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Ford is Throwing $11 Billion at Its Electric Car Problem (theverge.com)
Ford said on Monday it will boost its investment in electric vehicles to $11 billion in the next five years, more than doubling a previous commitment. Company's chairman Bill Ford said the car maker would have 40 hybrid and fully electric vehicles in its range by the same period. It comes as countries around the world put more pressure on car makers to rein in carbon emissions. From a report: It was a dramatic escalation in Ford's crosstown rivalry with General Motors, which has seen its stock prices rise thanks to its commitments to both electrification and autonomy. GM has said it plans to roll out at least 20 new electric cars by 2023, a goal that puts it in a position to bring battery-powered driving to the mainstream. Last week, it unveiled a concept autonomous car without steering wheel or pedals. Meanwhile, the Blue Oval has had a challenging 2017. It remains strongly profitable, but its sale are stagnant, its costs have increased faster than expected, and its margins have failed to meet targets.
Thanks, Tesla ! Without you, those feet-dragger's would have never done this.
Transmission isn't the largest expense that utilities have to pay for. Saying the infrastructure won't support it is just FUD from someone who doesn't work in the industry.
EV's stabilize the grid, because utilities don't need to scale up and down micro generation as demand changes. This saves a significant amount of money in administration and maintenance on the generation side, which comprises the majority of utility spending. Also EVs provide a massive, new source of revenue to utilities without capital investment, because they're now selling resources that were previously underutilized.