[Two recent posts around electric vehicles (EVs). It’s a movement that is unstoppable now. The real question is who will lead or even survive.]
Heavy Trucks Are Going Electric
The shift to electric vehicles is not coming — it’s here. China is showing what the transition looks like.
Heavy trucks, once the hardest part of road transportation to decarbonize, are switching fast. (And road freight is 1/3 of all transport emissions).
In China, the world’s 2nd largest trucking fleet…
* EVs hit 22% of new heavy-truck sales in the first half of 2025 (up from 9% a year earlier)
* They’re projected to reach 60% of new sales in 2026
* Electric trucks cost 2-3x upfront…BUT save operators 10-26% over their lifetime through higher efficiency and much lower operating costs
* And battery-swapping networks for trucks are being built
With change this fast, diesel demand and emissions will start to go down (AP says China’s EV trucks are “already cutting oil demand”).
COP30 might stall. Politics might distract. But the market isn’t waiting. On the ground, clean techs are winning fast.
(Discussion on this post here)
Ford’s Problem…
U.S. automakers are in a tough spot — especially Ford Motor Company, which clearly wants to lead in EVs.
Some seemingly mixed signals from the giant (links below):
* A brand new, net zero, 2.1MM-sq-ft headquarters. As CEO Today magazine notes, an HQ is “a physical manifestation of corporate strategy.” A net-zero one is a “talent and culture strategy” and “makes financial sense”.
* A 30% jump in Q3 EV sales (year over year)
* And yet…Ford may kill the F-150 Lightning, the best-selling electric pickup truck in America.
So what’s going on? A major factor: The U.S. Administration eliminated federal EV tax credits and, logically, sales fell. The tech hasn’t stalled — just the policy. The rest of the world is still pushing the EV transition ahead at full speed.
Ford CEO Jim Farley recently put it plainly: “We can’t walk away from EVs…if we want to be a global company, I’m not going to just cede that to the Chinese.”
It’s tough to lead in a global transition when your own market isn’t helping you keep up.
(Discussion on this post here)
OTHER RECENT POSTS
Two big banks push forward with large sustainable investment goals
The Cambridge Dictionary Word of the Year is “Para-Social”
Ecovadis study on supply chains — executives are distracted
[Photo: AP Photo, NG Han Guan]
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