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oren

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3400 on: February 27, 2018, 08:46:16 PM »
I don't know. The Israel headline is IMHO just that, a headline. Governments here don't last very long, and their long term vision is quite poor. In any case, what's all this about using natgas for transportation in 2030? Beats me.

ghoti

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3401 on: February 27, 2018, 09:04:25 PM »
I don't know. The Israel headline is IMHO just that, a headline. Governments here don't last very long, and their long term vision is quite poor. In any case, what's all this about using natgas for transportation in 2030? Beats me.
CNG vehicles: very 1980s. Though I would note that Neven drives a CNG car.

Neven

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3402 on: February 27, 2018, 10:24:46 PM »
CNG vehicles: very 1980s. Though I would note that Neven drives a CNG car.

Well, I'm a very 1980s guy. But this will be my last fossil fuel-powered car (my previous car would already have been so, if they'd had developed biogas in my region like they said they would).
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TerryM

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3403 on: February 28, 2018, 01:41:05 AM »
Volkswagen announced back in May that they would be working with Gazprom to promote Putin's vision of CNG autos and small vans in Russia. LNG would be used for large trucks and rail.


https://www.rt.com/business/414447-russia-natural-gas-fuel-putin/

Converting Russia's military is also being considered.
Terry

ghoti

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3404 on: February 28, 2018, 04:02:27 AM »
Yet another analysis of the Tesla semi which explains why the specifications are probably realistic.

https://cleantechnica.com/2018/02/27/tesla-semi-break-laws-physics/

oren

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3405 on: February 28, 2018, 08:01:15 AM »
Yet another analysis of the Tesla semi which explains why the specifications are probably realistic.

https://cleantechnica.com/2018/02/27/tesla-semi-break-laws-physics/
Thanks, an interesting read.

Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3406 on: February 28, 2018, 02:36:46 PM »
Yet another analysis of the Tesla semi which explains why the specifications are probably realistic.

https://cleantechnica.com/2018/02/27/tesla-semi-break-laws-physics/

Great reference, good stuff.  Thanks!
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3407 on: February 28, 2018, 03:04:13 PM »
If you are interested in the “nuts and bolts” of the Model 3 EV, this article has a (dizzying at times) video tour of the underside of the car.  Note that even though this is the rear-wheel drive version, the car is built with room in the front for a second drive motor — simplifying production.  Yes, that is a filter on the motor; it is apparently ~ permanent/diagnostic, as I have yet to see a maintenance schedule that replaces it.  Orange wires = high voltage!

Tesla motor designer explains Model 3’s transition to permanent magnet motor
https://electrek.co/2018/02/27/tesla-model-3-motor-designer-permanent-magnet-motor/
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Sleepy

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3408 on: February 28, 2018, 03:18:11 PM »
That was actually a really good video that deserves to be posted by itself, Sig. Not dizzying at all.



Adding part one as well.



And after browsing through the link to reddit it should be posted here as well, some really good additional info about the Model 3:
https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/7y3t8v/model_3_teardown_videos_youtube/
« Last Edit: February 28, 2018, 03:46:40 PM by Sleepy »
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3409 on: February 28, 2018, 10:24:08 PM »
3.5 min video in the article.

Waymo releases great comprehensive video showing what their self-driving van sees in real-time
https://electrek.co/2018/02/28/waymo-self-driving-van-video/

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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3410 on: March 01, 2018, 05:17:12 PM »
First look at February EV sales in the U.S.  When all the numbers are in, will certainly smash Jan-Feb 2017 total, which was 23,379.

Nissan LEAF sales were 150 in Jan, 895 in Feb! (New model....)

https://insideevs.com/monthly-plug-in-sales-scorecard/
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SteveMDFP

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3411 on: March 01, 2018, 08:21:19 PM »
Jaguar is now offering an EV:
2019 Jaguar I-Pace packs 240 miles of range, AWD performance
The battery is covered by an 8-year, 100,000-mile warranty.
https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/2019-jaguar-i-pace-electric-suv/


numerobis

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3412 on: March 01, 2018, 10:11:09 PM »
So, basically, 2500 model 3s built in January. Well over 500/week for US deliveries.

How many are shipping internationally?

ghoti

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3413 on: March 01, 2018, 10:19:27 PM »
So, basically, 2500 model 3s built in January. Well over 500/week for US deliveries.

How many are shipping internationally?
Was  only California sales until recently and now still limited to the US only.

numerobis

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3414 on: March 01, 2018, 10:37:50 PM »
Hopefully they pick up the pace. They’d need to have doubled weekly production in February, then do it again in March, to get to 2,500/week.

JimD

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3415 on: March 01, 2018, 11:11:22 PM »
Just to keep pointing out that Tesla is far from the rousing success Musk's acolytes keep on about.

If you actually dig into what is going on with this company it has huge issues and is far from honest in what it tells the public.  There has never been an instance of this being a good thing.

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4152247-tesla-poised-post-massive-q1-loss?page=2

It is a free registration.  A fairly long piece and it tells it plain and simple.

Quote
Summary
CoverDrive isn’t perfect. Far from it. But he’s better than any other Tesla forecaster.

He has penciled in some preliminary numbers for Q1. He sees $855 million in GAAP losses, which shatters Q4’s staggering record of $675 million.

CoverDrive lays it all out here, explaining his assumptions and confessing where he’s guessing.

Tesla Charts is back with some more excellent graphics, including his take on the Bloomberg Model 3 tracker.

Quote
6. The Model 3 Shortcuts

Tesla took huge risks in abbreviating the production parts approval process, production line validation, and professional beta testing for the Model 3. The car already has been plagued with quality issues, and while those eventually will be corrected, it's likely more will emerge. It's a ticking time bomb.

As I sat down to write this, two of my favorites on Twitter, @MinskysC and @librab103, called to my attention a Reddit post made this evening (February 28) about a Model 3 service center visit.

Let's pick up at the point where the poster's five problems had been addressed and the service center people were just about to roll out his car:

Then they are about to close out my service visit in the computer when they get an urgent alert that my VIN (306*) has been flagged for a Drive Selector Replacement. The issue is the current drive selector could fail and not go into park. So they then explained to me that I could not have my car back and they are waiting on the replacement part from the factory. Here is the kicker... They say it may take weeks to have a new park because it has to be completely redesigned and shipped to SC. There could be a massive recall alert coming...

I doubt Tesla will announce any recall. The problem probably will be handled much more quietly than that.

But the drive selector problem is not the first Model 3 problem and it won't be the last one. Not by a long shot. I'm standing by Item 6 in my thesis (and the other 22 items as well).
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numerobis

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3416 on: March 02, 2018, 02:00:02 AM »
Tesla has plenty of cash on hand to support that level of losses.

I'd expect Tesla Energy to grow a fair bit: the South Australia battery revenue is being recognized this quarter. But that's largely a quibble.

The big question for this analysis is how many Model 3s they can deliver in March. It's expecting 4k deliveries, nearly double the February deliveries -- those cars would already have to exist given how long it apparently takes to perform the final sale.

BenB

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3417 on: March 02, 2018, 10:23:57 AM »
977 Leafs were sold in Norway in February, and 63 in the first couple of days March, so hopefully you'll soon be seeing some sales in Sweden. Nissan always said that Norway would be prioritised, because of its historical importance as a market. Tesla sales seem to be very slow all across Europe at the moment, probably due to lack of supply. For details, see:

http://elbilstatistikk.no/

Sleepy

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3418 on: March 02, 2018, 11:01:43 AM »
Thanks BenB, yes it's getting close now. But hopefully is also a word I've been hearing for twenty years now. Here's one car that I never bought:
https://forum.arctic-sea-ice.net/index.php?topic=438.msg69942#msg69942
The reason for not buying an EV has always been the lack of chargers here, still is but our municipalities are starting to talk about that now, when EV-range have improved so much that we won't need them. That is a very common attribute of our municipalities. ;)
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3419 on: March 02, 2018, 09:59:52 PM »
So, basically, 2500 model 3s built in January. Well over 500/week for US deliveries.

How many are shipping internationally?
Was  only California sales until recently and now still limited to the US only.

The February number is less than anticipated, so keep in mind:
- It is completed sales, not production.
- Within the past few weeks, deliveries began to the U.S. east coast; display models are arriving in Canada.  Due to logistics, (some owners are hours away from a delivery center, so they need to schedule time off to take delivery, etc.), these will take longer to be recorded as sales than prior production limited to the Fremont area.
- Production ramp over the last couple weeks thus can’t really be determined.
- The new Grohman battery assembly line was to be transported from Germany (where it worked great!) to the Gigafactory and reassembled during February.  Musk said the ramp for Q1 was not dependent on that, but....  ;)
« Last Edit: March 02, 2018, 10:06:15 PM by Sigmetnow »
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numerobis

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3420 on: March 02, 2018, 10:37:40 PM »
Yeah, I’m half-assing the difference between sales and production by assuming cars sold in February were built in January, and so on. The actual lag varies but the one-month lag is close enough for internet commenting.

ghoti

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3421 on: March 02, 2018, 11:09:26 PM »
The model 3 ramp up may be slow but more of them are being delivered per month than any other EV in the US. Nissan using an existing assembly line and rolling the first production Leaf off the line the first week of December only delivered 1.3 as many Leafs.

Model 3 deliveries seem to be increasing by 30% per month - that'll be a huge number in not too many months while we continue to complain about how slow the ramp up is.

At some point the ramp up becomes irrelevant because the numbers will be huge while no other car maker is producing significant numbers of EVs.

oren

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3422 on: March 02, 2018, 11:21:51 PM »
Unless, of course, my ever-present fear plays out and Tesla goes bankrupt while waiting for the ramp-up.

Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3423 on: March 03, 2018, 03:13:52 AM »
Unless, of course, my ever-present fear plays out and Tesla goes bankrupt while waiting for the ramp-up.

Not very likely.  They have (as of end of 2017) over $3 billion cash on hand, and over a year’s worth of Model 3 production already reserved.  Although Model 3 production will not be profitable until it ramps further, Tesla is selling only high-end, most profitable versions first; the cheaper base versions will not be offered until later this year.  As car guy Alex Roy noted, as long as the Model 3 doesn’t explode when the doors are opened, it is going to be a huge success.  (Panel gaps?  Really?!)  Tesla just updated their website to indicate people ordering a Model S or X today will not get their cars for 4 to 5 months, due to high demand....  And Tesla battery and solar roof products are poised to take off strongly in 2018.

Also, if Tesla does need money, there are plenty of people more than willing to loan it to them, even now.  The last unofficial Tesla bond offering announcement a month or two ago was oversubscribed by 14 times:)
« Last Edit: March 03, 2018, 03:20:36 AM by Sigmetnow »
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oren

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3424 on: March 03, 2018, 09:16:46 AM »
Thanks for the response. I see the situation differently,  should the model 3 somehow fail to become mass produced in 2018, bankruptcy will be very possible, but I agree the likelihood of that is rather low.

numerobis

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3425 on: March 03, 2018, 03:49:59 PM »
The steel and aluminum tariffs make things more expensive for everyone. But aren’t Tesla cars generally a bit lighter on the steel than most normal cars (to save weight)?

Shared Humanity

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3426 on: March 03, 2018, 04:19:01 PM »
Unless, of course, my ever-present fear plays out and Tesla goes bankrupt while waiting for the ramp-up.

Not very likely.  They have (as of end of 2017) over $3 billion cash on hand, and over a year’s worth of Model 3 production already reserved.

Tesla burned through $1.4 billion in cash in the 3rd quarter of 2017...

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4126144-assessing-teslas-real-cash-flow

...and the 4th quarter had to have similar results. $3 billion will be vaporized by the 3rd quarter of 2018. There is a very real possibility of Elon Musk becoming a more spectacular, 21st century version of John DeLorean.

With business start ups, cash flow is the only metric that matters, not per unit profits, not sales growth. In the final death throes of the DeLorean Automobile company, John DeLorean turned his considerable sales skills from selling cars to selling the idea in a desperate effort to raise cash from gullible investors. His efforts only delayed the inevitable bankruptcy.

I have not been following the Tesla story to closely and admire his energy and vision but if his sales efforts are more focused on selling the idea as opposed to selling cars, it is very revealing about how Elon Musk feels about the future of the company.

Don't misunderstand me, this is not my expressing skepticism about the future of ev's, just the future of Tesla. He should have stayed focused on driving innovations in battery technology and left the car building to others.
« Last Edit: March 03, 2018, 04:34:30 PM by Shared Humanity »

Shared Humanity

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3427 on: March 03, 2018, 04:41:33 PM »
Would I invest in Tesla? Just read the section on page 6 of this linked article titled "Various Non-Recourse Financings Weaken the Position of Unsecured and Other Lenders" and you will know my answer.

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4126144-assessing-teslas-real-cash-flow?page=6


Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3428 on: March 03, 2018, 04:57:43 PM »
...

I have not been following the Tesla story to closely and admire his energy and vision but if his sales efforts are more focused on selling the idea as opposed to selling cars, it is very revealing about how Elon Musk feels about the future of the company.
...

The “idea” has already been well-sold:  Tesla has over a year of reservations for cars, solar roofs, and batteries!   That’s known future income, so investing in infrastructure, and growing now, makes perfect sense.  The company has deals with top-tier suppliers that give 30 or 60 or more days before payment is due — meaning Tesla is paid for the car before it needs to pay its suppliers....

Seeking Alpha is a site geared toward people shorting Tesla stock, so it’s a constant source of negative spin on the company.  Meanwhile, the Tesla Chief Financial Officer affirms in the latest investor letter (under the purview of the SEC, so perhaps a tad more reliable than S.A.) that “our quarterly operating income should turn sustainably positive at some point in 2018.”

We’ll see!
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Shared Humanity

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3429 on: March 03, 2018, 05:24:24 PM »
They have not spun the cash flow numbers. These are very real.

Shared Humanity

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3430 on: March 03, 2018, 05:40:09 PM »
...

I have not been following the Tesla story to closely and admire his energy and vision but if his sales efforts are more focused on selling the idea as opposed to selling cars, it is very revealing about how Elon Musk feels about the future of the company.
...

The “idea” has already been well-sold:  Tesla has over a year of reservations for cars, solar roofs, and batteries!   That’s known future income, so investing in infrastructure, and growing now, makes perfect sense.  The company has deals with top-tier suppliers that give 30 or 60 or more days before payment is due — meaning Tesla is paid for the car before it needs to pay its suppliers....

Seeking Alpha is a site geared toward people shorting Tesla stock, so it’s a constant source of negative spin on the company.  Meanwhile, the Tesla Chief Financial Officer affirms in the latest investor letter (under the purview of the SEC, so perhaps a tad more reliable than S.A.) that “our quarterly operating income should turn sustainably positive at some point in 2018.”

We’ll see!

They currently have 400K on order. Not sure what the profit margin is on each car but it would need to be fairly high to significantly reduce the negative cash flow.

Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3431 on: March 03, 2018, 09:35:07 PM »
...

They currently have 400K on order. Not sure what the profit margin is on each car but it would need to be fairly high to significantly reduce the negative cash flow.

The relevant financial analyst conference call notes I can find at the moment:
- At a production rate of 5,000 Model 3 a week, the margin will be 25%. [Expecting that rate in 3Q18.]
- Further ramp to 10,000/week will require essentially no additional capex.

Edit: also found this:  “During the press events ahead of the official Gigafactory grand opening celebration, Tesla CEO Elon Musk told reports that the Model 3 could generate upwards of $20 billion in annual revenue with a gross profit of approximately $5 billion.”
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Sigmetnow

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« Reply #3432 on: March 04, 2018, 05:16:00 PM »
Snowmobiles, designed from scratch to be electric. (Many snowmobiles sold today have two-stroke engines and no pollution controls.)

Quote
As for the range, the TS2 can travel 100 km (62 miles) on a single charge. Charging can be done in about 2 hours through level 2 charging with an onboard charger and the company says that it will also offer a DC fast-charging option for 80% charge in 20 minutes.

While the range might not seem like much, it’s actually quite impressive when you consider that Taiga claims the vehicle will maintain this range even at -30 Celsius.

The company also says that they will offer different versions of the vehicle optimized for different uses: Utility, Touring, Crossover, and Mountain.

Taiga is currently aiming to bring the TS2 to market next year at a starting price of $15,000. They are currently taking reservations with a $500 refundable deposit for people who want to be among the first to go electric for their winter powersports and in order to gauge demand for the vehicle ahead of the start of production. ...
https://electrek.co/2018/03/03/tesla-inspired-taiga-electric-snowmobile/
« Last Edit: March 04, 2018, 05:47:21 PM by Sigmetnow »
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Sigmetnow

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« Reply #3433 on: March 04, 2018, 05:29:13 PM »
Electric vehicle range is now well above 100 miles around the world and rising fast
Quote
Last year was a record year for electric vehicle (EV) sales, with 1.2 million plug-in vehicles sold globally, 58 % higher than 2016. But “range anxiety” remains among buyers’ biggest concerns about going electric. Although a single charge in most models now covers several times the average US commute, carmakers are cramming more battery capacity than ever into their vehicles.

The Department of Energy reports that the median EV range in the US has risen from 73 miles to 114 miles since 2011 (with a top range now exceeding 330 miles). That will be in the rearview mirror soon. Samsung announced last year its new battery pack would be able to power cars for 372 to 435 miles.
To see which countries are getting the most electrified miles per car, Quartz analyzed the EV index released this month by global business advisory firm AlixPartners. For now, countries with relatively low EV sales, and higher per capital incomes, tended to have the longest range per vehicle. ...
https://qz.com/1218611/electric-vehicle-range-is-now-well-above-100-miles-around-the-world-with-tesla-leading-the-pack-among-automakers/
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numerobis

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3434 on: March 05, 2018, 05:39:04 AM »
Taiga is a couple kids from the long-standing McGill University engineering club that’s been tinkering with electric snow machines for at least 15 years. I wish them the best commercializing it!

The price they’re charging is a normal amount for a new machine. But up here they need to work down to -50, and have hundreds of kilometers of range (by hauling a sled with Jerry-cans on it). You’d need a way to haul batteries and maybe some solar panels on the sled.

Sebastian Jones

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« Reply #3435 on: March 05, 2018, 04:52:01 PM »
But up here they need to work down to -50, and have hundreds of kilometers of range (by hauling a sled with Jerry-cans on it). You’d need a way to haul batteries and maybe some solar panels on the sled.

Agreed, however the Canadian Rangers here have mostly switched to 4 stroke machines, so are accustomed to hauling generators along so they can warm their machines up on cold mornings on the trail. It would not be much of a stretch to see someone stopping to charge up while boiling tea every 100km or so.

Range will need to reach at least 200km before it becomes attractive to mainstream northerners (if that is not an oxymoron...).

DrTskoul

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3436 on: March 05, 2018, 07:11:13 PM »
But up here they need to work down to -50, and have hundreds of kilometers of range (by hauling a sled with Jerry-cans on it). You’d need a way to haul batteries and maybe some solar panels on the sled.

Agreed, however the Canadian Rangers here have mostly switched to 4 stroke machines, so are accustomed to hauling generators along so they can warm their machines up on cold mornings on the trail. It would not be much of a stretch to see someone stopping to charge up while boiling tea every 100km or so.

Range will need to reach at least 200km before it becomes attractive to mainstream northerners (if that is not an oxymoron...).

It will take a little longer than boiling tea though, especially if not hooked up on the grid wherever that is available...

TerryM

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3437 on: March 05, 2018, 07:23:52 PM »
But up here they need to work down to -50, and have hundreds of kilometers of range (by hauling a sled with Jerry-cans on it). You’d need a way to haul batteries and maybe some solar panels on the sled.

Agreed, however the Canadian Rangers here have mostly switched to 4 stroke machines, so are accustomed to hauling generators along so they can warm their machines up on cold mornings on the trail. It would not be much of a stretch to see someone stopping to charge up while boiling tea every 100km or so.

Range will need to reach at least 200km before it becomes attractive to mainstream northerners (if that is not an oxymoron...).

It will take a little longer than boiling tea though, especially if not hooked up on the grid wherever that is available...


Solar trackways where skidos can be charged as you ride is the answer. There may be a few bugs to work out during those looong arctic nights though. ???


Terry

numerobis

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3438 on: March 05, 2018, 07:46:04 PM »
Solar Frickin’ Skidoo Paths.

I love how bonkers that idea would be ;)

Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3439 on: March 05, 2018, 07:59:32 PM »
People Are Buying Electric Cars in Bulk to Get Cheaper Prices
‘Electronauts’ are laying the groundwork for EV adoption.
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/evm7ze/collective-buying-groups-making-electric-cars-accessible


A fleet of all-electric Chevy Bolt EVs for car-sharing is coming to Austin, Texas
https://electrek.co/2018/03/02/chevy-bolt-evs-car-sharing-austin/
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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3440 on: March 05, 2018, 10:34:43 PM »
Volkswagen gets in gear...

Quote
Volkswagen has revealed its latest I.D. concept vehicle at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland: The I.D. Vizzion, which is a lot less sleepy than all those 'Zs' might suggest. The Vizzion is by far my favorite of the I.D. line in terms of pure design, with sporty lines on a roomy but sleek sedan that packs all-wheel pure electric drive, an estimated range of around 413 miles between charges, Level 5 autonomous driving and voice and gesture control.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/volkswagen-apos-latest-d-concept-194555845.html

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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3441 on: March 06, 2018, 04:47:46 PM »
McKinsey & Company “Global Infrastructure Initiative” write-up on “Navigating big disruptions in transportation.”

Topics include: “Thinking bigger than cars,” Sweden’s Electric Road System, Hyperloop, ticket technology, autonomous vehicles, and more.

Overview, and link to PDF here:
http://www.globalinfrastructureinitiative.com/voices/september-2017

 
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3442 on: March 06, 2018, 05:57:49 PM »
Germany is getting 12,000 new electric car charging stations by converting distribution boxes
Quote
Telekom, a large European telecommunications company headquartered in Germany, confirmed that they are putting in place a massive plan to more than double the current electric car charging infrastructure by converting their distribution boxes.

The company is in the process of updating 12,000 distribution boxes in their network in Germany.  A spokesperson told the German business newspaper Automobilwoche that they plan to build charging stations out of those distribution boxes – including 500 100-kW fast-charging stations.  The rest will be level 2 charge points capable of a charge rate up to 22 kW.

With around 10,800 public charge points in Germany at the moment, the plan alone would double the current charging infrastructure in the country.

Telekom reportedly already has two working prototypes of the new distribution boxes with charge points and plans to start deploying them this summer. The 12,000 stations could be in operation by 2020. ...
https://electrek.co/2018/03/05/electric-car-charging-stations-converting-distribution-boxes/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3443 on: March 07, 2018, 03:29:13 PM »
Hyundai unveiled its new Kona electric compact SUV with a range of up to 292 miles last week.  The vehicle is set to enter production in the coming months.

Now billboards for the vehicle with the mention ‘Your turn, Elon’ have been showing up in Europe.

https://electrek.co/2018/03/07/tesla-elon-musk-hyundai-billboard-kona-electric/


;D  Bring on the competition!  Elon would like nothing better.  And “soft EV sales” will only be a memory once people can choose an EV with the features they want at a good price.
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numerobis

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3444 on: March 07, 2018, 03:32:20 PM »
I’ve seen plenty of virtual ink spilled talking about how little demand there must be for EVs given how low sales are. All of it ignoring how there’s years of backlog.

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3445 on: March 07, 2018, 03:49:42 PM »
When you examine the evolution of the modern automobile,  breakthroughs by one manufacturer eventually get copied, improved and implemented by most manufacturers. Power steering, air conditioners, disk breaks, ABS,  fuel injection and many other components were invented by different manufacturers and copied by the rest. Everyone wins.

It is the same with EVs. If it is just Tesla and mass producing EV,s the innovation is limited to Tesla's R and D. If many manufacturers are mass producing, they will all produce innovations that will be copied, improved and implemented by others. Everybody wins.

I'm looking forward to learn more about that Kona. Hyundai are masters manufacturers. I'm sure they will bring innovation to the table.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3446 on: March 07, 2018, 03:56:52 PM »
VW CEO says a diesel renaissance is coming
Quote
Many executives are gone. More than $30 billion dollars have been spent in legal battles, retro-fits, and recalls. Yet on Monday we learned that Volkswagen CEO Matthias Mueller believes there is a coming "diesel renaissance."

"Diesel will see a renaissance in the not-too-distant future because people who drove diesels will realize that it was a very comfortable drive concept," Mueller said Monday in Geneva. "Once the knowledge that diesels are eco-friendly firms up in people's minds, then for me there's no reason not to buy one."

That's a bold statement, as reported by Automotive News Europe, but it also shows that the German automaker plans to press forward with diesel models. This despite a handful of countries stating a mission to eventually ban diesel engines from large metropolitan areas.
...
https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1115628_vw-ceo-says-a-diesel-renaissance-is-coming


I see a push for diesel at this point being as desperate as the earliest attempts at selling EVs.  Here VW is counting on a few “last adopters” to keep the company in business for a few more years.
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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3447 on: March 07, 2018, 04:01:21 PM »
Is there a cell available somewhere for Matthias Müller?
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E. Smith

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3448 on: March 07, 2018, 04:48:07 PM »
Is there a cell available somewhere for Matthias Müller?

There are pink slips / P45s arriving for a lot of VW employees if the bosses insist on going down this route..

UK diesel car sales fall by 25% in January
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42945344

Diesel slide continues as UK car sales fall
sales of diesel cars fell by 23.5% to 28,317 last month (February), reducing their share of the market to 35% from 44.5% a year ago
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/mar/05/diesel-uk-car-sales-fall-petrol-electric
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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3449 on: March 07, 2018, 04:50:47 PM »
Jaguar is adding artificial motor sounds to its all-electric I-Pace
https://electrek.co/2018/03/07/jaguar-i-pace-artificial-motor-sounds-electric/


Here I’m thinking that with the brand’s premium prices, Jaguar figures most of its I-Pace owners will be previous Jaguar owners, to whom engine noise is an important part of the driving experience. 
I do hope that artificial noise can be turned off, because their electric SUV looks to be sought after by many historically non-Jag buyers, as well. 8)
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