Author Topic: Ford “Drastically” Cutting EV Lightning Workforce Hours  (Read 70640 times)

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Online rangerrebew

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Ford “Drastically” Cutting EV Lightning Workforce Hours
« on: March 30, 2024, 10:15:03 am »
Ford “Drastically” Cutting EV Lightning Workforce Hours
17 hours ago Eric Worrall 79 Comments

Essay by Eric Worrall

h/t Breitbart; Another nail in the coffin of the Electric Vehicle revolution.

Ford to trim workforce at plant that builds its F-150 Lightning as sales of electric vehicles slow

by: The Associated Press

Posted: Mar 28, 2024 / 07:58 AM EDT
Updated: Mar 28, 2024 / 07:58 AM EDT

DETROIT (AP) — Ford will drastically cut the number of hourly workers at its factory that builds the Ford F-150 Lightning as sales of electric vehicles slow, according to a media report.

Ford began the year by cutting production of the F-150 Lightning electric pickup after weaker-than-expected electric vehicle sales growth.

While EV sales are growing in the U.S., the pace is falling well short of the industry’s ambitious timetable and many consumers are turning to hybrid vehicles instead.



Read more: https://www.woodtv.com/news/michigan/ford-to-trim-workforce-at-plant-that-builds-its-f-150-lightning-as-sales-of-electric-vehicles-slow/

When I first clicked on the EV article (the Breitbart copy), an advertisement popped up offering a discount cremation service. I sure hope this is not because a funeral provider has found a new use for discarded EVs.


On a serious note, my heart goes out to the workers who put their faith in Ford Management’s defective strategic vision, and retrained as EV production line workers. This is not the prosperous future they were promised.

https://wattsupwiththat.com/2024/03/29/ford-drastically-cutting-ev-lightning-workforce-hours/
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Offline Smokin Joe

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Re: Ford “Drastically” Cutting EV Lightning Workforce Hours
« Reply #1 on: March 30, 2024, 08:55:31 pm »
The article says EV sales are growing, but considering Hertz is divesting itself of large numbers of EVs, some locally, have been dismal failures (a pizza franchise was issued two by corporate, neither made it through the second month of winter before becoming unserviceable), and virtually no one at this latitude is buying them, I am curious who and where this growth is taking place.

My guess would be in urban centers in warm climates. I must also keep in mind that just a couple of fleet contracts could alter the landscape there, too.
How God must weep at humans' folly! Stand fast! God knows what he is doing!
Seventeen Techniques for Truth Suppression

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.

C S Lewis

Online GtHawk

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Re: Ford “Drastically” Cutting EV Lightning Workforce Hours
« Reply #2 on: March 31, 2024, 03:14:47 am »
The article says EV sales are growing, but considering Hertz is divesting itself of large numbers of EVs, some locally, have been dismal failures (a pizza franchise was issued two by corporate, neither made it through the second month of winter before becoming unserviceable), and virtually no one at this latitude is buying them, I am curious who and where this growth is taking place.

My guess would be in urban centers in warm climates. I must also keep in mind that just a couple of fleet contracts could alter the landscape there, too.
There are so many EV's here in SoCal you would think they cost half the price of a ICE car. I went out briefly today and someone with a brand new Tesla Cybertruck drove by, it loos like a DeLorean and Pontiac Aztec had a drug induced orgy resulting in an absolutely FUGLY offspring  :3:

Online Hoodat

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Re: Ford “Drastically” Cutting EV Lightning Workforce Hours
« Reply #3 on: March 31, 2024, 03:22:53 am »
Ford began the year by cutting production of the F-150 Lightning electric pickup after weaker-than-expected electric vehicle sales growth.

But did they fire the person who "expected" higher sales?
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Offline Smokin Joe

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Re: Ford “Drastically” Cutting EV Lightning Workforce Hours
« Reply #4 on: March 31, 2024, 07:26:48 am »
There are so many EV's here in SoCal you would think they cost half the price of a ICE car. I went out briefly today and someone with a brand new Tesla Cybertruck drove by, it loos like a DeLorean and Pontiac Aztec had a drug induced orgy resulting in an absolutely FUGLY offspring  :3:
SoCal is a favorable environment for the physical operation of EVs. Add in virtue signalling, and I can see why there are a lot of them there.

Where I live in North Dakota, It is hard to think of a much more hostile environment to the physical operation of an EV. Cold, with -30 not unusual in winter, frequent high winds, snow, etc. You can't just drive, you have to defrost the windows and heat the cabin, too.

It is common for larger towns to be 100-130 miles apart, and trips to medical specialists commonly mean a 250 mile trip--one way, bad enough when you are not well in an ICE powered vehicle, I can't imagine waiting on the vehicle to charge, too.

In summer, with our continental climate, we hit the triple digits, too. Annual temperature range can easily be 130 degrees, and I have seen it near 170.

For those who wonder why I am not a supporter of EVs and the gasoline powered vehicle 'phase out', it is that sooner or later, with the way things are going, Some bloody twit (or an assemblage thereof) is going to try to take my vehicles away, one way or another, claiming that MY vehicle is causing global warming, which is supposed the "climate change" they are bandying about.

I spent my career locating and identifying a reliable, proven (for over 100 years) motor fuel source. Now people from elsewhere, often two thousand miles away, want to dictate what I can or cannot use from places where the weather here is simply unimaginable.

If you can grow citrus trees, pecans, avocados, or even Magnolias, maybe an EV will work for you.

Those species will freeze here, dead in the first winter. EVs don't work well here.
Sales and registrations prove this. From: https://www.badgerinstitute.org/numbers/electric-vehicles-as-a-percentage-of-all-registered-vehicles/




Aside from a very few folks, (likely city dwellers who use them in town, and a few owned by a pizza franchise--two of which died this winter), we just aren't willing to bet our lives on the technology. We know what works.
How God must weep at humans' folly! Stand fast! God knows what he is doing!
Seventeen Techniques for Truth Suppression

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.

C S Lewis

Offline mountaineer

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Re: Ford “Drastically” Cutting EV Lightning Workforce Hours
« Reply #5 on: April 26, 2024, 12:21:05 pm »
Ford lost $132,000 on every electric vehicle it sold in the first quarter

https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1783832673011843531

Online Hoodat

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Re: Ford “Drastically” Cutting EV Lightning Workforce Hours
« Reply #6 on: April 27, 2024, 04:59:02 pm »
Ford lost $132,000 on every electric vehicle it sold in the first quarter

They hope to make it up in volume.

In the mean time, with all these cuts in "workforce hours", can someone explain to me why Jim Farley still has a job?
If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.     -Dwight Eisenhower-

"The [U.S.] Constitution is a limitation on the government, not on private individuals ... it does not prescribe the conduct of private individuals, only the conduct of the government ... it is not a charter for government power, but a charter of the citizen's protection against the government."     -Ayn Rand-

Offline Kamaji

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Re: Ford “Drastically” Cutting EV Lightning Workforce Hours
« Reply #7 on: April 27, 2024, 05:07:39 pm »
The article says EV sales are growing, but considering Hertz is divesting itself of large numbers of EVs, some locally, have been dismal failures (a pizza franchise was issued two by corporate, neither made it through the second month of winter before becoming unserviceable), and virtually no one at this latitude is buying them, I am curious who and where this growth is taking place.

My guess would be in urban centers in warm climates. I must also keep in mind that just a couple of fleet contracts could alter the landscape there, too.

Don't worry; the federal government under Biden is making sure that the U.S. will be a captive market for EV sales, by enacting new EPA regulations that will essentially require all new cars to be hybrid or EV in a few years.

Offline banddag

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Re: Ford “Drastically” Cutting EV Lightning Workforce Hours
« Reply #8 on: April 27, 2024, 05:12:49 pm »
EV's are not going anywhere and will take over. I drove a Tesla and it was an incredible drive. How many people after buying a battery powered drill still use their plug in drill. Not many. I went to my local Pilot truck stop this morning to get gas and they are putting in 25 ev chargers.

Ford Lightenings was a mistake to begin with but do not blame EV's over them.

Offline Kamaji

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Re: Ford “Drastically” Cutting EV Lightning Workforce Hours
« Reply #9 on: April 27, 2024, 05:24:41 pm »
EV's are not going anywhere and will take over. I drove a Tesla and it was an incredible drive. How many people after buying a battery powered drill still use their plug in drill. Not many. I went to my local Pilot truck stop this morning to get gas and they are putting in 25 ev chargers.

Ford Lightenings was a mistake to begin with but do not blame EV's over them.

Where will all that electricity come from?

Maybe I'm missing something, but the last time I looked, there hasn't been a newly permitted full-size power plant authorized in decades, and certainly not even a tiny percentage of the approximately 700 new full-size nuclear plants needed to provide the electricity needed to replace just half of the current U.S. vehicle fleet with EVs.

The mad rush for EVs will simply mean that, like private jets, ground transportation will be the purview of the wealthy and government officials - just as it was in the Soviet Union and every other leftist "paradise".

Offline mountaineer

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Re: Ford “Drastically” Cutting EV Lightning Workforce Hours
« Reply #10 on: April 27, 2024, 06:08:23 pm »
Where will all that electricity come from?
Especially in light of Biden's latest anti-coal move.

Offline banddag

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Re: Ford “Drastically” Cutting EV Lightning Workforce Hours
« Reply #11 on: April 27, 2024, 06:15:06 pm »
Where will all that electricity come from?

Maybe I'm missing something, but the last time I looked, there hasn't been a newly permitted full-size power plant authorized in decades, and certainly not even a tiny percentage of the approximately 700 new full-size nuclear plants needed to provide the electricity needed to replace just half of the current U.S. vehicle fleet with EVs.

The mad rush for EVs will simply mean that, like private jets, ground transportation will be the purview of the wealthy and government officials - just as it was in the Soviet Union and every other leftist "paradise".

177 new natural gas power plants are being built right now across the country. 2 are going up near me. One is already online. Georgis just added a new reactor and it will supply all their needs.

US factories are going solar. The new Black & Decker plant in KY is powered 100% by solar and they  are selling off the excess.

Offline banddag

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Re: Ford “Drastically” Cutting EV Lightning Workforce Hours
« Reply #12 on: April 27, 2024, 06:15:36 pm »
Especially in light of Biden's latest anti-coal move.

Coal is an antiquated, dirty source. Natural gas is cheaper and cleaner burning and easier to transport. Your state of WVa (if you are a WVA mountaineer) is now one of the largest NG suppliers in the country and power plants are moving towards NG.
NG jobs in Wva has taken over coal jobs years ago.

Natural gas has killed the coal jobs in WVa, not any President.
« Last Edit: April 27, 2024, 06:19:45 pm by banddag »

Offline banddag

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Re: Ford “Drastically” Cutting EV Lightning Workforce Hours
« Reply #13 on: April 27, 2024, 06:26:32 pm »
Especially in light of Biden's latest anti-coal move.

W.VA Coal  jobs decreased every year under Trump but are up under Biden due to exporting.  13k coal jobs in W.va versus  73k gas jobs in WVa.

https://www.api.org/news-policy-and-issues/news/2023/05/16/api-pwc-wv-2023

Offline mountaineer

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Re: Ford “Drastically” Cutting EV Lightning Workforce Hours
« Reply #14 on: April 27, 2024, 06:33:54 pm »
Coal is an antiquated, dirty source. Natural gas is cheaper and cleaner burning and easier to transport. Your state of WVa (if you are a WVA mountaineer) is now one of the largest NG suppliers in the country and power plants are moving towards NG.
NG jobs in Wva has taken over coal jobs years ago.

Natural gas has killed the coal jobs in WVa, not any President.
I'm well aware of gas operations in WV. I hear them at night. There are wells within just a few miles of our home. That said, natural gas is not enough without coal, and solar/wind will never make up for coal.

Offline banddag

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Re: Ford “Drastically” Cutting EV Lightning Workforce Hours
« Reply #15 on: April 27, 2024, 06:53:09 pm »
I'm well aware of gas operations in WV. I hear them at night. There are wells within just a few miles of our home. That said, natural gas is not enough without coal, and solar/wind will never make up for coal.

The US in 2022 gets more electrical power from renewables than coal.

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Re: Ford “Drastically” Cutting EV Lightning Workforce Hours
« Reply #16 on: April 27, 2024, 07:00:12 pm »
EV's are not going anywhere and will take over. I drove a Tesla and it was an incredible drive. How many people after buying a battery powered drill still use their plug in drill. Not many. I went to my local Pilot truck stop this morning to get gas and they are putting in 25 ev chargers.

Ford Lightenings was a mistake to begin with but do not blame EV's over them.

You've bought off onto this silliness? Did you drive your Tesla on a northern Interstate in a blizzard and -10?

In my part of Texas, I know "NO One" who will even remotely consider buying these POS.
I display the Confederate Battle Flag in honor of my great great great grandfathers who spilled blood at Wilson's Creek and Shiloh.  5 others served in the WBTS with honor too.

Offline banddag

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Re: Ford “Drastically” Cutting EV Lightning Workforce Hours
« Reply #17 on: April 27, 2024, 07:20:06 pm »
You've bought off onto this silliness? Did you drive your Tesla on a northern Interstate in a blizzard and -10?

In my part of Texas, I know "NO One" who will even remotely consider buying these POS.


China is patenting a battery right now that is not affected by heat or cold-or affected very little.

Yeah your circle of friends say they will not buy one but once they drive one and the kinks get worked out they will and prices for ev's are coming don, range is going up every year.

My dad built spec homes. He remembers when air nailers first came out. All the construction guys said they would never replace the hammer, too bulky, dragging along an air hose etc.

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Re: Ford “Drastically” Cutting EV Lightning Workforce Hours
« Reply #18 on: April 27, 2024, 07:33:29 pm »

China is patenting a battery right now that is not affected by heat or cold-or affected very little.

Yeah your circle of friends say they will not buy one but once they drive one and the kinks get worked out they will and prices for ev's are coming don, range is going up every year.

My dad built spec homes. He remembers when air nailers first came out. All the construction guys said they would never replace the hammer, too bulky, dragging along an air hose etc.

$20+K for a replacement battery?  The feel of a V-8 truck?  Folks whose lives and livelyhoods are centered around the petrochemical industry?  Climate Scam, being exposed in earnest more by the day?

You don't know Texas very well do you?

I'd say not only that circle, but Texas in general
I display the Confederate Battle Flag in honor of my great great great grandfathers who spilled blood at Wilson's Creek and Shiloh.  5 others served in the WBTS with honor too.

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Re: Ford “Drastically” Cutting EV Lightning Workforce Hours
« Reply #19 on: April 27, 2024, 07:37:17 pm »

China is patenting a battery right now that is not affected by heat or cold-or affected very little.

Yeah your circle of friends say they will not buy one but once they drive one and the kinks get worked out they will and prices for ev's are coming don, range is going up every year.

My dad built spec homes. He remembers when air nailers first came out. All the construction guys said they would never replace the hammer, too bulky, dragging along an air hose etc.

Eventually. But the market should decide, not inept bureaucrats.

Cordless drills have been around since at least the 70's. They were crap. Anyone remember nickel-cadmium batteries??? It took about 25 years for them to mature to the point of being a useful tool for regular use.

I suggest you rent a Tesla and take a trip from coast to coast and see how it goes... It will add a lot of time to your trip and require considerable planning. If you're retired, great. If you work for a living, not so good. If you do it in the winter in the northern part of the country it could take you a LONG time if you make it at all.

Online Hoodat

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Re: Ford “Drastically” Cutting EV Lightning Workforce Hours
« Reply #20 on: April 27, 2024, 08:31:08 pm »
The new Black & Decker plant in KY is powered 100% by solar

Does that plant have only one shift?  Do they shut down from 5 pm to 9 am?
If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.     -Dwight Eisenhower-

"The [U.S.] Constitution is a limitation on the government, not on private individuals ... it does not prescribe the conduct of private individuals, only the conduct of the government ... it is not a charter for government power, but a charter of the citizen's protection against the government."     -Ayn Rand-

Online Hoodat

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Re: Ford “Drastically” Cutting EV Lightning Workforce Hours
« Reply #21 on: April 27, 2024, 08:36:30 pm »
China is patenting a battery right now that is not affected by heat or cold-or affected very little.

Whom did they steal that technology from?  And how were they able to bypass the laws of physics?  Besides, they already have the best battery they could possibly have.  It is lightweight and doesn't require specialty metals.  It is called a 'hydrogen tank'.


My dad built spec homes. He remembers when air nailers first came out. All the construction guys said they would never replace the hammer, too bulky, dragging along an air hose etc.

Batteries did not just come out.  They've been around for almost two centuries.
If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.     -Dwight Eisenhower-

"The [U.S.] Constitution is a limitation on the government, not on private individuals ... it does not prescribe the conduct of private individuals, only the conduct of the government ... it is not a charter for government power, but a charter of the citizen's protection against the government."     -Ayn Rand-

Online DB

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Re: Ford “Drastically” Cutting EV Lightning Workforce Hours
« Reply #22 on: April 27, 2024, 08:48:26 pm »
Whom did they steal that technology from?  And how were they able to bypass the laws of physics?  Besides, they already have the best battery they could possibly have.  It is lightweight and doesn't require specialty metals.  It is called a 'hydrogen tank'.


Batteries did not just come out.  They've been around for almost two centuries.

There are lots of battery claims. They're a dime a dozen... They also claim you can charge it in 6 minutes. With what? To charge a 100 kWh battery in 6 minutes takes a million watts... Or over 4,000 amps at 240 V... And that's with 100% efficiency (no losses)...

Offline Smokin Joe

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Re: Ford “Drastically” Cutting EV Lightning Workforce Hours
« Reply #23 on: April 27, 2024, 08:50:23 pm »
EV's are not going anywhere and will take over. I drove a Tesla and it was an incredible drive. How many people after buying a battery powered drill still use their plug in drill. Not many. I went to my local Pilot truck stop this morning to get gas and they are putting in 25 ev chargers.

Ford Lightenings was a mistake to begin with but do not blame EV's over them.
Not sure what climate you live in, but up at 48 degrees North, that just isn't going to happen. We'll keep the old ICE vehicles running until you get an EV that has at least 8" ground clearance, 4WD, the ability to carry a ton or better over 300 miles bucking snowdrifts while keeping the cabin 90 degrees or more warmer than the outside air (just at 50-60 degrees F inside), and has enough additional reserve to heat the cabin for 12 hours in case something should go wrong.

We don't buy vehicles for summertime play, but for the worst conditions we might face, and it IS a matter of life and death.
« Last Edit: April 27, 2024, 08:51:39 pm by Smokin Joe »
How God must weep at humans' folly! Stand fast! God knows what he is doing!
Seventeen Techniques for Truth Suppression

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.

C S Lewis

Offline banddag

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Re: Ford “Drastically” Cutting EV Lightning Workforce Hours
« Reply #24 on: April 27, 2024, 08:57:51 pm »
Does that plant have only one shift?  Do they shut down from 5 pm to 9 am?

They have battery backup I believe. Also the new solar panels still get done charge at night through ambient temperature