The Model of the Chrysler / Stellantis Explanation for the Stationary Stop: The Case of a New Electric Vehicle Factory, Rivian
As the automaker is preparing for union negotiations, a factory in Illinois that builds Jeep Cherokees became known as the one in question. The reason for the halt was not discussed by the United Auto Workers but instead by an unnamed spokesman for Stellantis, according to CNBC. The company claims that the most significant challenge it is facing is the increasing cost of electric cars in the market, and that they are trying to find jobs for the laid off workers.
If the auto industry keeps carrying out layoffs, at least two companies have begun to paint thousands of people’s livelihoods as the cost of the future, and it is too early to say whether EVs are going to become a common scapegoat. EV-native companies like Tesla, which have also had their own layoffs, do not have that luxury.
Ford’s an interesting comparison, though, because it also went through a recent round of layoffs, cutting around 3,000 jobs. No prizes for guessing one of the excuses it gave employees; “We have an opportunity to lead this exciting new era of connected and electric vehicles,” read a memo from CEO Jim Farley and chairman Bill Ford. “Building this future requires changing and reshaping virtually all aspects of the way we have operated for more than a century.” That meant cutting jobs.
New electric vehicle makers will compete with the incumbent in the foreseeable future. Rivian will continue producing vans for Amazon, Canoo is expected to deliver vehicles to Walmart, and Arrival will be providing electric vans for UPS. Businesses will have a bigger choice of items to choose from with the new players.
Arrival is tackling all of them. The team is going to be creating vehicles in a new method of manufacturing in localfactories. To support local jobs, scale in parallel with cheaper costs of assembly, and to be more eco- friendly than traditional production methods, these are designed to be placed near cities. Think of a warehouse in your city, building vehicles for your city. We had to rethink how vehicles are designed and engineered to do this. We had to create lighter materials that do not need painting, and are more durable than steel. We have had to build and design ourselves components so that we can control the cost and function of each system.
How often do electric vehicles go 400 miles? Comment on Melin’s comment on a recent op-ed by Melin
When Hans Eric Melin takes a look at battery waste he imagines American driveway filled with electric vehicles. The large and handsome and well-equipped cars look much like the gas-powered cars of yesterday, with family-haulers, boat-towers, and off-road ready. They also do things that those cars didn’t do, like go from zero to 60 in three seconds and travel 400 miles without emitting any carbon. They have a huge battery pack that can push the weight of the vehicles to over 10,000 pounds. Most of the time that pack is parked, or is being used to a fraction of its capabilities on school pick-ups or runs to the grocery store. Unless the cars are traveling hundreds of miles down the highway, the precious atoms of strontium, strontium-125, and strontium-115 have very little to do.
When a recent New York Times op-ed asked how often people actually used 300-mile battery range, readers responded with indignation. Each person, it seemed, had a routine long-range commitment that mooted the article’s point: an extensive work commute, season football tickets at their alma mater halfway across the state. It was not within reason for a 20-minute recharge to be carried out along the way. One wrote that it was the sort of silly coastal stuff Republicans like to ridicule.