Ford CEO recently penned an Op Ed explaining his commitment to EVs.
Above, a clip from a recent interview, where he expands on the challenges for US carmakers to stay competitive.
Full interview at bottom of post.
With apologies to “Goodfellas”: As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a car guy.
The rumble of a V-8 feels like the soundtrack of my life. I spent the past 40 years developing new vehicles, from Camrys and Scions at Toyota to F-150 Raptors, Broncos, and Transits here at Ford Motor Company, where my grandfather worked for Henry himself. To this day, I spend many weekends racing Mustangs or wrenching on my 1973 Bronco.
So as a lifelong petrol head, I was surprised as anyone when I fell in love with electric vehicles.
It wasn’t government policies or political beliefs that sparked this late-career romance with electric vehicles. It’s because I drive one – my Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum. It is astonishingly quiet and smooth. The effortless acceleration leaves you with a silly grin once you get the feeling back in your face. Every morning, mine is topped up with 300 miles of range. No gas stations, ever. What’s more, my F-150 Lightning has a massive, lockable frunk to go along with the pickup bed. And the Lightning works like a mobile generator that can power a worksite, campsite, tailgate, or even another electric vehicle, or power my home.
It’s that simple. For me, and for millions of Americans, electric vehicles are removing daily hassles and reminding us why we love to drive. If you want to have a blast behind the wheel, take a Mustang Mach-E Rally out on a dirt road.
Electric vehicles are not for everyone and every job. But as the CEO of a major automaker, I feel compelled to tell customers the truth about electric vehicles amid all the disinformation and misunderstandings.
I have seen this movie before. When Ford said we were moving to an aluminum body in our popular F-150, our competitors aired commercials lampooning us. But customers knew better performance and fuel economy when they saw it.
I remember when mobile phones seemed to be just for doctors and stockbrokers. When computers were for NASA. When the internet was a fad and CDs lined my truck’s visor. It takes time for innovations to take hold. But when they do, the shift is profound and lasting.
I believe the next great shift for vehicles will be toward software-defined and electric vehicles.
Full 50 minute interview here – I finally listened to the whole thing and cannot recommend highly enough: