cross-posted from: https://discuss.online/post/32432803

“There are a lot more people out here living in abject poverty than what people like to think or admit to. You voted for this—and now we’re paying the price.”

Employees learned of the cuts on Monday in a video message from Michael Adams, CEO of BlueOval SK.

Adams announced the transition would mean “the end of all BlueOval SK positions in Kentucky.”

  • FlexibleToast@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    To be fair, people have been voting with their wallet as well. EVs aren’t hitting the sales numbers the auto manufacturers wanted them to hit. Removing the subsidies doesn’t help. Well it doesn’t help US manufacturers, it does help China get ahead in the EV market and be better positioned for the future.

    • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech
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      2 days ago

      This is technically true, but misses the context of massive PR and smear campaigns against EVs on social media. People voted with their wallet after being bombarded with propaganda on EVs being somehow more dangerous, somehow worse for the environment, and that it’s more fun apparently to go to a gas station every week.

      Me, an EV owner who hasn’t gone to a gas station in 2 years now, has had no maintenance, and happily charges at home

      • daq@lemmy.sdf.org
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        18 hours ago

        I think it’s more the price than anything else. Tesla is nowhere near a premium car, let alone a luxury one, but sells for luxury car prices. Of course other manufacturers wanted to jump on this train with spectacular profit margins.

        For most A to B drivers a new EV is completely out of their price range. Not to mention a bunch of them live in apartments so they would effectively still have to go to a “gas” station to fill up, except now it takes 3 times as long.

        • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech
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          12 hours ago

          Price is the only reason that I’ve seen that I respect. They are more expensive. If you can afford one I recommend switching, if you can’t then I understand.

          No charging at home is doable, but it wouldn’t be easy, so I also respect that one - but I recommend something like a plugin hybrid for when you can.

          For 80% of Americans who have at least 2 cars and a garage though, there’s no reason not to have one of them be an EV. You have a place to charge at home so you never need gas, and yes it’s more expensive but if you have a garage and can afford more than one car, then maybe hold on for the extra 10k to get an EV.

          • daq@lemmy.sdf.org
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            2 hours ago

            Largest ev markets are CA and NY and there number of people living in SFHs is closer to 55%.

            I have a phev that I regret since I had to get a minivan and now drive it exclusively on long trips so phev is basically full electric in the city now, but I have to burn gas anyway since otherwise ice components get messed up from disuse.

            My (somewhat niche) reason is I need a wheelchair accessible car and I can’t find any company that modifies the only electric minivan I’m aware of to install a ramp.

      • FlexibleToast@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Yeah, but the EV companies could have ran counter attacks if it was that easy.

        If it provides any context at all, I want my next vehicle to be an EV. I’ve already had my electrician run large enough conduit to add L2 charging to my garage when I added electricity to my garage this year. My dream vehicle is actually the Rivian R1T.

        • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech
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          1 day ago

          Having a charger at home is honestly so freaking nice. I just don’t think about gas or gas stations or anything. I will never go back to ICE vehicles after this one

          • AA5B@lemmy.world
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            18 hours ago

            It was strange talking to my brother about that - I showed him the data that last year I needed to use a supercharger three times in road trips, never more than 20 minutes. Otherwise I charge at home for half price. All those weeks of never going to a gas station are somehow outweighed by the very small number of times I need to charge in a trip.

            I did eventually persuade him but he bought the Chevy behemoth Silverado because he thinks he needs to drive 7 hours at a stretch instead of five

            • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech
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              12 hours ago

              People talk about EVs like they do long haul 12 hour road trips every week and that it’s just “imposssssible” to have an EV. Like, it’s not nearly as bad as people make it sound, and then even then if it is terrible just keep an ICE vehicle around for them. Apparently I’m a weird one with 99% of my trips being commuting, going to the grocery store, random errands, and short 20ish mile drives.

              • AA5B@lemmy.world
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                8 hours ago

                Especially since we live in the northeast. He’s not driving anywhere there’s not good availability of trip chargers

          • FlexibleToast@lemmy.world
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            1 day ago

            I try to tell people this all the time. They always say they’re worried about range and I slays remind them that it’s plugged in when you’re home so you always start the day with full range. Unlike an ICE where your range dwindles with every drive until you make a specific stop at a gas station. Also not having to worry about oil changes has to be amazing.

            • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              19 hours ago

              Though, if I started at home, drove out of town to where I’m staying for the night, and the woman/friend/family member/hotel I’m sleeping at doesn’t have a charger, then I start the day severely depleted and have to go find the nearest charger god knows where and then hang out there for what I assume is at least a couple hours.

              With gas, yeah you have to get gas, but gas stations are everywhere and I don’t have to wait for the gas to charge, it just dumps in the tank and I’m back moving in under 5min.

              • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech
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                17 hours ago

                A prime example of the argument propaganda has pushed.

                How do I know? Because I’ve seen this argument literally hundreds of times and it’s so easily bunked.

                How often do you actually make that drive? Is it every month or more? I highly highly doubt that you’re driving that far that frequently.

                If it’s that rare? Rent a car. It’ll be less than buying gas.

                Or, if you have a two car household have one EV and one ice. Take the ice on long trips and then 99% of the trips you take near home it’s ev.

                • FlexibleToast@lemmy.world
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                  16 hours ago

                  Even if they make that drive every month, a plugin hybrid would be a vastly better solution. I used to have a job I did have to make the trip every month. I really wanted a plugin hybrid for that reason.

                  • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech
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                    14 hours ago

                    And that’s exactly what I recommend for people who can only have one car, it’s not as great as a full EV, but it’ll get you over the hump

              • FlexibleToast@lemmy.world
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                17 hours ago

                Yes, for that rare occurrence you will be inconvenienced. Meanwhile every other day of your life will be more convenient.

                • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                  17 hours ago

                  Rare for you, not necessarily rare for everyone.

                  What’s more, I have a townhouse with an HOA I hate, not even sure I’m allowed to install a charger out front of my house. And before that when I was renting apartments what am I supposed to run an extension cord from my bedroom down to the parking lot?

                  Not everyone has the privileged homebody life you may, happy for you though.

                  • FlexibleToast@lemmy.world
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                    16 hours ago

                    Rare for me, and the vast majority of people.

                    Not everyone has the privileged homebody life you may

                    You’re really trying to throw an ad hominem attack at me, but your problems are systematic. Your problems aren’t with me, someone who wants you to have a better, less stressful life. You’ve got things twisted in your head.

                • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                  14 hours ago

                  Really? That’s pretty damn fast, I’m impressed. Is that all brands or just some? If that’s like a “just tesla” thing I’m right out, not buying a car that has spy cameras and can be bricked remotely, and that’s before the politics even come into play lol, and that applies to new ice vehicles too.

                  30min is definitely more doable. Still inconvenient but not like hours inconvenient.

                  • ayyy@sh.itjust.works
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                    14 hours ago

                    Not specific to Tesla at all. Things have gotten good really quickly in the past 2-3 years.

            • Bytemeister@lemmy.world
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              1 day ago

              The problem for me is the absolutely criminal rates for DC fast charging, and the fact that almost every EV charger is trying to lock you in to an ecosystem. This is pretty easy to fix though.

              What I learned driving my EV for a year is that people don’t have range anxiety, they have charging anxiety. When you are on a trip in your EV, it is very difficult to find a charger without pulling over and futzing around in a few apps. Meanwhile, for gas cars, they’ve had 2+ stations at every exit for the last hour with prices on billboards that can be seen from miles away.

              • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech
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                17 hours ago

                This is valid, the charging infrastructure was getting much better than stalled ironically because people said “the charging infrastructure isn’t good enough”. If a trip is long enough sometimes we just rent a car

                • Bytemeister@lemmy.world
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                  16 hours ago

                  My “break even” point where it costs the same to use my EV or my wife’s civic is one stop to recharge. If a trip is going to take 2 or more fast charges, it’s cheaper to to take the other car.

    • bagsy@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      People want simple, repairable EVs for less than $80k. There is a reason they wont allow the cheap chinese EVs into america, they would destroy the american auto makers overnight.

    • Let's Go 2 the Mall! ❌👑@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      and most people don’t want an ipad on wheels. I know most cars are just screens now, but I don’t know of any EVs that has buttons, knobs, or actual window cranks. I don’t want to go 3 screens deep just to turn on the AC.

      • Kornblumenratte@feddit.org
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        21 hours ago

        I sat in an Hyundai Inster recently. The interiour was almost identidal to my old I10. The price tag, though…

      • wagesj45@fedia.io
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        2 days ago

        Gonna take this opportunity to be a corporate shill and praise my Kia EV6. They really nailed the layout of the dash. It’s a good blend of digital and physical. Hope more manufacturers learn from them.

      • Bytemeister@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        I don’t have to go 3 screens deep to turn on my AC in my EV…

        Popping the trunk, or turning on the windshield defogger is another story though. Hit the HVAC button on the bottom right of the center screen, then hit the defog option, then close the menu, and set your temp and fan speed from the main screen. Good thing you never need to mess with that while you are driving, it would be very distracting.

      • FlexibleToast@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Totally agree. It’s funny now that it seems luxury has come back full circle to adding buttons again. I remember in the 90s the joke was that luxury cars had way too many buttons. Then people complained about the blanks covering where buttons would be if you bought a higher trim so they just got rid of buttons all together.

    • Pulsar@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      The transition requires incentives, and if we don’t do it someone else China? will.