Mr. Figueroa put down a $100 refundable deposit on an F-150 Lightning soon after Ford Motor Co. unveiled the electric pickup in May 2021, eager to use it for his construction job. But there is a long backlog, and it isn't clear when he’ll be able to actually order one.
“Now I’m thinking, ‘Can I afford to keep waiting for this?’ ” said Mr. Figueroa, who lives near San Bernardino, Calif.
A few years ago, auto executives weren’t sure there would be enough buyers for plug-in electric models. Now, they worry they can’t build them fast enough, while they intensify a multibillion-dollar rush to accelerate timelines and bring factories online.
EVs account for only about 6% of overall U.S. vehicle sales. But that percentage has tripled in the last two years, while sales of other types of vehicles have declined, according to research firm Motor Intelligence. General Motors Co., Ford, Rivian Automotive Inc. and other auto makers say they have waiting lists of longer than a year for their new electric models.
In July, five of the six fastest-selling vehicles in the U.S. were electrics or plug-in hybrids, which pair a battery with a gas engine, according to data from consumer site Edmunds.com. EVs sold in 19 days on average in July compared with 47 days a year earlier—and went four days faster than internal-combustion vehicles, Edmunds data show.
“With EVs, right now it’s like, ‘You build it, and they come,’ ” said Steven Center, operations chief for Kia Corp.’s U.S. business. He has been surprised by strong demand for the Korean auto maker’s recently released electric SUV, the EV6 SUV, which has a backlog of three to six months. “We’re trying to electrify the lineup as quickly as possible.”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/electr...-chain-batteries-11663504014?mod=hp_lead_pos7
Someone should warn these people they are walking into a trap to take away their fweedoms.