Ford CEO Struggles to Charge EV on Road Trip

Biden’s Push for Electric⁣ Vehicles Faces Charging Challenges

Ford CEO Jim ⁣Farley recently experienced a ⁣”reality check” while attempting ⁣to ⁣charge his electric truck during a road trip across the American West. This admission comes as President Joe Biden invests billions​ of dollars to encourage ​the adoption of electric vehicles.

Farley embarked on the trip in Ford’s new electric F-150 Lightning last week to⁤ witness the EV transition in action. Starting ​in Silicon Valley, he made stops in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Farley documented much of the trip on social media, sharing his late-night charging ‌sessions and the challenges⁣ of‍ obtaining enough⁤ power for long distances.

“Charging has been pretty challenging,” Farley said. At one stop, it took him⁢ 40⁣ minutes‍ to charge his truck’s battery to just 40 percent. “It was a really good reality check—the challenges of what⁣ our customers go through.”

A lack of reliable charging stations is a common‌ concern for⁤ electric⁤ vehicle ⁣drivers.​ However, this concern hasn’t deterred the Biden administration from proposing rules that‍ would effectively require automakers ⁢to ⁢ensure‍ two-thirds of ⁢the vehicles they sell are electric by 2032. President Joe Biden ‍is also utilizing the Inflation Reduction Act to invest billions of dollars in⁤ encouraging American consumers ‌to adopt electric vehicles.

Farley’s social media posts shed light on the hurdles associated with ⁤driving⁤ electric‌ vehicles over long ​distances. In ‌one post, Farley asked his⁤ followers to share their experiences with charging on the road. One user responded, “I too charged and traveled Houston to Phoenix 1100 miles. Not the greatest, many slow, many broken,” referring to ⁢the charging stations encountered on​ the ⁢journey. Farley acknowledged in ⁤other‍ posts⁤ that finding a charging station wasn’t ​always easy, telling one user that he had to ⁣visit multiple stations just to find an available​ one.

Despite the challenges, Farley praised other features of Ford’s new ​F-150 Lightning, such as its front-end trunk, which he called a “frunk,” and the community of​ EV drivers he encountered while waiting at⁤ charging stations. He also showcased the truck’s ability to power non-travel related​ tasks, like​ assisting a disabled individual’s electric scooter and inflating a children’s bounce house.

Earlier this year, the Biden administration unveiled a new rule to limit tailpipe ‌emissions, aiming to ensure ‌that two-thirds of⁤ new vehicles are electric⁣ by 2032. This​ benchmark‍ surpasses Biden’s 2021‌ executive order, which called for half of all vehicles sold by 2030 to be zero-emission. However, convincing ‌drivers to embrace the EV transition has proven challenging, with only 6 percent of vehicles sold last⁣ year being electric.