Bill Ford and I Talk Ford GTs winning Le Mans

[ENZO BTR]

I was fortunate enough to interview Bill Ford during Pebble Beach a few weeks ago. The total interview (captured on video) is over 20 minutes, but the first few minutes are all about the Ford GT and its 2016 Le Mans win, with some fun photos and video I captured during that amazing trip to France.

Bill is an intriguing leader. He's probably the only head of an automotive company that wears both the “car guy“ and “environmentalist” hats. If you get a chance check it out.

 

[steved57]

Thanks for posting the video Karl - very interesting interview / fun to watch

 

[Special K]

Great interview! I really enjoyed reliving the race. It’s interesting to hear his perspective on where Ford’s heading. I do always question “carbon neutral,” I’m all for a cleaner environment and new technology, but how does power generation/distribution and rare earth mining among other things fit into the equation. Because all I see is a major shift to EV with little to no new power generation happening. In fact, I’m increasingly hearing about electricity shortages and rolling blackouts. Nuclear is the only viable energy source I see that balances need vs emissions.

 

[roketman]

Excellent interview as always.. Nice job Karl
My favorite part is when he calls you a real car guy!
Truer words have never been spoken!

 

[TO AWSUM]

Sorry, but this is a bunch of propaganda BS. Mr Fords comment about a shopping mall being built near his fishing hole is not caused by internal combustion engines, it is caused by population growth, so this is what logic calls a false conclusion. His environmentalist time would be better spent trying to stop world population growth and illegal immigration into the USA. California has already asked electric vehicle owners not to charge their vehicles due to electrical demands that can't be met. Rare earth material availability to make batteries and later the disposal of these batteries, windmill blade disposal, etc. that the environmentalists are pushing is already a huge problem. Look what FORD has already done with his Electric Mustang he was talking about. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/26/for...-by-as-much-as-8475-due-to-battery-costs.html

 

[AJB]

To Awsum ,
Fully agree.
I grew up with strip mining for coal.
We will rape the planet for battery raw materials .
Andy (ajb)

 

[junior]

I think there will be a reckoning one day for Lithium and Graphite.

 

[Cobrar]

Great interview Karl! Excellent content and overview of Bill's/Ford Motor thoughts on the magnitude of changes, as well as some of the key challenges, both at the Consumer and the Company.

On a related note, I posted in this (somewhere on this forum - years ago) about my concern on this technology transition - less about whether I agree on the LT vision, but more about 'building the bridge to get there' (execution). I still have that concern, and of late, grave concerns about the role of government(s) determining what happens in free market space, mandating consumer behavior and choice. Racing to an end goal, that is not readily supportable (infrastructure timing and affordable consumer cost) does not meet the test of a sustainable vision for all Americans.

While the environmental challenge is real, I step-out on the BEV vision as "the" solution, and openly admit that I would have taken a different direction for propulsion, moving toward hydrogen as a fuel source. While hydrogen certainly has its' own technical challenges - requiring more time and money to get there - it is the one possible solution that is truly 'clean' and leaves us energy independent, and could preserve the future of consumer choice affordable transportation for America.

 

[fjpikul]

Did you think that all up yourself or did you have help? Maybe you are deeper than anyone thought.

 

[ENZO BTR]

I 100% agree regarding the challenges of using electricity to power cars instead of petroleum. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but the cost and energy density of oil remains unbeatable and will be until some major breakthroughs are made in the world of batteries and/or hydrogen production/storage. My last Cheddar.com interview called much of this out.

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[Special K]

I 100% agree regarding the challenges of using electricity to power cars instead of petroleum. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but the cost and energy density of oil remains unbeatable and will be until some major breakthroughs are made in the world of batteries and/or hydrogen production/storage. My last Cheddar.com interview called much of this out.

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Some great taking points. I’d also like to know how large scale rare earth/heavy metal mining will be done as well as recycling all of these so called “green” waste products. As someone earlier pointed out, we have massive pits of timed out fiberglass windmill blades that won’t be biodegrading anytime soon...

 

[Stef]

I will never forget Bill Ford coming in the hospitality at the 2016 24 Hours of Lemans spraying us all with champagne after the win.
I have that signed bottle in my display case and will always cherish the opportunity to congratulate him personally.

If I had the chance to talk to him again, I would urge Ford to continue to further develop the ICE technology. I do believe there are still advances to be discovered such as zero emission fuels as just one.

IMHO, the future is ECLECTIC not just ELECTRIC.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

 

[Gene Cassone]

Porsche investing in synthetic fuel, made from CO2 , needs electrolysis(?therefore electric) , trying wind energy for production . To keep ICEs going!!

 

[Stef]

Existing Fuels used more efficiently.
Note at approx 2:40 in attached video.