Cars
published in February 5, 2021 |
by Tina Casey
February 5, 2021 in Tina Casey
Ford Motor Company has been looking for its place in the electric vehicle market of the future and has finally decided that the future is now. Last year, Ford launched an electric version of its iconic Mustang with great fanfare, and yesterday the company continued a new $ 29 billion plan to electrify and digitize its fleet. If it weren’t for the lack of irritating semiconductors …
Wait, what lack of semiconductors?!?
If you thought 2020 was crazy, hold on. The year 2021 started with a failed uprising in the US and the emergence of new COVID-19 strains in the UK and elsewhere, so it is clear that there will be a global shortage of semiconductors.
Our friends in Autoblog cite a long list of automakers who are already feeling the squeeze of semiconductor, which experts who know these things attribute to an increase in purchases of automobiles and electronics. The COVID-19 crisis reduced interest in mass transportation and generated a frenzy of activities in the area of electronic products for remote work.
CNBC is among those who attribute part of the deficit responsibility to the feet of the former US commander-in-chief, noting that “car factories around the world are closing assembly lines because of chip shortages, which in some cases was exacerbated by the actions of the former US government against the Chinese chip factories. ”
Don’t worry – newly appointed President Joe Biden is already on the case.
Last night, CNBC reported on a high-level meeting between Taiwan’s Economy Minister Wang Mei-hua, US officials and industry representatives, which apparently took place in some back and forth behind the scenes of the new Biden government.
“The United States thanked Taiwan on Friday for its help in resolving a shortage of automotive chips that affected production, but there was no discussion about prioritizing the manufacture of these chips,” CNBC impassive.
Wait, what a lack of semiconductors, part Deux
Say it! Whatever happened behind the curtain, Taiwan is the largest chip maker in the world and already seems to be preparing to meet rising demand.
Also interesting, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co was attending the high-level meeting and, last December, Taiwan approved the company’s plan to invest $ 3.5 billion in the first phase of a massive new chip factory to be built in Arizona .
As reported by Reuters, the new chip project will eventually reach $ 12 billion. TSMC expects to produce 20,000 silicon wafers per month when volume scale production begins, which is expected to happen in 2024.
In the meantime, now would be a great time for world auto makers to do big business with electric vehicles and increase demand, even when tightening the supply chain forces cuts in production plans. After all, there are few better ways to get someone’s attention than to say that you can’t have something.
Ford takes a big hit in the electric vehicle market
Where we were? Oh, right, the new $ 29 billion ad.
Ford took no chances with the launch of the Mustang Mach-E SUV last year. The car has received great reviews, including from people here in CleanTechnica, and it looks like all the hard work paid off. In a profit call last night, Ford President and CEO John Farley said 70% of Mach-E customers are new to Ford. That figure includes previous Ford buyers who haven’t checked in for about 15 years, so it looks like Ford will rely on the Mach-E approach to help crack the electric vehicle code.
In the latest news in this regard, Ford yesterday announced a $ 29 billion plan to deepen the electric vehicle market, with strong assistance from the autonomous vehicle sector, almost double the company’s previous investment in cutting-edge technology in mobility. .
It is also more than five times the $ 5 billion EV investment that Ford announced in 2015.
For those of you who are doing the math at home, the division is $ 22 billion for electric vehicles and $ 7 billion for autonomous vehicles.
“Our” Ford Mustang Mach-E returned to Ford today. Five Tesla owners were able to test it, as well as a hardcore Mustang fan who has a Mustang band and tattoo. We all love it.
This is a wonderful vehicle, a great addition to the young and fresh EV market. pic.twitter.com/t9vIKN8AaM
– CleanTechnica (@cleantechnica) February 3, 2021
New Tech, New Era:
Ford Mustang Mach-e follows the Ford Mustang GT pic.twitter.com/ytMhqDOeQ9– CleanTechnica (@cleantechnica) January 28, 2021
Reaching the electric vehicle market where it matters
Those of you who desire a small Ford passenger sports car may want to establish a long wait, however. The company plans to return to the game by focusing its electric vehicle plans on its areas of strength, namely pickup trucks, commercial vans and SUVs.
In addition to the Mach-E, look out for a new electric commercial van later this year, and a fully electric F-150 pickup in mid-2022.
On the connectivity side, Ford has joined an A list of leading technology companies, headed by Google, which will partner with Ford in a new collaboration called Upshift.
“The relationship will help Ford accelerate its transformation in key areas – modernizing operations, disrupting the way it does things, partnering to gain experience and efficiency and creating essential products and services – through the operating system, applications and services Google, ”explains Ford, so stay tuned to learn more about it.
As for keeping up with the Joneses, Ford may be a little late for the electric vehicle game, but its distribution and manufacturing infrastructure should allow it to update quickly. The new ad lists Michigan, Missouri, Canada, Mexico and China among other places where Ford is already making electric vehicles or plans to do so.
The company also plans to call on heavy artillery to address the shortage of semiconductors.
“Our team is working with suppliers 24 hours a day to optimize restricted supply and minimize the impact on profits, while prioritizing customer orders, launching new vehicles and complying with CO2 emissions regulations” , said Ford CFO John Lawler.
After the first steps, a powerful leap for Ford
Ford is planning to provide an update on the semiconductor scarcity on April 28, so stay tuned to learn more about that too.
In the meantime, it’s worth taking a look at CleanTechnica return machine to overhaul some of the moving parts that go into creating an electric vehicle ecosystem that makes this new $ 29 billion investment worthwhile.
Ford signaled a shift in fossil fuels in 2016, when it cut ties with the powerful fossil-lobbying organization ALEC and joined the ethical electronics organization EICC. The company also took the lead in the e-bike revolution, including a folding e-bike to tackle the formidable “last mile challenge” – although there wasn’t much news about it last year.
In another area of interest, Ford is also doing a lot of science in the area of sustainable automotive parts, such as materials made from recycled carbon. Life cycle issues are also at stake, including bidirectional adhesives that make recycling more efficient.
With or without semiconductor shortages, it certainly looks like the US auto industry is finally ready for its electric vehicle closeup.
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About the author
Tina Casey specializes in military and corporate sustainability, advanced technology, emerging materials, biofuels and water and sewage issues. Tina’s articles are published frequently on Reuters, Scientific American and many other websites. The views expressed are her own. Follow her on twitter @TinaMCasey and Google+.