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Ford to cut down on passenger cars

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Grass Lake
#2
I read the article. Its just a cold, calculated business decision. Everyone is so hot to trot for electrification. But you dont hear much discussion regarding exactly how the industry intends to recharge all these vehicles using an existing electrical grid that often comes perilously close to failure when any given region experiences a period of hot weather! When one steps back and ponders the impact of even a 20% increase in EV use. They can forsee many capacity issues. Range issues. Road tax revenue loss issues. And of course the end of life issue for the spent and accident damaged batteries in tens of thousands of EV's. There is no firmly established infrastructure for hybrid vehicle batteries.
 


OP
VuDoo
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Thread Starter #3
I have to say that I had to roll my eyes and chuckle at the idea of focusing on trucks and SUVs all the while trying to come up with a "more environmental friendly" car as well as driverless vehicles. I think that a better electric infrastructure is needed to be put in place that is more environmentaly friendly, otherwise we are not really changing much in the amount of pollution. I think the biggest hurdle is not only the distance you can go, but the amount of time it takes to charge a battery. 5-10 min at the gas pump vs. 30+ min.
 


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#4
The recharge time is a big deal. Problem with rapid recharging is that it generates alot of heat. I have not looked into what has been done with the problem of rapid charging accellerating deterioration of batteries longevity. Its a hell of a conundrum.
 


M-Sport fan

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#5
I read the article. Its just a cold, calculated business decision. Everyone is so hot to trot for electrification. But you dont hear much discussion regarding exactly how the industry intends to recharge all these vehicles using an existing electrical grid that often comes perilously close to failure when any given region experiences a period of hot weather! When one steps back and ponders the impact of even a 20% increase in EV use. They can forsee many capacity issues. Range issues. Road tax revenue loss issues. And of course the end of life issue for the spent and accident damaged batteries in tens of thousands of EV's. There is no firmly established infrastructure for hybrid vehicle batteries.
Imagine the EXTRA added strain on the grid when they make electric trucks/large SUVs so that the masses can keep their 'tanks', and still drive more than 30 miles at a time.[crazyeye]
 


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#6
I think electric buses and route delivery vans would be far less stressful to the grid as it now is. Buses and local delivery vehicles usually operate within a fairly small radius of their terminals. Its very predictable and contained
 


BRGT350

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#7
It is sad to think my Fiesta ST may be the last Ford I own. I have no interest in an autonomous car and little interest in an electric, but wouldn't rule that out. Autonomous cars don't work when you need them to work. Sure, they work fine on a perfectly clear day with well marked roads, which is when driving is enjoyable. They don't work in the snow, slush, ice, freezing rain, or the wintery mix that is my world for many months. That is when I would be happy to have a computer take over. What few cars remain will be moved to electric, which already don't sell well and will be discontinued for lack of sales. If any do live, they will be autonomous. If I wanted an electric autonomous car, I would have bought a Tesla Model 3. I have no interest in buying one of those, it is 180 degrees from what I want in a car.

I know there are many smart people working on this, but how many people really want an autonomous car? I haven't found many that are comfortable with the idea, even if they don't like driving. For me, my time in the car is a wonderful escape from emails, text messages, and being online. It is the few minutes of the day that I am free to control something on my own, without technology telling me what to do. It is a connection between myself and a machine. Riding around with a computer at the controls while I check Facebook sounds horrible. If I wanted that life, I would ride a train or a bus. I want a car from a car company, not a mobility product from a mobility company. Whatever company continues to build actual cars will be the one that gets my next purchase.
 


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#8
Ive been peripherally involved in several of the connective technologies on these cars. The big hurdle isnt technological, its legal and Regulatory. The key to autonomous vehicle viability is the sample rate of GPS. Whats needed is near military spec. What we now have is something less than what is allowed for commercial airliners. Dead reckoning wiith high accuracy is what is needed. Unfortunately that same accuracy is applied to guided missiles that allow them to be fired on a target fromm five hundred miles away and actually go through a window they were aimed at! The government is reluctant to share that with the civilian world. Shocking.
 


BRGT350

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#9
great insight, Scotman. The cars that I have been in with forms of auto-pilot use vision systems that don't work when the lines in the road aren't clear.
 


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#10
great insight, Scotman. The cars that I have been in with forms of auto-pilot use vision systems that don't work when the lines in the road aren't clear.
Yeah. We are making some progress on that thanks to fuzzy logic and a couple terrabites of capacity. The camera and radar synchrony paint the landscape. The GPS gets speed, location, intervening objects, etc. The damn things are amazing. But, losing any one of them is kinda disruptive to the sitiuation.
 


BRGT350

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#11
no doubt the technology is impressive along with all the engineering that goes into it. I just hope automakers don't abandon the part of the market that prefers to do some driving.

I really don't see Ford returned to play in performance car market that they do today. The Mustang is probably on borrowed time, and there will no future for a fun Focus or any Fiesta. Taurus returns to being a fleet vehicle, just as it did in the past. Fusion will probably remain and become automated and electric. Focus will be for fleets and people who need basic transportation (Fields did that to the first generation car). Fiesta of course is dead. C-Max will die, which nobody seems to drive anyway. So much of this just sounds like the late 1990's all over again, but worse. But hey, Ford has a new $100,000 F-series truck and a new Bronco coming out!
 


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#12
Yup. I see no future for enthusiast cars...

At least as a complete, running new car we can drive off the sales lot. I read an article someplace, cant recall which publication, that discussed the possible future of mustang performance. Basically, a company named Revology vehicles is building new old Mustangs. Turnkey cars, not kits. I would hazzard a guess to say that all the stuff will be available to those who can pay. Revology is former Ford employees (read that as having connections) that are low volume producing built to spec 66 to 70 Mustangs. I think the aftermarket will be the analog cars future. Until they outlaw any analog vehicles on the public roads.
 


BRGT350

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#13
Yep, they are in Florida. Crazy expensive cars, but very nice. Singer does something similar with Porsche in that they take vintage bodies and make them modern works of art. Also, very expensive.

Ford has also announced the end of the FIA Rallycross program with Ken Block. I expect a similar announcement for GRC. The anticipated move to see Ford rejoin with MSport as a WRC works program is probably dead. The Ford GT program is done after 2018 or maybe 2019. I wouldn't be shocked if that ends early. It has been amazing to see Ford climb out of the terrible condition they were in during the early to mid-2000's to become an incredible global company with an impressive portfolio to going back to the same mediocre company they had been prior to Mulally. It is amazing how fast they turned things around and then returned back to the same mess they had been.
 


OP
VuDoo
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Thread Starter #14
So basicly, we will see cars like the mustang, but it will be built by a small company turning out small runs. Much like the DeLorean. A small company that will produce new old vehicles as well as updated hybrid versions, but cost way too much for the average person to own. I have always been a Ford guy, but they are making it really hard to keep with the brand if they nix their car line. I plan on keeping my FiST for as long as possible, however after being rear ended again by a SUV this morning, I am beginning to wonder how long that will be.
 


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#15
I think the big changes will occur sometime in the early twenties. I think the performance buyer will be forced into the aftermarket. Any promotions related to performance or horsepower will be increasingly on the nostalgia side of promotion rather than selling a new v8 mustang and a side order of go fast parts. Its not too late for anyone to start planning what toys they want. But, the clock is ticking.
 


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#16
Im really happy to see the Fiesta get a temporary reprieve from the chopping block! So, at least another five thousand or so Fiesta ST will find an owner here before the circus tent is folded up.
 


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222
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94
Location
Edmonton
#17
I was going to replace my 10 GMC Canyon with a new Ranger in a few years. It looks like after 3 Fiestas, the ST will not only be my last, but also my last Ford. Too bad, there was a bit of passion in the lineup for an all too brief a period.

I still highly doubt that EVs will replace 90% of commercial traffic at any point during my last 25-30 years of lifespan. Not to mention the vast frozen winter land up here, Iā€™ve seen exactly one Tesla, 2 Volts, zero Leafs, zero Bolts in Edmonton, ever... Many Prius... there isnā€™t much market for a vehicle that loses range, likely a significant percentage, for 4 months of the year due to something called ā€œwinterā€. There needs to be a massive revolution in energy storage and production before there is any chance of replacing ICE for this half of the continent.




Sent from my iPhone using messenger penguins
 


M-Sport fan

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#18
It is sad to think my Fiesta ST may be the last Ford I own. I have no interest in an autonomous car and little interest in an electric, but wouldn't rule that out. Autonomous cars don't work when you need them to work. Sure, they work fine on a perfectly clear day with well marked roads, which is when driving is enjoyable. They don't work in the snow, slush, ice, freezing rain, or the wintery mix that is my world for many months. That is when I would be happy to have a computer take over. What few cars remain will be moved to electric, which already don't sell well and will be discontinued for lack of sales. If any do live, they will be autonomous. If I wanted an electric autonomous car, I would have bought a Tesla Model 3. I have no interest in buying one of those, it is 180 degrees from what I want in a car.

I know there are many smart people working on this, but how many people really want an autonomous car? I haven't found many that are comfortable with the idea, even if they don't like driving. For me, my time in the car is a wonderful escape from emails, text messages, and being online. It is the few minutes of the day that I am free to control something on my own, without technology telling me what to do. It is a connection between myself and a machine. Riding around with a computer at the controls while I check Facebook sounds horrible. If I wanted that life, I would ride a train or a bus. I want a car from a car company, not a mobility product from a mobility company. Whatever company continues to build actual cars will be the one that gets my next purchase.
^^^[twothumb] [twothumb] [like] [driving]

Could NOT have stated my thoughts on this ANY better than the above!!!!! ;)

I WILL give up on cars, and ride; my road bike, public transportation, etc. IF I am FORCED to use an autonomous mobility vehicle (and probably even a full electric as well, despite how blindingly quick some of those may be)!!!!!!!! [mad]
 


M-Sport fan

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#19
Until they outlaw any analog vehicles on the public roads.
^^^THIS is my main worry, since the lemming public masses who HATE driving will go right along with this as long as they can be driven around by 'HAL 9000' in their oversize tanks while texting, facebooking, and tweeting! [mad] [:(]
 


M-Sport fan

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#20
Yep, they are in Florida. Crazy expensive cars, but very nice. Singer does something similar with Porsche in that they take vintage bodies and make them modern works of art. Also, very expensive.

Ford has also announced the end of the FIA Rallycross program with Ken Block. I expect a similar announcement for GRC. The anticipated move to see Ford rejoin with MSport as a WRC works program is probably dead. The Ford GT program is done after 2018 or maybe 2019. I wouldn't be shocked if that ends early. It has been amazing to see Ford climb out of the terrible condition they were in during the early to mid-2000's to become an incredible global company with an impressive portfolio to going back to the same mediocre company they had been prior to Mulally. It is amazing how fast they turned things around and then returned back to the same mess they had been.
^^^THE day the WRC goes full electric is the very day I STOP being a fan, or caring about the series ONE IOTA!!

I wonder just how long Malcolm can sustain this current success against the ONSLAUGHT of the BILLION$$ of Camry/Corolla buck profits Toyota will POUR into the Gazoo Rally Team efforts in order to win the driver's and manufacturer's championship, without that Ford World Corporate help??! (I FULLY expect them to TRY and 'buy' Ogier away from MS-RT with a high multi-million Euro offer. [mad])
 


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