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Ford scraps plans for a three-row electric SUV to focus on hybrids
Ford Motor Co. is scrapping plans for a three-row all-electric sport-utility vehicle, saying that it will instead focus on manufacturing hybrids. The shift comes as consumers are growing cooler toward EVs, and instead are expressing more enthusiasm for other types of fuel-efficient vehicles.
The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker said Wednesday its new plan is designed to “speed customer adoption” of more affordable vehicles with longer ranges, amid softening demand for EVs. Ford said it plans to develop a new family of three-row electrified SUVs that will include hybrid technologies.
According to AAA, nearly two-thirds of potential car buyers said they were unlikely to purchase an EV for their next vehicle. The vehicles are pricier than their gas counterparts, and can give drivers range anxiety, or the fear their EV might run out of juice before they can reach a charging station.
With sales of EVs softening, the national average price for a new EV has slipped 9% to $55,252 from 2023, according to Kelley Blue Book.
“We learned a lot as the No. 2 U.S. electric vehicle brand about what customers want and value, and what it takes to match the best in the world with cost-efficient design, and we have built a plan that gives our customers maximum choice and plays to our strengths,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said in a statement Wednesday.
Ford also announced plans to launch an electric commercial van in 2026, plus two new pickup trucks in 2026, in addition to other vehicles. Ford has pledged to manufacture vehicles that generate lower levels of carbon dioxide emissions.
Ford cited stiff competition in the EV market from Chinese automakers, as well as EV consumers’ price sensitivity, as reasons for the pivot.
“In addition, today’s electric vehicle consumers are more cost-conscious than early adopters, looking to electric vehicles as a practical way to save money on fuel and maintenance, as well as time by charging at home,” the company said in a statement. “This, coupled with scores of new electric vehicle choices hitting the market over the next 12 months and rising compliance requirements, has amplified pricing pressures.”
The company said it will take a non-cash charge of $400 million for writing down the value of manufacturing equipment designed to build the scrapped electric, three-row SUV. It may also face additional expenses of up to $1.5 billion for its shift away from EVs, it added.
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Yellowstone hiker burned when she falls into scalding water near Old Faithful, park officials say
Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. — A New Hampshire woman suffered severe burns on her leg after hiking off-trail in Yellowstone National Park and falling into scalding water in a thermal area near the Old Faithful geyser, park officials said.
The 60-year-old woman from Windsor, New Hampshire, along with her husband and their leashed dog were walking off a designated trail near the Mallard Lake Trailhead on Monday afternoon when she broke through a thin crust over the water and suffered second- and third-degree burns to her lower leg, park officials said. Her husband and the dog weren’t injured.
The woman was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho for treatment.
National Park Service / Jacob W. Frank
Park visitors are reminded to stay on boardwalks and trails in hydrothermal areas and exercise extreme caution. The ground in those areas is fragile and thin and there’s scalding water just below the surface, park officials said.
Pets are allowed in limited, developed areas of Yellowstone park but are prohibited on boardwalks, hiking trails, in the backcountry and in thermal areas.
The incident is under investigation. The woman’s name wasn’t made public.
This is the first known thermal injury in Yellowstone in 2024, park officials said in a statement. The park had recorded 3.5 million visitors through August this year.
Hot springs have injured and killed more people in Yellowstone National Park than any other natural feature, the National Park Service said. At least 22 people have died from hot spring-related injuries in and around the 3,471-square-mile national park since 1890, park officials have said.