High vehicle prices and an underdeveloped charging infrastructure are just some of the reasons why many American car buyers are still not making the jump towards fully-electric cars any time soon.
Some curious buyers are adopting hybrids; which utilizes internal combustion engines, but does not burn as much fuel as a typical car. However, in the eyes of a certain Ford executive, something else is affecting electric car sales.
Related: Ford is beating electric vehicle giant Tesla in one important area
Henry Ford’s great grandson had this to say:
In an interview with the New York Times, Ford Motor Company Executive Chair and Henry Ford’s great grandson Bill Ford, called the debacle surrounding American car buyer’s adoption of electric cars to be “politicized” and compared it to the undertones surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Blue states say EVs are great and we need to adopt them as soon as possible for climate reasons. Some of the red states say this is just like the vaccine, and it’s being shoved down our throat by the government, and we don’t want it," Ford said. “I never thought I would see the day when our products were so heavily politicized, but they are.”
Ford’s comments are not without merit. President Biden’s push towards electric cars has sparked a reaction from his opponents — namely former President Trump, who skipped a televised GOP presidential candidate debate last month to tell a crowded room of Michigan voters that the EV shift will “kill” the domestic auto industry.
“Now they want to go all-electric and put you all out of business, you know that, right?” Trump asked the Michigan crowd on September 27. “Biden’s mandate isn’t a government regulation, it’s a government assassination of your jobs and your industry; the auto industry is being assassinated.”
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Ford also took the perspective of buyers, telling the Times that electric vehicles “are expensive” and as prices come down — which he says it will — more EVs will sell. Despite his comments about the EV’s role in political polarization, Ford has a counter when it comes to the perception of electric cars.
“Keep this in mind: The most valuable company that our industry has ever seen is Tesla, and it’s growing.” Ford said. “That’s a very instructive point when people say EVs are not desired.”
Ford’s comments come at a time when the company that shares his namesake is experiencing some turbulence with their electric models. On October 2, the Ford Motor Company (F) -) said that some dealer stock orders of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup have been canceled and units returned to the factory for “additional quality checks.”
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