Boss of major car manufacturer admits there’s a ‘problem’ with his company’s own EVs
THE boss of a major car manufacturer has admitted there is a major “challenge” with his own company’s electric vehicles.
The industry giant was in the process of road testing its brand’s new electric truck when it encountered a “reality check” problem.
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Ford CEO Jim Farley took to X (formerly Twitter) with his candid comments about the new F-150 Lightning pickup truck.
He said: “Charging was quite a challenge.
“I stopped at one of the most popular charging stations in the country.
“I used a low speed charger and it took about 40 minutes to get back to 40%.
“It was a really good reality check on our customers’ challenges and the importance of fast charging.”
In the caption of his post, Mr. Farley added that Ford is working with Tesla to give drivers access to over 12,000 superchargers at dealerships across the United States.
However, this was unconvincing to veteran mechanic Scotty Kilmer, who claimed that much more was needed to adequately supply motorists and combat range anxiety.
On his own YouTube channel, Scotty said: “We’re going to need millions of chargers in the US to make electric cars work.”
“When you talk about 12,000, you’re talking a lot, buddy.”
“His ‘reality check’ is not our reality we live in…we need millions.”
And things aren’t looking any rosier on this side of the pond, with news this week that 12 million Brits living in rural areas are struggling to get fewer than 6,000 electric vehicle charging points as infrastructure struggles to keep up with demand to keep.
Likewise, a study by Vauxhall found that most local council areas in the UK have no public roadside chargers at all.
Thousands have already backed The Sun’s Give Us A Brake campaign, which calls on ministers to delay the planned 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel engines until charging numbers catch up.
Earlier this week, The Sun Online gave readers a glimpse into the nationwide electric car fiasco, which left disabled drivers queuing for hours at overcrowded charging ports while other stations were cordoned off due to power problems.
Nonetheless, the government appears determined to enforce the ban, with Leveling Up Secretary Michael Gove describing the 2030 deadline as “irreconcilable”.
This came after an electric vehicle owner revealed that he hated his car because it was too loud and difficult to drive.
As the relentless push to reach net zero continues, a British expat faced a ULEZ fine even though her car was compliant
A Ford spokesperson said, “With this comment, Mr. Farley was referring to the current state of charging infrastructure in the U.S., not the charging capability of the F-150 Lightning.”
“Mr Farley also said that he learned on his road trip that consumers are afraid of charging, not range fear, and we still have a lot of education to do – about the performance of our electric vehicles, the current infrastructure and charging experience, the improvements Charging infrastructure will be available in 2024, including Ford electric vehicle access to more than 12,000 Tesla Superchargers and our continued investment in the BlueOval Charge Network.”