Ford Motor Company, the second largest American car manufacturer, is pivoting away from plug-in electric vehicles to hybrid ones, CNBC reports.
Following a quarterly report showing great losses in the Electric Vehicle department, Ford has instead decided to focus on hybrid vehicles. Hybrids use electric power for one of its motors, but continues to have a traditional combustion engine.
The F-150, Ford’s iconic truck, now has a popular hybrid model accounting for 10% of its sales. The majority of Maverick models are now hybrid, all driven from customer demand rather than government mandate.
An interesting aspect of hybrid and electric vehicles is the possibility to use them as mobile batteries:
Among those new capabilities: Ford’s “Pro Power Onboard” system, which gives customers the ability to tap the truck’s electricity via outlets in the pickup bed to power tools at a job site — or a refrigerator at a tailgate party — eliminating the need to carry a separate generator.
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Ford has heavily promoted the capabilities of its battery-electric F-150 Lightning pickup, which offers the ability to power an entire house for several days.
While Ford promises that its pure electric vehicles program is still being funded, it appears to be a mostly symbolic gesture for ESG investors and liberals, while Americans from all segments of society are willing to adopt hybrids because it matches their lifestyle.
