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“Electrify Expo is North America’s largest electric vehicle festival filled with over 1 million square feet of the world’s top electric brands! Experience and drive electric cars & trucks, ride E-Bikes, E-Motorcycles, E-Scooters, E-Skateboards, & E-Watercraft.” (From https://www.electrifyexpo.com/)
“Exhilaration” is a keyword that goes way back, when you look at the history of presenting and marketing the automobile: obviously, it emphasizes feelings over any rational consideration applied to this technology. When you read the three main points in Ford’s plans for the future, fast and big would be the simplest way to summarize the first two.
Toyota’s sign at the Expo insisted on global citizenship, i.e. doing the responsible thing for the planet.
Honda, in their signs, also elaborated on the theme of responsible choices vis-à-vis the impending climate crisis.
Honda’s mural, on the other side of the previous sign, paints an idyllic, Arcadian picture of a futuristic urban and suburban landscape: notice that there are no cars in sight, replaced instead by hiking shoes (see the figure on the left) and an electric scooter, exemplifying alternative options for urban and near-urban mobility. Plants, trees and flowers are still scarce, surprisingly, suggesting that restoring nature to its pristine state will be a long process, or an impossible one.
Is this car, the first encountered by the visitors of EE23, a smaller and more affordable option? The Volvo Ex30 starts from 34,950 MSRP, going up to around 50K for well-equipped models: see Volvo EX30 fully electric small SUV (volvocars.com). This model failed to reach the US market in 2024, as originally planned.
Clearly, this EV Concept by Ford, the Eluminator, is supposed to indicate continuity with its past and show its ability and willingness to innovate based on its long history.
The sign for the Concept vehicle shown in the previous picture emphasizes speed and acceleration over any practical considerations.
Innovation? The electric F-150 is still big, heavy and faster than ever, which is the same old marketing formula used for the past 100+ years.
People at car shows are always interested in the vehicle’s trunks; nowadays frunks receive the same amount of attention.
In line with the traditional emphasis on speed and acceleration, Ford offered rides on a Red Bull Drifting Mustang Mach-E equipped with a 1400 HP electric engine.
Not exactly a scene that makes you think of the green revolution promoted by the adoption of electric cars.
Ditto…
