Electric convertibles, EV battery plant politics, bidirectional charging adapter: Today’s Car News
American EV battery plants are under scrutiny ahead of the 2024 election and UAW negotiations. Smart adapters could help Ford tackle fleets’ bidirectional charging needs. And electric convertibles may still arrive, but we run through all the hurdles of why they’re not here yet. This and more, here at Green Car Reports.
Why can’t you find convertible EVs or electric sports cars in the U.S.? Green Car Reports looked at a few of the reasons why you won’t find a single fully electric drop-top passenger vehicle on the market—and few if any hybrids of any kind offering up an open-air experience. It comes down mostly to the battery, and all the puzzles it introduces.
As the UAW hints that this round of contract negotiations won’t go as easily for automakers as in the recent past, and Trump talking points claim that Biden administration EV policy will “decimate” auto industry jobs, the low-paying EV battery plants supported with federal money are becoming an election flashpoint.
And a recent Ford patent filing suggests that the company is considering a bidirectional EV charging adapter that could help make sense of multiple connected vehicles in fleets—letting them charge off one charging station, for instance, or discharging power during peak-price energy times. Since it’s only a patent, it’s just one possibility in the toolbox that Ford’s Pro fleet services might utilize at some point in the future.
_______________________________________
