EVs Sales Are Rising And Another Gasmobile Bites The Dust

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The automotive press is practically aflame with rumors that Ford is replacing its Ford Escape crossover SUV with an electric version, also to be named Escape. That has raised quite a ripple across the esoteric field of car-naming. Normally when a model retires, so does the name. The US auto industry is littered with has-beens, wanna-be’s, never-was, and just plain exhausted cars that retired along with their names. Hmmm….perhaps Ford is sending a not so subtle signal about the future of EV sales in the US…

The Future Of EV Sales In The US

By now, everyone knows that EV sales cratered last fall, after US President Donald Trump and his Republican majority in Congress engineered the “OBBA” tax bill to eliminate federal tax credits for EVs.

Still, EV sales did not actually stop in their tracks, let alone reverse course. A fresh wave of off-lease, used EVs helped keep the momentum up earlier this year, and some automakers (looking at you, Subaru) stayed on track with plans for new EVs in the US.

Plug-in hybrids also factored in as a sort of gateway drug, with Audi CEO Gernot Döllner among those looking forward to strong EV sales in that category.

EV stakeholders must smell blood in the water as Election Day 2026 approaches. With polls indicating that  Trump will lose his chokehold on federal EV policy, news about EVs has been tumbling through the Intertubes over the past several weeks. Among the examples, Slate Auto opened its first showroom in Chicago, and General Motors unveiled its gen-4 EV platform.

Somewhat bizarrely, the Trump administration also contributed to the news cycle with the launch of the new “BattMan” battery collaboration earlier this week. Under the umbrella of the US Department of Energy, BattMan hooks up federal laboratories with academic and private sector partners to push the envelope on next-gen batteries for transportation applications as well as stationary energy storage.

Ford Waves Goodbye To Another Gasmobile

Of course, Tesla also weighed in with its “flying car” stunt, but that was just a stunt. Over in the world of street legal EVs, Ford has been working the publicity machine to gin up interest in the forthcoming Fathom all-electric pickup truck, which is on track for volume production early next year at an MSRP starting at the affordability benchmark of $28,350 with a built-in inverter that cuts the cost of bidirectional charging, too.

The Fathom illustrates how much blood, sweat, and tears go into naming a new car. It’s a mid-sized pickup like the popular Maverick, but Ford went off in a new direction with the Fathom, considering hundreds of options over a months-long naming journey before settling on a maritime-adjacent reference to deep understanding.

The Fathom will be the first EV to roll off Ford’s new “Universal EV” manufacturing platform, and the automaker has indicated that the next vehicle will be a compact SUV. The consensus has settled on something resembling the Escape crossover SUV, all the more so because Ford has been laying plans to retire the gasmobile…but maybe, not the name.

That’s where the ears of the automotive press have pricked up, drawing attention to the Escape landing page that depicts the rear end of a forlorn, rain-splattered Escape heading off into the dustbin of automotive history along with its dual exhaust system.

And, here’s where things get interesting. The text on the landing page simply notes that the Ford Escape is “tapping the brakes,” which has been interpreted as a pausing message, not a forever message.

However, on the same page Ford provides a good reason why the 2026 Escape will not fly. The car is not for sale in California and several other states.

“The 2026 Ford Escape® is not certified for emissions requirements with the California Air Resources Board,” Ford states in a drop-down link. “Therefore, it is not available for purchase by customers intending to register their vehicle in states that have adopted California’s certification requirements for the 2026 model year, specifically California, Massachusetts, Oregon, New York, Washington, and Vermont.”

Ford goes on to suggest two other gas-powered SUVs that are street legal in California-compliant states, the 2026 Bronco Sport SUV and the 2026 Ford Explorer SUV.

More EV Sales In The USA

So, is Ford really banking on the Escape brand to boost its EV sales in the US? Maybe! In August, the Detroit Free Press summarized a swirl of rumors around the idea of an electric Escape, citing insider sources including a Ford dealer with access to the company’s program codes.

However, in the same report, Reuters cites an inside source who indicated that in 2029, Ford plans to introduce a new entry-level SUV in hybrid and gasoline powertrains.

“At the Las Vegas meeting, the executives, the dealer said, assured dealers that the automaker is committed to hybrid powertrains going forward,” Reuters emphasized.

Hmmmm…so much for an all-electric escape. Back in May, the Canadian Ford dealer MSAFord also raised some questions about an all-electric replacement for the Escape in a blog post (breaks added for readabilty):

“Production of the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair ended at the Louisville Assembly plant last December, leaving a giant hole in The Blue Oval’s lineup as it pertains to small crossovers.”

“This is particularly true of the Escape, which disappeared at a time when new vehicle shoppers are increasingly looking for more affordable options, too.

“However, back in December 2022, a report surfaced from AutoForecast Solutions, claiming that the Ford Escape would live on as an all-electric crossover, though it has thus far remained unclear if that plan is intact ever since”

Readers, what do you think? Is half an EV better than none? Full EV sales have yet to surge, but plug-in hybrids have become more popular on the heels of US President Donald Trump’s witless decision to bomb Iran last February.

EREV (extended range EVs) are another halfway-there option that will factor into an uptick in EV sales. The Scout Motors branch of Volkswagen, for example, has stated that EREVs account for the majority of its reservations so far.

Then there’s the pure EV players, including robotaxi stakeholders alongside Slate and Rivian, which is forging ahead with plans to construct a new factory in Georgia.

As for industry leader Tesla, that’s a whole ‘nother can of worms. CEO Elon Musk has earned a fair share of bad publicity in recent years, as depicted in the new “Musk” documentary. However, the film wrapped sometime last year, leaving Musk’s latest hi-jinks for the sequel.

Photo: Ford says buh-bye to the Escape gasmobile, but reports of an all-electric replacement for the crossover SUV may be somewhat premature (cropped, courtesy of Ford).