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Author Topic: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....  (Read 1466217 times)

etienne

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2350 on: September 13, 2017, 09:41:41 PM »
Don't know how things work in the US, but in Europe, the first registration of the vehicle is a different process than a change of owner. Change of owner will still be possible, but not first registration anymore. Let's hope they won't change their mind.

My experience is that after 10 years, I have more costs than the value of the car.

oren

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2351 on: September 13, 2017, 10:53:56 PM »
Bob, I believe etienne referred to registration of new vehicles, not resales and second-hand cars.

Bob Wallace

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2352 on: September 13, 2017, 11:11:05 PM »
Bob, I believe etienne referred to registration of new vehicles, not resales and second-hand cars.

I asked what he meant. 

I don't know why people would stop buying ICEVs years before it was impossible to register a new ICEV.  In fact, I would expect a rush to purchase and register large numbers prior to the cutoff date.

(That's assuming that EVs are not as cheap or cheaper than ICEVs by that time.)

numerobis

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2353 on: September 14, 2017, 04:51:17 AM »
People will be buying fewer ICEVs because EVs are better for their needs, and that'll snowball into making ICEVs less convenient for others.

This is what you've been preaching for years, do you suddenly no longer believe it?

Bob Wallace

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2354 on: September 14, 2017, 05:18:42 AM »
People will be buying fewer ICEVs because EVs are better for their needs, and that'll snowball into making ICEVs less convenient for others.

This is what you've been preaching for years, do you suddenly no longer believe it?

Preaching for years?  I've been talking about robotaxis potentially cutting deeply into private car ownership because phoning for a car should be so much cheaper.  But short of the potential disruption of robotaxis I don't see EVs lowering the purchase of cars overall.

Separate out the robotaxi, shift to EV stuff. 

If it's going to be impossible to register ICEVs starting in 2030 I would expect the ICEV holdouts to stock up on them in the last year or two.  Like what we saw with people putting away cases of incandescent light bulbs when they were being taken off the market.

etienne

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2355 on: September 14, 2017, 07:31:31 AM »
Well, in Europe, we don't drive so many miles than in the US. I have like 40 miles to drive every day to and from work. Major shopping areas are like 5 to 10 miles away from home. Furthermore if you have the ban of ICEV downtown, this would make these cars quite useless.




Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2356 on: September 14, 2017, 03:25:58 PM »
Must remember, scheduling is done on Elon time.  Which is curved, I think. ;)

Tesla Semi is a ‘beast’, says Elon Musk – unveiling of electric truck pushed to Oct 26th
https://electrek.co/2017/09/13/tesla-semi-unveil-unreal-beast-elon-musk-oct-26th/

But seriously:  "Tesla truck."  That was practically unthinkable, even a few years ago!
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Buddy

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« Reply #2357 on: September 14, 2017, 03:39:27 PM »
Samsung now has a lithium ion battery that will deliver 435 miles before needing a recharge.  I believe it is very likely that someone will exceed the 500 mile barrier BEFORE 2018 ends.  And maybe more than one company.

That will give EV's a BIG push forward.  And it will also translate into pushing wind and solar energy as well.  Saudi Aramco really screwed the pooch by waiting so long to go public.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2358 on: September 14, 2017, 04:03:29 PM »
Samsung now has a lithium ion battery that will deliver 435 miles before needing a recharge. ...

Be wary of this claim.  According to the Electrek article, Samsung released no specs -- no kWh, no energy density, etc.  And if that's supposed to be an NEDC range, the real-world range will be much less.

Battery improvements continue, no argument there.  Everyone would like to say they have the next breakthrough!

Samsung unveils new electric car batteries for up to 600 km (430 miles) of range
https://electrek.co/2017/09/13/samsung-electric-car-batteries-range/
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Bob Wallace

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2359 on: September 14, 2017, 04:21:19 PM »
Samsung now has a lithium ion battery that will deliver 435 miles before needing a recharge. ...

Be wary of this claim.  According to the Electrek article, Samsung released no specs -- no kWh, no energy density, etc.  And if that's supposed to be an NEDC range, the real-world range will be much less.

Battery improvements continue, no argument there.  Everyone would like to say they have the next breakthrough!

Samsung unveils new electric car batteries for up to 600 km (430 miles) of range
https://electrek.co/2017/09/13/samsung-electric-car-batteries-range/

Correct, be wary.  You could make a 500 or 1,000 mile range EV with anyone's batteries.  Just put enough in the vehicle.  Look at the range of ranges that Tesla has with the same batteries.  The S40 had a 160 mile range and the S100D has a 335 mile range.

What we need for more range is 1) higher capacity per weight (and volume) and most important 2) lower cost per kWh. 

What we're looking for is a better chemistry or other improvement that will boost capacity.  And we'll probably see those batteries used first in cell phones and laptops.  They will probably be more expensive at first and more acceptable in applications where the number/amount used is small.

And we're looking for larger scale manufacturing  to bring down the cost of manufacturing batteries.  As Tesla and other battery manufacturers go giga on us we should see batteries drop significantly in cost and the cost of manufacturing EVs drop below that of ICEVs.

Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2360 on: September 14, 2017, 06:49:45 PM »
Must remember, scheduling is done on Elon time.  Which is curved, I think. ;)

Tesla Semi is a ‘beast’, says Elon Musk – unveiling of electric truck pushed to Oct 26th
https://electrek.co/2017/09/13/tesla-semi-unveil-unreal-beast-elon-musk-oct-26th/

But seriously:  "Tesla truck."  That was practically unthinkable, even a few years ago!

Oh, right!  Elon will be in Australia the end of September, for the Astronautical conference (presenting his updated Mars project plans).  And now, also to unveil the giant Tesla battery installation in South Australia! 
Would need his Iron Man suit if he were to also be in California for a Tesla truck reveal. ;)

Australia:
Tesla is holding a ‘celebration’ event at its new giant Powerpack project on Sept 29
https://electrek.co/2017/09/13/tesla-celebration-event-giant-powerpack-site-sept-29/
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Bob Wallace

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2361 on: September 18, 2017, 09:00:37 AM »
Gravity powered truck.

A quarry in Switzerland is converting a very large dump truck to batteries and electric motors, ditching the diesel engine.  At the quarry the truck will be loaded and then travel downhill with its load. 

Via regenerative braking the truck's batteries should be charged sufficiently to power the now empty truck back up the mountain to be reloaded.

If the idea works as engineered then the quarry will convert several other trucks and a very large amount of diesel fuel will not be burned.

https://electrek.co/2017/09/17/electric-dumper-truck-worlds-largest-ev-battery-pack/

oren

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2362 on: September 18, 2017, 11:30:31 AM »

Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2363 on: September 18, 2017, 03:55:57 PM »
Many more, please!  Soon!

Two electric school buses, powered by Motiv Power Systems, go into service in California
https://chargedevs.com/newswire/two-electric-school-buses-powered-by-motiv-power-systems-go-into-service-in-california/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2364 on: September 18, 2017, 09:59:47 PM »
Teslas as taxis in Dubai.  Not self-driving yet! (But there's a little video of what they think that would be like.)

Dubai takes delivery of their first 50 Tesla vehicles to create a ‘self-driving’ taxi service
https://electrek.co/2017/09/18/tesla-vehicles-dubai-taxi-service/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2365 on: September 20, 2017, 03:57:46 AM »
Can long-range trucks be far behind?

All-electric bus travels record 1,100 miles on a single charge
https://electrek.co/2017/09/19/all-electric-bus-travels-record-1100-miles-on-a-single-charge/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2366 on: September 20, 2017, 04:04:32 AM »
What "gas stations" will be like in the (near) future.

Tesla’s charging stations are turning into convenience stops, say CTO JB Straubel
https://electrek.co/2017/09/19/tesla-charging-stations-convenience-stops-say-cto-jb-straubel/
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numerobis

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2367 on: September 20, 2017, 04:11:24 AM »
Teslas as taxis in Dubai.  Not self-driving yet! (But there's a little video of what they think that would be like.)

Dubai takes delivery of their first 50 Tesla vehicles to create a ‘self-driving’ taxi service
https://electrek.co/2017/09/18/tesla-vehicles-dubai-taxi-service/

Electric taxis in Montreal took off about two years ago. Tesla S and Kia Soul for the most part; I think maybe they had some Leafs also, but I'm not seeing them lately.

I'll head to the airport in one tomorrow. I almost never rode taxis at all when I lived here, but while traveling it's quite convenient.

Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2368 on: September 20, 2017, 04:14:42 AM »
“Despite these announcements and GM’s “EV leadership”, Barra criticized China’s plan to ban gas and diesel-powered cars in the country.”

GM is all-in on electric cars, but only in China for now
https://electrek.co/2017/09/19/gm-electric-cars-china/
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Bob Wallace

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2369 on: September 20, 2017, 09:45:55 AM »
Can long-range trucks be far behind?

All-electric bus travels record 1,100 miles on a single charge
https://electrek.co/2017/09/19/all-electric-bus-travels-record-1100-miles-on-a-single-charge/

No data on how large the battery pack was.  Apparently the mileage was on a closed track at 15 MPH.

In other words, a meaningless record.

Long range trucks - in October?  Unless Tesla delays again.

OrganicSu

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2370 on: September 20, 2017, 12:33:35 PM »
Resonate electricity to amplify it . Drip feed battery electricity into a 'resonator' and get 10x distance or more. I met an engineer last week who's working on this. He doesn't mind me communicating it either. The more people working on it the better was his point of view. As I am not an engineer I can't give more details than what I understood myself. I am sure it's possible - having sung gently in places with great resonance it is amazing how quickly the sound can amplify to a whole otherworldly level.

etienne

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2371 on: September 20, 2017, 01:18:19 PM »
Regarding the gas station of the future, there is something missing. It could be local electricity storage (just like now gas station store gasoline), or it could be a restaurant, sport infrastructure... I don't believe that the electricity network could support so many fast charging in parallel.

Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2372 on: September 20, 2017, 04:04:55 PM »
Can long-range trucks be far behind?

All-electric bus travels record 1,100 miles on a single charge
https://electrek.co/2017/09/19/all-electric-bus-travels-record-1100-miles-on-a-single-charge/

No data on how large the battery pack was.  Apparently the mileage was on a closed track at 15 MPH.

In other words, a meaningless record.

Long range trucks - in October?  Unless Tesla delays again.

"A massive 660 kWh battery pack."  My thought was: if such a pack fits in a bus, a truck could certainly be built around one.  ;)
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2373 on: September 20, 2017, 04:34:55 PM »
South Carolina:
No coincidence that the e-bus factory is nearby. ;) But it's a great way to grow the fleet where ProTerra can learn from the buses' experience.

Clemson Area Transit acquires a second fleet of 10 Proterra electric buses
https://chargedevs.com/newswire/clemson-area-transit-acquires-a-second-fleet-of-proterra-electric-buses/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2374 on: September 20, 2017, 06:18:45 PM »
Tesla only sells EVs, so it doesn't have to worry about China's mandate that EVs constitute an ever-growing share of each carmaker's sales.  But opening a factory in China, as Tesla would like to do, would be much more palatable if they did not have to partner with a Chinese company, as is currently required.  That change may now be happening.

Tesla leads foreign electric car sales in China as government considers opening its growing market
Quote
China is reportedly again considering to relax its protectionist law that forces foreign companies to create joint-ventures with domestic firms in order to manufacture in the country. Automakers would be exempted from the rule if they produce electric vehicles.
...
https://electrek.co/2017/09/20/tesla-china-ev-sales/
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Bob Wallace

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2375 on: September 20, 2017, 07:21:35 PM »
Resonate electricity to amplify it . Drip feed battery electricity into a 'resonator' and get 10x distance or more. I met an engineer last week who's working on this. He doesn't mind me communicating it either. The more people working on it the better was his point of view. As I am not an engineer I can't give more details than what I understood myself. I am sure it's possible - having sung gently in places with great resonance it is amazing how quickly the sound can amplify to a whole otherworldly level.

It's kind of easy to measure the amount of energy a battery holds.  And it's not hard to determine how much energy it takes to move a car a mile.  We can look at data on internal combustion engine cars and figure that out.

If someone is claiming that they can drive a car 10x further for the same amount of energy I'd slowly back away....

Bob Wallace

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2376 on: September 20, 2017, 07:26:53 PM »
Regarding the gas station of the future, there is something missing. It could be local electricity storage (just like now gas station store gasoline), or it could be a restaurant, sport infrastructure... I don't believe that the electricity network could support so many fast charging in parallel.

Long range (five years or more) charging stations may be hidden around town or around behind restaurants along the highway.  Your self-driving car will drop you off at the restaurant, gym, grocery store, movie theater then take itself off for a charge.  When you're ready to leave your car will drive from wherever it has been waiting and pick you up.

Tesla is now building Supercharger stations with 40 charging bays.  It's just a matter of the utility running large enough wire at a high enough voltage.

Bob Wallace

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2377 on: September 20, 2017, 07:37:11 PM »
Can long-range trucks be far behind?

All-electric bus travels record 1,100 miles on a single charge
https://electrek.co/2017/09/19/all-electric-bus-travels-record-1100-miles-on-a-single-charge/

No data on how large the battery pack was.  Apparently the mileage was on a closed track at 15 MPH.

In other words, a meaningless record.

Long range trucks - in October?  Unless Tesla delays again.

"A massive 660 kWh battery pack."  My thought was: if such a pack fits in a bus, a truck could certainly be built around one.  ;)

A 660 kWh pack should be enough for a fully loaded 18-wheeler to go 250 to 300+ miles.

I was just thinking about electric semis and how large trucks go slowly up mountains.  The energy used to go fast vs. slow should be the same for just the 'lifting' part.  Going 60 vs. 20 would operate the same as on flat ground, faster means having to fight more air resistance. 

Diesel engines in semi tractors are not really as powerful as most would think.

Quote
The Detroit Diesel DD15 is a semi-truck that boasts a 14.8-liter inline six-cylinder diesel engine that weights 2,880 lbs. This big engine isn’t built to provide a semi-truck with horsepower, as it only generates 506 horsepower, but rather to provide torque.

http://www.autotraining.edu/blog/the-extraordinary-engine-configurations-of-18-wheelers/

Quote
The P90D combines a front axle power of 259 horsepower (193 kW) and rear axle power of 503 horsepower (375 kW) to a total of 762 horsepower (568 kW)

Wiki

And Musk has mentioned putting multiple Tesla S motors in the Tesla tractor.  Why wouldn't Tesla trucks zip on up mountains along with the other traffic?  Is there something I'm missing?



Bob Wallace

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« Reply #2378 on: September 20, 2017, 07:40:49 PM »
Tesla only sells EVs, so it doesn't have to worry about China's mandate that EVs constitute an ever-growing share of each carmaker's sales.  But opening a factory in China, as Tesla would like to do, would be much more palatable if they did not have to partner with a Chinese company, as is currently required.  That change may now be happening.

Tesla leads foreign electric car sales in China as government considers opening its growing market
Quote
China is reportedly again considering to relax its protectionist law that forces foreign companies to create joint-ventures with domestic firms in order to manufacture in the country. Automakers would be exempted from the rule if they produce electric vehicles.
...
https://electrek.co/2017/09/20/tesla-china-ev-sales/

I think the big reason for opening a plant in China is that China puts a large import tax on cars.

Tesla gets around the import charge in Europe by shipping their cars 'not quite completed'.  The bodies arrive in Holland without wheels and maybe some other simple to install stuff.  Then they are completed at the Tesla European 'factory' and sold without being hit with the import duty.

Bob Wallace

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« Reply #2379 on: September 20, 2017, 07:43:28 PM »
South Carolina:
No coincidence that the e-bus factory is nearby. ;) But it's a great way to grow the fleet where ProTerra can learn from the buses' experience.

Clemson Area Transit acquires a second fleet of 10 Proterra electric buses
https://chargedevs.com/newswire/clemson-area-transit-acquires-a-second-fleet-of-proterra-electric-buses/

I'm glad to see Proterra starting to sell buses.  We need multiple players in the business so progress is faster and price drop quicker. 

Los Angeles recently purchased 100 electric buses from the nearby BYD plant.  Maybe we'll get some coastal rivalry going....

Sigmetnow

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« Reply #2380 on: September 20, 2017, 10:15:55 PM »
<snip>

And Musk has mentioned putting multiple Tesla S motors in the Tesla tractor.  Why wouldn't Tesla trucks zip on up mountains along with the other traffic?  Is there something I'm missing?

Nope, that's right.  I expect a Tesla truck to maintain speed uphill (and use enough regenerative charging downhill to make normal brake failures and those emergency truck ramps a thing of the past).  :)

Actually, he said they are using "a bunch" of Model 3 motors.

Musk on truck:  “There’s no gears,” he said. “It’s like single speed.”

He also said:  “It is a heavy duty, long range, semi-truck. So it has the highest weight capability and with long range. So essentially it’s meant to alleviate the heavy duty trucking loads. And this is something which people do not, today, think is possible. They think the truck doesn’t have enough power or it doesn’t have enough range. And then with those with the Tesla semi we want to show that no, an electric truck actually can out-torque any diesel semi and if you had a tug-of-war competition, the Tesla semi what will tug the diesel semi uphill.”

Also, consider that when an ICE truck loses engine power, it stops.  Whereas a Tesla truck with multiple motors, powering each axle (each wheel?)... then, even if one of the "infinite-mileage warranteed" Tesla electric motors fails, the truck should be able to continue driving, to the next Tesla service center!
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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2381 on: September 20, 2017, 11:58:57 PM »
Quote
Nope, that's right.

OK, here's the next thing I want Musk to produce - battery powered RVs.

I'm tired of following pokey RVs up the mountain on my way home from town.  And the danged flatland drivers don't know that they are suppose to pull over and let traffic pass.

Put the zip to them, Elon....

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« Reply #2382 on: September 21, 2017, 01:02:00 AM »
OK, here's the next thing I want Musk to produce - battery powered RVs.

I'm tired of following pokey RVs up the mountain on my way home from town.  And the danged flatland drivers don't know that they are suppose to pull over and let traffic pass.

Put the zip to them, Elon....

You shouldn't have to wait too long....

Electric motorhomes are coming: a new RV powered by solar panels and 91 kWh battery pack
https://electrek.co/2017/09/18/electric-motorhomes-rv-solar-battery/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2383 on: September 21, 2017, 01:25:32 AM »
How about the desires of your customers?

VW chief: Diesel engines have “a great future”
Quote
Volkswagen CEO Matthias Mueller rejected predictions of diesel’s demise, saying that the diesel engine has “a great future” ahead of it.

“The diesels we are offering today are clean,” Mueller told CNBC at the recent Frankfurt Motor Show. “They comply with the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure requirements, and they meet the requirements and needs of our customers.”

Speaking through an interpreter, Mueller said that VW will continue to develop diesel cars. “There’s going to be a co-existence between combustion engines and electrified drive systems over the next 10 to 20 years, so against this background we should all be patient and relaxed and leave the decision to our customers. They should decide which concept they prefer.”

Mueller acknowledged that some jurisdictions have been talking about banning diesel engines, and said it is the responsibility of the car industry and governments to make sure that doesn’t happen.
...
https://chargedevs.com/newswire/vw-chief-diesel-engines-have-a-great-future/
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Bob Wallace

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2384 on: September 21, 2017, 02:30:32 AM »
OK, here's the next thing I want Musk to produce - battery powered RVs.

I'm tired of following pokey RVs up the mountain on my way home from town.  And the danged flatland drivers don't know that they are suppose to pull over and let traffic pass.

Put the zip to them, Elon....

You shouldn't have to wait too long....

Electric motorhomes are coming: a new RV powered by solar panels and 91 kWh battery pack
https://electrek.co/2017/09/18/electric-motorhomes-rv-solar-battery/

Smells like fail.  Expect to see these puppies driving down solar roadways.....

Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2385 on: September 21, 2017, 03:48:38 AM »
OK, here's the next thing I want Musk to produce - battery powered RVs.

I'm tired of following pokey RVs up the mountain on my way home from town.  And the danged flatland drivers don't know that they are suppose to pull over and let traffic pass.

Put the zip to them, Elon....

You shouldn't have to wait too long....

Electric motorhomes are coming: a new RV powered by solar panels and 91 kWh battery pack
https://electrek.co/2017/09/18/electric-motorhomes-rv-solar-battery/

Smells like fail.  Expect to see these puppies driving down solar roadways.....

Just like the Tesla Roadster.  Never led anywhere.... ::)  /sarc
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2386 on: September 21, 2017, 03:58:13 AM »
I knew these were made on the same (“slow”) assembly line, but not how similar the nuts and bolts (so to speak ;) ) were.  Still: only about 100 a day?  And that includes Opel Ampera-e production!  They should be making more for foreign markets, at least -- unless they really mean the Bolt as a compliance car, only making the minimum needed to meet regulations.

Chevy Bolt EV, Sonic, Bolt, Sonic: GM mingles gas, electric cars on same assembly line
Quote
There is no deviation or halting to switch from one to the other during production. The plant simply knocks out a carefully planned cadence of Sonics and Bolt EVs throughout an entire shift.

More than 100 Chevrolet Bolt EVs are produced per day, according to WardsAuto, with a handful donning lightning-bolt badges to create the Opel Ampera-e electric car sold in Europe.
...
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1112770_chevy-bolt-ev-sonic-bolt-sonic-gm-mingles-gas-electric-cars-on-same-assembly-line
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2387 on: September 21, 2017, 05:08:21 PM »
Tesla is building a 50-stall supercharger station in a parking garage in Shanghai, China -- the largest supercharger station yet.

Quote
This station will have to be extremely powerful in order to potentially supercharge up to 50 cars at the same time.

... If the system is as powerful as current Superchargers, the whole station could have a peak power output of over 3 megawatts.
https://electrek.co/2017/09/21/tesla-new-biggest-supercharger-in-world/

Of course, it could also have power "sharing", so all cars would not be getting max power at the same time.  Superchargers today "share" between each two neighboring stalls.  1A and 1B, etc.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2388 on: September 22, 2017, 02:27:49 AM »
For the "My EV is bigger than your EV" folks.  Of interest is they claim it only took two months to develop -- suggesting the next few years will see more options to attrack those who dismiss EVs as all like yesterday's Prius.

All-electric Hummer unveiled by Kreisel and Arnold Schwarzenegger
https://electrek.co/2017/09/20/all-electric-hummer-kreisel-arnold-schwarzenegger/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2389 on: September 23, 2017, 02:32:29 AM »
Mercedes-Benz invests $1 billion to build its ‘EQ’ electric cars and batteries in the US
Quote
Daimler, Mercedes-Benz’s parent company, is already converting gas-powered car production capacity to electric car production capacity in Europe, but now it looks like they are turning their attention to the US.

The German automaker confirmed today that it plans to invest $1 billion to build Mercedes-Benz’s ‘EQ’ electric cars and its batteries in the US.
The Mercedes-Benz EQC, a compact SUV and their first all-electric vehicle built to be electric from the ground up, will be manufactured at their Tuscaloosa, Alabama facility.
...
A significant part of the investment is to build a battery factory near the existing plant. The factory will not only produce packs to support the production at the Tuscaloosa factory, it will also export packs to support other electric car production. ...
https://electrek.co/2017/09/21/mercedes-benz-invests-1-billion-to-build-its-eq-electric-cars-and-batteries-in-the-us/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2390 on: September 24, 2017, 06:15:27 PM »
EPA gives the Tesla Model 3 a range of 334 miles (538 km), but Tesla is only claiming 310 miles (499km). 
Why?  So they don't make the Model 3 look too good.  ;D

Tesla Model 3 actually has 334 miles of range according to EPA data
Quote
Tesla is voluntarily under reporting Model 3’s driving range likely to further differentiate it from the company’s Model S 100D that has a stated EPA driving range of 335 miles per single charge, but at a price point that’s roughly double that of Model 3. Incidentally, EPA data for Model S suggests that Tesla has also voluntarily lowered the vehicle’s EPA-rated range. The Model S 100D has a true range of 341 miles (~549 kilometers) but under reported at 335 miles (539 kilometers), according to the EPA’s Certification Information Summary Report for Model S.
http://www.teslarati.com/tesla-model-3-epa-rating-334-miles-long-range/
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etienne

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2391 on: September 24, 2017, 06:52:21 PM »
How about the desires of your customers?

VW chief: Diesel engines have “a great future”
Quote
Volkswagen CEO Matthias Mueller rejected predictions of diesel’s demise, saying that the diesel engine has “a great future” ahead of it.

“The diesels we are offering today are clean,” Mueller told CNBC at the recent Frankfurt Motor Show. “They comply with the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure requirements, and they meet the requirements and needs of our customers.”

Speaking through an interpreter, Mueller said that VW will continue to develop diesel cars. “There’s going to be a co-existence between combustion engines and electrified drive systems over the next 10 to 20 years, so against this background we should all be patient and relaxed and leave the decision to our customers. They should decide which concept they prefer.”

Mueller acknowledged that some jurisdictions have been talking about banning diesel engines, and said it is the responsibility of the car industry and governments to make sure that doesn’t happen.
...
https://chargedevs.com/newswire/vw-chief-diesel-engines-have-a-great-future/

Well, that's a great news, in 10 to 20 years, VW will stop producing diesel engine. That means that they plan to stop production more or less around 2030, which means when countries plan to forbid their entrance on the market.

Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2392 on: September 25, 2017, 03:24:40 PM »
Mercedes-Benz makes a $1B bet it can take down Tesla
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2017/09/21/mercedes-benz-tuscaloosa-electric-vehicles-batteries/688721001/

Elon Musk:  That's not a lot of money for a giant like Daimler/Mercedes. Wish they'd do more. Off by a zero.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/912036765287845888

Especially considering it's  $1 billion over 5 years or so:
"Musk is not wrong. Daimler generated over $180 billion in revenue last year. So $1 billion is nothing for them."
https://electrek.co/2017/09/25/mercedes-benzs-1-billion-electric-car-investment-tesla-elon-musk/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2393 on: September 25, 2017, 03:51:28 PM »
Transit operator Tide Buss has placed an order for 25 Volvo 7900 Electric buses for the city of Trondheim, Norway, Volvo’s largest-ever order of fully electric buses.
https://chargedevs.com/newswire/volvo-receives-largest-ever-order-of-electric-buses-for-trondheim-norway/
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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2394 on: September 25, 2017, 05:24:32 PM »
Transit operator Tide Buss has placed an order for 25 Volvo 7900 Electric buses for the city of Trondheim, Norway, Volvo’s largest-ever order of fully electric buses.
https://chargedevs.com/newswire/volvo-receives-largest-ever-order-of-electric-buses-for-trondheim-norway/

I really would like to see an economic analysis of quick charging on route buses vs. buses with large enough battery packs to run them all day long. 

I have a feeling that large battery buses will win out at least after battery prices drop a bit more.  And the frequen-charge buses may need a battery replacement due to more frequent discharge/charge cycling which will add to their cost.

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2395 on: September 25, 2017, 05:46:06 PM »
The picture is from Luxembourg. I am not convinced from what I heard about these busses. The problem is that the loading time would be around 8 minutes, and loading would have to happen more than once per trip, like once at the beginning and once in the middle. When there is an easy solution called trolleybus, I don't understand why such investments are done, the argument is flexibility, everything should be wireless nowdays. The trolleybus has as second advantage which is that the load on the network is more regular.

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2396 on: September 25, 2017, 05:49:05 PM »
Once upon a time many cities had electric trams fed by overhead wires. In some cities they are still extant and some cities have new ones.
Avoids on-board weight and recharge problems and moves energy generation to large-scale facilities
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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2397 on: September 25, 2017, 06:04:04 PM »
Once upon a time many cities had electric trams fed by overhead wires. In some cities they are still extant and some cities have new ones.
Avoids on-board weight and recharge problems and moves energy generation to large-scale facilities

In general, people don't want their cities cluttered up with overhead wires.  And there's the upfront cost of installing the catenary system.  Installing on-route chargers for buses like the one above may also be a deal killer.

If bus companies can purchase battery powered buses for about the same price as a diesel powered bus, charge it at night with low cost electricity, and run it anywhere without regard to overhead wires and chargers I suspect we'll see only large range battery buses.

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2398 on: September 25, 2017, 06:56:44 PM »
I suspect that we are approaching battery costs that make them better for light rail than installing catenary lines and substations. I also thing we won't see the shift for many years though because there is huge design inertia. The companies that sell light rail want many more years of selling old designs to maximize profit. The projects are very large and usually exclude new entrants to the field with new ideas.

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #2399 on: September 26, 2017, 02:29:28 AM »
Mercedes-Benz makes a $1B bet it can take down Tesla
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2017/09/21/mercedes-benz-tuscaloosa-electric-vehicles-batteries/688721001/

Elon Musk:  That's not a lot of money for a giant like Daimler/Mercedes. Wish they'd do more. Off by a zero.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/912036765287845888

Especially considering it's  $1 billion over 5 years or so:
"Musk is not wrong. Daimler generated over $180 billion in revenue last year. So $1 billion is nothing for them."
https://electrek.co/2017/09/25/mercedes-benzs-1-billion-electric-car-investment-tesla-elon-musk/

Update.  Daimler tweets a reply to Elon Musk:

You're absolutely right @elonmusk. Here the missing zero: Investing >$10bn in nxt gen EVs & >$1bn in battery prod.  https://www.daimler.com/case/electric/en/
      https://twitter.com/daimler/status/912349809662496768

To which Musk replied:
Good
     https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/912384568790999040

Edit, to clarify:
 That $11B was announced months ago. They just pointed it out to Musk.
https://twitter.com/fredericlambert/status/912499029644279810
« Last Edit: September 26, 2017, 12:43:48 PM by Sigmetnow »
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