Was the electric car just part of the climate change fad?

[hobie]

Everyone was told they had to reduce their carbon footprint, they had to get solar panels, and stop using any fossil fuels and most importantly change over to a EV. You had to get a electric car or you were a terrible person for the climate, so everyone especially during the pandemic was panicking and running down to the nearest EV vendor or getting online and getting a Tesla. My brother told me this was the future, and he was getting one, my brother in law got his right away and put a charging panel in his garage, everyone in South Florida seemed to be getting a new Tesla, and then it was over. The vendors started to disappear, then the charging stations, and the climate change idea seemed to fade away, even making batteries wasnt so hot any more. Seems like it was all just a bad climate change dream especially for the manufacturers and especially the employees...So much for running the world on EV's...

This was last year...."October 29, 2025 3:33 pm GM Slashes More EV Production At Factory Zero Plant, Cutting Nearly 2,000 Jobs

GM is making a series of job cuts at its Factory Zero assembly plant near Detroit, resulting in the loss of nearly 2,000 jobs across several U.S. facilities. The move follows slower-than-expected EV sales and changing federal policies that have effectively reshaped electric vehicle manufacturing across the United States.

As reported by The Detroit News, GM will cut Factory Zero’s workforce down to one shift, eliminating approximately 1,200 jobs in the process. The Detroit-area plant is responsible for the assembly of BT1-based products like the Chevy Silverado EV, GMC Hummer EV, and Cadillac Escalade IQ, and is currently idle. The facility will remain idle until November 24th, at which time it will operate on two shifts until the holiday break, after which the facility will reopen with only on shift, starting January 5th. Around 2,000 employees will remain on site once the changes take effect next year.
GM stated that the decision was “in response to slower near-term EV adoption and an evolving regulatory environment,” noting that it remains committed to U.S. manufacturing even as the company adjusts its output. Affected employees may be eligible for Supplemental Unemployment Benefits (SUB) under the current GM-UAW labor agreement.

The job cuts extend beyond Factory Zero to the GM Ultium Cells battery facilities in Ohio and Tennessee, both of which are operated under a joint venture with LG Energy Solution. In Ohio, 550 workers will lose their jobs permanently, while another 850 will be temporarily laid off. The Tennessee Ultium facility will temporarily lay off 700 employees."

And now even more...

"GM slashes 2,900 jobs, shutters $102M plant as EV dream unravels

General Motors is ripping up a key part of its electric-vehicle playbook, cutting 2,900 jobs and closing a $102 million factory just as the industry's transition was supposed to hit its stride. The move crystallizes how quickly the EV boom narrative has flipped into a story of retrenchment, stranded investment, and hard choices for workers and towns that bet on a battery-powered future.

Instead of a smooth glide from gasoline to zero-emission models, GM is now juggling layoffs, plant shutdowns, and multibillion-dollar accounting hits as demand cools and policy support shifts. The fallout stretches from Detroit to small Midwest communities, and it is forcing the company to rethink everything from its factory footprint to its once-vaunted technology partnerships.
 

The 2,900-job shock and a $102 million factory left idle

The centerpiece of GM's latest reset is a decision to eliminate 2,900 positions tied to a $102 million plant in the Midwest, a facility that was once pitched as a cornerstone of the company's electric future. Instead of ramping up, the site is being shuttered, leaving 2,900 people facing unemployment right around the holidays and turning what was marketed as a growth engine into a symbol of stalled ambition. Reporting on the 2,900 jobs underscores how workers from Detroit to Ohio are being asked to uproot their lives or accept unemployment as the price of GM's strategic pivot."....