Support the fact-based journalism you rely on with a donation to Marketplace today. Give Now!

Ford on EVs: Think of us as a startup

Mar 23, 2023
The company expects to lose another $3 billion this year in its transition from internal combustion cars to electric.
Ford expects its EV business to start turning a profit by 2026. Above, an electric F-150 charges.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

EVs are far from standardized. For mechanics, that's an issue.

Mar 23, 2023
When your EV is no longer under warranty, who fixes it?
EVs are getting more and more commonplace on the road, so they'll also be more and more common at your local garage.
Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images

SUVs are major sources of greenhouse gasses, but the world's drivers keep buying them

Mar 1, 2023
An International Energy Association report found that SUVs emitted almost 1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide last year, more than some countries. The cars now represent 46% of the global auto market.
While car sales overall dropped last year, sales of SUVs actually grew. They’re now 46% of the global auto market.
Mike Pellinni/Getty Images

Why Tesla is opening its charging network to other EVs

Feb 15, 2023
Federal subsidies, part of the White House's electric vehicle push, aren't the only way Tesla stands to make money on the expansion.
The White House is providing subsidies to Tesla to charge other makers' vehicles, potentially generating multiple income streams for the carmaker.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Without the range and the rumble, Harley-Davidson finds e-motorcycles a hard sell

Feb 3, 2023
The company's global shipments were up 18% in the fourth quarter. But revenue at LiveWire, its electric motorcycle business, was down 28%.
True Harley lovers find the LiveWire too quiet. "They want it to make that noise when they’re coming down the road,” says Casey Harrold, marketing manager at the Tobacco Road Harley-Davidson dealership in Raleigh, North Carolina.
David McNew/AFP via Getty Images

Steadily (and quietly), more electric school buses are getting on the road

Jan 20, 2023
The vehicles have struggled to gain traction, but school districts are being swayed by new funding options, as well as environmental and health concerns.
A Beverly Public Schools electric school bus charges in the parking lot. The district will get three more electric buses in spring.
Robin Lubbock/WBUR

Sales of fully electric vehicles nearly doubled in 2022. Which carmakers came out on top?

Jan 6, 2023
EVs account for about 5% of car purchases, according to automotive website Edmunds. Rivals to Tesla are making inroads.
Tesla still holds an estimated 60% of the EV market, but its share has been declining.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

How one company is energizing the growing EV charging industry

Jan 3, 2023
Charge Enterprises execs say EV charging infrastructure will require a multidecade, trillion-dollar investment to fully replace gasoline and diesel.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

New rule for electric car tax incentive delayed

Dec 20, 2022
The rule requires a percentage of battery components to be sourced in the U.S. or countries that have free-trade agreements with the U.S.
Electric vehicle tax credits are currently only available to people who buy cars assembled in the U.S. Above, EVs being produced in Michigan.
Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images

As EV sales accelerate, battery makers face a new shortage of a crucial mineral: graphite

Nov 3, 2022
The stuff in pencils accounts for more than half of the mineral demand in a lithium cell battery. Most graphite is imported from China.
Ford reports that it's seen an uptick in demand for EVs, but manufacturers are facing a shortage of graphite. Above, a logo on Ford's electric F-150 Lightning truck.
Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images