An e-car battery factory has just been informed that its energy cost rate will increase from $45/hr to $60/hr starting next month. Currently, the raw materials and consumables cost $35 per product, the scrap rate is 15%, the production rate is 192 products an hour, the capital equipment costs $1,500,000 with a 12-year write-off and a 38% load factor, the tooling costs $2,300 for a batch of 1,800 products, the labor costs $350/hr, the space and administration cost $220/hr, and the information costs (R&D, royalties, licenses) $65/hr.
Estimate how much the load factor (in %) should be from next month on to offset the energy cost rate hike?