Electric vehicles in Michigan: The current reality consumers are facing amid market shifts скачать в хорошем качестве

Electric vehicles in Michigan: The current reality consumers are facing amid market shifts

Electric vehicles have grown in visibility in recent years with new models being released, government tax incentives, and major investments from automakers. As policies shift and manufacturers adjust their strategies, however, what was once hailed as the future of transportation is now facing an uncertain future. Ford announced this week that its plant in Glendale, Kentucky will now focus on production for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) rather than batteries for electric cars. Ford said it has lost $13 billion dollars on electric vehicles in just the last two years, and now it's ending production of its electric pickup truck, the F-150 Lightning, which adds an additional $20 billion in estimated lost investment. Vince Pavone, owner of Lakeview Ford in Battle Creek, said he has witnessed the electric vehicle market shift significantly over the past few years. "The Biden administration and the California mandates were the two main drivers of EVs," Pavone said. "What happened was most of the bigger manufacturers, General Motors, Stellantis, and Ford saw those, that regulation, saw those incentives as an opportunity to go into building productive capacity in those markets and in EVs." Amid changes in policies and incentives, according to Pavone, the EV market is in a period, not of collapse, but correction. "It's coming back more to the middle to some of these other technologies," he said. "I still believe, based on my customers that come into the dealership and are looking for cost affordable transportation, that the EV will have a spot. The electric vehicle will have a spot. It's just not going to be 30 percent of the market. It'll be closer to 10 to 15 percent of the market, once all the infrastructure is put together." Pavone said earlier policies and incentives accelerated EV development and production, but today buyers are approaching the decision more practically. “The American consumer wants to go home, charge the car, wake up in the morning and not worry about it,” Pavone said. He said electric vehicles still make sense for some drivers, particularly those with shorter commutes and access to home charging. However, for long-distance drivers, rural residents or those without reliable charging options, hybrids and extended-range vehicles may offer a better balance. Michela, an electric vehicle driver from Kalamazoo, shared her reasoning for going electric and experience with News Channel 3. "I wanted to do something that was more environmentally friendly, you know, with like emissions and everything, and I was also under the impression that, like it got fairly good gas mileage, or electric mileage," she said. Read: https://wwmt.com/news/local/electric-... _______________ Stay up to date with our social media: WWMT on Facebook:   / wwmtnews   WWMT on Twitter:   / wwmtnews   Subscribe to WWMT on YouTube:    / @wwmtnews   WWMT Daily News Digest:    • WWMT-TV Daily Digest   For more information, visit https://www.wwmt.com/ Have a news tip? Send it directly to us: Email us: [email protected] Call the Newsroom: 800.875.3333 WWMT is a MI based station and a CBS Television affiliate owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country today. #WWMT #NEWSCHANNEL3 #Kalamazoo #Michigan #ElectricVehicles #EVs #BlueOval #Ford #Consumertrends #AbigailTaylor #Energy #Hybrid #Infrastructure #Economy