The electric pickup is in enormous demand — Ford has amassed nearly 200,000 re

[Bob Riebe]

I hope you guys can read this as for me it is part of a one month freebie to see if I want to spend 16.00 bucks a month for a paper and online subscription.

https://link.autonews.com/view/61e1b6a61d8afe4f8b14f7a7fpjqs.cho/7abb18bb



Out of the frying pan, and into the electric truck race
Ford F-150 Lightning

The years of "employee pricing for everyone" seem approximately three lifetimes ago at this point.

The discounts were extremely popular, but they also furthered the perception that the Detroit 3 only built cars and trucks people bought because they were cheap. Over and over, executives promised to introduce models that didn't need huge incentives, only to slap huge incentives on those same vehicles a few months later because they were piling up on dealership lots. It was a damaging, predictable cycle that decimated the companies' profits and contributed to the bankruptcies of General Motors and Chrysler once the economy crumbled.

That's all changed. The microchip shortage that starved many dealers of new-vehicle inventory is a big reason, but all three companies already had overhauled their product lineups and greatly reduced their reliance on discounting since being humbled during the Great Recession.

Ford Motor Co. has been rolling out one hot seller after another lately, and it has a crucial launch just around the corner: the F-150 Lightning. The electric pickup is in enormous demand — Ford has amassed nearly 200,000 reservations — and with retail trims ranging from about $55,000 to more than $90,000, the clamor is certainly not because it's a screaming deal.

Some dealerships, knowing they have another hit on their hands and limited allocation coming, are marking up the truck's sticker price by as much as $30,000, according to owner forums. That hasn't gone over well with Ford, which is warning of potential consequences for profiteering, as explained in a Page 1 story in this week's issue.

The Lightning isn't just going up against Chevrolet and Ram, which have electric pickups of their own due out in the next two years. Ford worries that negative experiences with its dealerships could push customers to the likes of Tesla and Rivian, which don't have franchised dealer networks. One dealer told reporter Michael Martinez that markups are "brand-destroying," while another laid out the carefully considered reasons he's asking customers to pay extra.

Having too much demand is undoubtedly a better problem to have than scrambling to unload piles of inventory at fire-sale prices, and it shows how far Ford has come since the early 2000s. But it's a problem nonetheless.

At least this isn't the kind of problem they'll have to mortgage the company to solve.

— Nick Bunkley


Lucid Air EV

“In order for us to continue and continue strong, the commercial front is the reality.”
- BOLLINGER MOTORS CEO ROBERT BOLLINGER ON HIS COMPANY’S SHIFT TO THE COMMERCIAL EV BUSINESS
From “Bollinger postpones electric pickup and SUV, will focus on commercial EV fleet chassis”

In Monday's Automotive News:

Rivian assembly plant

Rivian’s ups and downs: Rivian ended last year on a high note after finally starting R1T pickup production and even making a couple (as in two) units of its RS1 SUV, one each for the CEO and CFO. At one point the electric vehicle maker’s market value soared past that of General Motors. How times change, and quickly. These days, Rivian is facing a New Year’s hangover: The extended-battery version of the R1T has been delayed. The overall production ramp-up of the standard-range pickup has been hit by the chip shortage. Also, investor Amazon (owner of 20 percent of Rivian) announced plans to buy electric vans from Stellantis. Clearly, Rivian does not have a lock on Amazon’s business. We size up the latest Rivian happenings.

Used lot Bloomberg

The upside down of sky-high used prices: Strong demand in the used-car market — and the higher price tags attached — will stick around for 2022, that much seems clear. Less clear for dealers is what comes next. What do high prices on used vehicles now mean for the retail market a few years down the road? Will owners hang on to their cars longer and depress the flow of used inventory? And what happens when prices on used vehicles fall and customers find themselves owing more on their vehicles than they're worth? Automotive News looks at the used market and what the future may hold.


2022 NACTOY winners

Ford doubles up on NACTOY awards: The compact Ford Maverick was named 2022 North American Truck of the Year while the Bronco was named Utility Vehicle of the Year, and the Honda Civic took Car of the Year honors. It’s the second-straight year Ford has earned two of the three NACTOY awards, and it marks the third win for the Civic since the awards were introduced in 1994.

Detroit auto show

Detroit auto show back on: The North American International Auto Show will take place Sept. 14-25 in downtown Detroit after being forced to cancel multiple years because of the coronavirus pandemic. Organizers have been eying September since early last year and floated the Sept. 14-25 dates as a target last month.

Aptiv acquires Wind River

Aptiv’s big deal: The automotive technology supplier has agreed to buy software firm Wind River from private equity firm TPG Capital for $4.3 billion in cash. The deal will expand Aptiv’s footprint in an area that is fast becoming the next battleground for automakers — digitalizing vehicles.


Top Five U.S. Lease Deals   
MarketScan
What are the best deals nationally this week across the U.S.? Market Scan's Payment Value Index (PVI) analyzes the relationship between MSRP* and the monthly payment to determine which lease deal delivers the best "bang for the buck.” For more information, visit www.marketscan.com.
Crossover/SUV   
PVI   Year   Make   Model   Average MSRP*      Average Best Payment
91.22   2021   HONDA   PASSPORT   $39,566.43      $392.29
91.05   2022   KIA   NIRO PLUG-IN HYBRID   $34,331.67      $344.01
90.84   2022   MITSUBISHI   OUTLANDER PHEV   $40,356.67      $412.37
90.10   2021   JEEP   GRAND CHEROKEE   $48,885.48      $542.21
89.90   2022   HONDA   PILOT   $44,261.92      $486.32
Van   
PVI   Year   Make   Model   Average MSRP*      Average Best Payment
87.75   2022   HONDA   ODYSSEY   $40,817.00      $525.95
87.63   2022   CHRYSLER   PACIFICA   $49,037.73      $628.56
86.95   2022   KIA   CARNIVAL   $39,375.00      $534.43
86.84   2022   TOYOTA   SIENNA   $44,493.33      $610.17
86.51   2021   HONDA   ODYSSEY   $40,327.00      $564.10
Hatchback   
PVI   Year   Make   Model   Average MSRP*      Average Best Payment
91.84   2021   HONDA   CIVIC TYPE R   $41,940.00      $392.92
89.07   2022   HONDA   CIVIC HATCHBACK   $27,098.33      $317.52
88.00   2022   MINI   HARDTOP 2 DOOR   $28,416.67      $355.16
87.54   2022   MINI   HARDTOP 4 DOOR   $26,750.00      $345.93
87.11   2022   MAZDA   MAZDA3 HATCHBACK   $28,970.00      $387.72
* Average MSRP is the average of the MSRP of all the individual trim levels for each model, and includes all taxes, registration and average dealership fees. Based on 36-month lease, 12,000 miles per year, 720 credit score, customer cash = 5% of MSRP, Selling Price = MSRP

Source: Payment Value Index (PVI) ™, a trademark of Market Scan Information Systems, Inc.
Available through captive lender
Available through non-captive lender

Events:
■ Feb. 1: Jan. U.S. auto sales released
■ Feb. 10-11: Chicago Auto Show press previews show
■ March 10-13: 2022 NADA Show show

Earnings:
■ Jan. 21: Ally
■ Feb. 1: GM
■ Feb. 3: Ford

Jan. 9: SHIFT: Kristin Slanina 'stress tests' EV readiness on Charge Across America (Episode 131)
The managing director of last fall’s Charge Across America competition discusses the cross-country race, and what it reveals about the state of U.S. infrastructure at a time electric vehicle sales are proliferating.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST >
Jan. 12: DAILY DRIVE podcast: A look at Ford's twin NACTOY wins, and a voter's perspective
Automotive News Ford reporter Michael Martinez discusses the automaker's dual 2022 NACTOY wins, and reporter Richard Truett, a NACTOY judge, talks about the vehicles that earned his vote.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST >
Jan. 10: DAILY DRIVE podcast: A look back at 2021's sales races
Automotive News reporter Larry P. Vellequette talks through last year's sales numbers.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST >

Jan. 16, 1948: The Ford F-Series debuts.

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[Mule 11]

Will customers end up owing more on their cars than there worth? Ahem. Double ahem. Will new homo owners end up owing more on their homes than there worth? Again... Dumb asses.

[Ranger99]

Can't help but wonder when the
electric passenger aircraft will
be put in service.
It should significantly reduce the
noise and emissions around the
airports and the cost of flying from
one coast to the other should be
reduced considerably.
I'm sure all the green people will
be using that service exclusively

[Lloyd Smale]

something i can see is electrics being made about worthless as technology increases. Buy your ford today and chev already has it beat in range. Buy that chev today and next year will for or dodge double that range leaving you with a dinasour that nobody wants. Making it instantly like you said worth less then you owe on it. Keep in mind too like bob said people are actually paying 10s of thosands of dollars  over sticker for these things just because they think there status symbols. To stupid to realize they will be obsoulete in 2 years. Even a gas truck today if you go to the dealer your not getting deals anymore. Your about paying sticker. What happens if midterms see the country getting back to fossil fuel use and independence and they start chopping 8k off the sticker on a new one again. I was all set to buy a new truck this year but it looks to much like a losing proposition to me and mine runs fine so im going to wait probably till the 2024 election and see what happens before I buy. What you dont have to worry about with me is me loosing money on an electric truck. My ram will last till i die before i buy an electric truck. As most of you know im not a big toyota fan. but if all the domestics have is electric and toyota makes one overseas. Id row a boat there buy one and row it back before id buy an electric chev ford or ram.

Will customers end up owing more on their cars than there worth? Ahem. Double ahem. Will new homo owners end up owing more on their homes than there worth? Again... Dumb asses.

[Dixie-Dude]

Electric aircraft coming on the market:

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/electric-aircraft/index.html#:~:text=A%20product%20of%20A%C2%B3%2C%20Airbus%27%20Silicon%20Valley%20arm%2C,above%20and%20one%20below%2C%20each%20holding%20four%20engines.

[Dixie-Dude]

Electric vehicles are the new technology.  Prices will come down.  Charging times will come down.  Range will go up.  As with computers or any other technology.  No one could afford a computer in the 1950's -1970's.  Then in the late 70's the size of computers came down as with prices and personal computers took off in the 1980's.  The telephone was invented in 1876.  It wasn't until the 1920's that phones began to be installed everywhere.  The TV was invented in 1929.  It wasn't until WWII when the military used them on bombers and so after WWII TV took off.  By the 1960's everyone had one.  The first air conditioner was invented in 1902 by Carrier.  The first window unit in 1931, and it wasn't until the 1960's that they became widespread in homes. 

We are just beginning to start mass production of electric vehicles.  At the end of 2021 Tesla made about a million vehicle last year.  We are in the model T stage of electric vehicles.  Electric planes will come shortly afterward.  Windmills are going to be everywhere there is constant wind.  Solar panels in the southwest, and on tops of buildings.  We are entering a new age of everything being electric. 

[Bob Riebe]

Charging times cannot be reduced without a charging station method to do so, which means some on is going to have to pay for the charging stations and physics limits how fast any battery can be recharged, there is no magic potion to make refueling as quick as with liquid fuel.
Even if they create battery changing stations, as is done with fork-lifts, time to refuel is against electromobiles.

If you run out of fuel with an internal combustion engine, fuel can be brought to you and and beyond the waif for the fuel, refueling is quick.

Up here one often carries extra fuel cans in the trunk, in winter incase you are stranded in the boonies and the only thing keeping you warm is your car engine; that can not be done with any electromobile, plus if a tow truck gets to you before you freeze to death, you will be towed out, they will not come to spend hours trying to charge your batteries .
Which mean some that may take an hour to get you going , will turn into days.

Over at the Autosport forums, a gent who is directly involved with the Auto industry bought a Tesla; he likes it but says range is lower than the manufacturer claims and you have to learn you have to take into account the penalties of pushing range limits, plus air-conditions cuts range down a noticeable degree.

[phalanx]

Better for hotels who have charging stations. A trip you could make in one day with gas, would then be an overnight stay,

[Dixie-Dude]

Car and Driver magazine did a test with a Tesla, and a BMW for 1000 miles.  The BMW was gasoline.  They had to drive the speed limits.  The BMW beat the Tesla by 1 hour and 30 minutes.  The BMW did it in about 18.5  hours or so, while the Tesla was about 20 hours.  The Tesla had to stop twice for 45 minute charges.  The BMW about 5 minutes per refuel.  Stops were allowed for bathroom and food breaks.  Not that bad for a 1,000 mile trip.  Sure, maybe stopping overnight would have been better for more rest, but it was doable within a reasonable time.  If you were driving the same trip in the 1950's it would have taken 2 days on 2 lane roads and traffic lights in every town.  Another brand of electric car was also used, but I can't remember which.  It took 28 hours because it couldn't use the Tesla superchargers at 440 volts. 

[Ranger99]

Electric aircraft coming on the market:

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/electric-aircraft/index.html#:~:text=A%20product%20of%20A%C2%B3%2C%20Airbus%27%20Silicon%20Valley%20arm%2C,above%20and%20one%20below%2C%20each%20holding%20four%20engines.

That's good
I'll not be utilizing that service

At least with the cheezy electric cars
they want us all to have you can pull
to the side of the road when the failures
occur

[Lloyd Smale]

yup up here you can find yourself in the woods far away from even a gas station. Like was said at least you can bring extra gas or have it delivered. I look at the typical liberal yuppy that will buy these things and there like my wife who can drive the truck and not even look at the gas gauge till the low fuel light comes on. What happens in the middle of north dakota when your low charge light comes on. What is it going to cost you to have a wrecker with a generator sit there for 2 hours charging you on the side of the road? I see decent range numbers from tesla but there 100k cars most cant afford. they also dont factor in using the electric heat or ac or any other electrical draw. They run them down the road with as few things going as possible to get some numbers that arent real world. Like ive said over and over and over what are you gaining? You sure arent being ecological. Your buying electricity at a charging station that came for the nearest coal fired power plant. Boggles my mind that theres one or two even on here thats chearing this bs and are looking through rose colored hippy glasses.

Charging times cannot be reduced without a charging station method to do so, which means some on is going to have to pay for the charging stations and physics limits how fast any battery can be recharged, there is no magic potion to make refueling as quick as with liquid fuel.
Even if they create battery changing stations, as is done with fork-lifts, time to refuel is against electromobiles.

If you run out of fuel with an internal combustion engine, fuel can be brought to you and and beyond the waif for the fuel, refueling is quick.

Up here one often carries extra fuel cans in the trunk, in winter incase you are stranded in the boonies and the only thing keeping you warm is your car engine; that can not be done with any electromobile, plus if a tow truck gets to you before you freeze to death, you will be towed out, they will not come to spend hours trying to charge your batteries .
Which mean some that may take an hour to get you going , will turn into days.

Over at the Autosport forums, a gent who is directly involved with the Auto industry bought a Tesla; he likes it but says range is lower than the manufacturer claims and you have to learn you have to take into account the penalties of pushing range limits, plus air-conditions cuts range down a noticeable degree.

[Lloyd Smale]

heck if i could afford a 100k tesla id just fly to where im going and rent a car when i got there.

Car and Driver magazine did a test with a Tesla, and a BMW for 1000 miles.  The BMW was gasoline.  They had to drive the speed limits.  The BMW beat the Tesla by 1 hour and 30 minutes.  The BMW did it in about 18.5  hours or so, while the Tesla was about 20 hours.  The Tesla had to stop twice for 45 minute charges.  The BMW about 5 minutes per refuel.  Stops were allowed for bathroom and food breaks.  Not that bad for a 1,000 mile trip.  Sure, maybe stopping overnight would have been better for more rest, but it was doable within a reasonable time.  If you were driving the same trip in the 1950's it would have taken 2 days on 2 lane roads and traffic lights in every town.  Another brand of electric car was also used, but I can't remember which.  It took 28 hours because it couldn't use the Tesla superchargers at 440 volts.

28 hours compared to 18.5? Id say thats more then substantial. Or you could buy a malibu get 35 mpg and do it in the same time as that bmw and pocket the other 60k in the purchase price over either the bmw or tesla to on the same trip and when you get there buy another mailibu for the wife and take your on a cruise to the med and still have money left over!!

[Dee]

Lloyd, electric cars to liberals, is like steak is to the elite city boy.

They don't see what it takes to make the electricity, just like they don't see anybody killing the cow.

 They live their lives with visual aids, and never get much further.

[Dixie-Dude]

heck if i could afford a 100k tesla id just fly to where im going and rent a car when i got there.

Car and Driver magazine did a test with a Tesla, and a BMW for 1000 miles.  The BMW was gasoline.  They had to drive the speed limits.  The BMW beat the Tesla by 1 hour and 30 minutes.  The BMW did it in about 18.5  hours or so, while the Tesla was about 20 hours.  The Tesla had to stop twice for 45 minute charges.  The BMW about 5 minutes per refuel.  Stops were allowed for bathroom and food breaks.  Not that bad for a 1,000 mile trip.  Sure, maybe stopping overnight would have been better for more rest, but it was doable within a reasonable time.  If you were driving the same trip in the 1950's it would have taken 2 days on 2 lane roads and traffic lights in every town.  Another brand of electric car was also used, but I can't remember which.  It took 28 hours because it couldn't use the Tesla superchargers at 440 volts.

28 hours compared to 18.5? Id say thats more then substantial. Or you could buy a malibu get 35 mpg and do it in the same time as that bmw and pocket the other 60k in the purchase price over either the bmw or tesla to on the same trip and when you get there buy another mailibu for the wife and take your on a cruise to the med and still have money left over!!

If you read it correctly, the Tesla was 20 hours vs another brand of electric car of 28 hours.  Tesla is the only company that built the charging stations all over the country.  Tesla has opened their charging system for other brands if they want to.  However, there is a small fee charged by Tesla if they use Tesla's stations.  Anyway, Tesla is way ahead of others in speed and range and charging times.

Now, the University of Michigan has developed a new type of battery using lithium with sodium instead of cobalt.  This would bring the cost of batteries way down, as you can get sodium out of salt.  Bringing the battery cost down.  Also they developed some way of charging in 5 minutes and holding a charge for like 1,000 miles.  Also this new battery can run a cell phone for about a week with a charge.  Now they have to figure out a way to mass produce this battery.  It will probably take a few years.

I know almost all the older people want to stay with gasoline and diesel.  This is not a liberal vs conservative thing.  It is a younger generation vs older generation thing.  I know a lot of conservatives that wouldn't mind an electric vehicle.  No oil changes, no tune ups, far less maintenance, and can charge overnight at home.  90% of people drive less than 30 miles a day.  This is where electrics shine.  Plug in hybrids can get you the range using a gas engine with the electric for higher speed and longer range.  I predict hybrids will take over the market before all electric vehicles will.  I know Prius was the first hybrid, but larger cars and trucks are coming and are now being offered.   

[Bob Riebe]

way to mass produce this battery.  It will probably take a few years.

I know almost all the older people want to stay with gasoline and diesel.  This is not a liberal vs conservative thing.  It is a younger generation vs older generation thing.  I know a lot of conservatives that wouldn't mind an electric vehicle.  No oil changes, no tune ups, far less maintenance, and can charge overnight at home.  90% of people drive less than 30 miles a day.  This is where electrics shine.  Plug in hybrids can get you the range using a gas engine with the electric for higher speed and longer range.  I predict hybrids will take over the market before all electric vehicles will.  I know Prius was the first hybrid, but larger cars and trucks are coming and are now being offered.   

No it is  left-wing greenie idealism (and politicians using false environmental fear)  vs real world high costs reality those pushing the bs do not care about as it does not hit their budgets .

This is the side of battery powered anything that the left , especially supposed journalists ignore or bury.

https://www.investmentmonitor.ai/insights/batteries-are-bad-for-the-environment
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/lithium-batteries-environment-impact

[Lloyd Smale]

sorry but thats still near 30 percent longer travel time. Hardly a minor differnce. Now thats talk what happens when you run low on battery traveling through a very rural area like up here where there isnt charging stations in every town and you get stranded and have to stay the night because of it. You seem to be all about this electric bs. Do you own one?? Do you walk the walk or just talk the talk??  Are you so blind not to see its going to take a massive increase in taxes to pay to completely rebuild the electrical grid to support this massive increase in electrical demand. That means to you greenies more trees cut more land cleared more aluminum and copper wire smelted More porcelain and rubber insulators made. Upgrading the wire from the pole to your home and the transformer which im 99 percent of utilitys your responsible for the cost. Then we have to make all the extra power. Doesnt like some liberals think, come from electrical fairys in the ground. Its mostly in this country made by coal fired power plants and natural gas fired power plants. They lets talk the fact that in 10 years you either toss the car in the junk yard or pay at least half what it cost to replace the batterys. Most will go to the dump because by then the rest of the car is hardly worth it and look at the buyers of them today. Most have MONEY or they couldnt afford one. THere more about impressing the neighbor with that new technology then they are actual practicality so there sure not going to try to keep a 10 year old car on the road. Heck the way technology works id bet just to impress there buying the newest version every two years. Whos going to buy an electric car used for any kind of money that has even a 300 mile range when a new one has twice that. Now we charge them. Make us all drive them and can you imagine the waiting line at the holiday station!!! Do you not understand that once its forced on us and the goverment and utilitys have us trapped the cost of these cars and charging them is going through the roof!! Like ive said its just all part of the socialist agenda. Keep you at home poor and reliant on the goverment. Sad thing is some are just to stupid to not see past there hippy rose colored glasses. Put down the joint, clear your mind and actually think about the big picture. 

heck if i could afford a 100k tesla id just fly to where im going and rent a car when i got there.

Car and Driver magazine did a test with a Tesla, and a BMW for 1000 miles.  The BMW was gasoline.  They had to drive the speed limits.  The BMW beat the Tesla by 1 hour and 30 minutes.  The BMW did it in about 18.5  hours or so, while the Tesla was about 20 hours.  The Tesla had to stop twice for 45 minute charges.  The BMW about 5 minutes per refuel.  Stops were allowed for bathroom and food breaks.  Not that bad for a 1,000 mile trip.  Sure, maybe stopping overnight would have been better for more rest, but it was doable within a reasonable time.  If you were driving the same trip in the 1950's it would have taken 2 days on 2 lane roads and traffic lights in every town.  Another brand of electric car was also used, but I can't remember which.  It took 28 hours because it couldn't use the Tesla superchargers at 440 volts.

28 hours compared to 18.5? Id say thats more then substantial. Or you could buy a malibu get 35 mpg and do it in the same time as that bmw and pocket the other 60k in the purchase price over either the bmw or tesla to on the same trip and when you get there buy another mailibu for the wife and take your on a cruise to the med and still have money left over!!

If you read it correctly, the Tesla was 20 hours vs another brand of electric car of 28 hours.  Tesla is the only company that built the charging stations all over the country.  Tesla has opened their charging system for other brands if they want to.  However, there is a small fee charged by Tesla if they use Tesla's stations.  Anyway, Tesla is way ahead of others in speed and range and charging times.

Now, the University of Michigan has developed a new type of battery using lithium with sodium instead of cobalt.  This would bring the cost of batteries way down, as you can get sodium out of salt.  Bringing the battery cost down.  Also they developed some way of charging in 5 minutes and holding a charge for like 1,000 miles.  Also this new battery can run a cell phone for about a week with a charge.  Now they have to figure out a way to mass produce this battery.  It will probably take a few years.

I know almost all the older people want to stay with gasoline and diesel.  This is not a liberal vs conservative thing.  It is a younger generation vs older generation thing.  I know a lot of conservatives that wouldn't mind an electric vehicle.  No oil changes, no tune ups, far less maintenance, and can charge overnight at home.  90% of people drive less than 30 miles a day.  This is where electrics shine.  Plug in hybrids can get you the range using a gas engine with the electric for higher speed and longer range.  I predict hybrids will take over the market before all electric vehicles will.  I know Prius was the first hybrid, but larger cars and trucks are coming and are now being offered.   

[Lloyd Smale]

aint that the truth. Had one tell me once that brown eggs come from a chicken and white ones are made in a factory!!

Lloyd, electric cars to liberals, is like steak is to the elite city boy.

They don't see what it takes to make the electricity, just like they don't see anybody killing the cow.

 They live their lives with visual aids, and never get much further.

[Lloyd Smale]

I think were dealing with one of those certain group thats ignoring Bob.

way to mass produce this battery.  It will probably take a few years.

I know almost all the older people want to stay with gasoline and diesel.  This is not a liberal vs conservative thing.  It is a younger generation vs older generation thing.  I know a lot of conservatives that wouldn't mind an electric vehicle.  No oil changes, no tune ups, far less maintenance, and can charge overnight at home.  90% of people drive less than 30 miles a day.  This is where electrics shine.  Plug in hybrids can get you the range using a gas engine with the electric for higher speed and longer range.  I predict hybrids will take over the market before all electric vehicles will.  I know Prius was the first hybrid, but larger cars and trucks are coming and are now being offered.   

No it is  left-wing greenie idealism (and politicians using false environmental fear)  vs real world high costs reality those pushing the bs do not care about as it does not hit their budgets .

This is the side of battery powered anything that the left , especially supposed journalists ignore or bury.

https://www.investmentmonitor.ai/insights/batteries-are-bad-for-the-environment
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/lithium-batteries-environment-impact