G. David Felt

Ford announced today March 24th, 2023, that their all-new Mega-Campus BlueOval City being built in West Tennessee, is taking shape and with it is the next-gen Ford electric truck, code named Project T3, which will go into production there in 2025 as a 2026 model. This R&D and assembly line campus will be capable of producing 500,000 electric pickups per year. Here are the basic numbers Ford released today on this project: Since the start of this mega-campus park, Ford and partners have already invested $20 million plus dollars into the local communities. Bill Ford, executive chair had the following to say about this project: “BlueOval City is the blueprint for Ford’s electric future around the world. We will build revolutionary electric vehicles at an advanced manufacturing site that works in harmony with the planet, aligning business growth and innovation with environmental progress.” BlueOval City is designed to be Ford’s first carbon neutral vehicle manufacturing and battery campus as Ford works to power all Ford plants globally with renewable and carbon-free electricity by 2035. BlueOval-City-construction-b-roll.mp4 Jim Farley, Ford preseident and CEO had the following to say about Project T3: “Project T3 is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to revolutionize America’s truck. We are melding 100 years of Ford truck know-how with world-class electric vehicle, software and aerodynamics talent. It will be a platform for endless innovation and capability.” “PJ O’Rourke once described American pickups as ‘a back porch with an engine attached.’ Well, this new truck is going to be like the Millennium Falcon – with a back porch attached,” he said. “The manufacturing process will be equally breakthrough, with radical simplicity, cost efficiency and quality technology that will make BlueOval City the modern-day equivalent of Henry Ford’s Rouge factory. A factory of the future that people from all over the world will want to tour.” BlueOval City is a key part in Ford's plan to scale to production of 2 million EVs a year by 2026. For those interested in how big it is, check out the construction video of how much steel, cement, etc. they have done and what it is related to for size comparison. BOC_TN_FactoryCut.mp4 With its F-150 Lightning, Ford already has shifted people’s expectations about the capability, driving enjoyment and productivity EV pickups can deliver. Ford’s Project T3 aims to further grow and reinvent the Ford truck franchise. Ford is developing its second-generation EV truck in tandem with the all-new assembly plant, resulting in efficiencies never before possible – such as a 30 percent smaller general assembly footprint than traditional plants while delivering higher production capacity. Meanwhile, Project T3 team members are ensuring they deliver the capability and innovation customers expect from Ford trucks with a fraction of the complexity from previous truck programs. Project T3 is short for “Trust The Truck” – a code name that stuck after the development team made it their rallying cry. The team’s single guiding principle has been to create a truck people can trust in the digital age – one that’s fully updatable, constantly improving, and supports towing, hauling, exportable power and endless new innovations owners will want. The assembly plant will use carbon-free electricity from the day it opens. For the first time in 120 years, Ford also is using recovered energy from the site’s utility infrastructure and geothermal system to provide carbon-free heat for the assembly plant – saving about 300 million cubic feet of natural gas typically needed each year to heat similarly sized vehicle assembly plants. The 3,600-acre campus also has a fully integrated BlueOval SK battery manufacturing site. On-site, the team will build battery cells and arrays and assemble battery packs that will be delivered just across the site into the assembly plant, in less than 30 minutes. In addition, BlueOval City is developing an on-site supplier park and will have an upfit center capable of adding in dozens of Ford trucks’ most popular features – including robotically installed spray-in bedliners and integrated tool boxes before the pickups are released to dealers and customers. To help reduce traffic congestion and emissions, the campus also has an on-site Lowe’s store supplying building materials, two construction equipment rental companies and three concrete batch plants. Ford is introducing BlueOval Learning to empower future workers to build an EV future in America. This talent development program will strengthen skills, provide teacher support and increase work-based learning experiences. Key elements include: Building STEM curricula: Ford will support K-12 schools and universities to expand existing STEM-related curricula and infrastructure Bringing advanced manufacturing to local schools: Ford will provide mechatronics training equipment and program development in Haywood, Tipton and Lauderdale counties Kick-starting careers in high school: Ford will help to expand certifications and dual-enrollment opportunities for students Experiential learning: Ford will partner with colleges and universities to develop work-based learning such as co-ops and internships Premier training in advanced technologies: Ford will collaborate with higher education institutions to provide training on advanced manufacturing, EVs and battery manufacturing BlueOval City TCAT: This state-of-the-art training center, a $40 million investment by the State of Tennessee and created with the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology, will be a hub for education resources and best-in-class training programs For more about employment at BlueOval City, visit https://corporate.ford.com/operations/blue-oval-city/tennessee.html. Here is Fords 1hr long announcement about BlueOral City. View full article

This cracked me up, theives stole thousands of dollars in game consoles and then tried to use a stolen Tesla X that needed to be charged. Let's just say they did not get away. https://v19-webapp-prime.us.tiktok.com/video/tos/useast5/tos-useast5-ve-0068c002-tx/ecdaccb6ad5d4b0ea1d9573e586651a3/?a=1988&ch=0&cr=0&dr=0&lr=tiktok_m&cd=0|0|1|0&cv=1&br=1828&bt=914&cs=0&ds=3&ft=_rKBMBnZq8Zmofn~Jc_vjnG8sAhLrus&mime_type=video_mp4&qs=0&rc=aDY0N2ZpNzhlODxkOWZpZ0BpM21xdTg6ZnRpajMzZzczNEAwYzQzNTItXjYxM2NiXjI2YSNuajFmcjRvLzVgLS1kMS9zcw%3D%3D&expire=1679704615&l=202303241836279D0885164E4E7728657C&ply_type=2&policy=2&signature=8d056fe5e985fa96186e94241aa61a44&tk=tt_chain_token

Excited that 800V wireless BMS is happening and even more excited that they are working on a Wireless Charging Controller. This is a true game changer for for EVs as this will truly make society so much happier when all they have to do is drive onto a matt that can wirelessly charge their auto. I am honestly surprised that Tesla has not thought of this or made it happen.

Agree 100% along with the first few Banshee EVs will also be collector cars in comparison to the mass produced lower level Chargers/Challengers/Daytona's.

How do you NOT see the double standard you just posted? The Last call series is limited production, 3000 for the U.S. and 300 for Canada is very limited production with an engine that you CANNOT get in any other vehicle that we know of. Yes the engine will be sold as a crate solution for those that want it in their own project auto. These will sell and appreciate like any other collector cars. You are right that all the average Chargers/Challengers with the base Hemi V8 or V6 will not appreciate, but that does not mean that to some folks that grew up with them they will not love to have one down the road and who knows, as e-crate solutions take off, more will be converted to EV.

I know have to say that the EQ series is truly ugly in person. No style or personality.

@smk4565 Your now sounding more and more like a Tesla Fan Boy as well as a Mercedes Fan Boy. No fault, you like what you like and that is fine. Please understand, EVERY DOG HAS ITS DAY!!! As such, Tesla started the true major move to EVs, I will not take that away. GM pissed the leadership away and I think most would agree with that assessment, but that does not mean they are out. Ford is playing catchup as are most companies and then you have Toyota, the darling of the last 3 decades pissing everything on Hydrogen even in racing. Toyota days as king are also limited. Yes if we look at stock price we see Tesla is more valuable than GM. Yet, a better picture is what true long term investors look at and that is the Financials. Yes net profits are double at Tesla for the last two years, but then you have consistency from GM on Net Profits and let's look at two very important items. Diluted Average Shares and Normalized EBITDA. Comparing the two companies, long term, GM is a far better run company than Tesla, Half the number of shares on the market with double the normalized EBITDA. Yes, you could say that GM has lots of red negative numbers, but then GM has lots of intellectual property and as such to control paying taxes, they are better at moving around the accounting game to minimize profit taxes than Tesla it would seem. Both companies have potential and positive as well as negative points. Tesla is King right now, but as @surreal1272 pointed out, last year alone, Tesla lost 15.4% market share in the U.S. alone and that number will continue to drop as competitors battery plants and production lines come online to build products to compete with Tesla. Analyst has already stated that Tesla could drop to around 50% market share by the end of this year. Back on topic Back on topic Back on Topic In regard to the Demon 170 and the death of the Hemi V8. This comes after the Stellantis division, AKA Dodge, Ram, Jeep, Chrysler had to pay $300 Million last year for emissions cheating on their V8 Engines and Diesel. Stellantis Unit to Pay $300 Million After Pleading Guilty in Emissions-Fraud Case - WSJ Stellantis Parent Company decided NO MORE EMISSIONS Credit purchases to support V8, So America will get smaller engines in the short term as they ramp up EVs. As we all seem to be in agreement on is that the Demon 170 name is understandable but lacking in what they could have done and I agree with @oldshurst442 that the Black Ghost or hell even Leprechaun Demon would have been better than Demon 170! So many ways I think they could have done this final last call.

That movie did two things very well, pointed out a ton of unanswered questions and opened the gates of hell to Conspiracy theorist who have gone off the deep end on what really happened. Agree, a very well-done documentary on a mystery that I question will ever be solved in our lifetime. Much like the crazy Bermuda Triangle plane/ship disappearances.

Not betting against Tesla, just stating they are not as great a company as you and the Tesla Rabid Fan followers make it out to be. I believe the other OEMs are going to catch up and Tesla will be a hurting company. Already, sales have slowed down and their only way to keep momentum is to cut prices on a long in the tooth style from a political polarizing CEO. A man who has forgotten he works for the shareholders not himself. Right Now Kia and Hyundai are building better EVs according to the media than Tesla and buyers are listening. His political push of his world is also turning off people who do not want to be associated with Tesla CEO and as such are dumping their Tesla and going Mach-e, EV6, Ioniq 6 and now we have solid reviews on Genesis GV60 EV. Tesla's Days as king are numbered and you hit all the correct points about what Tesla is facing on top of the sexual harassment lawsuits against Musk and the Company. The HR department and Legal have their hands full. The next 24 months could really make a difference for Tesla.

Not the same color, but they did add a Green Mist color to the 2023 Escalade ESV-V edition. LOL, @Robert Hall @oldshurst442 WOW, talk about it and GM has now updated their Cadillac web site for 2024 models and we have green colors, not the same as the CT-5 V edition, but here is the Emerald Lake Metallic on the Lyriq with their Slate Interior.

If they were so efficient, they would not have so much manual labor installing stuff or have tents in their fremont parking lot to build the Tesla 3. Yes they have a couple Mega presses, but that is on the Tesla Y and they still have not improved assembly of the S, X, 3 or Y. There is a reason their fit n finish suck. No Tesla will not be able to do a 50K RWD truck without loss or an AWD truck @ $60K without a loss. Musk knows this and already they have downsized the truck and have stated they will start with top end AWD trucks, $100,000 plus first. They are still a solid year away from full production if they are on track to start production at the end of this year. If they still have these 1.5 million reservations, it will take years to produce and get caught up. MUSK LIES, LIES LIES, he will not produce cheap trucks, he has too many other projects that he needs money for and as proven with the canceled $35K Tesla 3 that almost never happened except for a few he had to build due to lawsuits, I doubt we will see what you are talking about.

Today's electric vehicles (EV) all have battery management systems, these systems are either the old 400V system such as Mercedes-Benz uses or new 800V systems that General Motor and Hyundai / Kia uses. Depending on the size of the EV such as a subcompact where you have 66lbs of wiring from the battery pack to the controllers or a full-size EV where you can have 198lbs of wiring or more, wiring is an area that contributes mass to the overall weight of the EV. LG Innoteck has announced their latest management system, a wireless battery management system (BMS). Why is this such a big deal some would ask. LG Innotek BMS Advantages Industry First 800V wireless battery management system (BMS) BMS combines the essential components for wireless communication into one module that is compatible with all communication chips. LG BMS implements an advanced inspection system for checking the communication performance, enhancing the convenience of its customers. Lets start this off with a definition of BMS or Battery Management System: BMS is an essential component for electric vehicles that monitors the voltage, current, temperature, etc. of a battery in real time to optimize the performance and life span of the battery. When the BMS receives data from a battery cell, the electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle controls the power input/output according to the state of the battery cell. Most of the electric vehicles produced up to now have wired BMS’s on them. Multiple BMS’s are connected via copper cables (wire harness) inside a battery pack. Because of this, the cables and connectors occupy a significant portion of the battery pack's volume and weight. The key advantage of this wireless BMS system is the reduction of weight which is estimated to be as little as 66lbs of wiring in a subcompact EV to 198lbs in a full size EV. Everyone has complained about the bloat of EVs weight. This is the first solution that helps to reduce EV weight. LG Innotek developed this wireless BMS solution using Radio Frequency (RF) communication modules. Some would say big deal as we already have wireless stuff. Others will be excited to learn that once you remove all that copper wiring, you gain space throughout the EV. Bigger yet is that the space you gain 10-15% increases the battery pack size and or gives additional space for added flexibility of battery pack design, battery pack structure and more. OEM adoption of a wireless BMS enhances the reliability of the EV still further. Cable or connector failure due to vehicle vibration is completely removed. This further increases reliability due to the assembly of battery packs can be totally automated by the reduction of battery cable connections allowing for further cost reductions in building EVs. Charging duration decreases as the voltage increases, all Auto OEM's have stated they will move too or are going to build on an 800V system for their EVs and thus they now have two options, the original wired BMS that LG has been building since 2020 or the new wireless BMS system starting today in 2023. Originally BMS systems were made up of multiple PCB boards of individual components, requiring more assembly and testing time for a finished BMS product. LG Innotek applied their decades of wireless knowledge in other products, especially RF communication to build a high-precision, high-density, multi-layer board. The RF communication module is composed of a four-layer board with dozens of wireless communication components, densely integrated into a single board. LG Innotek designed a global RF communication module to work with their BMS module so it is compatible with all types of communication chips, allowing ease of integration by all Auto OEMs. LG Innotek has established a simulation, virtual inspection system to ensure inspection of the wireless BMS modules pass all required inspections for OEMs. Mass production of the Wireless BMS is estimated to start early 2024. Current prototype evaluation by Auto OEMs is ongoing now to allow testing of the system for roll out into production EVs at the same time the wireless BMS system goes into mass production. LG Innotek has also stated that the Wireless BMS system will be used as a base starting point for an 800V EVCC or Electric Vehicle Charge Controller which is expected to be available soon after production of the BMS system. BMS and EVCSS market needs are expected to grow to significantly by 2030. View full article

Interesting story, do you agree or disagree with the info. Top Cars by Generation: Toyota, Ford, Honda, and More (businessinsider.com) Based on vehicle registration and the age of the person registering the auto. Gen Z (18 to 24 years old): Toyota Camry Younger millennials (25 to 34 years old): Toyota RAV4 Older millennials and Gen X (35 to 44 years old): Chevrolet Silverado Gen X (45 to 54 years old): Chevrolet Silverado Younger boomers (55 to 64 years old): Ford F-Series Boomers (65 to 74 years old): Toyota RAV4 Pre-boomers (75 years old and up): Chevrolet Equinox

I really hope that Corvette does an EV SUV. Yes the below video is for an ICE version, but an EV version I would be all for.

I find this very sad that we still have not learned how to properly protect our kids in the 21st century. I just saw on the news that there was another school shooting in Colorado and so the state police are putting officers at each school today after the shooting yesterday. Answer from some of the local politicians is we need guns in the schools for teachers to protect the kids. WRONG answer, that crap just pisses me off. Interesting facts is that these conservative states that says liberals are taking away their 2nd amendment right to own guns happen to be the worst for gun violence. It boggles my mind that a persons response to a shooting to to have more guns. Gun Violence by State 2023 (worldpopulationreview.com) US Gun Violence Soars in 2022 (voanews.com) The whole reason I bring this up is NOT to have a political conversation but a open honest one on how to be safe. This week the police here in Washington is searching for a road rage driver in an Audi who got pissed off obviously as they passed a slower moving vehicle and shot at the other auto killing the drivers young daughter. Road Rage is a big concern, I remember in the past that I would never have a problem when an idiot driver cut me off and I would flip them the bird. But now, we have to be careful about everything we do as you never know if a person will pull a gun and shot you. I am concerned for everyone as I see examples of Road Rage more and more as I go out on drives. Road Rage Statistics and Facts in 2022 | Bankrate Road rage risk factors What circumstances make road rage more likely? While incidents can happen anywhere at any time, there are certain factors that increase risk: Age: Studies show that younger drivers aged 19 and below are more than four times more likely to be involved in an aggressive driving crash than their older counterparts. Month and day: Road rage incidents tend to be more likely in the summer months of July, August, September and even into October. They are also more likely towards the end of the week, based on the Auto Insurance Center’s analysis of Instagram posts using the #roadrage hashtag. Time of day: The same social media study found that the use of the hashtag #roadrage was much higher between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., coinciding with peak commute hours. Type of car: Drivers with convertible tops up honked longer, sooner, and more often than those with their convertible tops down, according to the NHTSA. Road rage shootings are increasing. There were more than 500 last year, report finds. (msn.com) End result, stay safe, take a deep breath and let the offenders just go. If you feel it should be reported, then call 911 and give them a description of what happened and the auto description. Thinking of you all.

Totally agree and as I posted in my response to him above, Musk at the investors day meeting said they would be focusing on the top end Cybertruck first, a truck that is 6 figures. So they will not if ever have a common persons truck like Ford, GM or Ram.

I have and would love that Metallic Green on an Escalade. It is deep, rich and just beautiful. Great Green color, I am surprised that Cadillac does not offer it on the LYRIQ.

Robert you talking about this OEM color that they had on the 2020 CT5-V?

@oldshurst442 @Robert Hall @ccap41 @surreal1272 @Drew Dowdell @trinacriabob @riviera74 Check out what the Hellcat can do on the German Autobahn.

This is from the producers who created Crazy Rich Asian. Had me cracking up, looking forward to watching this movie this summer.

Based on local news, it would seem they had knowledge of the dealership's security system. Speeds were exceeding 180 mph. Thieves steal 6 cars from Somerset dealership, 1 arrested | whas11.com This has been going on for years as this was from 2021. Seems these theives have figured out a black box that allows them to not have the keys and start and steal the cars. Will be interesting to see if they do use the inline 6 motor and build at another plant as the core plant that builds all the Chargers/Challengers, all models is closing down for conversion to EVs.

Too True, So many Hellcats stolen in less than 60 seconds. Latest robbery of 6 from a dealership that had it happen with the last order of Hellcats they had too. Dealership been hit twice with having them all ripped off.

@oldshurst442 @Robert Hall As I sit here working, I started to laugh as the image in my mind formed of a bible thumping individual arriving at Sunday church in their Demon 170, Swinger, Black Ghost, etc. One can only imagine what would be going through the heads of the people. ? Be interesting to see the final details over the last year of Camaro and what Ford does with the Mustang.