Car companies find that it is unrealistic to sell only electric cars, and suddenly they are betting on hybrids again
2 hours ago | Petr Prokopec
Photo: Ford
It’s almost comical, considering that hybrids were first supposed to be the future, then a bridge to electric cars, then an unnecessary intermediate step, and now they’re salvation again. This is absolutely true for Ford.
American and European politicians, in various ways, have already stuffed at least trillions of crowns from the money of “the others” into the electric revolution, which cannot come. In their opinion, it is supposed to lead to an improvement of the climate, which is somewhat reminiscent of Don Quixote’s struggle with windmills. Even if, however, the battery drive really brought what is attributed to it, both the high price and the poor range and the long charging time of excessively large and heavy batteries delay it from mass adoption. The problematic infrastructure does not save the situation either, so most people unsurprisingly reject electric cars.
The solution for everyone at one point seemed to be hybrid cars, even then ones that can be plugged in overnight. They have their limits, but at least from the point of view of usability and minimization of directly produced emissions during shorter journeys, they make sense. In the morning, you can have a charged battery as with electric cars, while the range of modern production will easily cover daily trips around the city. As soon as you leave the building, all concerns are erased by the combustion system and the fuel tank connected to it. You can fill it up at any corner, and in a few minutes. And we cannot forget the significantly lower prices of plug-in hybrids than electric cars, even though they are still absurdly expensive next to combustion cars.
But after a while of promoting hybrids, the politicians decided that “half ox, half bee” was not a good solution, so they decided to impose only that bee on everyone. Thus, hybrids have lost or are losing tax benefits (even those are to be banned in Europe after 2035) and, next to classic combustion models, they are uncompetitive, so they are also falling out of favor with buyers. Cars combining internal combustion and electric drive are therefore expected to reach only 7 percent of US sales this year, while battery-only cars are expected to account for 9 percent.
It looks like the bridge between combustion and electric cars has been erased, but interest in electromobility is starting to wane, which Ford can see best with his own eyes. And others are in a similar situation. The blue oval is thus not able to fulfill even its rather modest electrical goals, it is losing money on them and has already blown the whistle on more ambitious plans for the next years. He no longer even thinks about surpassing Tesla in terms of sales in 2026, which he originally intended.
Currently, there is a radical change in the former plans. “Hybrids can serve large parts of America. They are a great alternative to pure electric cars, they can more easily reach a wide range of customers,” says Tim Ghriskey, investment strategist at Ingalls & Snyder. Sam Fiorani, vice president of the consulting firm AutoForecast Solutions, then adds that “with regard to the tightening of emission standards, hybrids represent a clean fleet without customers having to switch to a pure electric car.”
So far, bold plans counting only on battery drive are starting to change among manufacturers, and it is probably most noticeable at Ford. Despite his earlier all-electric pledge, brand boss Jim Farley said sales of hybrid cars are expected to quadruple over the next five years. The blue oval is thus awaiting a number of premiers, because it currently has only six models with a combination of electric and combustion engines, together with Lincoln. However, Hyundai and Kia offer 7 of them, and Toyota and Lexus even have 18 of them.
Just as Tesla rules among electric cars, the Japanese are the leaders in the field of hybrids, although in both cases these brands have to fear the Chinese, especially the BYD car manufacturer. Thanks to its lower prices, it could soon really rule the world, also because it focuses on both versions of the electrified system. The company S&P Global Mobility estimates that in 2028, hybrids will account for 24 percent of the market, electric cars will account for 37 percent, and internal combustion vehicles will account for 40 percent.
However, GM is not going to deviate from the old plans. This brand still fully believes in electromobility, despite the tragic results so far. However, we would not be surprised at all if it was only a very disingenuous statement to the public and the media. In reality, GM would probably love to jump on the hybrid bandwagon, but they forgot to invest in tickets. And that’s why the first such car will arrive this year, the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray.
GM will most likely come up with its commitment in a few years, after all, the automaker has a few more hybrids planned. And since they are not expected to come to an end in the States in twelve years, he will probably invest more in this direction than before. In the end, this may lead to changes in Europe as well, after all, as soon as the subsidies to companies end in Germany in a few weeks, it will be more clearly visible where the development is headed.
Even now, the Blue Oval offers more hybrids than electric cars (the Explorer hybrid in the photos), yet it originally intended to achieve greater sales than Tesla’s with an electric drive. However, the carmaker failed in this mission, so it is again betting on a combination of an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. Photo: Ford
Source: Reuters
Petr Prokopec
All articles on Autoforum.cz are comments expressing the editor’s or author’s opinion. Except for articles marked as advertising, the content is not sponsored or similarly influenced by third parties.
2023-08-25 15:53:45
#Car #companies #find #unrealistic #sell #electric #cars #suddenly #betting #hybrids
