William Simpson
There has been a notable change at the Ford F-150 factory in Dearborn, Michigan. Production manager Cortni Reeves said that on any given day, one in seven trucks is a hybrid.
“Every 53 seconds,” she said, “a truck rolls off this assembly line.”
A year ago, just one in 10 trucks produced was a hybrid, marking a 30% increase in hybrid production and showing that hybrids are what consumers demand.
It’s a sharp turnaround for electric vehicles. A recent AAA Research indicates a decline in American interest in purchasing electric vehicles, with just 18% of U.S. adults likely to purchase an EV, down from 23% last year.
On the other hand, the research revealed interest in hybrids is growing, with 31% of consumers expressing likelihood of purchasing one. The main concerns deterring potential electric vehicle buyers are high costs, limited charging infrastructure and range concerns.
Meanwhile, hybrids, which run on both batteries and gasoline, saw sales increase 53% in 2023, to a record. Hybrids now account for 9% of new car sales, compared with about 7% for electric vehicles, according to MotorTrend, an American auto magazine, and the Department of Energy.
“There’s really no compromise for the hybrid customer,” said Andrew Frick, president of Ford Blue, which makes the company’s gas and hybrid vehicles.
Ford recently set a new record for monthly hybrid sales and plans to quadruple production over the next five years. Frick said the company wants to meet customer demand and can do so by finding a “balanced approach to gas, hybrid and electric vehicles.”
Biden administration regulations are putting pressure on automakers to quickly electrify their vehicles, as transportation is the main source of planet-warming emissions in the US. Over its useful life, an EV produces 50% less CO2 than a gas-powered vehicle, while a hybrid reduces it by 25%, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Decarbonizing the American car fleet would take longer if consumers chose hybrids over EVs.
But even though EV sales are declining, Eric Tingwall, director of testing at MotorTrend, says EV sales are still happening, but they are “growing much more slowly than they were a year or two ago.”
Tingwall believes hybrids could be the bridge to an electric future for mainstream buyers.
“The near-term future is hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrids, electric vehicles and also some gas vehicles,” Tingwall said.
Ben Tracy
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