My Mach E would not exist were it not for the trail Tesla blazed this past decade. So I give credit where it is due.
I'm glad to see you understand some of the story. Many EV drivers don't, unfortunately.
I'm afraid, however that
The “us versus them” tribalism
to which you refer still shows a bit of naivety.
Many think that EVs are here because of government support. They repeat and amplify mistruths about the company and its leader who risked every dollar he had to show the human race that a good standard of living does not depend on petroleum. They attack Tesla naively in the name of promoting EVs. This is shown in anti-Tesla legislation against which Tesla must compete.
A lot of folks tried to introduce EVs back in the early 1990s as the key technologies came to the point of feasible. They were stifled, ridiculed, and attacked. There was tribalism. It was, and still is, EVs -vs- EV haters.
Perhaps Ford hasn't been fully in the "anti" camp.
I guess they haven't been quite so dedicated to burying EV technology as most of the rest. At least back in the 2000's, Unlike GM, Ford didn't crush all of the Ranger EVs, they even let their owners buy them.
see
He Refuses to Put Down Electric-Powered Pickup and the good ending to the story at
TRANSPORTATION: Before the electric F-150, Ford built a unicorn EV truck
Perhaps their lame energi effort was a hint that they were coming around but it was so poorly executed, it's hard to give them much credit. We know they have the engineering talent but management never let them do what was needed.
The MachE is a hint that they're doing the right thing but I'll have to see the F150 Lightning and a few more EVs with blue ovals before I'll be sure they're onboard.
In the mean time count me skeptical but cautiously optimistic, yet encouraging.