‘Maybe there’s more here than we thought’

Bob Holycross has a big job: As Ford’s vice president and chief sustainability, environment, and safety officer, he’s responsible for finding ways to help consumers understand the durability and long-term savings of driving alternative fuel vehicles.

His main justification? Soccer games.

“I’m a big Michigan State football fan, I go to the tailgates. I’m pulling up with that car (a 2024 F-150 electric pickup truck), and I hear everybody else starting their gas generators to power their TVs and everything else. Everything’s going on at our site and there’s not a single sound coming from anything. People are like, ‘Where’s the power coming from?’ And you follow the rope back to the car.”

In an exclusive interview with The Cool Down, Holycross (now the cutest guy at the tailgate party) told us that despite the recent windfall in EV sales, Ford is longing for electric vehicles, saying, “More and more customers they are coming.” (Ford has just been announced (it would release its next-generation F-150 EV in 2027 instead of 2025 and aim to add hybrid versions to its entire model lineup by the end of the decade.)

Good news for Ford: The company reported an 86% first-quarter increase in EV sales, and hybrids are up 42% year-over-year, according to the Detroit News. information. The downside is that Ford says it expects to lose at least $5 billion on its EV lineup in 2024, even after cutting $12 billion in planned investments, although the remaining investment will still lay the foundation for future business.

How do automakers transition responsibly to an electric future? According to Holycross, first of all: “We have to meet our customers where they are, when they are ready.”

We spoke with Holycross about how Ford is encouraging consumers to opt for new electric powertrain solutions and move away from gas-only vehicles, and how the commercial and academic teams are helping the company pave the way for EV adoption because of their mass on– the benefits of work.

👀 EV adoption: “The overall view is about growth”

“If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that customers will dictate the speed of adoption of the overall power supply,” Holycross told TCD. “While we have seen a bit of volatility in the adoption rate, the overall trend is towards growth. We will sell more electric cars this year than we did last year. The pace shows that more customers are coming. .”

“As we get further into the market,” Holycross continued, “some of their needs and some of their challenges will play out differently when it comes to pricing and payment — that’s what we’ll see as we move from these early adopters to what we call the ‘early crowd.’

🚗 Hybrid is “bridge technology”

While Ford has Reduce on the production of some of its EVs, they see an increase in the adoption of hybrid vehicles. “Hybrid electricity is something that people are realizing can be a bridge technology,” Holycross said. “It’s not just about clean electricity, but it’s about hybrid electric vehicles and what we call hybrid hybrid vehicles that can provide different solutions for customers who have different needs.

“Ford has the best-selling hybrid in its segment today … we were the first hybrid SUV, the first automaker to have a hybrid SUV in the United States, our Escape Hybrid … These are cars that belong to regular customers.

“So we’re doubling down to make sure the offerings we have today deliver all that performance and we’re not going to give up any of the leadership we have in hybrid vehicles as we continue to look at different use cases for customers, both on the retail side and on the fleet side.”

🚨 EVs with sirens

From governments to police, small business owners, plumbers, electricians, and delivery services, Ford’s business customers are switching to electric vehicles. Holycross explained that it saves them money, while also reducing pollution from vehicles that are constantly idling.

“When you think about operating costs versus other fuel sources, especially for vessels that have specified routes, these vehicles provide significant cost savings and benefits,” he said, adding that these vehicles also offer “reduced maintenance. Maximum uptime ( the time the charging station is available for use), and … lower operating costs over the life of the vehicle.”

And if a police officer can drive an electric car, why can’t you?

“When they see the use case through Ford Pro fleet customers, (suddenly they think,) ‘Hey, maybe there’s more here than we might think,'” Holycross told us. “(Commercial use) also (helps) in ways to alleviate some of the concerns that some retail customers have about electrification. ‘Is the battery big enough? What about variety? What about charging solutions? ”

Ford Pro customers are good test cases about reliability. “They’ve come to expect and rely on the same durability, performance, and service that our internal combustion engine vehicles provide, and they don’t want to compromise.”

🏈 Another place where Lightning strikes — beyond the back door

Finally 47 years and counting, Ford’s F-Series (including F-150 variants) has become America’s best-selling pickup truck. Holycross was quick to tell us about some of the latest high-tech features of its electric offering.

“I can start it with my phone (using the FordPass app). I can also program it when I want to charge it,” he said. “Now we have these programs so you can join your organization to get benefits on your bill because of off-peak charging. It’s all made possible by the ability of the car software to communicate.”

The battery’s long-range storage package also allows customers to use it as a generator without starting the truck – powering people’s homes during an outage or in one case, during a three-hour rock concert.

👖Over 85% of the car is recycled materials (including denim carpeting)

There’s a lot that goes into a car behind the scenes to enhance sustainability, Holycross told us. For example, all of Ford’s equipment aims to use carbon-free electricity by 2035, and the company is integrating more non-petroleum and renewable components into its vehicles. The company even made headlines recently for its plans to use materials from discarded olive waste in future cars.

“The good news is that most of the car – in terms of metal, steel, aluminum – is more than 85% recyclable,” he said. “We’ve taken things like blue jeans, soda cans and other items and turned them into car parts. Blue jeans go on the carpet with some interior accessories. In some cases, it can be seat material.”

💚 How to overcome doubters

“I think the way we’re going to beat them is to just continue to have the car as an expression, but let those customers speak for it as well,” Holycross told us.

“It is our responsibility to ensure that we communicate as clearly as we can with potential customers about the benefits of these cars. There are aspects of these cars that customers should be comfortable with, in terms of affordability and availability of these cars.” charge … most are associated with charge and range.”

“As we reduce those costs and go to more advanced chemistries in our batteries, that will help with the affordability part of it. And as we expand the charging network and get policies aligned and help consumers with incentives … it’s really a great combination of things.” coming together that can be a multi-pronged solution.”

“What makes me happy is that we have people within the company who will seek us out and say, ‘Hey, I want to be on this journey,'” he said. “The good news is that you don’t have to work in the sustainability department or the security department. You can make an impact anywhere in the company. Innovation comes from all parts of our company that continues to inspire us every day. .”

🚓 So, we’re back to electrifying police cars… will we see the Victoria’s Electric Crown?

“That’s interesting,” Holycross laughed. “We’ve got all kinds of cars in the stable that we’ve had in the past and famous nameplates – I haven’t thought of that before – I’ll have to get back to you on that.”

Sue Callaway is the CEO and Founder of Glovebox media and Senior Advisor to The Cool Down.

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