First Ever Bronco EV is HERE

Foxtrot Bravo

And it's called Blonco

Chairman Xi will be it's first and ONLY owner!

ppayne15

Would be excited, but doesnt look like roof comes off or doors. For me, that is the draw.

Agreed. A hybrid is fine, but need to keep the 'fun' part of the Bronco part of the package.

BostonBadlands

In the USA, an estimated MPG must be posted.
I want to see "Estimated Hours of Child Slave Labor" used to mine the precious Rare-Earth Metals and Minerals used to manufacture the battery. And how many cubic meters were ripped out of the Earth to access those metals and minerals? We're talking China, folks--where natural resources are cheap and human life is even cheaper.

Oh no, not lithium! Quick—better throw out your cell phone, your laptop, your wireless earbuds, your vape pen, your power tools, and your electric razor. You wouldn’t want to benefit from child labor, right?

It’s hilarious how lithium magically becomes a problem only when it's in an electric vehicle. Never mind the fact that you spent your whole life relying on lithium-powered gadgets.

But sure, tell me more about how you're deeply concerned for the children—right after you finish this comment on your lithium-powered device.

If the issue was actually child labor, you'd be calling for ethical sourcing in every industry. But we both know this is just an excuse to bash EVs because they don’t guzzle gas and make loud noises.

EDIT: Wanted to drop Ford's statement on the ethical sourcing of their materials:
https://corporate.ford.com/content/...sponsible_Material_Sourcing_Policy-2023-2.pdf

TechnicalDisaster

Oh no, not lithium! Quick—better throw out your cell phone, your laptop, your wireless earbuds, your vape pen, your power tools, and your electric razor. You wouldn’t want to benefit from child labor, right?

It’s hilarious how lithium magically becomes a problem only when it's in an electric vehicle. Never mind the fact that you spent your whole life relying on lithium-powered gadgets.

But sure, tell me more about how you're deeply concerned for the children—right after you finish this comment on your lithium-powered device.

If the issue was actually child labor, you'd be calling for ethical sourcing in every industry. But we both know this is just an excuse to bash EVs because they don’t guzzle gas and make loud noises.

EDIT: Wanted to drop Ford's statement on the ethical sourcing of their materials:
https://corporate.ford.com/content/...sponsible_Material_Sourcing_Policy-2023-2.pdf

BTW, keeping in mind that ~60-70% of Bronco's never see dirt, and another ~20-25% are only used for very light off-roading (fire roads, sand, etc.). Only ~5-10% are used for frequent off-roading (trails, rocks, mud), and less than ~2% are used for more hard core off-roading. Therefore, the views of folks here, who tend to use their Bronco's off-road, represent a minority of the people who buy Broncos. For the preverbal "pavement princess", EV or Hybrid makes a lot of sense if you live in a place where charging isn't an issue. We are also just a few years away from solid state battery technology which will increase range substantially and reduce charging time to the range of 10-20 minutes.

TechnicalDisaster

Oh no, not lithium! Quick—better throw out your cell phone, your laptop, your wireless earbuds, your vape pen, your power tools, and your electric razor. You wouldn’t want to benefit from child labor, right?

It’s hilarious how lithium magically becomes a problem only when it's in an electric vehicle. Never mind the fact that you spent your whole life relying on lithium-powered gadgets.

But sure, tell me more about how you're deeply concerned for the children—right after you finish this comment on your lithium-powered device.

If the issue was actually child labor, you'd be calling for ethical sourcing in every industry. But we both know this is just an excuse to bash EVs because they don’t guzzle gas and make loud noises.

EDIT: Wanted to drop Ford's statement on the ethical sourcing of their materials:
https://corporate.ford.com/content/...sponsible_Material_Sourcing_Policy-2023-2.pdf

The problem with EVs are they are ugly and expensive, charging and real world range issues.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t listening“ - The Dude

Bronco V-8

The problem with EVs are they are ugly and expensive, charging and real world range issues.

Agree.. And they are a 100% no go for off-roading. Unless someone plans to install fast chargers across the US in National Forests etc...

I suppose you could slap a GAS powered generator / inverter on it, or in it, but.... I assume a generator / inverter would be at a very slow charging speed..

The image below is hilarious.. Why, just why....

My favorite pic.

I don't want an EV for the same reason I don't ride a Harley.I don't want people to think I'm associated with the perceived stereotypical image.
Carbon Capture will change all this anyway.

Where I go in Vermont there are no chargers with in a reasonable distance.

JoergH

For the preverbal "pavement princess", EV or Hybrid makes a lot of sense if you live in a place where charging isn't an issue. We are also just a few years away from solid state battery technology which will increase range substantially and reduce charging time to the range of 10-20 minutes.

Regarding Hybrid (especially) and EV (much less so) suitability for urban and suburban locales, I partially agree with you. There is a small market. But we have to realize that the macro-energy arithmetic involves resource extraction, refining, fabrication, back-up grid energy (fossil fuel plants don't shut down on optimal weather days), installation of transmission lines, disposal of retired solar panels and wind turbines, etc. etc. etc.--"sustainable energy" isn't the cheap, low-enviro-impact economic ecology it purports to be. Turbine blades and solar panels aren't recycled--they're dumped. Someplace out of sight.

Which brings me to the "just a few years away from..." argument. The green energy agenda has been sold on the optimistic premise that the technology will advance and become economically feasible. This hasn't happened, and I, for one, don't believe it ever will. One example is wall panel battery packs that would store the green energy "harvested" by a home during the day for use at night. Never worked. And the prognosis for "solid state battery technology that will increase range substantially" is, according to my reading, more hope than realism. I hope I'm wrong--but the last 25 years of "green energy" "progress" hardly assure me otherwise.

@Bronco V-8, "Carbon Capture" is nothing but a huge boondoggle. We've seen enough grifting in the "green energy" industry. Please, let's not add that! But your meme reminds me of a cynic's take that "EVs simply transfer the emissions from the tailpipe to the smokestack."

Edit for @Bronco V-8: If you're in or near Vermont, be sure to check out https://the-pilgrimage.com/
Three days of carefully rated off-roading in the Northeast Kingdom, first weekend in October! I'll be there--look into it, and if you sign up, we can meet up.

BostonBadlands

Regarding Hybrid (especially) and EV (much less so) suitability for urban and suburban locales, I partially agree with you. There is a small market. But we have to realize that the macro-energy arithmetic involves resource extraction, refining, fabrication, back-up grid energy (fossil fuel plants don't shut down on optimal weather days), installation of transmission lines, disposal of retired solar panels and wind turbines, etc. etc. etc.--"sustainable energy" isn't the cheap, low-enviro-impact economic ecology it purports to be. Turbine blades and solar panels aren't recycled--they're dumped. Someplace out of sight.

Which brings me to the "just a few years away from..." argument. The green energy agenda has been sold on the optimistic premise that the technology will advance and become economically feasible. This hasn't happened, and I, for one, don't believe it ever will. One example is wall panel battery packs that would store the green energy "harvested" by a home during the day for use at night. Never worked. And the prognosis for "solid state battery technology that will increase range substantially" is, according to my reading, more hope than realism. I hope I'm wrong--but the last 25 years of "green energy" "progress" hardly assure me otherwise.

@Bronco V-8, "Carbon Capture" is nothing but a huge boondoggle. We've seen enough grifting in the "green energy" industry. Please, let's not add that! But your meme reminds me of a cynic's take that "EVs simply transfer the emissions from the tailpipe to the smokestack."

There are some companies that are out there that are serious about Carbon Capture,Like a lot of other tech its been given a rubber stamp by a few talking heads and now everyone is parroting what they say. I do my own research.

BostonBadlands

Regarding Hybrid (especially) and EV (much less so) suitability for urban and suburban locales, I partially agree with you. There is a small market. But we have to realize that the macro-energy arithmetic involves resource extraction, refining, fabrication, back-up grid energy (fossil fuel plants don't shut down on optimal weather days), installation of transmission lines, disposal of retired solar panels and wind turbines, etc. etc. etc.--"sustainable energy" isn't the cheap, low-enviro-impact economic ecology it purports to be. Turbine blades and solar panels aren't recycled--they're dumped. Someplace out of sight.

Which brings me to the "just a few years away from..." argument. The green energy agenda has been sold on the optimistic premise that the technology will advance and become economically feasible. This hasn't happened, and I, for one, don't believe it ever will. One example is wall panel battery packs that would store the green energy "harvested" by a home during the day for use at night. Never worked. And the prognosis for "solid state battery technology that will increase range substantially" is, according to my reading, more hope than realism. I hope I'm wrong--but the last 25 years of "green energy" "progress" hardly assure me otherwise.

@Bronco V-8, "Carbon Capture" is nothing but a huge boondoggle. We've seen enough grifting in the "green energy" industry. Please, let's not add that! But your meme reminds me of a cynic's take that "EVs simply transfer the emissions from the tailpipe to the smokestack."

Edit for @Bronco V-8: If you're in or near Vermont, be sure to check out https://the-pilgrimage.com/
Three days of carefully rated off-roading in the Northeast Kingdom, first weekend in October! I'll be there--look into it, and if you sign up, we can meet up.

Great points all around—this is exactly the kind of nuanced discussion we need more of.
You're absolutely right that the green energy transition isn't without its own environmental and logistical challenges. Mining, manufacturing, grid infrastructure, and end-of-life disposal are real issues that deserve more transparency and innovation.

That said, I think it's important to distinguish between the current state of technology and its trajectory. Solid-state batteries, for example, are still in development, but recent breakthroughs (Toyota, QuantumScape, etc.) suggest we’re closer than ever to commercial viability. Whether that’s 3 years or 10, the direction is promising.

As for home energy storage—Tesla Powerwalls and similar systems do work, but they’re not yet cost-effective for many people. That’s a market maturity issue, not necessarily a technological failure.

I agree that we shouldn’t blindly follow hype or assume tech will save us. But I also think dismissing the entire green energy movement because it hasn’t yet delivered utopia risks throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Progress is rarely linear.

JoergH

I agree that we shouldn’t blindly follow hype or assume tech will save us. But I also think dismissing the entire green energy movement because it hasn’t yet delivered utopia risks throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Progress is rarely linear.

Thanks for the cogent response. Maybe I went on a bit of a rant there.

Regarding your statement, "progress is rarely linear," may I add, "progress is mostly incremental."

BostonBadlands

Regarding Hybrid (especially) and EV (much less so) suitability for urban and suburban locales, I partially agree with you. There is a small market. But we have to realize that the macro-energy arithmetic involves resource extraction, refining, fabrication, back-up grid energy (fossil fuel plants don't shut down on optimal weather days), installation of transmission lines, disposal of retired solar panels and wind turbines, etc. etc. etc.--"sustainable energy" isn't the cheap, low-enviro-impact economic ecology it purports to be. Turbine blades and solar panels aren't recycled--they're dumped. Someplace out of sight.

Which brings me to the "just a few years away from..." argument. The green energy agenda has been sold on the optimistic premise that the technology will advance and become economically feasible. This hasn't happened, and I, for one, don't believe it ever will. One example is wall panel battery packs that would store the green energy "harvested" by a home during the day for use at night. Never worked. And the prognosis for "solid state battery technology that will increase range substantially" is, according to my reading, more hope than realism. I hope I'm wrong--but the last 25 years of "green energy" "progress" hardly assure me otherwise.

@Bronco V-8, "Carbon Capture" is nothing but a huge boondoggle. We've seen enough grifting in the "green energy" industry. Please, let's not add that! But your meme reminds me of a cynic's take that "EVs simply transfer the emissions from the tailpipe to the smokestack."

Edit for @Bronco V-8: If you're in or near Vermont, be sure to check out https://the-pilgrimage.com/
Three days of carefully rated off-roading in the Northeast Kingdom, first weekend in October! I'll be there--look into it, and if you sign up, we can meet up.

I don't do organized events,too many Karens and Kevins.

Realizing I’m in the minority here, and I haven’t subjected myself to a beating in awhile, so here goes…
Research is a funny thing… the source of the research will many times skew the results… If green energy interests are doing the counting, EVs will save the planet. Those who grew up with and love ICE’s, as well as fossil fuel advocates, will suggest the cost up front environmentally for EVs is prohibitive (and stupid)…

That being said, if one looks around the world, EVs are happening in a big way in most developing countries. We can pretend its not happening, but whether or not the US government subsidizes it, EVs are here and are not going away. Don’t forget the US government subsidizes the oil industry in a very big way, to the tune of trillions of dollars since 2000…

I personally have owned full EVs, hybrids (I have two now), and PHEVs (plug in hybrids). From a driving standpoint, there is little to compare with the thrill of stomping the accelerator and feeling the EV launch underneath you, though not having the throatiness of a V-8 does diminish the thrill somewhat. I have a charging station in my garage, and if I drive my son‘s KIA EV in ECO mode (4 miles per kw) I’m effectively getting about 160 miles per gallon (according to Google)…

Range issues for road-tripping EVs remain an issue, especially in the open lands throughout the US. EREVs may provide the answer, giving EVs with onboard generators range into the 700 miles range. That being said, most modern EVs have a range in the neighborhood of 200-300 miles, and recharging times continue to come down with technology improvements… not as fast as filling up, but in many cases an EV can be charged while you eat a meal in a local greasy spoon (charging station dearth’s in rural areas will remain an issue for some time to come)… I have not thought much about “off-roading” in an EV, but manufacturers are starting to move in that direction so the discussions (and beatings) will continue… The Rivian quad truck will be an interesting test case with effectively a motor at each wheel…

If you’re worried about lithium batteries and other rare metals, @TechnicalDisaster made a good point concerning all the stuff in our lives running on lithium batteries…

ok, I’m ready!