MAGA’s EV Self Own. Big Job Losses, and a Bleak Future

I have a friend with a long history of union activism with the UAW.
I recall him shaking his head about the lack of awareness of the younger workers about the importance of the union, and the threat posed by the Trump administration to their jobs, pensions, health care, and security.
A lot of those who voted for Trump have now lost their jobs.

The Trump administration’s turn away from EV competition and back to serving their Oil industry donors will cost US automakers whatever competitive position they might have had with the fastest growing auto markets in the world, now being served by China with EVs.

The lesson for the developing world of the Ukraine invasion, and now the US threats against Venezuela, is to shed their dependency on foreign fuel sources, and move toward EVs that can be powered with entirely homegrown renewable energy sources.
Dagger to US global leadership.

Good work, MAGA, auto workers.
Putting yourself out of a job. But at least you can hate EVs.

Ford trying to make lemonade by pivoting battery plants to serve energy storage markets, but meanwhile, thousands of workers will be laid off.

Electrek:

Ford is jumping into the battery energy storage business, betting that booming demand from data centers and the electric grid can absorb the EV battery capacity it says it’s not using.

To achieve this, Ford plans to repurpose its existing EV battery manufacturing capacity in Glendale, Kentucky, into a dedicated hub for manufacturing battery energy storage systems.

Ford says it will invest about $2 billion over the next two years to scale the new business. The Kentucky site will be converted to build advanced battery energy storage systems larger than 5 megawatt-hours, including LFP prismatic cells, BESS modules, and 20-foot DC container systems — the kind of hardware increasingly used by data centers, utilities, and large-scale industrial companies.

The company plans to bring initial production online within 18 months, leaning on its manufacturing experience and licensed battery technology. By late 2027, Ford expects the business to deploy at least 20 gigawatt-hours of energy storage annually.

Ford Motor Company:

• Offers broad choice with gas, hybrids and EVs: Ford to offer range of hybrids to complement efficient gas engines. Universal EV Platform will underpin multiple models. By 2030, about 50% of Ford’s global volume will be hybrids, extended-range EVs and electric vehicles, versus 17% today
  
• Fills U.S. plants with affordable new models: New Built Ford Tough pickups to be assembled at BlueOval City in Tennessee, new gas and hybrid van to be produced at Ohio Assembly Plant; Ford to hire thousands of new employees in the U.S. in next few years
  
• Launches battery energy storage business: Ford will leverage wholly owned plants in Kentucky and Michigan and leading LFP technology to provide solutions for energy infrastructure and growing data center demand. Ford plans to begin shipping BESS systems in 2027 with 20 GWh of annual capacity
  
• Improves profitability: Actions will drive robust accretive returns and accelerate margin improvements across Ford Model e, Ford Pro and Ford Blue. Ford Model e now expected to reach profitability by 2029 with improvements beginning in 2026