There have been many false dawns for the electric car industry, but a new announcement by Ford could be the catalyst for them to become mainstream finally.
The motoring giant made a massive announcement in late May that it will spend $30 billion on electric vehicles by 2025 and that 40 per cent of its fleet will be completely electric by 2030.
Under a new business division called Ford Plus, the company is already developing two brand new EVs in all-electric versions of its Explorer and Lincoln Aviator SUVs.
Research and development are already underway for a new electric vehicle platform to power the popular range of pickup trucks (utes here in Australia) and another engine used for all-wheel and rear-wheel-drive models.
Ford to roll out new services for its EV fleet.
Drivers of new Ford electric vehicles will have access to on-the-go support, with CEO Jim Farley outlining plans for future cars to be completely networked.
This will enable drivers to easily access mobile assistance and updates, with Ford planning to have more vehicles capable of network updates than Tesla in 2020.
Over 160,000 people have already signed up as subscribers to Ford’s telematics service.
“We are reinventing our customer experience,” the head of Ford’s connectivity team Alex Purdy said.
“I cannot overstate the magnitude of the shift taking place at Ford.”
The other players to watch in the EV market.
Tesla has been the most well-known name in the electric car industry with its stylish roadsters and eclectic CEO, Elon Musk. But several other companies are making a massive charge at an EV future, some names you will know and others that are likely to be mainstream in the coming years.
Li Auto: this is a Chinese innovator also known as Li Xiang. China is the world’s greatest adopter of EV technology, and 1.3 million vehicles were sold in 2020. The Li-One was the best-selling new energy SUV in China during the first quarter of that same year, and big things are predicted for this company.
Lucid Motors: big things happen when the most outstanding minds get the right financing. This is what is happening at Lucid Motors, the brainchild of former Tesla chief engineer Peter Rawlinson. Special purpose acquisition company Churchill Capital Corp IV has merged with Lucid Motors, so big things are expected soon.
General Motors: if Ford is investing heavily in electric vehicles, you can expect General Motors to match them. Before the Ford announcement, General Motors has already pledged $27 billion into electric and automated vehicles over the next five years and aims to be ultimately carbon neutral by 2040.
Tesla: the giants of electric vehicles is unlikely to slow down at all in the coming years. With gigafactories in California and China (and two more to come in Berlin and Austin) and sales surging 40 per cent in 2020 despite COVID, Musk’s juggernaut will continue to roll on. Tesla has all the financial backing they need, the early jump on the competition and some of the best innovators in the world, which will ensure they are at the front of the queue as EVs become the norm.
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