EV Reality Check, Ford’s Pivot, and Europe’s Retreat from 2035

In the 48th installment of The Atomic Exchange Podcast, co-hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous dig into Ford’s decision to end the all-electric F-150 Lightning and shift toward extended-range and hybrid models, what the sales gap reveals about demand forecasting, and why incentives and policy shifts do not fully explain the miss. The conversation then moves to the European Commission’s proposal to soften the 2035 internal combustion ban into a 90% emissions reduction target, and what that says about competitiveness, industrial policy, and the risk of government-driven whiplash for companies trying to invest long term. Along the way they compare buyer archetypes, explain why trucks are a unique stress test for batteries, and outline how policy volatility becomes a cost of capital. Tune in for a grounded discussion on EV adoption and the politics of the transition.