CAFE Standard is History - Will the PowerBoost be cancelled

[FirstTimeFord]

What delays?
Why be resistant to data? Facts are facts, right?

FWIW, a little understood economic factoid: if petroleum supply exceeds demand by a certain threshold, the oil companies stop drilling because the ROI on each marginal barrel is net negative. It’s a result of the economics of (increasingly expensive) drilling. So “drill baby drill” may turn out to backfire pretty dramatically.

I strongly agree with you that consumers should have the choice.

as for auto stop/stsrt, Nearly every ICE-only vehicle I’ve rented lately has a dashboard switch to turn ASS on or off.

Facts... "The truth depends on, and is only arrived at by, interpretation of the facts." G.K. Chesterton

O&G... $/bbl has gone from negative to over $100 in less than two years. That’s the market doing its thing. Pump too much, prices tank, ROI goes red, rigs get stacked, supply tightens, prices climb again. Rinse and repeat! ROI is the factor that keeps everything in check. When returns turn negative, capital walks away. In reality, tech keeps pushing the cost curve down, so oil and gas will stay economically recoverable for decades to come. Grew up in TX, I've seen real-time how the "economics" work. The 80's were a blast for the kids, but hard times for folks in the patch. Plenty folded; it was rough. The good news, we haven't had to implement odd/even license plate availability for gasoline lines since. Perhaps, as long as we're sending F-35s into the Middle East, OPEC will play nice

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[js312]

I would also love to see a 2.7 PowerBoost that focuses a little more on fuel economy. Seeing 26+ MPG regularly would be awesome.

They would need to do it in a way that keeps the payload number reasonable, though. The extra weight drops it a lot on the PowerBoosts and the 2.7s are already pretty low in that area.

 

[Gros Ventre]

That 7 kW generator feature will make it saleable for a long time to come...

 

[SomebodyInGNV]

I think it is very short sighted, to think that this change is permanent ...

The only thing that makes a law "permanent" is the absense of a specific expiration date. Any law (including supposedly permanent tax cuts) can change at any time, if Congress has the will to do it. (That includes having the votes to invoke cloture and override a veto, if necessary.)

 

[Todd Haag]

Knock on wood, but my 2023, 3.5 Liter, twin turbo, Power Boost is the best truck I’ve ever owned. Great gas mileage, tons of power, and outstanding ride, comfort and handling. I’m only shocked that Ford has not promoted this vehicle more than they have.

 

[XLT22]

I work in the industry. Business as usual as far as we're concerned. The US doesn't exist in a vacuum and harmonization of vehicle standards (of all types) continues at a slow pace. Electrification is the future and every single automaker knows that. Some have taken steps to integrate new vendors and supply chains and others have been slow at it.

My take is the current grandstanding is part political posturing and part stalling for time. Once the Chinese trade deal is sorted American companies can quietly go back to sourcing their batteries from there. The US factories are less economical without a true national support structure from the federal government.

In the case of US laws, we're bound to follow them even if there's a lack of enforcement. The current administration can in reality do very little to change vehicle standards in a short amount of time. The Legislative branch has shown zero desire to take this up.

 

[XLT22]

It would require an act of Congress. So while it is possible, it will be difficult.

EPCA and EISA are already laws passed by Congress. NHSTA turning the dial on the Standards and enforcement doesn't change that. Realistically this can all be turned back on in January 2027 with simple Congressional oversight.

 

[XLT22]

US auto sales YTD are about 9.5% EV, and about 13% hybrid. For F150s, Lightning sales are about 3% and Powerboost about 8%. I'd say hybrid is here to stay. That being said, Stop/Start should be removed entirely from all ICE engines IMO. A terrible idea from the START, FULL STOP!

It's never been a requirement. It's an easy way to get credits through the validation process though so that's why it's done.

 

[JCsTruck]

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act eliminated civil penalties associated with CAFE standards which are essentially set to $0 now. The 50 mpg CAFE standard that auto manufacturers had to comply with by 2031 was just not achievable with current ICE infrastructure and would have caused prices on automobiles to go up a lot with $17 per .1 mpg shortfall per a vehicle. Even with a hybrid powertrain 50 mpg is a pipe dream for all but the smallest lightest vehicles. Your choice would be a Toyota Prius or expensive electric vehicle with 250-300 mile range. The F-150 as you know it now would be a much different truck.

 

[XLT22]

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act eliminated civil penalties associated with CAFE standards which are essentially set to $0 now. The 50 mpg CAFE standard that auto manufacturers had to comply with by 2031 was just not achievable with current ICE infrastructure and would have caused prices on automobiles to go up a lot with $17 per .1 mpg shortfall per a vehicle. Even with a hybrid powertrain 50 mpg is a pipe dream for all but the smallest lightest vehicles. Your choice would be a Toyota Prius or expensive electric vehicle with 250-300 mile range. The F-150 as you know it now would be a much different truck.

Eh it's more nuanced than that. The lack of penalty doesn't mean you can ignore the statute.

The way MPG is calculated gets convoluted with the introduction of MPGe and the many credits available. My employer and even Ford themselves have already charted this path in other countries with their distinctly strict emissions laws. PHEVs are the answer to essentially "game" the test. A 50km or 30 mile-ish PHEV range is all that's really needed in a broad sense. Whether the end customer actually charges the battery is kind of a joke though. A lot don't.

Personally I'd be in favor of getting rid of CAFE entirely but it's the devil we know. People get CAFE and "emissions" confused all the time. The legal pathway to reducing actual emissions standards is not a third rail this or any administration would be willing to touch outside of an emergency. We must continue to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases and particulates vehicles produce. It's quite literally killing us with as much time as we spend behind the wheel. Further tightening emissions standards (as will happen no matter what the recent press releases say) will have the knock-on effect of producing more efficient vehicles anyhow.

 

[JCsTruck]

Greenhouse gas emissions? What is this greenhouse gas emission produced by the automobile?

 

[FirstTimeFord]

I work in the industry. Business as usual as far as we're concerned. The US doesn't exist in a vacuum and harmonization of vehicle standards (of all types) continues at a slow pace. Electrification is the future and every single automaker knows that. Some have taken steps to integrate new vendors and supply chains and others have been slow at it.

My take is the current grandstanding is part political posturing and part stalling for time. Once the Chinese trade deal is sorted American companies can quietly go back to sourcing their batteries from there. The US factories are less economical without a true national support structure from the federal government.

In the case of US laws, we're bound to follow them even if there's a lack of enforcement. The current administration can in reality do very little to change vehicle standards in a short amount of time. The Legislative branch has shown zero desire to take this up.

How do you see FSD impacting companies like Ford, which, like most, are light years behind what Tesla has already achieved? Resist or not, within 5 years, there will be much more adoption. I don't see how a company like Ford competes on an EV level without FSD. Licensing from Tesla?

 

[XLT22]

Greenhouse gas emissions? What is this greenhouse gas emission produced by the automobile?

You didn't know? The government is trying to stop us from piping our Ecoboost exhaust into greenhouses to grow our own food. The less gases they emit, they more food we'll have to buy with our digital ID and currency.

 

[XLT22]

How do you see FSD impacting companies like Ford, which, like most, are light years behind what Tesla has already achieved? Resist or not, within 5 years, there will be much more adoption. I don't see how a company like Ford competes on an EV level without FSD. Licensing from Tesla?

Not my area so IDK. Tesla is on their own with ADAS though. Their tolerance for safety is a joke and would never get through legal in a company like Honda or Ford. The Chinese trucks/suvs I've seen on the test track here seem to be the way forward but I could be wrong.

From the data I know customer use of ADAS is polled fairly low across all OEs. A few drivers use lane centering/adaptive cruise a LOT, but most hardly if ever use it. I don't know what would force that to change.

 

[JCsTruck]

You didn't know? The government is trying to stop us from piping our Ecoboost exhaust into greenhouses to grow our own food. The less gases they emit, they more food we'll have to buy with our digital ID and currency.

The automobile emits CO2 and plants need CO2 and sunlight to grow so you’re right!

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