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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3500 on: March 13, 2018, 09:19:25 PM »
The roof of the gigafactory was purposely designed to be as smooth as possible, so that it could be covered with solar panels.

Tesla’s solar rooftop array at Gigafactory 1 is starting to take shape
Quote
Gigafactory 1 was designed with sustainability in mind. Tesla’s description of the sprawling facility alone states that the factory is set to be powered exclusively by renewable energy sources, including a massive solar array that would be installed on its roof. ...
https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-gigafactory-1-solar-rooftop-array/
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TerryM

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3501 on: March 13, 2018, 11:35:30 PM »
The roof of the gigafactory was purposely designed to be as smooth as possible, so that it could be covered with solar panels.

Tesla’s solar rooftop array at Gigafactory 1 is starting to take shape
Quote
Gigafactory 1 was designed with sustainability in mind. Tesla’s description of the sprawling facility alone states that the factory is set to be powered exclusively by renewable energy sources, including a massive solar array that would be installed on its roof. ...
https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-gigafactory-1-solar-rooftop-array/
I'm a little surprised, I'd assumed the buildings had been built with solar in place.
Any ideas on why they held off for so long?
Terry


numerobis

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3502 on: March 14, 2018, 12:53:49 PM »
Money, I assume. Panels take several years to pay off, Tesla is investing all the money it can find in things that pay off much faster.

Also, the buffalo factory is only now ramping up with solar cell production. I wonder if these panels are in-house, essentially training models?

numerobis

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« Reply #3503 on: March 14, 2018, 01:30:08 PM »
I thought Panasonic was making those cells at the gigafactory. Tesla assembles them into packs and final products.

Yes, Panasonic is jointly involved with Tesla in the gigafactory battery production.  But Tesla also buys old-format cells from Panasonic’s Japan facility.

My complete understanding is that Panasonic makes all the cells. Tesla buys cells to make complete products (Tesla also buys from other suppliers, as we saw with the Australian battery). Some (the vast majority?) of the cells are made in the gigafactory.

Similarly, in Buffalo, Panasonic makes solar cells and Tesla makes panels and roof tiles.

Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3504 on: March 15, 2018, 01:15:53 AM »
From the beginning, Tesla Models S and X have used, and continue to use, 18-650 format cells, made by Panasonic in Japan.  Under a “unique partnership,” Panasonic and Tesla started making 2170-format cells in the gigafactory, starting late 2016/early 2017.  The new cells are used in the Model 3 and in Tesla stationary storage products.

Quote
These batteries were jointly designed by both Panasonic and Tesla, which continues the companies’ highly unique partnership. At an event at the Gigafactory last summer, Panasonic’s executive vice president Yoshihiko Yamada described the companies’ relationship as a completely new type of business partnership. Both companies are investing heavily in the infrastructure of the Gigafactory.
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/tesla-and-panasonic-kick-off-battery-production-at-the-gigafactory

Quote
The Gigafactory is being built in phases so that Tesla, Panasonic, and other partners can begin manufacturing immediately inside the finished sections and continue to expand thereafter. Our phased approach also allows us to learn and continuously improve our construction and operational techniques as we continue to drive down the cost of energy storage. Already, the current structure has a footprint of 1.9 million square feet, which houses 4.9 million square feet of operational space across several floors. And we are still less than 30 percent done. Once complete, we expect the Gigafactory to be the biggest building in the world.

With the Gigafactory online and ramping up production, our cost of battery cells will significantly decline due to increasing automation and process design to enhance yield, lowered capital investment per Wh of production, the simple optimization of locating most manufacturing processes under one roof, and economies of scale. By bringing down the cost of batteries, we can make our products available to more and more people, allowing us to make the biggest possible impact on transitioning the world to sustainable energy.

Finally, bringing cell production to the U.S. allows us to create thousands of American jobs. In 2017 alone, Tesla and Panasonic will hire several thousand local employees and at peak production, the Gigafactory will directly employ 6,500 people and indirectly create between 20,000 to 30,000 additional jobs in the surrounding regions.
https://www.tesla.com/blog/battery-cell-production-begins-gigafactory


https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-model-3-worlds-lithium-ion-battery-supply/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3505 on: March 15, 2018, 01:32:16 AM »
The roof of the gigafactory was purposely designed to be as smooth as possible, so that it could be covered with solar panels.

Tesla’s solar rooftop array at Gigafactory 1 is starting to take shape
Quote
Gigafactory 1 was designed with sustainability in mind. Tesla’s description of the sprawling facility alone states that the factory is set to be powered exclusively by renewable energy sources, including a massive solar array that would be installed on its roof. ...
https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-gigafactory-1-solar-rooftop-array/
I'm a little surprised, I'd assumed the buildings had been built with solar in place.
Any ideas on why they held off for so long?
Terry

I have not read of a specific reason.  However, the gigafactory is only 30% complete, so it might make sense to wait and install the larger system all at once, rather than piece by piece.  And yes, as production of Tesla solar panels ramps up, they will be cheaper.  But lots of customers have made reservations for panels and are waiting for them now!

Besides, Elon has been known to enjoy a relaxing evening sitting around a campfire on the gigafactory roof after a hard day in “production hell.”  Wouldn’t want to deprive the man of a simple pleasure at this stage of the game. ;) ;D


Edit:
One possible reason for installing some solar panels at the gigafactory now is:  the Tesla semi truck.  At the truck’s unveiling in November 2017, Musk announced:

“Because these megachargers are solar-powered, your truck is running on sunlight.”

We know the semi prototypes are now running between the gigafactory and the Fremont factory.  (Although one was recently spotted in St. Louis!).  Tesla may have installed PV at the gigafactory to test out their “megacharger” system.

https://www.inverse.com/article/40856-tesla-semi-megacharger-plan

https://electrek.co/2018/03/13/tesla-semi-electric-truck-spotted-supercharger-st-louis/
« Last Edit: March 15, 2018, 03:12:28 AM by Sigmetnow »
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TerryM

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3506 on: March 15, 2018, 03:55:43 AM »
Thanks
Charging the trucks makes perfect sense.


Terry



Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3507 on: March 16, 2018, 06:36:56 PM »
Solar storms can disrupt GPS signals, limiting navigation to on-board sensors and maps.  Driverless cars need to have a plan.  (Of course, a strong enough solar storm could fry all the electronics, so there’s that. :o)

Too Much Sun Could Wreak Havoc on Driverless Cars
Space meteorologists warn automated vehicle engineers against relying on GPS.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-16/driverless-cars-have-a-cosmic-weakness-solar-storms
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3508 on: March 16, 2018, 07:03:09 PM »
“Self-driving” — with no steering wheel or pedals.

GM announces $100 million investment to start making production version of its self-driving Chevy Bolt EV
Quote
GM announced today that it is investing $100 million into upgrading two factories to start making the production version of its self-driving Chevy Bolt EV for its upcoming driverless ride-sharing service to be launched next year.

The automaker has claimed to “be ready to mass produce self-driving Chevy Bolt EVs,” the electric vehicle they used as a platform for their self-driving Cruise AV (Autonomous Vehicle) since September of last year with the third generation of the vehicle.

They made the announcement after having completed the first batch of 130 Chevy Bolt EV autonomous prototypes at its Orion Assembly Plant in June.  Now they are investing into that plant as well as the Brownstown plant to start producing the production version of the vehicle.

The Orion factory is where the regular non-self-driving Chevy Bolt EV is being produced and they are adding all the redundant safety features for the self-driving Cruise AV version at the same location.

The roof modules with all the sensors for GM’s self-driving vehicles – pictured below – will be assembled at its Brownstown plant....
https://electrek.co/2018/03/15/gm-chevy-bolt-ev-self-driving-production/


More on the Brownstown plant, from 2016:
GM Reveals More on its Electrified Vehicle Batteries During Brownstown Plant Tour
http://www.hybridcars.com/gm-reveals-more-on-its-electrified-vehicle-batteries-during-brownstone-plant-tour/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3509 on: March 18, 2018, 12:47:13 AM »
U.S.: 

There’s a new effort to remove the EV tax credit cap just as Tesla and GM are about to hit it
Quote
It just so happens that the two first automakers to hit the threshold are likely going to be American automakers, Tesla and GM. Therefore, the U.S. federal government might end up having an EV incentive program that directly disadvantages the two biggest American electric automakers. ...
https://electrek.co/2018/03/16/electric-vehicle-tax-credit-cap-tesla-gm/
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TerryM

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3510 on: March 18, 2018, 01:03:44 AM »
U.S.: 

There’s a new effort to remove the EV tax credit cap just as Tesla and GM are about to hit it
Quote
It just so happens that the two first automakers to hit the threshold are likely going to be American automakers, Tesla and GM. Therefore, the U.S. federal government might end up having an EV incentive program that directly disadvantages the two biggest American electric automakers. ...
https://electrek.co/2018/03/16/electric-vehicle-tax-credit-cap-tesla-gm/


Slap a big tariff on them foreigners, that'll learn 'em.
Terry

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3511 on: March 19, 2018, 12:38:51 PM »
The Tesla 3 - A Curate's Egg ?

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-19/what-model-3-drivers-love-and-hate-about-tesla-s-pivotal-car

What Model 3 Drivers Love and Hate About Tesla's Pivotal Car
Reviews of the sedan Elon Musk is counting on for growth are rolling in.

Quote
Now that the Model 3 is getting into the hands of the general public, outlets including Consumer Reports, Edmunds and Strategy Analytics have taken delivery and published their impressions. Reviews among this group have generally been mixed. Driving dynamics and handling were among their consistent pros, while some of the commonly cited cons have had to do with poor build quality and problems with so many of the car’s controls being tied to its touch screen.

Definition of Curate's Egg below - I expect emotional responses.
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numerobis

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3512 on: March 19, 2018, 01:25:44 PM »
In order to qualify, the car would have to be called good when it’s bad. Yet the evidence is that the car is being called mediocre when it’s mediocre. From basically all reports I’ve read, Tesla has the handling down pat; not so the build quality — for all its cars, not just the 3.

Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3513 on: March 19, 2018, 06:39:11 PM »
Uber halts self-driving tests after pedestrian killed in Arizona
Quote
A female pedestrian was reportedly killed after being struck by an autonomous Uber vehicle in Arizona, according to ABC 15. In response, Uber has pulled all of its self-driving cars from public roads in the state as well as in the cities of San Francisco, Toronto, and Pittsburgh.

The crash occurred near Mill Avenue and Curry Road early Monday morning in Tempe, Arizona, the channel reports. The Uber vehicle was reportedly headed northbound when a woman walking outside of the crosswalk was struck. The woman was taken to the hospital where she later died from her injuries. Early reports suggested that she may have been a bicyclist, but that may not be the case.

“Our hearts go out to the victim’s family,” an Uber spokesperson told The Verge. “We are fully cooperating with local authorities in their investigation of this incident.”

Uber confirms that the vehicle was traveling in autonomous mode with a safety driver behind the wheel during the crash. That would make the pedestrian one of the first known victims of a crash involving a self-driving car. ...
https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/19/17139518/uber-self-driving-car-fatal-crash-tempe-arizona


Edit: more info, including a video.  Damaged bicycle shown at the scene.
https://electrek.co/2018/03/19/uber-self-driving-prototyp-fatal-crash-police/
« Last Edit: March 19, 2018, 07:04:54 PM by Sigmetnow »
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3514 on: March 19, 2018, 06:43:37 PM »
A massive, new all-electric 40-tonne truck has been unveiled to bring zero-emission vehicles to underground mining.

A new all-electric 40-tonne truck unveiled for the mining industry
https://electrek.co/2018/03/16/all-electric-40-tonne-truck-mining-artisan-vehicles/
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BenB

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3515 on: March 20, 2018, 01:59:41 PM »
The new Nissan Leaf sold 8,400 copies in February:

https://insideevs.com/nissan-leaf-sales-heads-10000-a-month-over-100000-a-year/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+InsideEvs+%28Inside+EVs%29

This should go up significantly over the next few months, as availability and production ramp up in Europe and the US. Perhaps 10-15,000 per month? If the Model 3 gets going, and with a few Chinese models selling really well, we could see 3-4 models with sales of over 100,000 in 2018.

Sigmetnow

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« Reply #3516 on: March 20, 2018, 02:50:47 PM »
U.S.     In the incident in Reply #3540 above, there was also a safety driver at the wheel.

”Manufacturer liability is one of the biggest issues surrounding self-driving cars. Exactly who is at fault when there is no human driver to blame has analysts and lawmakers scratching their heads. Automakers would like to be shielded from liability as much as possible, and in its zeal to get more self-driving cars on the road, Congress may be giving these companies what they want.”

Loophole Could Shield Self-Driving Car Companies from Lawsuits
Companies could be allowed to force consumers into arbitration.
Quote
Legislation currently pending in the Senate could make it harder for people riding in self-driving cars that crash to sue the manufacturer, according to a CNN report.

The bill, known as the AV Start Act, includes language that does not explicitly prohibit forced arbitration between autonomous-car manufacturers and consumers. This would prevent a person injured in a self-driving car crash to join a class-action lawsuit, or even take the manufacturer to court individually, according to CNN. Instead, companies could force consumers to settle disputes outside of court in arbitration.

"Experts say arbitration shifts the balance of power in the favor of big businesses, because they generally hire the arbitrator and will be its repeat customer," the CNN report noted. "Arbitration proceedings are also private, so use of them would mean the public is more likely to be kept in the dark about flaws in self-driving vehicles." ...
http://www.thedrive.com/tech/19271/loophole-could-shield-self-driving-car-companies-from-lawsuits
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3517 on: March 20, 2018, 02:56:49 PM »
Ford is betting on hybrid trucks and SUVs to pay for its smart future
But will it make, you know, cars anymore?
Quote
...Ford’s head of global markets Jim Farley revealed the automaker’s product plans going into the next decade, most of which are trucks and SUVs that will feature a traditional hybrid system or be plug-ins of some kind.”
...
But Ford is also betting on a new performance-oriented battery electric SUV in 2020, announced in January as the Mach 1. The company also says there will be six electric vehicles by 2022 and a charging strategy for them.
https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/15/17126006/ford-hybrid-electric-trucks-suv-f-150-explorer-mustang
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3518 on: March 20, 2018, 04:20:00 PM »
Short-haul, low volume.  It’s a start!

Daimler starts delivering electric trucks in the UK
https://electrek.co/2018/03/20/daimler-electric-truck-fuso-ecanter-uk/
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BenB

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3519 on: March 20, 2018, 05:15:58 PM »
I think commercial vehicles have the potential to reach a much more sudden tipping point than cars. It's much more a question of economics, and if money can be saved, companies will put up with certain inconveniences, or find ways around them. Unlike individuals, who may buy an EV to make a statement/for environmental reasons, or not buy one in case they at some point in the next ten years want to travel 1000 miles in a day. I believe that most delivery vans in big cities travel relatively short distances each day, due to traffic, loading/unloading, etc. Which should make them ideal for conversion to electric, particularly if supported by incentives to reduce local pollution in urban areas.

Tor Bejnar

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3520 on: March 20, 2018, 06:02:21 PM »
Hey, Sigmetnow, this thread is for "trucks", not "lorries!   ;D
But I'm happy to see the picture you posted.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3521 on: March 20, 2018, 06:50:10 PM »
Hey, Sigmetnow, this thread is for "trucks", not "lorries!   ;D
But I'm happy to see the picture you posted.

We are lucky nothing is falling off the back of it!  ;) ;D
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3522 on: March 22, 2018, 02:07:19 PM »
Tesla starts Model 3 launch in Canada, confirms starting price at $45,600 CAD
Quote
Tesla is finally starting to launch the Model 3 outside of the US for the first time – starting in Canada as previously announced.

The automaker is starting to send invites for configuration this week and it confirmed the Canadian price.
Earlier this year, Tesla accelerated the planned launch of the Model 3 in Canada from “late 2018” to “mid 2018”.

The automaker confirmed to Electrek that the first invitations to configure are going to Model 3 reservation holders this week with a similar priority that reservation holders experienced in the US: employees first and then current Tesla owners, followed by non-Tesla owners. ...
https://electrek.co/2018/03/21/tesla-model-3-canada-price/


Edit:
A Canadian choosing the options available today could result in delivery within “4 to 8 weeks.”

First look at Tesla Model 3 Canadian configurator with price structure and availability
Quote
The fact that deliveries have a similar timeline as the one in the US is a good sign that either Tesla’s Model 3 production is increasing or they plan to focus on Canadian deliveries and slow down US deliveries to push the point at which they reach the 200,000 US delivery threshold for [the calendar quarter that starts the clock toward] the federal tax credit phase-out.
https://electrek.co/2018/03/22/tesla-model-3-canadian-configurator-price-structure-availability/
« Last Edit: March 22, 2018, 09:14:21 PM by Sigmetnow »
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3523 on: March 22, 2018, 06:38:27 PM »
Nissan says the new Leaf is ‘the fastest selling electric vehicle in Europe’
https://electrek.co/2018/03/22/nissan-leaf-fastest-selling-electric-vehicle-in-europe/

Phasing out the wildly inaccurate NEDC range testing....

Quote
“The new Nissan LEAF is the first EV to undergo WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Testing Procedure) and delivers a range of up to 168 miles on the Combined Cycle, or up to 258 miles in city conditions, on a single charge. For comparison with other EVs or previous generation LEAFs, the model is also rated to 235 miles on the outgoing NEDC test.”

In the US, the new Leaf gets an EPA-rated range of 151 miles.

The upcoming 2019 model LEAF is said to have a bigger battery, with a new thermal management system, and faster charging.
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« Reply #3524 on: March 23, 2018, 12:43:33 PM »
Two of the worst investments I can think of are:  (1) Oil companies and (2) electric utilities.

In the following article in VOX.... they discuss the "freaking out" of electric utilities due to the flattening or dropping of electricity production in the US, at a time of rising GDP.

They are so "freaked out".... they are pushing its users into electric cars.  Interesting read...

https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/2/27/17052488/electricity-demand-utilities

Of course.... any push into electric cars will only be a temporary plus for the utilities, until rooftop solar increases.  At that point....they are REALLY screwed.



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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3525 on: March 24, 2018, 01:10:02 AM »
EVs in winter.

5 electric cars get thoroughly winter tested in Norway, Hyundai Ioniq Electric comes out on top
Quote
Norway’s electric vehicle association decided to put 5 popular all-electric vehicles to a thorough winter test to see how they performed under harsh conditions.

Between the Nissan Leaf, VW e-Golf, Hyundai Ioniq Electric, Opel Ampera-e (Chevy Bolt EV), and the BMW i3, the association tentatively declares the Ioniq as the winner. ...
https://electrek.co/2018/03/23/5-electric-cars-winter-test-hyundai-ioniq-electric-bmw-i3-vw-e-golf-nissan-leaf-chevy-bolt-ev/
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Sigmetnow

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« Reply #3526 on: March 24, 2018, 01:20:14 AM »
Tesla says that they still don’t aim to make the Supercharger network a “profit center”.
Porsche disagrees with the approach.


Porsche says ‘Tesla’s Superchargers are not sustainable’, they will charge more for their own charging network
https://electrek.co/2018/03/23/porsche-tesla-supercharger-not-sustainable-charging-network/
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Sigmetnow

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« Reply #3527 on: March 24, 2018, 05:49:31 PM »
Who is responsible when a self-driving car kills someone?
Quote
Who's going to court?

Uber, Volvo, suppliers, the driver, the pedestrian... who's liable?

It turns out that's the wrong question.

In fact, it's a question that a 2015 Stanford Law School article called "specific, but unhelpful," noting that "asking 'Who is liable in tomorrow’s automated crashes?' in the abstract is like asking 'Who is liable in today’s conventional crashes?' The answer is: 'It depends.'"

Anyone from the driver to Uber to Volvo to the suppliers of individual car parts could face charges — it depends on the results of the ongoing police investigation.  ...
https://mashable.com/2018/03/22/self-driving-car-fatality-uber-liability/

Video at the end of the article finds that some people are taking an Uber ride to the hospital instead of an ambulance.  It’s cheaper, and you get to go to the hospital you want. 
If you live that long....
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3528 on: March 24, 2018, 10:38:10 PM »
Norway: in the midst of the usual Tesla end-of-quarter delivery rush, Elon Musk requests a slowdown in deliveries due to difficulties finding safe transport for the vehicles.

”I have just asked our team to slow down deliveries. It is clear that we are exceeding the local logistics capacity due to batch build and delivery. Customer happiness & safety matter more than a few extra cars this quarter.”

Tesla’s car shipments in Norway keep being shut down for using ‘dangerous’ transporters, a truck crashed
https://electrek.co/2018/03/24/tesla-car-shipments-dangerous-norway-transporter-crash/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3529 on: March 25, 2018, 06:35:18 PM »
”Parking is a problem that engineers reckon self-driving cars can solve. Send the robot to find a space, after it drops you off at your destination. Summon it back later when you’re ready to leave.”

Forget Self Driving. The Future is in Self Parking
https://www.wired.com/story/self-parking-cars/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3530 on: March 26, 2018, 09:17:00 PM »
Quote
Electric circuit
Australia's electric highway complete as
@HorizonPower_WA plugs the gap in the #Kimberley
Charging stations for electric vehicles installed in northern towns
Little fanfare, but #EVs can now charge around Aus
That's huge
(link: https://thewest.com.au/news/the-kimberley-echo/towns-plug-in-to-charge-electric-vehicle-tourism-ng-b88770839z)
#auspol
https://mobile.twitter.com/plugshare/status/978320935861157889
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Jim Hunt

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3531 on: March 27, 2018, 11:14:21 AM »
Some more information on our UK Department for Transport funded V2G charging station project:

http://www.V2G-EVSE.com/2018/03/22/standards-based-v2x-charging-station-technology/

We had a productive conversation yesterday with the Silicon Valley branch of one of the Thomson Reuters Top 100 Global Tech Leaders.
"The most revolutionary thing one can do always is to proclaim loudly what is happening" - Rosa Luxemburg

BenB

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3532 on: March 27, 2018, 12:15:22 PM »
The Leaf has hit over 2000 deliveries in Norway for March, and total EV registrations are over 5,500, a new record. The eGolf, I3, two Teslas, Kia Soul, Zoe and Ionic all make decent contributions:

http://elbilstatistikk.no/?sort=3

I suspect that EVs as a proportion of total monthly sales will also achieve a new record, but I'm not sure what the total figures are.

Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3533 on: March 27, 2018, 01:49:50 PM »
The challenging steps toward EV transition....

‘Electric cars are disasters and evil’, says Hyundai’s union head as they plan to accelerate their EV effort
Quote
Several legacy automakers are finding that switching production of gas-powered cars to electric vehicles is requiring fewer workers and that’s causing problems with unions, which are often strong in the auto industry.

In Korea, Hyundai’s union head is now even calling electric cars “a disaster” and “evil.”

Ha Bu-young, the head of the Hyundai Motor union, South Korea’s biggest and most powerful union, told Reuters in an interview this week:

“Electric cars are disasters. They are evil. We are very nervous,”

He predicts that as much as 70% of the workforce could lose their jobs as a result of the transition to electric. ...
https://electrek.co/2018/03/27/electric-cars-disasters-evil-says-hyundai-union-head/


Tesla launches a new education program to train a new generation of electric car technicians
Quote
Until now, Tesla has mainly been recruiting technicians who have been working for other automakers or coming out of training programs where they mainly worked on internal combustion engines.

Of course, electric cars have several components in common with gas-powered cars, but the powertrains are completely different and it requires a significant amount of training to service them even for an experienced auto technician.

Tesla has been conducting that training internally for all its service technicians across over 100 service centers around the world.

Now the automaker is partnering with colleges to offer the training to students before starting to work at Tesla. ...
https://electrek.co/2018/03/26/tesla-start-automotive-training-program/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3534 on: March 27, 2018, 02:11:22 PM »
Nissan starts new program to replace old LEAF battery packs
https://electrek.co/2018/03/26/nissan-leaf-battery-pack-replacement-program/

The LEAF battery’s lack of thermal management causes faster-than-usual battery degradation, especially in hot climates.  It’s good to see Nissan addressing the problem.

However, the battery replacement only applies to newer LEAFs.  (From the comments):
"But while the physical exterior pack dimensions of the new 30 kWh LEAF battery packs are identical to the battery packs found in every LEAF that has rolled off the production line since late 2010, internal differences in the way the packs are wired and connected to the car means that a 30 kWh upgrade path for existing cars isn’t possible."
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SteveMDFP

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3535 on: March 28, 2018, 05:00:59 AM »
Nissan starts new program to replace old LEAF battery packs
https://electrek.co/2018/03/26/nissan-leaf-battery-pack-replacement-program/

The LEAF battery’s lack of thermal management causes faster-than-usual battery degradation, especially in hot climates.  It’s good to see Nissan addressing the problem.

However, the battery replacement only applies to newer LEAFs.  (From the comments):
"But while the physical exterior pack dimensions of the new 30 kWh LEAF battery packs are identical to the battery packs found in every LEAF that has rolled off the production line since late 2010, internal differences in the way the packs are wired and connected to the car means that a 30 kWh upgrade path for existing cars isn’t possible."

I guess it's time for the owners of older models to turn over a new LEAF.

Jim Hunt

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3536 on: March 28, 2018, 04:37:09 PM »
I may not be the only one here interested in reading this new open access paper on the topic of "Promoting Vehicle to Grid (V2G) in the Nordic region"?

https://twitter.com/V2G_EVSE/status/978995081280671745

Quote
Our results show that it is indeed a small number of experts in our sample offering specific V2G policy suggestions. From this, three conclusions can be drawn.

First, a lack of awareness and deeper understanding of what V2G is and how it works in the transport and electricity sector.

Secondly, our findings confirm multiple themes offered in the policy literature. Our findings affirm the need for policies targeting aggregators, the position of DSOs, the organization of electricity markets, the need for standardization and guidelines, and a need for information for both consumers and V2G associated industries.

Third, and lastly, our results do point the way for further research. We call on the research community to better examine whether transportation demands actually pose a barrier to V2G, or an opportunity. Likewise, the main policy recommendations identified are regulatory or financial, calling into light needed research on non-technical or non-policy areas such as social behaviour, cultural norms, and issues of justice and scale (to name a few).
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pileus

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3537 on: March 29, 2018, 12:40:42 PM »
More headwinds for Tesla

Tesla's plunging bonds signal investor worries that it will run out of cash

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-tesla-bonds-plunge-20180328-story.html?outputType=amp&__twitter_impression=true

Quote
It's getting worse and worse every single day" for Tesla, said Bill Zox, chief investment officer of fixed income at Diamond Hill Investment Group. "That's the nature of being in this negative feedback loop. Everyone is worried."
The consequences are significant. Tesla's woes have played out most visibly in the stock market, with its shares suffering a two-day, 15% drop that's the biggest since 2016. But surging borrowing costs, which are now near 8%, could hamper the carmaker's ability to finance itself at a crucial time.

sidd

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3538 on: March 29, 2018, 07:57:22 PM »
Moody's just cut Tesla's ratings.

"Moody’s cut Tesla’s overall rating to B3, or six levels below investment grade, from B2 and said its outlook on the company is negative. Tesla’s $1.8 billion of senior unsecured notes, issued in August, were downgraded to Caa1, seven steps into junk, from B3."

http://www.autonews.com/article/20180328/OEM11/180329661/musk-tesla-credit-rating-cut-moodys

sidd

Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3539 on: March 29, 2018, 08:43:33 PM »
Recent headlines:

Nissan, Renault in Talks to Merge, Create New Company
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-29/nissan-renault-are-said-in-talks-to-merge-create-new-company

VW to buy back cars hit by German city diesel bans
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-43584763

Uber settles with family of pedestrian hit by its self-driving SUV
Terms of the agreement are confidential.
https://www.engadget.com/2018/03/29/uber-settles-with-family-of-pedestrian-hit-by-its-self-driving-s/

Cop tickets a GM-owned self-driving car for not yeilding to pedestrian on crosswalk, though company disputes violation
https://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/cop-tickets-gm-owned-self-driving-car/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3540 on: March 29, 2018, 08:59:29 PM »
200 Model 3 a day were being produced as of March 23.  Model S and X production lines were being stopped for a day or two because targets had been reached, and employees could volunteer to work on the Model 3 line for those days.

“The world is watching us very closely, to understand one thing: How many Model 3’s can Tesla build in a week? This is a critical moment in Tesla’s history, and there are a number of reasons it’s so important. You should pick the one that hits you in the gut and makes you want to win.”

Tesla Sends Memo To Workers – Get Model 3 Production To 300 Per Day
https://insideevs.com/tesla-sends-memo-workers-get-model-3-production-300-per-day/
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TerryM

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3541 on: March 29, 2018, 11:33:05 PM »

The owners brother claims that Tesla had received complaints that the car had swerved towards the same divider that it ultimately struck before bursting into flames.
http://abc7news.com/automotive/i-team-exclusive-victim-who-died-in-tesla-crash-had-complained-about-auto-pilot/3275600/

The photos showing the entire front end missing after the crash left me worried. My wife hit a similar barrier at speed, bounced back and crashed into a full sized Chevy, then both were plowed into by a concrete truck.
My T-Bird was trashed as was the Chevy, but no one was hospitalized. Carole complained of sore ribs from the seat belt, but that was the extent of it.

I'd much prefer a classic 'Bird to a new Tesla if these results are the norm.
Terry
Sigmet - Sorry about your stocks.

sidd

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3542 on: March 30, 2018, 05:22:40 AM »
autopilot dont have to be better than all humans, just the average insured human.
at that point the insurance companies will make it lucrative to turn autopilot on.

sidd

numerobis

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3543 on: March 30, 2018, 01:03:28 PM »
The drivetrain doesn’t seem to be particularly related to whether you can crash your car into poorly-designed road infrastructure.

silkman

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3544 on: March 30, 2018, 01:56:26 PM »
More problems for Elon as 123,000 Model S cars are recalled over a potential steering fault:

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/29/tesla-recalls-123000-model-s-cars-over-potential-power-steering-failure-reports.html

Neven

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3545 on: March 30, 2018, 02:04:19 PM »
What's with all the bad news all of a sudden? With most manufacturers dragging their feet, a Tesla failure, would allow them to foist another EV-1 onto the world.

I'm not a huge fan of Tesla (or modern EVs in general), as I find it all too flashy, plasticky, and with too much planned obsolescence built in (true sustainability would look completely different, but probably wouldn't sell, because our problem is in our heads). But it would be a disaster, if it goes down the drain.
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TerryM

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3546 on: March 30, 2018, 08:54:03 PM »
What's with all the bad news all of a sudden? With most manufacturers dragging their feet, a Tesla failure, would allow them to foist another EV-1 onto the world.

I'm not a huge fan of Tesla (or modern EVs in general), as I find it all too flashy, plasticky, and with too much planned obsolescence built in (true sustainability would look completely different, but probably wouldn't sell, because our problem is in our heads). But it would be a disaster, if it goes down the drain.
Agreed, but all this bad news is just that - news - and painting a rosy picture of what may not be such a rosy future for Tesla won't do much to change reality.
If Tesla is having quality issues and/or production issues, it might help to air these before they build up and ruin the company.
If you've ever seen a Tucker you've marveled at how advanced it was. We don't need another Tucker, or another Delorean. The Chinese will mass produce EV's and not even American tariffs can stop them.  8)
Terry

Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3547 on: March 30, 2018, 09:42:20 PM »
The reason the recent Tesla crash was so severe is because the highway barrier’s crash attenuator had not been repaired after an accident the week before.  Tesla’s data shows Autopilot has navigated this stretch of road about 20,000 times in 2018 alone, with no other known accidents.  Video from immediately after the crash (before first responders arrived) shows the driver had been removed and the seats were not burned at that point.

Tesla says:
Quote
Our data shows that Tesla owners have driven this same stretch of highway with Autopilot engaged roughly 85,000 times since Autopilot was first rolled out in 2015 and roughly 20,000 times since just the beginning of the year, and there has never been an accident that we know of. There are over 200 successful Autopilot trips per day on this exact stretch of road.

The reason this crash was so severe is that the crash attenuator, a highway safety barrier which is designed to reduce the impact into a concrete lane divider, had either been removed or crushed in a prior accident without being replaced. The following image shows what the barrier looked like when the crash attenuator was in proper condition, and what it looked like the day prior to the crash, based on dash cam footage from a witness of the accident who commutes daily past this location. We have never seen this level of damage to a Model X in any other crash.

Tesla battery packs are designed so that in the rare circumstance a fire occurs, it spreads slowly so that occupants have plenty of time to get out of the car. According to witnesses, that appears to be what happened here as we understand there were no occupants still in the Model X by the time the fire could have presented a risk. Serious crashes like this can result in fire regardless of the type of car, and Tesla’s billions of miles of actual driving data shows that a gas car in the United States is five times more likely to experience a fire than a Tesla vehicle.
https://www.tesla.com/en_EU/blog/what-we-know-about-last-weeks-accident


Quote
...the owner of the Model X had taken the vehicle to the service center because of concerns about the SUV’s navigation, not its Autopilot, according to the local news agency.

“We’ve been doing a thorough search of our service records, and we cannot find anything suggesting that the customer ever complained to Tesla about the performance of Autopilot. There was a concern raised once about navigation not working correctly, but Autopilot’s performance is unrelated to navigation,” Tesla reportedly stated.
https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-modules-retrieved-ntsb-clues-fatal-model-x-crash/
« Last Edit: March 30, 2018, 09:51:22 PM by Sigmetnow »
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magnamentis

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3548 on: March 30, 2018, 09:50:07 PM »
What's with all the bad news all of a sudden? With most manufacturers dragging their feet, a Tesla failure, would allow them to foist another EV-1 onto the world.

I'm not a huge fan of Tesla (or modern EVs in general), as I find it all too flashy, plasticky, and with too much planned obsolescence built in (true sustainability would look completely different, but probably wouldn't sell, because our problem is in our heads). But it would be a disaster, if it goes down the drain.

not so sudden IMO, there were many who see things coming, while it still is a good thing to wake up the industry, tesla itself is (economically) doomed IMO, at least if no significant changes will occur.

further i agree 100% as to your opinion about real sustainability.
QUOTE
sometimes i can't avoid the idea that someone is digging a multi billion dollar grave with unsupported walls, only that before the walls ( think card house) will collapse the idols are untouchable/glorified for/by too many and i'm not talking private wealth, he should be safe but i'm sure we gonna hear one day about who's paying for all the losses or "à fond perdus" projects.

should this have sounded like if i dislike those projects i have to rectify that impression but i as well don't think it's smart/wise to glamorize single entities and/or to put someone on a pedestal. history has proven what happened later with a quota that is too close to  100% to be ignored

END QUOTE

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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #3549 on: March 30, 2018, 10:01:47 PM »
UPS in the UK develops a smart grid that will allow the company to charge dozens of vehicles overnight without experiencing excessive demand or upgrading their grid.

‘It’s the beginning of the end’ for internal combustion engines, says UPS as it updates its fleet to electric
Quote
The delivery company currently operates 170 trucks out of its central London site and 65 of them are electric – pictured above.

They wanted to electrify the entire fleet, but they didn’t like the cost of charging high numbers of vehicles at the same time.

In order to lower those costs, they developed a ‘Smart Electric Urban Logistics (SEUL)’ project with UK Power Networks and Cross River Partnership, with funding secured from the UK’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles.

It consists of  “a smart-grid which uses a central server which is connected to each EV charge post as well as the grid power supply and the on-site energy storage.”

The system is able to stabilize the power demand among the charging stations in order to charge all vehicles overnight without excessive peak demand or a need to upgrade to the external power grid. ...
https://electrek.co/2018/03/30/end-internal-combustion-engine-says-ups-fleet-to-electric/
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