@theneverfox I just commuted across Los Angeles. I saw every sort of car, but far more gas guzzlers than hybrids or EVs. These are free choices, by people who might say "they care" or "someone should do something."

The person who buys a Mercedes Maybach SUV, 16 MPG, certainly has other options.

They would probably tell you they care.

@stabby_cicada @UsernameHere I'm afraid I take the darkest view. That is that BP etc gave the public the full option to care about their carbon footprint, and the public decided not to.

At that point why should BP or politicians force it upon them?

Who exactly would be the "we" in that process who knows better? If it is some informed and passionate minority, that is not actually democracy.

It is a collective action failure.

@Delta_V going back many years I've heard the description of the automobile industry problem as "overcapacity."

Too many companies in too many countries are fighting for too few buyers, compared to that production capacity. Like, if you ran all plants atlnd all shifts it would be way too many cars.

Now that's happening in EVs right?

To make money, on specifically the Mustang, Ford it has to sell a lot of Mustangs. Unfortunately everyone else is trying the same thing at the same time.

@fpslem @jeffw

Indeed,

"Ford just reported a massive loss on every electric vehicle it sold"

https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/24/business/ford-earnings-ev-losses/index.html

@fpslem @jeffw

Ford Motor companies net profit margin for 2023 was only 3.83%

They are in a tougher spot than many people understand. If they don't have very fat margins on premium vehicles, they are close to losses.