Electric cars

[Freegrass]

Does a roadworthy electric bumper car belong in this thread? 



Netherlandic article

[Sigmetnow]

The article focuses on the Porsche Taycan Turbo versus the Tesla Model 3 ( )  matchup, but the other results are just as interesting.  64-kWh Kia e-Niro and Hyundai Kona beat the Audi e-Trons, for example.  See below.

Porsche Taycan Turbo bows to humble Tesla Model 3 in 500 km endurance race

The team behind the Model 3 stated that they only stopped to charge their vehicle once during the 500 km race, and their stop only lasted 29 minutes. After that, it was a straight sprint to the finish line.

”This year our team with Porsche Taycan Turbo finished 2nd in 500 km EV rally. Lost one minute to Tesla Model 3.” …

https://www.teslarati.com/porsche-taycan-vs-tesla-model-3-endurance-race-results/

< No Model S/X long range in the race?
 
Pragmatikas (@pragmatikas) 6/14/20, 5:46 AM
 It was registrations from Norway but they have to stay two weeks in quarantine [because] need to cross Sweden. Next year will be more Teslas including Model Y.

https://twitter.com/pragmatikas/status/1272103083242373122

[Sigmetnow]

—- Nikola
Here’s the Ed Ludlow piece for Bloomberg that set the EV world on fire yesterday:

Nikola Founder [Trevor Milton] Exaggerated the Capability of His Debut Truck

Milton then made several comments to the crowd at the December 2016 [unveiling] event suggesting the Nikola One was driveable. The statements alarmed people familiar with the truck’s capability, who told Bloomberg News recently that it was inoperable and missing key components to power itself. On Wednesday, Milton said key parts were taken out of the vehicle for safety reasons and that it never drove under its own power.
…
The people familiar with the truck, who asked not to be identified discussing sensitive information, said they were concerned about the statements. Gears and motors were missing, and while the words “H2 Zero Emission Hydrogen Electric” were emblazoned on the vehicle, there was no fuel cell on board.

“There wasn’t a fuel cell in the truck. We never claimed there was,” Milton said. He confirmed the motors and gears weren’t in the vehicle for safety reasons.
…
It’s taking longer for Nikola to enter the field than Milton hoped. He said at the time of the unveiling of the One that deliveries would start in 2020. Nikola is now less committal about a delivery date 3 1/2 years later. The company is forecasting no revenue for this year.

Production plans for the One will be announced once Nikola has established a “robust” refueling infrastructure, the company said in its March public-offering filing. Its initial hydrogen stations won’t be operational until 2022 or later.

Nikola is outsourcing much of the work for its debut model, a battery-electric big rig called the Tre, which is based off a truck built by CNH Industrial. Sales are expected to begin next year. Its first fuel-cell truck, the Nikola Two, is due in 2023. …

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-17/nikola-s-founder-exaggerated-the-capability-of-his-debut-truck


Nikola Founder Goes On Twitter Rant After Allegations Of Truck Exaggerations: Here’s Why
https://www.ibtimes.com/nikola-founder-goes-twitter-rant-after-allegations-truck-exaggerations-heres-why-2996500

   ——-
A closer look at the Nikola SEC-filed proxy statement reveals Nikola is paying unnamed “marketing consultants” in stock, to bring in fully-refundable preorders for the Badger pickup truck.  This would suggest the organic demand is somewhat lacking….

ALEX  (@ajtourville) 6/17/20, 11:05 AM
If someone pays a *fully refundable* $250 to reserve a Nikola Badger, the marketing consultant gets 25 $NKLA shares valued at $1,600 at today's market price 
Since all of the Badger's marketing we've seen has come from Trevor Milton, is he the consultant?
https://twitter.com/ajtourville/status/1273270581715230723
[Text image of the $250 offer at the link.]

~ Pay a *fully refundable* $5,000 to reserve the Nikola Badger & the marketing consultant gets 500 $NKLA shares valued at $32,000 at today's market price
[text image of the $5000 offer]

~ If people pay Nikola $20 million in *fully refundable* Badger reservations, the consultant gets 2,000,000 $NKLA shares valued at $128 million at today's market price 
How is Nikola not a total scam?

~ To those who claim this is fake, I refer you to Nikola SEC-filed proxy statement dated May 8, 2020
Page F-40, 3rd paragraph
sec.gov/Archives/edgar… [ https://t.co/UdMRNXw3pC ]

< Let me get this straight. @ current $, they pay a consultant $1.6k to secure fully refundable $250 ? WTF? Pre-orders [are] supposed to represent demand for a product that's not out yet. paying someone to help get pre orders? RED FLAG!!!!
< More than two thirds of the sales from the 6/15 secondary was from "selling stockholders". I wonder how many of those were marketing consultants....

—-

ALEX (@ajtourville) 6/17/20, 1:13 PM
Turns out Iveco's IP licenses that Nikola paid $50 million to obtain are non-exclusive as well as very restrictive: Nikola can only manufacture BEV & hydrogen FCEV trucks in the United States and sell them only in North America ….

https://twitter.com/ajtourville/status/1273302669109743617
Text image at the link.

[Sigmetnow]

—- Green License Plates in the UK

EV News Daily (at home) (@EVNewsDaily) 6/16/20, 2:09 AM
Wow this is a surprise! Green numbers plates will appear in UK from Autumn on ZERO EMISSION vehicles.
Cities and local authorities encouraged to use them to easily identify EVs for certain privileges, access etc.
Major blow for those who have committed to hybrids. 

https://twitter.com/evnewsdaily/status/1272773269205196800

Green number plates get the green light for a zero-emission future
Introduction of green number plates plus a multi-million pound investment for electric vehicle research helping accelerate a zero-emission future for the UK.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/green-number-plates-get-the-green-light-for-a-zero-emission-future

—-
Switzerland: DPD To Use Electric Truck With Largest Battery Available

This electric truck has so many batteries that it could power your household for two months or so.
DPD Switzerland announced that by mid-December 2020 will put into service an electric truck with, reportedly, the largest battery available in Europe.

The Futuricum Logistics 18E truck, developed by Designwerk Products AG using a Volvo Trucks' vehicle as a base, will be equipped with a massive 680 kWh battery for range of up to 760 km (472 miles).

DPD intends to use the truck on a route between the DPD depot in Möhlin and the Buchs distribution center, covering at least 80,000 km (50,000 miles) annually and saving around 90 kilograms of CO2 per hundred kilometers. According to the company, the electric truck with such a high range can fully replace a diesel vehicle and is no worse than the hydrogen fuel cell truck.

The weight of the battery was not revealed, but we assume that it might be several tons, like 4,500-5,000 kg taking into consideration that the smaller 340 kWh version pack was 2,270 kg. Payload might be significantly affected, but in the case of DPD the most important metric might be volume capacity, not the weight.

https://insideevs.com/news/429066/switzerland-dpd-electric-truck-largest-battery-available/amp/

——-
Opinion
The Auto Industry Is Wrecked—Let’s Rebuild It With Electric
It’s the perfect time for a transportation revolution: the Green-Car New Deal.
06.16.2020

In the first quarter of 2020, domestic automakers saw their sales fall by nearly one-half from a year ago. This was due mainly to the Covid-19 crisis, which shuttered factories and dealerships, and put millions of people out of work. With the ranks of the unemployed now including nearly one in every seven American workers, and recent reports suggesting that many of the lost jobs will never return, the forecast for the car industry looks uncertain at best.

The situation has gotten so terrible, in fact, that it might be taken as a form of opportunity. Now is the time for a massive rethinking of our automotive and vehicular future. To rescue the American auto industry, and our world, we should launch a massive, coordinated private-public partnership: the Green-Car New Deal. This intensive investment would save existing jobs and create new ones as it hastened a large-scale shift by industry and consumers to electric vehicles. …

https://www.wired.com/story/the-auto-industry-is-wrecked-lets-rebuild-it-with-electric/

[blumenkraft]

Sig, this is devastating news for fuel cells (and i find it hilarious), but why post in EV-thread? Not that people think this is an EV problem... Then that would be a problem!  

[Sigmetnow]

Sig, this is devastating news for fuel cells (and i find it hilarious), but why post in EV-thread? Not that people think this is an EV problem... Then that would be a problem!  

Fuel cells generate the electricity that drives the electric vehicle...

Plus, this thread is for the transformation of fossil-fuel vehicles to electric (see Neven’s early comment), and the trials and tribulations of H2 vehicles is part of that story.

[blumenkraft]

Ok, right! For me EV = BEV or SEV. I don't take fuel cells that seriously. My fault.

[Sigmetnow]

No problem.  The EV road is long and diverse. Another post coming soon....

[Sigmetnow]

Not an EV.  But a start to the story.

Sam Albuquerque (@OfficialABQ) 6/17/20, 6:12 PM
In 1886, Karl Benz showed the world his new invention, the Motorwagen. For it to become a viable mode of transport it required infrastructure, but petrol stations and smooth roads weren't invented yet. It was a [chicken & egg] situation. People considered it nothing more than a novelty. [Photo below.]
https://twitter.com/officialabq/status/1273378043407544322
~ The infrastructure for horses and carts existed and they could travel up to 90km a day. Karl Benz did not have the confidence to sell a single Motorwagen for 2 long years. He didn't think his car could travel further than across the town. O ye, of little faith.
~ One early morning in 1888, his wife Bertha secretly got out of the house with her two sons while Karl was sound asleep and pushed the Motorwagen away from the house to start an epic journey of 105km, on the infrastructure built for horses.

Bertha Benz: The Journey That Changed Everything - YouTube

~ There were no petrol stations at the time. So she stopped at a pharmacy on the way at Weisloch where she purchased "Ligroin" to fuel the vehicle. This pharmacy became the world's first gas station.
~ The journey wasn't smooth. The motorwagen did break down and Bertha fixed it with her ingenuity. The engine didn't have enough power to go up the hill, and her sons would push it. They learnt the importance of controlling speed and braking when going downhill. [Photo below.]
~ 12 hours after starting their journey, they reached their destination, her parent's home. She sent Karl a telegram notifying of her arrival. 3 days later, she made the journey back using a different route of 90km. This route is called Bertha Benz Memorial Route. [Map below.]
~ She didn't make the journey to visit her parents, but to prove to her husband and the world that his invention was good enough for changing the world. It was a marketing move to get people talking. Get newspapers to write about this long journey on a cart without horses.
~ Today EVs face the same problem. People think EVs do not have the infrastructure. They think it can't go further than the city limits. There are companies who like Karl Benz lack the confidence to think that the new mode of transportation couldn't replace the existing ones.
~ However, there are several Berthas in the world who prove them wrong. Every EV that is even several 100 miles away from it's home is a testament to the fact that the journey can be done. That we do not need to wait for the infrastructure to start the changeover. Be the change.
~ Silke and Rolf of @TeslaXCanada have been driving their Model X with a Trailer in tow. Their epic journeys consist of cross Canada journey. US journeys from Maine to Florida to California to Washington. They have probably done more   youtu.be/0cYfQP-ljww
~ @WiebeWkkr Wiebe Wakker drove 1222 days, 100450k m through 34 countries from the Netherlands to New Zealand in his electric 'Blue Bandit', a converted VW Golf station wagon.   youtube.com/watch?v=OmHG9c…
~ @PoDrodze Arkady P. Fiedler became the first human to cross the continent of Africa in an Electric car. He drove a 30KwH Nissan Leaf from South Africa to Morrocco. That's 14 countries in 97 days, covering 15,176 km charging a 100 times.   youtube.com/watch?v=caAksZ…
~ @MarekKaminski the person to travel both the poles of the earth in the same year travelled 16000km from Poland to Japan in a Nissan Leaf.   youtube.com/watch?v=kwtW0P…
~ Let us not forget Mr. Starman, who set off on the longest ever trip in an EV. Rumour has it he plans to cross the distance travelled by every single ICE vehicle since Bertha's epic journey and then some.
~ If you made it till here, a hat tip to every single electric car owner who have driven outside their city, state or country. Your presence out of your town makes people talk. Your trip is the marketing move that EVs need.
Feel free to add any other such journeys I missed.

[Sigmetnow]

EV Core Efficiency Update

Matt Joyce (@matty_mogul) 6/16/20, 1:46 PM
@Tesla extends their lead with record breaking Model S
Congrats @elonmusk on continuing to push the limits! $TSLA
https://twitter.com/matty_mogul/status/1272948614822797313
[Chart below.]
< Not sure why it’s divided by weight. The weight is already factored into the range. If the weight changes, so does the range.
Efficiency is the kWh/ range, no matter what the weight of the vehicle is, right?
<< Model 3 vs Model Y. Presumably same battery pack. About same range. Model Y is heavier. Therefore model Y is more efficient. Honda Ioniq was the most efficient electric car at one point but its weight is so light from the small battery pack that it's comparing apples to oranges.
<<< So essentially it doesn't help your range to have a heavier car but if all else is equal and 1 car is way heavier, that means you must have technology that is allowing to make up for that disadvantage. This is the best chart I've seen to explain who has the best tech.

——
OK, Boomer.  I can’t decide if Edmunds is showing their age — or they just want to start a click war....

Edmunds, in a promoted ad on Twitter (shown below): “The lack of buttons in cars is one of the very worst automotive design trends, and it needs to stop.“

Andy Slye (@slye) 6/17/20, 10:21 AM
13 years ago people were saying the same thing about smartphones with touch screens. Look what happened.

Whole Mars (@WholeMarsBlog) 6/16/20, 3:20 PM
The future of the car is software.
If you don’t understand this, your publication is headed for irrelevance.
Sorry old timers, but things change and improve over time.
https://twitter.com/wholemarsblog/status/1272972254104547329
- legacy auto companies that listen to this advice and adopt old style UIs filled with buttons are putting their future at risk    no software updates, etc
- Look here’s the thing:
If yours cars have a bunch of buttons, the UI is different for every car. Make a change, and now there are hardware differences your software must account for.
That makes it tough to have a universal software platform across all models.
No OTA

Whole Mars (@WholeMarsBlog) 6/16/20, 3:42 PM
"Why do we need a revolutionary user interface?" –– Steve Jobs
https://twitter.com/wholemarsblog/status/1272977813360930817
2-min vid:  SJ introduces the first iPhone. ♥️

Whole Mars (@WholeMarsBlog) 6/16/20, 3:32 PM
Porsche: [introducing] the new Porsche, with more buttons than ever.
Me: Aren’t you concerned the UI for the car can never change with a software update?
Porsche: That’s okay, we have no clue how to do a software update 

https://twitter.com/wholemarsblog/status/1272975431470215173
Photo below.

—- < Car Wars: Attack of the Cones

Nate McComb (Purple Model 3) (@nate_mccomb) 6/16/20, 9:54 PM  
1 cone, 2 cones, 3 cones, 4......
https://twitter.com/nate_mccomb/status/1273071587323977732
Photo below;  another at the link.

[Sigmetnow]

Carsonight (@carsonight) 6/18/20, 3:04 AM
Et tu, Brute.
According to this article, Herbert Diess was removed from CEO of Volkswagen brand because the *dealers* object to electric cars. Here's a lesson for those who claim Tesla should be selling through dealerships.
https://twitter.com/carsonight/status/1273511915046633472
~ He answers to the board, which is mainly controlled by the Porsche family. He was CEO of VAG and of Volkswagen brand, which has been stripped from him, and wanted to implement his EV strategy through them.
~ Diess answers to the board of directors and serves at their pleasure. Being removed as CEO of Volkswagon brand is a blow. He has one foot on the banana peel.

Carsonight (@carsonight) 6/18/20, 3:55 AM
https://twitter.com/carsonight/status/1273524668893245440
At the link: images of (translated?) article, saying dealers wanted cheap ICE Up! cars to draw in customers

[Sigmetnow]

One more post on Nikola (for now), because their 2016 truck reveal is still pretty funny.

Earl of Frunkpuppy (@28delayslater) 6/18/20, 9:52 AM
Ok last video on the topic today.
https://twitter.com/28delayslater/status/1273614589129883653
[At the link: 90 seconds vid: clips from the Nikola reveal.  Fun music added.]
“This is NOW.  It’s all about imagination.”
~ My favorite part. Our hydrogen is clean. It comes from sources like hydrogen.

(@sova123k) 6/18/20, 7:01 PM [Edits: my notes added in brackets]
So he wants me to use my imagination to see
-bulky staircase disappear? [He says: In production, two door handles pop out, giving a “four-point entry” into the cab:  two hands, two feet.]
-doors appear [only one door on this truck. Production will have two; one on each side]
-giant refrigerator?...will it hold beer? Popsicles? [“12 cubic square foot” “will be moved underneath the bed”]
-cramped interior [“lack of storage inside the truck. That’s OK; our interior team did not have enough time to get that done”]
-exponential cost increase
-functioning locomotive? [“You’ll see the massive motor gearboxes in the back.  The only ones like it in the world. A single-single-dual two speed gearbox.  In production, the gearbox will be about 50% that size, but the cost of reducing that would have been exponentially more expensive]
Did I miss anything?
Not sure I can imagine all that..sounds depressing
https://twitter.com/sova123k/status/1273752687616679937
< Do the stairs with railing stow away into the vehicle?

Screen cap below.

 ======

Whole Mars (@WholeMarsBlog) 6/18/20, 12:11 AM
Today, Nikola Motor Co. announced they will sue Bloomberg and journalist @EdLudlow for libel.
You can watch the clip that Ed wrote his story about below. He also interviewed founder Trevor Milton this morning.
Trevor is also suing Tesla.
What do you think? Did Ed libel Trevor? 

https://twitter.com/wholemarsblog/status/1273468312224063488
Video clip at the link.

=====
Here’s a new Autoline episode with Nikola (former) CEO Trevor Milton.
Note that Milton claims things like “first to market” when nothing is yet in production.  Watch at the end when they talk about the company after Trevor has to sign off, to “move his tractor.”
#https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uj2UsNNYg5g

The host is quite impressed that Bosch is involved with Nikola, which helps him believe Nikola must be legit.  But I can’t help recalling that Bosch was fined $100 million for its role in supplying control units in Dieselgate….  Bosch may just see Nikola as a way to make money off a company which is turning to all sorts of outside help to solve huge technical problems, to make products they can’t make in-house.

[Sigmetnow]

The West Coast states of the U.S. plan to electrify commercial truck routes, starting with the I-5 highway in Washington, Oregon and California.  They see improved health and environment, as well as job growth, as benefits.

West Coast States Are Teaming Up to Build an Electric Highway

The West Coast is preparing for a future where giant diesel transport trucks go electric. Utilities and state agencies in California, Oregon, and Washington announced a plan to transform highway infrastructure that would speed the transition.

Nine electric utilities and two agencies are behind the West Coast Clean Transit Corridor Initiative, which would help the states reduce their greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, the biggest contributor to carbon emissions in the U.S. Nearly a quarter of that comes from medium and heavy-duty trucks. That’s why these states have laid out the necessary steps to transform the shipping industry in a 185-page report released on Wednesday.

The report calls for electrifying main shipping routes across the region by installing charging stations for freight trucks. It’s projected to cost some $850 million in total. However, these types of infrastructure updates are a worthy investment as governments begin planning their economic recoveries from the coronavirus crisis. The pandemic has created an urgency around green development that can spur economic growth and recovery.

The plan is to ultimately create electric charging stations every 50 miles along Interstate 5, which runs from up the West Coast, by 2025. First, the states will build 27 stations for medium-duty vehicles, such as delivery vans. However, by 2030, 14 of these stations will be upgraded to also charge big rig trucks. Most of the stations will be in California, but Oregon will have five and Washington six. Other main highways are also part of the plan as well. ...

https://earther.gizmodo.com/west-coast-states-are-teaming-up-to-build-an-electric-h-1844080301

The healthy-dose-of-financial-skepticism argument (with map):
I-5 Clean Energy Corridor needs freight-level EV charging every 50 miles and $850M, utilities say
6.17.20
https://www.power-eng.com/2020/06/17/i-5-clean-energy-corridor-needs-freight-level-ev-charging-every-50-miles-and-850m-utilities-say/

[Sigmetnow]

Germany Gov Plans To Build 1000 Supercharging Locations Corresponds To The Tesla V2 SuperCharger

The National Control Center Infrastructure in Germany announced the creation of 1,000 charging stations for electric vehicles, which will offer at least 10,000 stalls. The minimum charge power is set at 150 kilowatts, and the Tesla Supercharger charging stations should become a model for this.

The program, which is currently planned and coordinated by the federal government, is designed to create a charging network that meets the characteristics of Tesla's Supercharger V2 stations and thus deserves the name of a fast-charging network, reports t3n. The federal government had previously tried to use subsidies to develop electricity charging infrastructure, but it was too slow.

"The current funding practice is not efficient enough," said Johannes Pallasch, Head of the National Control Center for Charging Infrastructure. …

https://www.tesmanian.com/blogs/tesmanian-blog/germany-gov-plans-to-build-1000-superchanging-locations-corresponds-to-the-tesla-v2-supercharger

—-
Audi is a member of the Volkswagen Group and has its roots at Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany.

Volkswagen to pay $267 million for Audi buyout  

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) will pay a 48% premium to buy out the minority shareholders of premium division Audi (NSUG.DE), Audi said on Tuesday.
Volkswagen, which already holds 99.64% of Audi, announced the squeeze-out plans in February.   

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-audi-buyout-idUSKBN23N2M2


=====
BMW terminates self-driving tech partnership with Mercedes-Benz

German automaker BMW has announced that it will freeze its self-driving technology development program with Mercedes-Benz after a steep plunge in demand for its vehicles due to the coronavirus. BMW will also get rid of 6,000 jobs, which accounts for 5% of its global employment force of 120,000 people. …

https://www.teslarati.com/bmw-mercedes-benz-fsd-partnership-terminated/amp/


—- Tesla

Whole Mars (@WholeMarsBlog) 6/20/20, 8:40 PM
Navigate on Autopilot can now cross an 8 lane highway in under a minute.
Not that long ago, it struggled to cross it in time to make the exit at all.

https://twitter.com/wholemarsblog/status/1274502408224206849

Whole Mars (@WholeMarsBlog) 6/20/20, 7:59 PM
Elon: “We’re going to change the world”
Impatient Fans: “Dude weren’t you supposed to change the world yesterday?”

https://twitter.com/wholemarsblog/status/1274492014378156032

[Sigmetnow]

Nikola again.  Trevor Milton makes a claim; ARK Invest makes a prediction.

< How is Tesla selling its BEV semi for $150k? Do they have newer tech?

Trevor Milton (@nikolatrevor) 6/21/20, 11:59 AM
Massive losses. Their costs is over 200k

https://twitter.com/nikolatrevor/status/1274733618146037761


Nikola Plans to Enter the Market at an Uncompetitive Price Point
By Sam Korus | @skorusARK

Founded to develop hydrogen fuel cell class 8 trucks, Nikola Motor Corporation made headlines this past week as its stock debuted via reverse merger and hit a $30 billion market cap, even though it has not produced one truck. Nikola aims to lower the cost of trucking. ARK’s research suggests, however, that hydrogen trucks will have a higher total cost of ownership than their battery-electric alternatives, as shown below.

While hydrogen costs and hydrogen drivetrain inefficiencies are key to the difference between hydrogen fuel and electric truck costs, perhaps the more important competitive obstacle will be the infrastructure for hydrogen refueling which is an order of magnitude more expensive than charging stations for battery electric vehicles. Assuming incorrectly that most trucks max out on weight before running out of trailer space, advocates for hydrogen fuel cell trucks often claim that the weight of the batteries will limit the freight an electric truck can transport.

ARK will be surprised if Nikola ever delivers a single fuel cell truck.

https://research.ark-invest.com/nikola-plans-to-enter-the-market-at-an-uncompetitive-price-point-and-more
Chart below.

[Sigmetnow]

U.K.:  2020 new car scrappage scheme proposed

Reports suggest the UK government is considering a car scrappage scheme, offering car buyers discounts of up to £6000 to scrap a petrol or diesel car in favour of a new electric or hybrid model.

A new car scrappage scheme is set to be announced, offering car buyers discounts of up to £6000, according to reports.
   •   Discounts of up to £6000, according to Daily Telegraph
   •   Prime Minister to announce scheme 6 July
   •   Consumers encouraged to scrap petrol and diesel
   •   Incentives for new electric and hybrid cars
   •   SMMT pushing for new petrol and diesel cars to be in scheme, says The Guardian
   •   Some manufacturers already have scrappage schemes of their own

The Daily Telegraph says the new scheme will be revealed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on 6 July in an effort to boost the economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Daily Telegraph says the scheme aims to encourage drivers of petrol and diesel cars to scrap their vehicles in favour of electric vehicles or hybrid cars. Currently, consumers can get up to £3000 off the price of a new electric car under the Plug-in car grant.
...
New car sales were down nearly 90% last month (year on year), according to the SMMT. While petrol cars were still the biggest sellers in May, SMMT figures show that electric cars, plug-in hybrid cars and hybrid cars combined outsold diesels.
…
“People have noticed and enjoyed the cleaner air we’ve seen during lockdown. Ditching petrol and diesel vehicles for electric cars and vans would improve air quality for good, with huge benefits to our health and environment, as well as pulling Britain’s car industry into the 21st century and securing a future for its workers.” ...

https://www.carwow.co.uk/news/4631/2020-new-car-scrappage-scheme

Article has lists with specific cars and amounts.

[Sigmetnow]

Ford Mustang Mach-E Reservation Holders Miffed at Dealer Markups
MOTORTREND

The original poster (OP) of this thread says their Southern California dealer of choice wanted a full $15,000 over MSRP for the Mach-E they'd reserved, and also refused to accept one of Ford's friends/family/employee discount plans known as X-Plan. And others have reported various markups over MSRP at dealers they've contacted. Ford, it seems, doesn't disallow markups. In reality, pricing is determined by availability and demand. …

https://www.motortrend.com/news/ford-mustang-mach-e-dealer-markup/

[Sigmetnow]

JUST IN: California becomes the first state to require trucks to go emissions-free, a major step in combating dirty air and addressing climate change.

California adopts first-in-the-nation requirement that trucks be electric

Electric cars are ubiquitous on California’s freeways, but not so much electric trucks. That’s about to change.

On Thursday, California became the first state in the nation to require trucks to go emissions-free, a major step in combating dirty air, notably in poorer communities ringed by highways and warehouses, and in addressing the prickly problem of climate change.

Resisting opposition from the trucking industry and oil companies, the California Air Resources Control Board approved a rule that forces automakers to sell a minimum number of zero-emissions big rigs, delivery vans and large pickups, starting in 2024. The quotas will be phased in and by 2035 require most trucks in the state to produce no pollution at all.

The ambitious move is expected to reverberate well beyond California, as states as far away as Connecticut, New Jersey and New York express interest in mimicking the rule and vehicle manufacturers internationally eye a growing market for clean trucks.
…
Despite the state’s already aggressive air quality rules, seven of the nation’s 10 smoggiest cities are in California, according to the American Lung Association. The pollution is known to cause respiratory and cardiovascular problems, often disproportionately in low-income neighborhoods.
…
The agency’s analysis also found that while zero-emissions trucks are more expensive to manufacture than their gas-powered counterparts, the fuel savings would outweigh the higher up-front costs. About $6 billion will be saved through 2040, according to the air board. …

https://www.sfchronicle.com/environment/article/California-adopts-first-in-the-nation-requirement-15367419.php

[Sigmetnow]

Mostly truck news / reveals:
—— watching the Lordstown Endurance pickup reveal

< Legacy auto is sweating right now
Lordstown Motors (@LordstownMotors) 6/25/20, 1:15 PM
The Endurance has arrived. #RideWithLordstown
https://twitter.com/lordstownmotors/status/1276202302559457284

< Specs do not sound that far off the mid-tier Cybertruck -- and at a lower price, with the tax incentive... If they can really pull it off, I think it might actually be the most competitive of all the non-Tesla EV trucks announced thus far.

<< I kinda like what Lordstown has done with the rim design to promote their in-wheel motor tech  Exterior design seems functional but it's a "meh" for me

> @LordstownMotors Worst reveal ever. Drive Chevy, other battery makers, horrible audio, boring videos, plant from the 70s, nothing about the truck. Good luck guys. Next time spend the money on a real PR team, not “VIP” guests.  [Vice President Mike Pence]

crtrud (@crtrud) 6/25/20, 9:46 PM
Is Lordstown Motors the savior of a down-on-its-luck Ohio town, or a cash-poor company with a sketchy future?
It depends whether you’re on Team Trump. Good piece by @DavidWelchBN [Bloomberg, see this link:]
https://twitter.com/crtrud/status/1276330908065370117

—- watching the Ford F-150 reveal

Whole Mars (@WholeMarsBlog) 6/25/20, 8:05 PM
"Electric powertrains are a big part of our future, and big part of the new F-150. Within 2 years we will have an all electric F-150" –– Ford
https://twitter.com/wholemarsblog/status/1276305667674890241
~ New F-150 has over the air updates
~"updates will be near instantaneous"  uhhhh sounds like it's not much of an update

—- Tesla Autopilot update
After a few weeks gathering real world data from real drivers confirming it was safe to proceed through intersections, Tesla nows lets the car decide

SF TESLA CLUB (@sfteslaclub) 6/25/20, 9:29 PM
New update working like a charm. No more stopping at green lights. Green light means Gooooo!
Thanks @Tesla

https://twitter.com/sfteslaclub/status/1276326783302823937
9 sec vid:   Running a green/(yellow) light.

—- “Talkin’ Trucks” webcast

Whole Mars (@WholeMarsBlog) 6/25/20, 9:28 PM
Electric trucks are the future.

https://twitter.com/wholemarsblog/status/1276326334487126016
“Talkin’ Trucks” webcast clip at the link. 2+ min. Many truck owners heartily proclaim they don’t give a fu care about e-trucks… BUT, the buzz is all about Rivian (#2) and Tesla Cybertruck (#1).  Ford says they’ll have a hybrid soon…..
Full vid:  #https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=AOOrjGqNHDU  56 min

——-

Sam Albuquerque (@OfficialABQ) 6/25/20, 9:45 PM
Rivian: we are making fully electric pickups.

Bollinger: Here's our full electric pickup. We'll even sell the platform.

Tesla: Here's our Blade runneresque fully electric futuristic pickup.

Ford: We intend to be carbon neutral by 2050. Here's our umm.... hybrid.

https://twitter.com/officialabq/status/1276330678028840960

Whole Mars (@WholeMarsBlog) 6/25/20, 9:53 PM
Tesla: Come see the Cybertruck at Peterson [Museum]

Ford: This years truck looks the same as last year's, but it comes in a hybrid version

Rivian: Production starts soon we promise!!!

Nikola: Mmmm yummy hydrogen fuel cell water!
https://twitter.com/wholemarsblog/status/1276332737993949186

(Nikola’s Trevor Milton tweeted that the fuel cell “bi product” is drinkable water, which will be kept aboard in a storage tank, and suggested to SodaStream that perhaps they could install a dispenser in the hydrogen version of the Badger pickup truck. )
https://twitter.com/wholemarsblog/status/1276301547782078464

[Sigmetnow]

JUST IN: California becomes the first state to require trucks to go emissions-free, a major step in combating dirty air and addressing climate change.
...
Resisting opposition from the trucking industry and oil companies, the California Air Resources Control Board approved a rule that forces automakers to sell a minimum number of zero-emissions big rigs, delivery vans and large pickups, starting in 2024. The quotas will be phased in and by 2035 require most trucks in the state to produce no pollution at all. ...

California Regulators To Fleets: Buy Those Electric Trucks

Not known for resting on its laurels, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is already gearing up for the next round of zero-emission truck rulemaking: ensuring those who would balk (among them, WSTA members) at buying the trucks that will hit the California market as a result of the new mandate, known as the Advanced Clean Truck rule, will have to procure them anyway.

"There needs to be mutual assurance: that there will be vehicles for the purchasers and purchasers for the vehicles," said CARB chair Mary Nichols during last week's hearing, where the board approved the truck sales requirement.

The Board will hold its first hearings on the fleet purchasing rulemaking this summer, with a tentative goal of implementing the rule starting in 2024, the same year the sales mandate takes effect.
…
Embedded in the Advanced Clean Truck rule is a provision that requires fleets with 50 or more trucks to report on their existing fleet operations. Employers, retailers and manufacturers are also bound by reporting requirements. ... 

https://m.benzinga.com/article/16450622

[Sigmetnow]

Workhorse obtains funding towards its electric-delivery vans

Workhorse said on Tuesday that an unnamed institutional investor has agreed to purchase $70 million in senior secured convertible notes. The new notes are equivalent in seniority to those issued by Workhorse last December, will pay 4.5% annually, and are convertible into common stock at $19 per share.

Workhorse will only build a few hundred of its new C Series electric-delivery vans this year, but it's hoping to ramp-up production substantially in 2021.

CEO Duane Hughes said the added funds will give the company what it needs to get its new C Series package-delivery vans into production, and will bolster its balance sheet as it seeks to establish a revolving line of credit.
…
Lewis wrote that while Workhorse's stock has gained over 200% since the C Series vans received U.S. government approval last month, that approval has put the company in position to bid for a U.S. Postal Service contract that could be worth $8 billion in revenue.

Auto investors should note that bids for that Postal Service contract are due later this month, Lewis said.

https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/07/01/why-workhorse-group-stock-is-down-today.aspx


—- Autonomous trucking
TuSimple plans autonomous truck network backed by UPS
July 1, 2020

Ahead of the commercial rollout of its driverless trucks by 2024, TuSimple today outlined the launch of what it’s calling the world’s first autonomous freight network. In partnership with UPS, Penske, U.S. Xpress, and McLane Company, TuSimple plans to establish an “ecosystem” of autonomous trucks, complemented by digitally mapped routes, strategically placed terminals, and a monitoring system dubbed TuSimple Connect.

The company believes the autonomous freight network is the “safest” and “most efficient” way to bring self-driving trucks to market. Indeed, as the pandemic drives unprecedented growth in the logistics and ground transportation market, Aurora, Waymo, and other rivals are also investing increased resources in fully autonomous solutions.

TuSimple’s autonomous freight network will roll out in three phases. During the first — 2020 to 2021 — the company will offer delivery service between Arizona and Texas, touching the cities of Phoenix, Tucson, El Paso, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. The second phase, which will begin in 2022 and end in 2023, will see an expansion in shipping from Los Angeles to Jacksonville, connecting the East Coast with the West Coast. The third phase, starting in 2023, will grow TuSimple’s driverless operations nationwide, adding routes in 48 states and allowing customers to use TuSimple-equipped trucks on the freight network (with priority given to existing customers and companies with large orders).

Similar deployments in Europe and Asia will follow if all goes well, building on a delivery pilot in Shanghai. There, as here, businesses will pay TuSimple to haul goods on their behalf.

TuSimple already operates autonomously on seven different routes between Phoenix, Tucson, El Paso, and Dallas, and it intends to open a shipping terminal in Dallas in alignment with its freight network plans. For high-volume customers, TuSimple tells VentureBeat it will continue to map routes and deliver to distribution centers. And it says it will give clients of all sizes the ability to track freight in real time using TuSimple Connect.
…
Demand for driverless trucks is strong. The industry stands to save the logistics and shipping industry $70 billion annually while boosting productivity by 30%. According to a recent study from the Consumer Technology Association, a quarter (26%) of consumers now view autonomous delivery technologies more favorably than before the health crisis. Besides cost savings, the growth is driven in part by a shortage of human drivers. In 2018, the American Trucking Associates estimated that 50,000 more truckers were needed to close the gap in the U.S., despite the sidelining of proposed U.S. Transportation Department screenings for sleep apnea.

https://venturebeat.com/2020/07/01/tusimple-plans-autonomous-truck-network-backed-by-ups/

[Sigmetnow]

“We have 3 Tesla Model 3 and 2 Dodge Chargers and none of the Model 3 have ever seen a wrench, and we are always putting the Dodges in the shop for various reasons (like) water pumps, fuel pumps, alternators, (and) brakes.”

Tesla Model 3’s reliability and lack of maintenance defended by police chief
June 30, 2020

The chief of the Bargersville, Indiana Police Department has stood by the Tesla Model 3, stating that the all electric sedan has been a great police cruiser due to its generally maintenance free nature. In a recent tweet, the Police Chief Todd Bertram stated that the Model 3 is almost a year old already, and the only thing that needed to be changed in the vehicle so far was its rear tires.

The Tesla Model 3 was an experiment of sorts for the Bargersville PD. In a previous statement, Todd Bertram noted that the Model 3 was purchased partly because of its cost savings against other police cruisers that are typically used, like Dodge Chargers. The police chief estimated that the Model 3 could result in savings of up to $6,000 per year, which includes about $300 a month for gas.

With the experiment in mind, the police chief noted that the test of the all-electric sedan has been going better than expected so far. In a follow-up tweet, Bertram stated that he thinks the break even point for the Model 3 police cruiser would no longer be 24 months as initially estimated. Instead, the ROI for the vehicle is looking closer to 19 months — and this was despite the vehicle traveling about 19,000 miles since it was deployed in August 2019. …

https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-model-3-reliability-maintenance-vs-dodge-charger-police-chief/

=====

Whole Mars (@WholeMarsBlog) 6/28/20, 4:09 AM
“Ford officials said they expect the [F-150 pickup truck] hybrid option, available on all trim levels, could account for 10 percent of sales” — Automotive News
     Come on... 10%? 

https://twitter.com/wholemarsblog/status/1277152210460147712

=====
Sad 20-second video at the link:  Dad trying to plug Tesla supercharger into his Volvo, as kids watch. Newark, Delaware, U.S.
https://twitter.com/wisitlike/status/1277803147826790400
Reminder: Tesla early on offered to share their supercharger system with other automakers — but their cars had to be able to handle the power.  No company accepted.

——-

404 Gas (@404GAS) 6/27/20, 6:26 AM
My neighbor texted me last night. He has a friend coming into town in their Tesla. The nearest charging station is 23 miles away and it’s a J-1772. He asked if his friend could charge at our house. Of course I said yes. Have to support the @Tesla community! 

https://twitter.com/404gas/status/1276824092365262850

——

Whole Mars (@WholeMarsBlog) 6/30/20, 5:02 PM
The funny thing about Xpeng is

yeah it's a blatant copy of Tesla but that's actually a better strategy than what anyone else is doing

https://twitter.com/wholemarsblog/status/1278071353397006336

[Sigmetnow]

Nikola

Former CEO Trevor Milton, on Nikola’s upcoming products, vs. analysts, a CNBC interviewer, and Youtubers:
After ARK Invest’s recent unflattering report (see above:  https://forum.arctic-sea-ice.net/index.php/topic,2686.msg269919.html#msg269919 ), former Nikola CEO Trevor Milton issued a challenge:

Trevor Milton (@nikolatrevor) 7/1/20, 3:40 PM
Hello @ARKInvest and @CathieDWood I'm happy to live stream chat with you for everyone to see - No editing. You're numbers are disingenuous and the world would like to see accurate data, not propaganda from your firm. I'm ready. I'll even give you time to prepare as you'll need it

https://twitter.com/nikolatrevor/status/1278413189865107456

And ARK Invest was happy to accept:

Sam Korus (@skorusARK) 7/1/20, 4:25 PM
Hey @nikolatrevor as opposed to grandstanding, happy to have a discussion. The numbers I used were from your investor presentation and Tesla's semi presentation.
https://twitter.com/skorusark/status/1278424386459049985

ARK Invest (@ARKInvest) 7/1/20, 5:46 PM
Hi @nikolatrevor. Thank you for your interest in ARK. We would love to record a podcast with you to discuss our research and your goals for Nikola. Join us on FYI (ark-invest.com/podcasts/). Our team will reach out to you via DM.
https://twitter.com/arkinvest/status/1278444978054877189
Lots of replies from people eagerly awaiting such an event!

Trevor Milton (@nikolatrevor) 7/1/20, 8:09 PM
@ARKInvest Accepted.
https://twitter.com/nikolatrevor/status/1278480775185264640
His screencap of his DM at the link.

Here are two rather short, excellent videos that ask the questions Trevor doesn’t seem to want to answer.  (H/t @28delayslater)
Is Nikola Badger Even Legit Bro? - YouTube

Sean of All Things EV

Nikola Motors, Trevor Milton (reaction video) - YouTube


< Bro, Tesla has more cars in space than Nikola have on the road.
< [Trevor says,] “The technology is all done.”  I could never imagine those words coming out of Elon.

—- Paid (mostly-refundable) reservations for the as-yet-unseen Nikola Badger pickup truck opened June 30.  Trevor tweets they are receiving about 1,500 a day.

Trevor Milton (@nikolatrevor) 7/2/20, 7:47 PM
Cleared things up: Here you go! The Badger Honey package sold out ~1,000 reservations with $5,000 deposit requirements in under 48 hours. About $5,000,000 in deposits on that package alone. Tracking about 1,500 deposits per day without showing badger[,] or 200MM future revenue/day
https://twitter.com/nikolatrevor/status/1278837741262864385
< Your numbers are pie-in-the-sky. Making 1,500 units/day is about 550,000 units/yr. Will take you many years to get to that level. 200MM revenue on 1500 units means each truck would cost $133,000. …
<< Cybertruck day 1: 146,000     Badger day 1: 1,500     #industryleader

In his Autoline interview, Trevor said Nikola will build out hydrogen stations in the coming years to cover the specific routes agreed to in their semi-truck contracts.  There are few hydrogen stations in the U.S. today, and most of them are in California.  If a non-Californian pays the extra $20,000 to go from the “300 mile” BEV range to the “600-mile” hydrogen fuel cell range for their Badger pickup, we’ve seen nothing as to when or where they would be able to get the hydrogen.

[Sigmetnow]

Autonomous ridesharing isn’t dead: How Waymo is adapting to the post-COVID era

In a year marred by an ongoing global pandemic, it’s temptingly easy to argue that ridesharing is doomed. Why would you want to ride with strangers and go Dutch on a herd of germs when you could drive your own car and know whose filth you’re bathing in? This argument has merits, but it leaves out the millions of people who do not own a car for a variety of reasons, and it falsely assumes that society’s coronavirus-related wounds will never heal.

Ridesharing is undeniably down, but it’s not out. As self-driving car technology continues its steady march forward, ridesharing could very well bounce back as a convenient — and safe — mode of transportation. Autonomous vehicles that hold one fewer warm, breathing body feel more relevant than ever before. To get a glimpse of the road ahead, Digital Trends spoke with Waymo, one of the leaders in the field, to find out how the coronavirus-related lockdowns and stay-at-home orders affected its operations, and what it’s doing to maintain the trust of its growing ridership. …

https://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/waymo-in-post-covid-era/

=====

Andrei B (@AndreiBulu) 1/10/20, 2:10 AM
Technology out of order: Nikola Tesla invented the Electric Motor in 1887, 10 years later he invented the Spark Plug, 4 years Ahead of Robert Bosh. US609250A

https://twitter.com/andreibulu/status/1215531425883017216
Patent photo at the link

Andrei B (@AndreiBulu) 1/27/20, 5:04 PM
In 1911 Emil Gruenfeldt of the Baker Motor Company drove his Baker Motor Roadster for 201.6miles on a single charge, beating Porsche Taycan 2020 model by a few miles.  lowtechmagazine.com/overview-of-ea… 

https://twitter.com/andreibulu/status/1221916949963141120
Photo of the Baker Roadster at the link.

[Sigmetnow]

GM, Fiat Chrysler U.S. Auto Sales Dive But See Recovering Trend

General Motors (GM) and Fiat Chrysler (FCAU) reported steep Q2 declines in U.S. auto sales amid the coronavirus outbreak but May and June saw a rebound from April lows. Ford (F) and Nissan (NSANY) are gearing to report Q2 sales.

Industrywide U.S. auto sales are expected to come in at an annualized rate of 12.8 million units in June, J.D. Power estimated. That would be down from 17.1 million a year ago. But sales should be notably stronger vs. May's 12.3 million, as the auto industry continues its pandemic recovery, analysts said.

Here is how other automakers performed against Cox Automotive expectations. The results show sales volume as well as growth or decline vs. a year ago.

General Motors
Q2 auto sales estimate: 488,774; down 34%
Results: GM sales plunged 34% to 492,489. Retail sales sank 35% in April but recovered significantly in May and June with declines of 20% or less, GM said.
Each of GM's four main brands saw double-digit declines. But flagship full-size Sierra and Silverado trucks were relatively resilient.
Year to date, sales are down 21%.
Most plants have now returned to normal operating levels after pandemic shutdowns, the automaker added.

Fiat Chrysler
Q2 auto sales estimate: 362,291; down 39.4%.
Results: Fiat Chrysler sales in the U.S. cratered 39% to 367,086. Each of its six main brands saw declines of 21% or more. Flagship Ram pickup truck sales crumbled 35% year over year. Jeep SUV sales decreased 29%.
Economic "havoc" from the coronavirus in April was partially offset by a stronger-than-expected retail sales rebound in May and June, Fiat Chrysler said in a statement.
The Italian-American carmaker tied the retail sales recovery since April to "the reopening of the economy, steady gas prices and access to low interest loans." Fleet sales stayed low as Fiat Chrysler prioritized retail sales, which tend to have higher margins.
Year to date, sales are down 26%.

Ford Motor
Q2 auto sales estimate: 424,366; down 34%
Results: Sales fell 33% to 433,869 units in Q2. Retail sales dropped 14.3%, with trucks down 0.4% and SUVs down 22%. But sales of the Explorer SUV rose 12.4%, and the Ranger midsize pickup climbed 20%. Retail sales of passenger cars sank 34.7%.

Toyota Motor
June sales estimate: 155,000; down 23%. Q2 sales estimate: 404,749, down 34%.
Results: Toyota reported a 35% Q2 drop but saw improvement later in the quarter, with June sales were off 22% year-ago levels.

Honda Motor
June sales estimate: 110,000; down 19%. Q2 sales estimate: 288,728, down 29%.
Results: Honda sales dropped 15.5% in June and 27.9% in all of Q2. Honda said the pace of recovery accelerated in the second half of the quarter. Year to date, sales are down 23.8%.

Nissan
June sales estimate: 70,000; down 43%. Q2 sales estimate: 181,352, down 48%.
Results: Nissan's Q2 sales halved to 177,328. Year to date, sales are down 39.3%.

https://www.investors.com/news/auto-sales-q2-2020-gm-fiat-chrysler-ford-june-sales-toyota/

Edit:
Tesla Q2 2020 deliveries:  90,650, down 5% from Q2 2019.

[Sigmetnow]

Ford shifted the way it lists Mustang Mach-E electric SUV battery capacity: Why it matters

Ford has started listing the usable capacity of the battery packs—68 kwh for the Standard Range Battery and 88 kwh for the Extended Range Battery—instead of the previously cited gross capacities of 75.7 and 98.7 kwh, respectively.
…
That’s an important shift for several reasons. Firstly, it underscores that Ford is potentially using less than 90% of the pack’s sum cell capacity, and leaving about 10% for battery degradation and longevity. It reassures that the Mach-E might still offer its original advertised capacity, or close to it, after six, eight, or possibly even ten years.

Secondly, it highlights that the Mach-E is probably more efficient than earlier specs suggested. At 300 miles (or more) of EPA-rated range for the 88-kwh Extended Range, that’s better than 3.4 miles per kwh—not Tesla efficiency, but far better than the similarly sized Jaguar I-Pace (or anything larger than compact EVs from Hyundai, Kia, Chevy, or Nissan).

To compare, Audi initially made 83.6 kwh (88%) of the E-Tron’s 95-kwh usable, but it’s since expanded that to 86.5 (91%), arriving in the U.S. in the 2021 E-Tron Sportback.  …

https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1128726_ford-mustang-mach-e-electric-vehicle-battery-capacity

—-

< Bring a Cybertruck to the East Coast [of the U.S.]? We need a glimpse!
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 7/2/20, 10:43 PM
Sure, we will aim to do a cross-country drive with Cybertruck later this year

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1278882067825262592

Tesla Cybertruck to drive across US later this year
https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-cybertruck-cross-country-us-drive-elon-musk/

—-
Tesla CyberTruck Officially Opens Reservation For China Market

On July 3rd, Tesla China officially opens reservation of the Cybertruck (full electric pickup truck)  for the Chinese consumers in China, the world largest EV market.

Base on the information from the Tesla China site, no estimated retail prices yet for all 3 different models (Single, Duel and Tri Motor). As of right now, customers can pre-order the Cybertruck with 1,000 RMB deposit, which is equal to $141.51 USD.

https://www.tesmanian.com/blogs/tesmanian-blog/tesla-cybertruck-officially-opens-reservation-for-china-market

—-
Tesla Semi’s spacious cabin highlighted in side-by-side picture with diesel trucks

A recently shared photo of the Semi beside a couple of conventional vehicle delivery trucks was shared by Tesla’s Automotive President Jerome Guillen on LinkedIn. Tesla’s long-hauler definitely looks like it came from the future, thanks to its unique design, cavernous cabin, and central driving position.

Even though the Semi has been spotted in multiple locations over the years, it has rarely been photographed alongside more traditional long haul trucks. This made it a bit challenging to see just how physically different the Tesla Semi was compared to its competition. That is, at least, until Jerome Guillen’s recent LinkedIn post, which depicted the Semi alongside the very vehicles it is intended to replace.

Guillen posted the Semi’s image with a caption, saying, “Quick respite after strong Q2 deliveries. The space alien did come to rescue the dinosaurs.” The Automotive President didn’t specify what his caption was about, though he seemed to be referring to the Semi and its more conventional peers, as well as the role that the all-electric truck played in Tesla’s recent end of quarter push. …

https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-semi-cabin-vs-diesel-truck-picture/

[Sigmetnow]

Rumor: LG Chem To Accelerate Launch Of NCMA Battery Chemistry

According to the South Korean media, LG Chem is preparing to launch NCMA lithium-ion battery cell chemistry (nickel, cobalt, manganese and aluminum cathode) in 2021.
Undisclosed sources told TheElec that the high-energy dense NCMA chemistry will be launched next year - reportedly about a year earlier than initially planned (2022).
LG Chem was previously focused mostly on the NCM type, and most recently on NCM 712 and 811 with only about 10% of cobalt content in the cathode.

More about Ultium batteries
More interestingly, those new cells are envisioned for General Motors and will be produced under the Ultium Cells LLC joint venture in Lordstown, Ohio.
"This is a year earlier than its initial goal of beginning production in 2022, they said. The batteries will be supplied to key client General Motors (GM), they added."
Because the Ultium plant will be ready no earlier than in 2022, at first NCMA cell production will take place at LG Chem's existing plant in Michigan in 2021.
The unofficial sources revealed also that already five models were designated for the NCMA cells, including an electric pickup truck.
We assume that various GM brands (Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC) as well as Honda will use the Ultium batteries in the next few years.
The high-energy density will allow battery pack capacity of up to around 200 kWh per vehicle, which will be a must-have for the largest pickups.
Since LG Chem supplies multiple other manufacturers in the U.S., we wonder whether Ford or others are also on-board?

https://insideevs.com/news/431517/rumor-lg-chem-accelerate-ncma-battery-chemistry/


—-  Nikola has touted its own high-density batteries.  But:

Gary Black (@garyblack00) 7/4/20, 7:04 AM
1/ $NKLA likely to get hammered Monday after disclosing Thurs night only 3K Badger pre-orders in first 2 days vs $TSLA Cybertruck pre-orders 146K in 2 days, 250K in 1st week, 500K in 6 mo. Investors won’t buy @nikolatrevor silly math to extrapolate 1,500 orders/day into future.
https://twitter.com/garyblack00/status/1279370440524402689
2/ S-1 ticking time bomb about to go live next week pending SEC approval where 23.9M warrants exercisable @ $11.50. Huge arbitrage oppty if purchase $nklaw warrant at $32, exercise @ $11.50, and deliver against shorted $NKLA shares at $57, less 8% weekly borrow. Reiterate $15 PT.

[Sigmetnow]

Europe: Automakers Are Not Only Missing CO2 Targets, But Drifting Further Away
https://insideevs.com/news/431983/european-union-emissions-target-missed-2020/

“Even though automakers are making cleaner and more frugal cars, buyers are shifting more towards SUVs, essentially cancelling the benefits of newer and better powertrains; SUVs and crossovers accounted for 38 percent of all new cars sales in Europe in 2019, and this year it's set to grow further still.”

Tesla Giga Berlin is targeted to be pumping out the BEV SUV/crossover Model Y next year.  That 38%+ market share will increasingly be electric.


——
Local UAW officials want GM to close SUV plant in Texas due to coronavirus concerns

Officials of a local chapter of the United Auto Workers union have asked General Motors to temporarily close its large SUV plant in Arlington, Texas, because of the resurgence of Covid-19 cases in the state.

“Due to the most recent data on the Covid -19 outbreak, the Bargaining Committee has asked General Motors to shut down Arlington Assembly until the curve is flattened for the benefit and well-being of our members,” reads a message on the organization’s website. “Every day we are setting new records in the number of people who are testing positive in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.”
…
GM said in an emailed statement Tuesday that officials are aware of the request but “there have been no changes to our production plans at Arlington because our safety protocols are working, thanks to a strong team effort.” …

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/30/uaw-officials-want-gm-to-close-suv-plant-in-texas-due-to-coronavirus.html

[NeilT]

Last week I was looking at the near 100% rise in Nio shares and considered buying 1,000 shares before the deliveries for Q2 were announced.

In the end I decided I needed the resources and could not afford it if they lost value.

Which was a mistake because I would be around $4,000 richer today if I had.

Not quite in the same bracket as backing out of buying £2,000 worth of bitcoin in 2013 at $10 each, but still, I could have done with the cash.

Clearly the market doesn't see Nio dying.  Which is good for EV take up in general.

[Sigmetnow]

As a startup, selling about 10,000 cars in the second quarter, NIO is doing quite well.  But as Musk has said, ramping to mass manufacturing is orders of magnitude more difficult than designing and building a product.  At least they don’t have an ICE legacy holding them back.  Here’s hoping they surmount the challenge!

NIO Beats Its Own Guidance After Sales Surged in June
With nearly $1 billion in new cash, NIO appears to be on a roll.

For the second quarter, NIO delivered a total of 10,331 vehicles, up 191% from 3,553 in the second quarter of 2019.
...
[T]he company's sales have recovered from COVID-19-related shutdowns earlier in the year. The stock's gains accelerated after the company sealed a funding deal with economic development authorities in China in late April, easing auto investors' concerns about its dwindling cash hoard. ...

https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/07/02/nio-beats-its-own-guidance-after-sales-surged-in-j.aspx

[Sigmetnow]

Bank in Denmark announces it will no longer make loans for gasoline or diesel cars.  Only BEVs, and, at a higher cost, rechargeable hybrids.  A bold stance, given “In 2019, the electric car share in Denmark was only 2.4 per cent.”  But increasingly severe depreciation may simply be making loans for ICE cars uneconomical at any price.

- Together with our customers, we will always take the lead in the most sustainable development.  Our goal is to constantly push for development.  We do this now by saying "no" to financing new gasoline and diesel cars.  We understand that this may not be as well received and popular with everyone and that it may cost customers in the short term.  That says Charlotte Skovgaard as CEO of Mercur Andelskasse, Denmark. ...

Bank slutter å gi lån til bensin- og dieselbiler | ABC Nyheter
https://www.tv2.no/broom/11491077/

[Sigmetnow]

“Boring” EQC fails to provide Mercedes-Benz with EV momentum

“Too late, too expensive, and too boring,” Speich said about the EQC, which has had less-than-desirable sales figures, according to the German Federal Motor Transport Authority.

In 2019, only 397 units of the EQC were sold, and as of May 28, 2020, an additional 276 have been sold. The combination of these two figures is indicative of less than 700 units sold since the vehicle’s launch in late 2019. …

https://www.teslarati.com/mercedes-benz-eqc-boring-ev-momentum/

—-
No longer #1 as the UK car market begins to recover, but the Tesla Model 3 remains in the Top 10, despite being the most expensive.

Tesla In Top 10 UK Best Selling Cars As Leading 261% EV Sales Growth

The plugin segment is much less affected by the effects of coronavirus. Also, the government offers citizens stimulus packages, which helps maintain relatively high demand.

https://www.tesmanian.com/blogs/tesmanian-blog/tesla-in-top-10-uk-best-selling-cars-as-leading-150-of-the-ev-sales

——

Gavin Shoebridge (@KiwiEV) 7/9/20, 10:15 AM
German authorities don't care how much you spent on your slower-than-a-Tesla, lime-green noisebox: if you block an EV charger, you're walking home. 

https://twitter.com/kiwiev/status/1281230507687231488
Photo below.

======
“… here is a loud, smoking, non-moving [Nikola] semi truck.”
https://twitter.com/28delayslater/status/1280848369066311683
Video clip. Red Nikola Semi clouding up a parking lot.

The Nikola backlash is starting to feel like TSLAQ mania.  But (former) CEO Trevor Milton is not helping the company’s cause with his repeated “We’re the best and first in the industry” claims for products that are not for sale, or may not even exist yet.

Trevor responds to the “trolls and haters” with a video:
Nikola Motor - BTS with Trevor Milton Showing the Nikola Two FCEV Doing a Ride & Drive
➡️https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LSrvRMgIqw   
White Nikola fuel cell semi cab drives around parking lot. 110° F outside.  Noise is two huge radiators working to keep “the batteries” etc. cool? Also, the fuel cell.

Whole Mars (@WholeMarsBlog) 7/8/20, 9:05 PM
Nobody didn’t believe the Nikola One was real. You unveiled it more than 3 years ago. @seanmmitchell even saw it running once
It’s the Badger people don’t believe is ready. And there’s a huge difference between a prototype and mass production.
https://twitter.com/wholemarsblog/status/1281031730338492417
~ the sec filings say it will be at least 3 - 4 years before this truck can start deliveries

Can the Nikola Semi actually fit the tanks to carry 80kg of hydrogen for the 600 mile range Nikola has promised?  Schematics (presentations and SEC filings) and data revealed so far suggest the answer might be No.
A Twitter thread examining the question starts here:
https://twitter.com/ajtourville/status/1281332814059917312

[oren]

Nikola is vaporware.

[blumenkraft]

I think so too.

[bluice]

Just trying to cash in on the Tesla hype

[Sigmetnow]

The pie-in-the-sky hydrogen fuel cell option seems to exist simply to cover the fact that Nikola is unable to build a long-range pure battery semi or pickup. 

[gerontocrat]

The pie-in-the-sky hydrogen fuel cell option seems to exist simply to cover the fact that Nikola is unable to build a long-range pure battery semi or pickup.

I can see H2 as a valid option for ocean-going shipping, and as replacements for gas peaker plants in a renewable energy dominated electricity grid where solar & wind at times produce large amounts of excess electricity to make H2.

I, for one, would not like to be driving a semi, and even less a pickup, with H2 at 5 to 10,000 psi (330 to 660 bar) on board. 
______________________________________________
Combustion

Hydrogen gas (dihydrogen or molecular hydrogen,[13] is highly flammable:

2 H2(g) + O2(g) → 2 H2O(l) + 572 kJ (286 kJ/mol)[note 2]
The enthalpy of combustion is −286 kJ/mol:[14]

Hydrogen gas forms explosive mixtures with air in concentrations from 4–74%[15] and with chlorine at 5–95%. The explosive reactions may be triggered by spark, heat, or sunlight.
_______________________________________
http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/consumer/hydrogen/basics/storage.htm

In the case of on-board storage of hydrogen for vehicular applications, automobile manufacturers require lightweight, compact, safe, and cost-effective storage plus the ability to achieve a driving range of at least 300 miles. The 300-mile driving range requires 5-10 kg of usable hydrogen depending upon the size of the vehicle. Although various hydrogen storage technologies are presently available, none completely satisfies all of the auto industry requirements. In fact, finding a solution to the hydrogen storage problem is considered by many to be the foremost challenge for the hydrogen economy.

Hydrogen can be stored in three ways:
-As a compressed gas in high-pressure tanks.
-As a liquid in dewars or tanks (stored at -253°C).
-As a solid by either absorbing or reacting with metals or chemical compounds or storing in an alternative chemical form.
To meet the storage challenge, basic research is needed to identify new materials and to address a host of associated performance and system issues.
Issues include operating pressure and temperature; the life span of the storage material (stability); the requirements for hydrogen purity imposed by the fuel cell; the reversibility of hydrogen uptake and release; the refueling conditions of rate and time; the hydrogen delivery pressure; overall safety, toxicity, and system-efficiency and cost. No material available today comes close to meeting all the requirements for onboard storage of hydrogen for fueling a fuel cell/electric vehicle.

Picture of Experimental test bed for evaluation of zero-boil-off cryogenic sys.
Experimental test bed for evaluation of zero-boil-off cryogenic sys, FSEC H2 Lab, J. Baik (Photo: N. Waters)
These requirements are often contradictory to each other (like the need for high specific energy and high energy density), and the requirement to simultaneously address these issues adds to the magnitude of the challenge. In fact, some of the requirements for onboard hydrogen storage seem unattainable especially with gaseous or liquid methods.

Storage of hydrogen in chemical compounds offers a much wider range of possibilities to meet the transportation requirements, but no single material investigated to date exhibits all the necessary properties. The storage solution requires breakthroughs in materials performance that can only come from innovative and basic research that looks beyond the materials considered, to date. The exacting demands on storage capacity, charge and discharge conditions, stability, and cost span the traditional disciplines of chemistry, physics, materials science and engineering. The fundamental factors that control bond strength, desorption kinetics, degradation due to cycling, and the role of nanosize and nanostructure in bonding and kinetics must be researched and new materials found.

At present, only three systems for on-board hydrogen storage are close to commercialization. They are compressed gas at high pressures (5,000 to 10,000 psi in composite cylinders), liquid hydrogen which requires a cryogenic temperature of -253 ° C, and materials-based storage in solids which involves the use of metal hydrides, carbon-based materials/high surface area sorbents, and/or chemical hydrogen storage.

The current status of various storage technologies in terms of weight, volume and costs is given below. These systems show a three to eight times performance gap in meeting the DOE goals.

[KiwiGriff]

 Nikola is a scam.
Even if they build an actual working truck its a non starter.
The cost of providing refueling stations and actually generating the hydrogen required is prohibitive.
If you look into the capacity of the few car refilling stations available they can only refuel a few cars an hour for  millions of dollars in build cost. 10 minutes to refuel two cars then an hour to pump back up to pressure so they can refuel more.
The laws of physics gets in the way of hydrogen ground transport....battery storage has already become so cheap hydrogen will not have a chance to compete.
https://theconversation.com/hydrogen-cars-wont-overtake-electric-vehicles-because-theyre-hampered-by-the-laws-of-science-139899

[Sigmetnow]

There’s the difficulty of hydrogen, and then there’s the difficulty of Trevor Milton.

Here’s a thread of ‘red flags’:

stevenmarkryan (@stevenmarkryan) 7/10/20, 9:41 AM
$NKLA red flags thread. I'll start:
CEO sells $70M of shares and buys Colorado's most expensive piece of real estate... before the company has sold a single product. Then steps down as CEO.
p.s. I hope Nikola succeed. BUT red flags are red flags and there's a trove of them.

https://twitter.com/stevenmarkryan/status/1281584249632677892

[kassy]

Climate change: Road plans will scupper CO2 targets, report says

The vast majority of emissions cuts from electric cars will be wiped out by new road-building, a report says.

The government says vehicle emissions per mile will fall as zero-emissions cars take over Britain’s roads.

But the report says the 80% of the CO2 savings from clean cars will be negated by the £27bn planned roads programme.

It adds that if ministers want a “green recovery” the cash would be better spent on public transport, walking, cycling, and remote-working hubs.

And they point out that the electric cars will continue to increase local air pollution through particles eroding from brakes and tyres.

etc

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53353258

So we need electric cars and less cars overall.

[NeilT]

It all sounds good until you have to do it.

When I worked in Brentford I stayed in Hounslow.  It took 1h to drive by car.  It took 1h to walk to the train station and take the train.  Walking would have taken me 1.5 hours or more.  The 3 busses I would have to have taken would have taken 1 hour.

All these times, except walking, became even longer if I worked late into the evening.

Eventually I bought a motorcycle.  15 minutes to work in the morning, 8 minutes back in the late evening.

I didn't even consider cycling, it would have been at least twice the motorcycle time.

This was in a major cities suburban area.  In even a moderate size town it would have been even more prohibitive.

When I worked in Temple in London I lived out near Harrow.  Took the tube every day as it was faster.

Public transport has to be viable and effective on time. Most systems are not and cannot be made to be so.

As for anyone who lives 15 miles or more from work, it only works if your public transport is exactly where you need it and you position yourself to take it.  Putting people in jammed and congested corridors and driving up the prices of property.

Public transport is great where it works.  Outside of that everyone for whom it does not work simply ignores the argument and votes for more roads.

UK roads urgently need upgrading to reduce congestion and, conversely, emissions driven by that congestion.

That is a fact and trying to ignore it fails to make the case.

[Sigmetnow]

also, Fisker and NIO
Rivian Reaps $2.5 Billion In Latest Funding Round As EV Investments Soar
https://cleantechnica.com/2020/07/10/rivian-reaps-2-5-billion-in-latest-funding-round-as-ev-investments-soar/

—-
Audi Snubs EVs, Says Will Continue To “Massively” Invest In Combustion Engines
https://cleantechnica.com/2020/07/11/audi-snubs-evs-says-will-continue-to-massively-invest-in-combustion-engines/amp/

     “Enjoy going massively bankrupt”
      https://twitter.com/wholemarsblog/status/1282039389544038400

[gerontocrat]

Public transport is great where it works.  Outside of that everyone for whom it does not work simply ignores the argument and votes for more roads.

UK roads urgently need upgrading to reduce congestion and, conversely, emissions driven by that congestion.

That is a fact and trying to ignore it fails to make the case.

In other words, to maintain BAU you have to be BAU - except maybe an EV instead of an ICE.
Some of us think that may not be an adequate response to, e.g., the 6th Mass Extinction.

[NeilT]

Whatever we think, there are practical realities.

Robotaxi, for me, fills the gap perfectly.  The city dweller with 1000% more public transport infrastructure than the country dweller, thinks this is a waste.

BAU will continue to happen until an EV compromise asserts itself.  Right now we have two camps, one shouting F. U. We're keeping our ICE and our right to pollute.  On the other side is a raucous chant of Public Transport is all you should be allowed (or walk/cycle 20 miles to work if you don't have any).  In the middle are a fairly small camp being browbeaten by all sides.

The is only one thing this approach is going to elicit and that is more BAU.

If you stop and think about it, moving the existing ICE to EV creates a situation where a switch of the grid switches Everyone to clean transport. Other alternatives have a lead time of many decades to clean the mess up.

With 90m, or more, cars being bought every year, why would you not want to move 100% to EV now and then move to a more integrated, shared, transport system over time?

A marked lack of pragmatism generates BAU.

That's my view anyway.

[KiwiGriff]

Going towards electric cars also forwards the technology for electrification of others areas .
like electric buses, mining and farm equipment .
I can not imagine  public transport working out here in the country side.
I also think the ecomodernism idea of us all living in highly congested city's is nutty as it will result in a population even more disconnected with nature and more degradation of the environment.

[Yuha]

BAU will continue to happen until an EV compromise asserts itself.  Right now we have two camps, one shouting F. U. We're keeping our ICE and our right to pollute.  On the other side is a raucous chant of Public Transport is all you should be allowed (or walk/cycle 20 miles to work if you don't have any).  In the middle are a fairly small camp being browbeaten by all sides.

Actually, it is useful to see the "green camp" as a spectrum of viewpoints ranging from Techno-utopianism to Neo-Ludditism. There is a fantastic (and long) series of tweets by Nafnlaus analysing this:

https://twitter.com/enn_nafnlaus/status/1281554202263793664

Techno-utopians see the solution to crises not as to sacrifice or revert, but to invent & move forward. There's all sorts of flavours of techno-utopianism - techno-progressivism (focused on achieving post-scarcity to eliminate unequality); technogianism (using technology to solve climate crises); transhumanism (using technology to overcome human limits); and so forth.

Neo-luddites see some / many of the technological changes of the past century as causing the problems we're in, and deeply fear proposed technological solutions to them. Faced with a crisis,  neo-Luddites tend to seek to revert to what they see as "older, better ways". The fact that most people haven't done so, seeing such reversion as a big sacrifice, is that they either truly don't understand how much happier they'll be, or they're bad people and deserve to be unhappy.

I highly recommend reading the full tweet series (26 tweets), it's really eye opening. I think most of us on this forum are somewhere between the two extremes, but it's clear that many of the arguments here arise because some of us are closer to Techno-utopianism and others to Neo-Ludditism. The tweet series has many examples.

[gerontocrat]

If you drive an EV with regenerative braking like a chauffeur you often do not need to use the standard brakes.

If you drive like you want to be a racing driver you use the standard brakes a lot. If you are always accelerating and braking you also generate fa greater quantities of micro-plastics from the tyres. That also means you are a plonker.

[Sigmetnow]

Order in July.  Expected delivery:  October.
Volkswagen ID.3 Sales Begin July 20 With 7 Preconfigured Models
July 14th, 2020

EV buyers in Europe will be able to order a Volkswagen ID.3 in one of 7 preconfigured versions starting July 20. Jürgen Stackmann, Volkswagen brand board member for sales, says, “I am convinced that e-mobility will now make its breakthrough. Our model names like Family, Style, Tech and Tour already reveal that we will have the right ID.3 for everyone — at an attractive price. This way, we are realizing our vision of enabling emission free mobility for all.”

Cars ordered in July ware expected to be delivered in October and will be eligible for a €9,480 incentive in Germany, of which one third or €3,480 comes from the manufacturer. Most other European countries have similar sales incentives on offer. Some customers who take delivery of ID.3 cars this Fall will receive a no-cost update for two digital features — AppConnect and the distance feature of the augmented reality head-up display for the “Tech” and “Max” models in the first quarter of 2021. All models delivered in the first quarter of 2021 will be equipped with all of their functions, the company says.

7 Preconfigured ID.3 Models
Volkswagen is offering 7 preconfigured models of the ID.3. Frankly, the assortment of features and pricing is more than a little confusing, but we’ve tried to simplify and summarize things as clearly as possible. According to the latest press release, 6 of the models will come with a 58 kWh (usable) battery and a 150 kW rear-mounted motor with 310 Newton-meters of torque. WLTP range is listed as 420 kilometers (261 miles) and the 0 to 60 km/h (37 mph) sprint will take 3.4 seconds. …

https://cleantechnica.com/2020/07/14/volkswagen-id-3-sales-begin-july-20-with-7-preconfigured-models/amp/

—-
Hyundai Motor Group head says Hyundai, Kia to sell one million EVs in 2025

SEOUL (Reuters) - Hyundai Motor Group leader Euisun Chung said on Tuesday flagship Hyundai Motor (005380.KS) and sister company Kia Motors (000270.KS) aim to sell 1 million electric vehicles (EVs) in 2025, together targeting over 10% of global market share of EVs.

Hyundai Motor plans to launch a next-generation electric vehicle with a driving range of 450 kilometres [280 miles] per charge and charging time of 20 minutes or less, Chung said in a televised video message.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-southkorea-president-newdeal-hyundai-idUSKCN24F0JI

[Sigmetnow]

Copy from thread "is sea ice affected by microplastics" as this article is about car tyres and electric cars are seen by many as a sustainable solution.
... 

Since your main thesis is that “all cars are bad,” this post is more appropriately placed in the “Cars cars and more cars Part Deux” thread.  Keeping such arguments separate from the transition to EVs is exactly why Neven created this alternative thread.

[Sigmetnow]

In this recent reveal, Nissan has fixed most of what plagued us about the Leaf.

EV News Daily (at [home]) (@EVNewsDaily) 7/15/20, 3:47 AM  
The all new @Nissan ARIYA!

> CCS PLUG <
> LIQUID COOLED <

• 63kWh / 223 miles
• 87kWh / 310 miles
• Both FWD or AWD
• 130kW+ charging
• 22kW on-board charging 
• 0-60mph 5.1secs (e-4orce version)
• Towing 1500 [pounds]
• OTA Updates
• From £40k/$40k. Arrives 2021

Thoughts?

https://twitter.com/evnewsdaily/status/1283307114040119296
Photo below, 3 more at the link. Scads more in the article ⬇️

The Nissan Ariya Has Answers
https://cleantechnica.com/2020/07/15/the-nissan-ariya-has-answers/