As I understand it (admittedly at an incomplete level) many of the parts currently used to build American cars like the FEH are imported. Hence some confusion even about "American made vehicles." I would have looked hard at the FEH had I been able to find one (despite roll-over issues that made Consumer Reports not recommend it). Frankly, I could never find one on any lot, or website for any dealer within 200 miles. I looked for weeks. In the end we bought a TCH 2008. It is very nice.

Regarding the Volt, I intend to buy one just to put my money where my mouth is. My second hope is that the solar panel industry continues to make strides with alternatives to the cumbersome panels that attach to roofs. Solar shingles are available but are only rated to windspeeds of 86 mph, too small for my hurricane prone location in Louisiana.

In the end, I hope the Volt technology trickles down to F150s and we all buy 20 gallons of gas a year rather than 20 gallons/week.

Perhaps it is too much to wish for.

 

Dream BIG! This should be possible, what with that big truck-bed just crying out for solar panels. And the size of the bed - how easily a LARGE pack of batteries can be absorbed under that much surface area. I personally think a truck/van/SUV could be a perfect candidate for a future EV or advanced hybrid. It'll only be made, though, if demand is anticipated by the manufacturers.

 

This has gone wildly off topic.

Stick to the topic, start a new thread, or don't cry when this gets closed.

 

You never know, Ford's trouble with keeping up with demand for its hybrids could have some root in politics or none-hybrid national mindset.

Regardless I invite everyone to join me in throwing your vote away every year for third party candidates

 

Ford (and GM) have recently announced that they will move most if not all of their manufacturing facilities to Latin America and Asia if the US workers do not vote in favor of a substantial paycut. I wonder how that will impact hybrid production.

 

Either way, it will reduce the number of buyers.

Bob Wilson

 

Sad trend, but happening quite often in most online discussion boards.

Anyways, to get back on track.............I read somewhere that Ford has been blaming some of its delivery woes on "battery availiability".

Translation from corporatespeak: We lowballed the estimated battery cost, and right now we cannot find enough batteries at that cost, which is substantially lower than the actual market cost..

 

I don't think they are shopping suppliers for new battery sources -- they have been using Sanyo as their battery supplier and as far as I know they still are. Sanyo can't produce the number of batteries to meet the demand.

I'm not sure Ford or Sanyo can be completely blamed for the inability to meet consumer demand... the FEH has had an unusual demand curve for sales.

I pre-ordered my '05 FEH before they were in production. Back then, each dealer was going to be limited to just 2 or 3 vehicles out of their production run of just 4000, and only dealers qualified to service them would be allowed to sell them.

There was an initial surge of sales from those (like me) who knew they really wanted one and weren't afraid to take the risk on this "new" vehicle technology. Ford did well off the initial sales and I think I recall them saying they wanted to do 8000 vehicles in year #2.

A while later, while back at the dealer getting an oil change, I asked my sales guy how the sales on hybrids were doing -- and he explained that after the initial surge, the sales (at least in this area) went completely flat. Also gas prices started to decline a bit and I think consumers thought the gas price surge was a "temporary" thing.

Now that prices have spiked upwards of $3.00 gallon and there's a much higher awareness of concepts like global warming, suddenly there's a renewed huge demand for the vehicles and waiting lists are common (sort of like the Prius -- remember when the average person waited 3-4+ months to get a Prius?).

Given that Ford just had to cut 30% of it's workforce and is financially on the rocks, AND the sales of the hybrid had a big spike then went flat with hybrids sitting on lots and very little interest, I ask.... if you had to plan the order for batteries for the next year, what would YOU do?

I know what I'D do... I'd cut back production based on the lack of demand. It's rather unfair to blame Ford for not being able to meet consumer demand when, frankly, the consumer demand has changed rather unexpectedly on them. Fortunately demand changed for the better (people want more) but how could they have forseen that at the time?

At least the Hybrid Fusion (and Mercury Milan Hybrid) are back in the works. Last I heard it's an '08 model, but not available until half-way through the model year (e.g. really an '08-1/2).

 

I've noticed new FEH's here in CT under the Yellowcab name. NYC too, has more and more of them each time I visit, and I'd bet other taxi fleets nationwide to are buying them. Perhaps the convertion of mass transit fleets to green impacts the numbers available to consumers.

 

Just a couple thoughts to help focus discussion......


Why Not Follow-up with another Ford Hybrid?
Any vehicle coming off of Ford's assembly lines would have to have been approved for production about three years ago. It's just the way the product development cycles work in the industry. So if Ford under-estimated the impact of the Escape, it is not a problem that is instantly correctable. Ford has more hybrids coming. They just aren't completely through the development cycle yet.

Why don't they just make more FEH?
Ford probably loses money on every FEH they sell, so selling more won't help the company. The interest they generate and the likelihood that someone going into the showroom to buy one would drive out with a different, more profitable Ford vehicle makes the shortage situation a PR plus for Ford. They could work on making more, but it would mean extending a deal with Aisin (Toyota) that Ford is not too happy about being tied into. At the time they had to make the deal to have any hybrid presence. I don't think they ever intended it to be long term.

Where do the profits / good jobs go?
Profits from American manufacturers (GM, Ford, Chrysler) go to stockholders and also are funnelled back into community goodwill (arts endowments, scholarships) in local communities. They are also used to support university research and grants. Profits from foreign automakers do the same things. In their home countries. They do also have some token presence in local communities around their assembly points. As for the jobs, it would be great to continue to manufacture in the US and support jobs here. Fact is, the best paying jobs are in engineering and product development. For American companies, that still tends to be in the US. For foreign companies, most product development is still done in home countries. That is starting to change on both ends.

Peace,

Martin