they pose are difficult to mitigate.”

It’s going to take a little bit of bondo to get this EV looking good again. Might need some new tires too.

“Firefighters work electric vehicle fire at Edmonds car dealership” [KIRO Seattle – 7/11/2024]

The fire was reported around 10 AM in an unoccupied electric car at the dealership located at State Route 104 and Highway 99. The car, which was parked about 50 feet away from any buildings, was engulfed in smoke when firefighters arrived.

Due to the challenges associated with fires in vehicles powered by lithium-ion batteries, which can reignite and produce toxic smoke, this fire was upgraded to a second-alarm hazardous materials call. The response included 15 fire units, including a hazardous materials truck, and more than 30 firefighters. Typically, a fire in a non-electric vehicle usually requires just one fire engine with a crew of three.

30 firefighters battling the thermal runaway fire from one lone EV that spontaneously combusted is beyond preposterous.

If I were providing insurance coverage to auto dealers, I would prohibit used EVs from being kept in inventory, since there is no way of knowing if a pothole or a minor bump during its life caused the minor damage that can turn an EV into an explosive device.

Can you imagine receiving a notice from your automobile’s manufacturer advising that your car is so dangerous that you must park it outside lest it burn your house down when it spontaneously combusts? That is the notice that thousands of Chrysler customers received last week regarding their electric vehicles.

“Stellantis tells owners of over 24,000 hybrid minivans to park outdoors due to battery fire risk” [AP – 7/18/2024]

Stellantis is telling the owners of more than 24,000 plug-in hybrid minivans to park them outdoors away from buildings, and to stop charging them due to the possibility of battery fires. The company said Thursday that it’s recalling certain 2017 through 2021 Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrids, mainly in North America. Some are being recalled for a second time. All can still be driven.

Plug-in “hybrids” are an entirely different creature than hybrids such as the Toyota Prius. Plug-in hybrids are effectively EVs, but also possessing a separate gas-powered engine. Ultimately plug-ins are the worst of both worlds, with the complexity of two powertrains, very limited range under battery power, and diminished gas mileage due to the weight of the lithium battery.

Stellantis, maker of Jeep, Chrysler, Ram and other vehicle brands, said its investigation is ongoing but the company has linked the problem to a rare abnormality in individual battery cells.

“Electric Amazon Delivery Vans Keep Burning Down, And Chargers May Be To Blame” [7/02/2024]

Amazon appears to have traded internal for external combustion with its Rivian fleet.

That is a hilarious line.

So when a pattern in EV fires starts to emerge — say, when Rivian vans keep catching fire at Amazon distribution centers — one starts to wonder why.

Maybe this was an isolated incident? Nope.

This isn’t the first set of Rivians to burn down at an Amazon location. Posts in Amazon worker subreddits show a similar situation last August in Salt Lake City, where another set of vans burned in a distribution center parking lot. Drivers in the comments noted that they’ve experienced issues with the vans charging in high heat, and suspected the chargers as having caused the blaze.

The temperature was in the 90s in Houston when this most recent incident occurred. That is normal summertime weather in a huge swath of the country. If these “external combustion” Rivian EVs are prone to thermal runaway fires when being charged in summertime heat, maybe they should be banned in the name of consumer safety.

The incompatibility of operating EVs in normal summer heat is such a concern that Chase Bank is warning its customers of the danger, and providing tips on how to reduce the risk of operating an EV in hot weather. [h/t to Beege Welborn at Hotair for this link.]

“How does hot weather affect EV range: Tips for reducing the risk” [chase.com]

• Park in a garage, covered lot or shaded area.

• Pre-cool the vehicle while it's still plugged in, using an app or timer function if you have one.

• Use the vehicle's air conditioning system sparingly. Consider cooling yourself instead of the car — for example, dress for the heat and try lowering the windows for air flow. Some EVs even have seat coolers, which are much more efficient than cabin A/C.

• Keep the tires properly inflated to reduce rolling resistance and heighten efficiency.

• Keep your EV clean and clutter-free, ensuring that you don’t channel power toward hauling unnecessary weight. Cutting back by just a few pounds can have a positive effect!

• Avoid driving and/or charging during the hottest parts of the day, when possible.

• Charge your EV battery to 80% instead of 100%. A full charge creates more internal resistance and heat, further stressing the battery.

• If the vehicle has a “battery saver” and/or “hill-hold” mode, use them.

• Pay close attention to your EV range and plan for fewer battery-powered miles than usual when it’s very hot out. While every EV is different, all are affected by the heat to some extent.

Alternatively, instead of not driving when it’s hot, and instead of not fueling all the way up, and instead of using A/C sparingly, and instead of all the other idiotic restrictions and inconveniences required to drive an EV, you could just drive a gasoline-powered car.

That’s enough for one day. Thanks to CBD, Mark Pulliam, Comrade Arthur, Tailgunner Sam, Odysseus, and everyone else to whom I owe a tip of the hat for all the tips and feedback.

[buck.throckmorton at protonmail dot com]

posted by Buck Throckmorton at 11:00 AM

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