Autoworkers face uncertain future in an era of electric cars

What is the worry with the unions I wonder? Biden and his team all all very vocal union supporters and already have said that there will be plenty of "green jobs" coming soon.

Retraining?

New jobs and opportunities. EV cars still need to be made, serviced etc.

Mr Market, however, reveals that the CONSUMERS(buyers) do not want only electric vehicles. So, GM may go the way of the Edsel by such a decision. Consumers will just buy a product from a different company.

Electrical engineering retraining is the solution?

I am glad to see GM jumping on the bandwagon, instead of fighting to the death to keep ICE vehicles. They should have done it much, much sooner.

If GM and the other big automakers had been EV leaders instead of laggards, there would have been no opportunity for Tesla to steal their market share. At this point in time, they have to either change, or die. If they can stay in business, it will also be good for their employees.

I guess I wont be buying a GM car.

As much as it is probably inevitable, I still don't see electric cars or trucks being viable in much of North America.

Lets face it I have family and friends that live 10, 20, 30 and more kilometres from the nearest small town, winter Snow storms make to road near impassable unless you have a good strong vehicle.

If you are heading home from a long drive you gas up before taking on the backroads up the mountains.

With electric vehicles as they are that would mean a longer wait to charge and no a little puny leaf or Tesla will not do, I know this for a fact as my father has had to go pull his brother's Tesla out of snow drifts on a few occasions using his SUV.

Now my parents own the SUV and a hybrid and use the hybrid most of the time but even that in the winter just doesn't handle the snow and roads unless the plow has cleared things first.

Toyota is working on a hydrogen cell engine and this may be the other part of the equation, for dedicated city dwellers electric will work great but for the country side folks, farmers, those living in more sparsely populated areas and mountain terrain, electric engines are still far from being practical and hydrogen cell may be the answer for them. I woukd like to see the electric 18 wheeler that can make it over the BC Rockies in winter on a not so nice day even less on a bad winter day.

North America (Canada and USA) is a bit of a joke when it comes to the environmentally friendly thing.

So here we have both federal governments pushing for electric vehicles, then we have situations like the following.

Millions of homes use old fashioned tank water heaters despite on demand tankless type both gas and electric having been approved by both federal governments still not approved by state, provincial and Cities.

My parents water heater broke so they told the plumber to replace it with a high volume on-demand electric one, that was a mistake as the city inspector put a halt because the city hadn't approved them.

Took months before they finally got approval. These sort of things happen all the time in North America, with one branch of government doing or saying one thing the other saying something else.

In New York State the Gas station near a Family member's home started to install electric charging stations and was halted because the local regulations limited the type of power lines in the area, seems having massive amount of gasoline, diesel in giant tanks underground it ok and safe but high-powered electric lines is not, go figure.

How will electricity be mass produced to answer needs at any given time, that is the question ?

For any real engineer, the fact to imagine turning to 100% EV is an error. Like books versus internet, each equipment has its role to play and combustion engines are worth using them in many conditions.

Moreover, batteries are very environmentally unfriendly...

Personally, I will not accept to lose more time charging vehicle instead of filling a tank within minutes, as I drive long distance from time to time. Hybrid vehicles best solution so far, when hydrogen may be the future.

Here's the thing, "Eco" -natsis seek to shove their preferences down everyone's throats regardless of whether or not the ideas are actually viable. For me, an EV would absolutely NOT DO. I could use one as a SECOND car, for short trips to the supermarket or mall, but I often travel long distances with a lot of cargo, and up into the mountains. I rented a Leaf once, just to give it a fair try. What a nightmare! A one-way trip(first leg) that should have taken ~3hours took over 6 hours because of having to recharge TWICE on the way! If you use the heater or AC while driving, the range is HALF of the rated/claimed range! Ridiculous!

As the Westernized countries eliminate the internal combustion engine, the reduced demand for petroleum products will lower the global price and allow Third World countries' economies to benefit. GM should consider continuing to produce ICEs for export to developing countries, which would solve their union members' stated concerns.

Here's the thing, "Eco" -natsis seek to shove their preferences down everyone's throats regardless of whether or not the ideas are actually viable. For me, an EV would absolutely NOT DO. I could use one as a SECOND car, for short trips to the supermarket or mall, but I often travel long distances with a lot of cargo, and up into the mountains. I rented a Leaf once, just to give it a fair try. What a nightmare! A one-way trip(first leg) that should have taken ~3hours took over 6 hours because of having to recharge TWICE on the way! If you use the heater or AC while driving, the range is HALF of the rated/claimed range! Ridiculous!

The majority of my trips are and always have been short. To work and back. To shop and back. Quick run for burritos or to return a library book before the deadline. An EV works fine for these, especially if you can also charge it at work. You go someplace like Shanghai which is 50% larger than Los Angeles with five times the population and everyone there uses a scooter like Los Angeleans use their cars, but almost every scooter is electric. You see them everywhere on sidewalks or in front of apartments with cords to their chargers plugged in somewhere. For most driving an EV is just fine. Btw, I live in an isolated town in the desert. Yes I'll need a gas or hydrogen powered vehicle for trips to the "big city" but not for day to day transportation.