Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....

[Sigmetnow]

Beating current estimates of autonomous vehicles by a decade or two?

Could Tesla cut out the middleman and sell its own ride-sharing services, using autopilot-enabled vehicles?  Musk said it was “an insightful question,” but one that he didn’t think he should answer.
...
...Jonas believes Tesla will soon put two and two together and grab the lion’s share of what could be a huge new market. “Tesla is uniquely positioned, in our view, to solve the biggest flaw in the auto industry, <4% utilization, via an app-based, on-demand mobility service,” says he.

“Given the pace of technological development both within Tesla and at rival technology and mobility companies, we would be surprised if Tesla did not share formalized business plans on shared mobility within the next 12 to 18 months,” writes Jonas. “We view this business opportunity as potentially additive to Tesla’s existing model of selling human-driven cars to private owners and see potential for this model to conceivably more than triple the company’s potential revenues by 2029. That is, selling miles in addition to selling cars.”

https://chargedevs.com/newswire/analyst-predicts-tesla-will-eat-ubers-lunch-doubling-stock-price/

https://chargedevs.com/newswire/uber-ceo-if-teslas-cars-are-autonomous-by-2020-well-buy-all-500000/

[JimD]

Tesla - business stuff

These things may not be glamorous but they are significant.  Cash flow problems are eating Tesla alive right now.

...Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, intends to purchase $20 million of common stock in this offering at the public offering price.

One wonders if the entire $20 million "out of Elon's pocket" was once again funded by $20 million out of California taxpayers' pockets...

...In other words, at the current burn rate, TSLA just bought itself one more quarter of cash flow. Expect another equity offering in the next 1-2 quarters....

http://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Can-New-500-Million-Stock-Issue-Solve-Teslas-Problems.html

[Sigmetnow]

Electric Vehicle Users In The U.K. Could Soon Be Able To Charge Their Cars While They Drive

Britain’s Highways England recently announced an 18-month trial using wireless magnetic induction technology, which is installed in the cars and underneath the asphalt surface. The test, which will start this year, won’t be immediately carried out on public roads, but the facility will simulate common highway conditions. The British government has committed £500 million(about $783 million) to fund the project over five years.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/08/18/3692564/smart-roads/

[Sigmetnow]

For Tesla fans. 

Tesla Motors Earnings Report: Q2 2015 Conference Call / Transcript
From 5 August 2015.

The 1.25-hour conference call webcast is available here:
http://seekingalpha.com/article/3403905-tesla-motors-tsla-q2-2015-results-earnings-call-webcast

A transcript is on-line here:
http://www.thestreet.com/story/13246464/2/tesla-motors-tsla-earnings-report-q2-2015-conference-call-transcript.html

And a PDF here:  http://s.t.st/media/xtranscript/2015/Q3/13246464.pdf

The transcription could use some editing.  For example, concerning stationary storage:

But the demand has been really crazy. So it's well in excess of-- if you just take the reservations that have been made thus far it's for well over $1 billion worth of Powerpacks and Powerwalls. And that's with no marketing, no advertising, no sales force to speak of really. Not trying to sell it, it's basically a presentation, and a Webcast and pretty much a press Q&A. So there is probably room to improve. So this is, really, we're basically sold out of what we could make in 2016 at this point, assuming these order are real, which they seem to be.

So we're looking at maybe, again, preface with made for uncertainty 40 million to 50 million in stationary storage in Q4 and maybe as much as 10 times that number for next year. So it's 40 million to 50 million this year and ten times that next year. And that growth rate is probably going to keep going at quite an high level. It's probably at least a few billion dollars in 2017. That's sort of speculative at this point, but I think that's likely. So it's sort of growing by half order of 92 to an order of 92 per year.*

* Musk actually said: "...half order of magnitude to an order of magnitude per year." 

[Sigmetnow]

Tesla Autopilot features begin beta testing
https://chargedevs.com/newswire/tesla-autopilot-features-begin-beta-testing/

[Sigmetnow]

Chinese EV market takes off – as Western automakers watch from the sidelines

Sales of plug-in vehicles in China are quickly ramping up, spurred by generous government subsidies, which in turn are motivated by choking air pollution in the country’s major cities.

Yonghe Huang, Director of Policy Research at the China Automotive Technology Center, highlighted the explosive growth in a recent presentation. In 2014, automakers in China produced 84,700 EVs and PHEVs, up more than fivefold from the previous year. In the first six months of 2015, they have already produced 83,100 units.

Unless something drastically changes, China will handily overtake the US as the world’s largest plug-in vehicle market this year (US plug-in sales for the first six months of 2015 were 54,347).

https://chargedevs.com/newswire/chinese-ev-market-takes-off-as-western-automakers-watch-from-the-sidelines/

[anotheramethyst]

Meanwhile out in the real world.  Things are not trending in a good direction.  Huge sales of ICE vehicles and ...

Ever since 2008, driving in the United States has been in declining, leading some observers to wonder if we've finally hit "peak car."

Turns out we haven't hit peak car quite yet. Over at Calculated Risk, Bill McBride points out that driving in the United States has surged over the past year — and the 12-month rolling average hit an all-time high this May:...

http://www.vox.com/2015/7/22/9011109/cheap-gasoline-more-driving

that chart looks suspiciously like a good proxy for the us economy.  i think that means we JUST climbed out of the great recession.  of course, i could be leaping to conclusions here

[Sigmetnow]

@Forbes: Elon Musk wants to focus on making the world’s best car: http://t.co/Lduj2GwrhO http://t.co/AlYD51x7mK

https://twitter.com/forbes/status/634111598387404800

@elonmusk: True, but achieving a long range affordable electric vehicle has always been our long-term goal. Due in late 2017!  https://t.co/2OrIYdoojs

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/635214915934928896

Forbes:  Decoding Tesla's Secret Formula

Unlike classic disruptive innovations such as steel mini-mills, personal computers and, in the car business, cheap Japanese imports, Tesla never pursued the classic route of going after low-end, price-sensitive customers first with cheaper, inferior technology. It doesn’t pursue nonconsumption, or customers who don’t currently drive cars. Tesla automobiles look and drive much like other cars, use established infrastructure like roads and confine much of their product innovation to only one aspect: the power system.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/innovatorsdna/2015/08/19/teslas-secret-formula/

[Sigmetnow]

Hong Kong bus stop shelter bathes passengers in clean air.  (But note "Business As Usual" sign in background.  )
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2015/aug/24/adapting-to-air-pollution-with-clean-air-stands-in-china

[Sigmetnow]

A truck that provides moving crash protection for road construction crews will be available as a driverless version this year, removing a driver from that dangerous position.
http://www.nbcnews.com/business/autos/driverless-construction-zone-truck-due-hit-road-year-n415531

[Sigmetnow]

More on the U.K. wireless charging highways
http://www.fastcoexist.com/3049836/the-uk-is-testing-electric-highways-that-would-charge-your-ev-as-you-drive

[Sigmetnow]

Tesla P85D breaks Consumer Reports' testing system:

This is the best car Consumer Reports has ever tested

Tesla just made Consumer Reports history.

The product testing agency on Thursday gave the new, high-performance P85D version of the automaker's Model S a rating of 100—a perfect score—calling it "the best-performing car that Consumer Reports has ever tested."

"It really blew up our system," said Jake Fisher, the head of automotive testing for Consumer Reports. "It actually scored above 100 in our system before we had to make some changes to account for this car."

http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/27/teslas-p85d-is-the-best-car-consumer-reports-has-ever-tested.html


Edit:  Because of the overwhelming interest and the unique results, Consumer Reports is making their Tesla P85D report available to non-members, at this link:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/tesla-model-s-p85d.htm

[Sigmetnow]

California puts income limit on households that can get EV rebates
http://www.autoblog.com/2015/08/26/california-puts-income-limit-on-households-that-can-get-ev-rebat/

[Sigmetnow]

National Drive Electric Week 2015 - Events

National Drive Electric Week 2015 celebrations will take place across the US and other countries.  Get more information about an event here:
https://driveelectricweek.org/events.php

[Sigmetnow]

As you may know, Tesla offers "free supercharging for life" as a perk with their electric cars.  A recent article examines the cost of this benefit:
Tesla: cost of providing Supercharging “immaterial”
https://chargedevs.com/newswire/tesla-cost-of-providing-supercharging-immaterial/

If you really want to geek out, this detailed article from 2013 suggests the free-charge perk is actually a money-maker:
Tesla’s Supercharger – The Cost of Giving Away Free Energy
http://www.teslarati.com/teslas-supercharger-the-cost-of-giving-away-free-energy/

[Sigmetnow]

Not surprising, given there's been no big change in EV price/range options in the past few years.  But that will change markedly in 2017, when Chevy, Nissan and Tesla (among others) offer their next-generation models.  Still, one in five buyers would consider an EV today -- the interest is there.

New poll: Consumer interest in EVs hasn’t budged since 2013
https://chargedevs.com/newswire/new-poll-consumer-interest-in-evs-hasnt-budged-since-2013/

[Sigmetnow]

The Language of Compromise: Why More Conventional-looking EVs are Something Everyone Should be Hoping For

This is the design language of compromise. To environmental enthusiasts, it says “Look at this awesome new design! Now THIS is a car of the future!” And the environmentalists stand there in the showroom, daydreaming about the moment when they’ll silently cruise past their kale-munching, prius-owning neighbors on their way to Yoga.

But to the average buyer, this design says something different. It says “This vehicle is a compromise. It is not functional. It is not stylish. It is not economical. The only people who would make this compromise are rich people because they can afford to care more about the environment than their wallets.

This near-universal propensity for weird designs and badges proclaiming environmental benefits discourages mass adoption of these vehicles. For most Americans, environmental impact isn’t even on the list of things they consider when buying a car. Even if everything else about the car is great, they still won’t buy it because they feel uncomfortable driving a rolling billboard for liberal environmentalism. And the thing is, auto makers KNOW this. But they do it anyways because they don’t believe there is a market for EVs outside of a small core of environmental enthusiasts.

The problem is that this belief creates a self-fulfilling prophecy. Automakers think no one except environmentalists will buy EVs, so they create designs to attract those buyers. Then when no one except environmentalists buy the cars, those beliefs are confirmed.

These designs not only discourage mass adoption, but they also shows that the auto maker doesn’t believe in the car’s ability to succeed outside of a niche market. Because if these weird looking designs actually helped vehicles sales among a mainstream audience, we would be seeing them everywhere. And we don’t.

In fact, there is evidence that marketing products as “environmentally friendly” can actually discourage consumers from buying them. A study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences looked at how placing a  “protect the environment!” sticker on a compact fluorescent light bulb affected consumer behavior. It found that the sticker only increased purchasing rates among the most liberal individuals, and that it decreased purchasing rates in all other groups.

http://electrek.co/2015/09/04/the-language-of-compromise-why-more-conventional-looking-evs-are-something-everyone-should-be-hoping-for/

[Sigmetnow]

Here are the top automotive brands truly embracing electric vehicles

The Renault-Nissan partnership is the undeniable leader with 27% of the EV market since its resurgence and 18% in 2015. The success of Renault’s Zoe in Europe and Nissan’s LEAF worldwide continue to be an important driver of the electric vehicle market. LEAF sales started to lag recently ahead of the launch of the 2016 model, but sales should pickup in the coming months as the new model arrive at dealerships. The group is truly committed to electric cars and is expected to improve on their current EV platforms for future models with more range.

A very encouraging fact from the data is that VW, BYD and BMW all sold more EVs this year alone than they did through all the prior years combined. This means we are witnessing the first steps of these majors brands in the EV market....

http://electrek.co/2015/09/02/here-are-the-top-automotive-brands-truly-embracing-electric-vehicles/

[Sigmetnow]

Sept 2:  Indianapolis’ all-electric car sharing program, BlueIndy, officially launches today

Today Indianapolis is officially launching BlueIndy, its all-electric car sharing program. The program has been in the work for quite sometime now, but today 25 stations hosting up to 5 cars each are up-and-running.

BlueIndy is modeled after the car sharing programs, like Autolib in Paris, operated by the Bolloré Group in Europe and it uses the same car, the Bluecar, manufactured in partnership between the France-based Bolloré Group and the Italian automotive company Cecomp.

The price structure for the program is fairly simple. Drivers need to pay a 10$ per month membership fee if you sign-up for 1 year and then $4 for the first 20 minutes of use of a Bluecar and $0.20 per additional minute. BlueIndy offers an “Early Bird” special by waving the first 6 months of membership fees for anyone using the promo code EARLY BIRD  when signing up.

http://electrek.co/2015/09/02/indianapolis-all-electric-car-sharing-program-blueindy-officially-launches-today/

[oren]

The Language of Compromise: Why More Conventional-looking EVs are Something Everyone Should be Hoping For

...
In fact, there is evidence that marketing products as “environmentally friendly” can actually discourage consumers from buying them. A study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences looked at how placing a  “protect the environment!” sticker on a compact fluorescent light bulb affected consumer behavior. It found that the sticker only increased purchasing rates among the most liberal individuals, and that it decreased purchasing rates in all other groups.

That is so stupid and sad. Good luck to the human race 

[Sigmetnow]

Electric Car Sales in Canada, August 2015: Still Chasing Chevy
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1099870_plug-in-electric-car-sales-in-canada-august-2015-still-chasing-chevy

[Sigmetnow]

Russian Prime Minister orders all gas stations to install EV charging stations
https://chargedevs.com/newswire/russian-pm-orders-all-gas-stations-to-install-ev-chargers/

[Sigmetnow]

Mercedes confirms plans for high-end EV "Tesla-tamer."  Audi and BMW are working on ESUVs.

Daimler is accelerating into the electric future. Last year the company spent about half of its 5-billion-euro R&D budget on electrification and other emission-reducing technologies, and announced that it would introduce 10 new plug-ins by 2017. The Mercedes S550 Plug-In Hybrid, the group’s third model with a cord, went on sale in the US in July.

Now Mercedes has confirmed that it’s working on a pure EV that looks like a possible competitor for Tesla’s Model S.

“We are working on an intelligent concept for a highly attractive electric vehicle with a range of 400-500 km (228-311 miles),” development chief Thomas Weber told the German magazine auto motor und sport, adding that the electric drive concept would fit into Mercedes’s flexible architecture, allowing it to be used in more than one model.

Of course, the media sees every new EV as a would-be Tesla-tamer these days, but the German luxury carmakers, at least, certainly do seem to be targeting Tesla. As Model X’s delivery date approaches, Audi and BMW are both reported to have ESUVs in the pipeline.

https://chargedevs.com/newswire/mercedes-confirms-plans-for-high-end-ev/

A reminder here that Elon Musk welcomes EV competition.  I'll quote from his press q&a in Jan 2015 at Detroit Auto World Conference:
"My goal is the acceleration of the advent of electric cars.  And so, I'll be quite pleased to see other manufacturers make lots of electric cars.  How Tesla does in that will be a function of how good are the cars that we make.  Are our cars better, worse, about the same as other cars?
...
"Making electric cars and offering them to the mass market is an extremely important thing.  So even if people are negative or say we're going to fail, I don't care.  We're still going to do it."

[Sigmetnow]

Elon Musk is appearing on Stephen Colbert's Late Show tonight, if you want to follow along.  (See link at bottom of article.)

Morgan Stanley doubles down on Tesla’s ‘Uber-like’ service – says Tesla should announce plans early 2016
http://electrek.co/2015/09/09/morgan-stanley-doubles-down-on-teslas-uber-like-service-says-tesla-should-announce-plans-early-2016/

[Sigmetnow]

In Beijing, just because you own a car doesn't mean you can use it.  But clean energy cars have an advantage.

According to a report from the South China Morning Post, sources close to the municipal transport authorities are saying that Beijing will update its lottery system for issuing licence plates in order to put Tesla Motors on a “special list of new energy cars”, which should make it easier for Tesla owners to get a license plate in the Chinese capital.
 
In an effort to reduce pollution, Beijing, which already has 5 million cars on the road, is trying to limit the number of new cars by controlling licence plates through a lottery system. The odds for the owner of a car powered by gas or diesel to get a licence plate in the city is currently less than 1%, but the odds increase to 38% for vehicles on the special list of “new energy vehicles”.

As of now, only electric vehicles manufactured in China are eligible to make the list. If the new provision is confirmed, Tesla would be the first foreign car manufacturer to be included.

http://electrek.co/2015/09/11/tesla-to-reportedly-get-preferential-treatment-in-beijings-system-for-licence-plates/

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/beijing/2015-06/26/content_21110283.htm

http://qz.com/153742/the-genius-ways-beijing-drivers-get-around-the-citys-license-plate-lottery/

[Sigmetnow]

Los Angeles' municipal fleet is trying out many different kinds of electric vehicles.

http://electrek.co/2015/09/11/lapd-is-getting-a-tesla-model-s-los-angeles-will-lease-a-fleet-of-288-electric-vehicles/

[Sigmetnow]

You knew this would happen:  Wall Street Journal column blasts Consumer Reports (see #511 above) for liking Tesla Model S too much.

Consumer Reports’ decision to rate Tesla a 103 out of 100 prompted an outcry. Here’s what is behind the controversy.
http://fortune.com/2015/09/10/tesla-review-consumer-reports/

[Sigmetnow]

Sometimes you just need a new set of wheels.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/08/russian-5-year-olds-tunneled-out-nursery-jaguar-sports-car

[Sigmetnow]

California's energy bill SB 350:  Intense lobbying by Big Oil forced the scrapping of the petroleum reduction section of the bill, but electrification of transportation remains a "principal goal."

Recent analysis concludes mass adoption of electric cars, trucks, and buses would cut California's petroleum use by 18 percent in 2030. To get there, people need to be able to plug-in their vehicles where they live, work, and play. Electric utilities can make this happen. That's why SB 350 concludes: "Widespread transportation electrification requires electrical corporations to increase access to the use of electricity as a transportation fuel."

Senator de León's landmark bill also establishes that, a "principal goal" of electric utility "resource planning and investment" is "to improve the environment and to encourage the diversity of energy resources through improvements in energy efficiency, development of renewable energy resources, and widespread transportation electrification."

California's investor-owned utilities are multi-billion dollar corporations that make investments on a scale that could actually erode the monopoly enjoyed by Big Oil for far too long.

And, unlike the oil industry, the electric industry is closely regulated by state agencies, such as the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Using this authority, SB 350 directs the CPUC to order the electric utilities under its jurisdiction to:

...file applications for programs and investments to accelerate widespread transportation electrification to reduce dependence on petroleum, meet air quality standards, achieve the goals set forth in the Charge Ahead California Initiative, and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/mbaumhefner/sb_350_makes_replacing_big_oil.html

[Sigmetnow]

New electric bus has more range than typical bus routes require.

The Proterra® Catalyst™ Bus Shatters Electric Vehicle Range Perceptions by Traveling 258 Miles on a Single Charge at Michelin’s Laurens Proving Grounds (LPG)

The Catalyst XR configuration included eight battery packs, with a total energy capacity of 257kWh. Based on these test results, Proterra predicts its ten pack XR configuration (321kWh) will achieve 300 miles on a single charge. According to available General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) data, typical urban and rural bus routes in the United States run less than 200 miles a day, bringing most routes within reach of Proterra’s current technology.

http://www.proterra.com/the-proterra-catalyst-bus-shatters-electric-vehicle-range-perceptions-by-traveling-258-miles-on-a-single-charge-at-michelins-laurens-proving-grounds-lpg/

[Sigmetnow]

Nice explanation of major differences between the EPA's EV driving range test and the European version.

2016 Nissan Leaf Range: 107 Or 155 Miles? Why Test Cycles Can Be Deceptive
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100055_2016-nissan-leaf-range-107-or-155-miles-why-test-cycles-can-be-deceptive

[Sigmetnow]

"By 2020" -- will something like this still be appropriate?

Next-Gen Cylinder Deactivation: V-8s Using Two Cylinders, 20 Percent MPG Boost?
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100053_next-gen-cylinder-deactivation-v-8s-using-two-cylinders-20-percent-mpg-boost

[Sigmetnow]

EV Range Anxiety - two approaches 

Toronto's municipal users took baby steps, at first only using their EV's for short trips, then extending their useful range once they gained experience.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100054_electric-car-range-the-more-you-have-the-more-you-use-canadian-data-shows

Whereas this newbie user who got the chance to drive a Signature Tesla Model S immediately launched into a long trip, figuring 100 miles on the car's range meter must mean 100 miles of driving, right? 
(The Verge video embedded in this article:)
http://www.theverge.com/2014/8/27/6071767/how-to-sneak-a-tesla-into-russia-for-just-6-5-million-rubles

Edit: Or the method preferred by this Norwegian driver, who attempts to take a long winter EV trip without range anxiety -- by covering the remaining-range display!
http://gas2.org/2013/06/25/video-norwegians-put-tesla-model-s-to-cold-weather-test/

[Sigmetnow]

Article and 20-minute video with lots of details (but no photography) of the factory where Teslas are made.  For example, the aluminum-alloy Model S chassis weighs only about 410 pounds.  The car has only 21 moving parts, and is 85% energy efficient at the wheels.

Tidbits Inside the Tesla Factory Tour in Fremont, CA
http://www.teslarati.com/tidbits-inside-tesla-factory-tour-fremont-ca/

[Sigmetnow]

Tesla releases second version of its beta v7.0 software update with Autopilot

The new software update is an important step for self-driving technology enthusiasts because once it is released, tens of thousands of vehicles will be equipped overnight with what could arguably be the most advanced autonomous driving features available to date. The move will make extremely valuable data from thousands of new “self-driving” highway miles available to Tesla every day.

http://electrek.co/2015/09/18/tesla-releases-second-version-of-its-beta-v7-0-software-update-with-autopilot/

[ghoti]

I'm looking for reaction from the so called "clean diesel" advocates who like to claim new diesel cars are cleaner than EVs about the revelations about how VW TDI cars are polluting up to 40 times more than they are rated.

VW worked hard to design a control system to game the EPA test system to hide the pollution that doesn't meet standards.

Many articles about this today. Here's one.

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/09/20150918-epaarb.html

[Sigmetnow]

And here's another article:

 VW, Audi TDI Diesel Cars Had 'Defeat Device' That Violated EPA Rules, 500K Cars Recalled

...German carmakers Volkswagen and Audi [have] been ordered to recall half a million of its popular TDI four-cylinder diesel vehicles sold in the U.S. from 2009 to 2015.

More startling, the EPA took the action because those TDI cars appeared to detect emission-testing cycles and significantly reduce their emissions under those circumstances.

The cars in question "contained software that turns off emissions controls when driving normally and turns them on when the car is undergoing an emissions test," according to Cynthia Giles, an EPA enforcement officer speaking on a teleconference for reporters.

Known as a "defeat device," that software allowed the cars to emit up to 40 times the maximum level of nitrous oxides permitted by EPA regulations, Giles said.
...
According to estimates, the cost of the recall to Volkswagen could reach $18 billion.

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100101_vw-audi-tdi-diesel-cars-had-defeat-device-that-violated-epa-rules-500k-cars-recalled-breaking

[Sigmetnow]

I wonder how these plans will be affected:

Volkswagen Microbus camper's return to be officially confirmed
Volkswagen officials set to confirm classic Camper van will return, with an all-electric derivative

Volkswagen is planning to reveal an updated version of its Microbus camper van concept at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next January prior to an official announcement by its chairman, Martin Winterkorn, confirming the iconic van’s return to the German car maker’s line-up.

Described as a close preview to a planned production version of the Microbus to be produced at Volkswagen’s Puebla factory in Mexico from 2017, the updated concept is set to showcase a newly developed electric drive system among other contemporary connectivity technologies.

The zero local emission driveline, which relies on the Volkswagen Group’s latest lithium-ion battery technology as used by the Audi R8 E-Tron and upcoming Audi E-Tron Quattro concept, is claimed to provide a range of between 400 and 500km (250-310 miles) depending on the driving conditions. ...

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motor-shows-ces/volkswagen-microbus-campers-return-be-officially-confirmed

[Sigmetnow]

Well, your car will recognize you. 

Will You Even Recognize Your Car in the Near Future?
http://www.nbcnews.com/business/autos/will-you-even-recognize-your-car-near-future-n429796

[Sigmetnow]

... and sailplanes, on the edge of space.

Climate Researchers Plan Glider Mission to Edge of Space

Not a lot is known about the weather at 90,000 feet above the earth’s surface, so a team of scientists and aviators are going to fly there using an engineless aircraft to learn more about what the weather at such extreme altitudes has to say about climate change.

It’s called the Perlan Project, and the glider the team will use — the Perlan Mission II glider — will attempt its first flight on Wednesday in Oregon, the first of many test flights before the aircraft rides a column of air rising off the Andes Mountains to 90,000 feet over South America sometime in 2016.

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/glider-mission-to-edge-of-space-19472

[Neven]

VW worked hard to design a control system to game the EPA test system to hide the pollution that doesn't meet standards.

Okay, so people are going to jail now, right? Right?

[Sigmetnow]

How the emissions cheat was discovered.

VW's Emissions Cheating Found by Curious Clean-Air Group

German and his group were actually trying to prove exactly what Volkswagen has been claiming for years: that diesel is clean. They asked West Virginia University for help. The school’s Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines and Emissions had the right equipment -- a portable emission measurement system to stick in the car trunk, attached to a probe to shove up the exhaust pipe. German’s group, funded mostly by foundations, didn’t.

Testers drove the monitor-equipped diesels from San Diego to Seattle because if Volkswagen had gamed the emission test, they couldn’t be sure how, German said. In another cheating case years ago, he said, long-haul trucks were equipped with devices that allowed the engines to gradually discharge more and more harmful nitrogen oxides the longer the vehicle cruised at the same speed. The more emissions, generally speaking, the greater the engine power. The 1,300-mile trip under varying conditions would expose any such scheme in the VWs, German said.
...
So began a series of events that resulted in Volkswagen AG admitting that it built “defeat device” software into a half-million of its diesel cars from 2009 to 2015 that automatically cheated on U.S. air-pollution tests. The world’s second-biggest carmaker now faces billions in fines, possible jail time for its executives and the undoing of its U.S. expansion plans.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-19/volkswagen-emissions-cheating-found-by-curious-clean-air-group

[Sigmetnow]

VW worked hard to design a control system to game the EPA test system to hide the pollution that doesn't meet standards.

Okay, so people are going to jail now, right? Right?

I'd like to see part of their "punishment" be a requirement to start making huge numbers of EV's, and selling them at competitive (or cheaper) prices -- ramping up to NO fossil fuel cars at all, in, say, eight years.  Have them find a way to make EV's as attractive as the ICE cars they have been selling!

[ghoti]

The fine per car in violation of the rules is pretty close to the price of non-luxury EVs. So they could used all of the fine to buy something like 500,000 EVs to give away.

Dream on

[Neven]

Okay, so people are going to jail now, right? Right?

The world’s second-biggest carmaker now faces billions in fines, possible jail time for its executives

Okay, well at least they talk about it. 

[SATire]

The Volkswagen-scandal is a giant one. Today it is not clear if Volkswagen USA will survive this - it could be better to close the business there and to stay away from this niche market for small efficient (but obviously not so clean) cars. 18 billion fine and only 30 billion turnover last year and sureley less in future - that does not make any sense anymore. Say good by to the "peoples car" in USA.

It will be in the interest of the company to put the responsibles in jail. The bad thing is the damage to the efficient diesel injection technology in general - it is dead in USA now because of that scandal. Sorry for the other car manufactures and for the planet...

So jail for the responsible persons is a necessity for all parties.

[Sigmetnow]

Volkswagen Drops 23% After Admitting Diesel Emissions Cheat - Bloomberg Business

The U.S. charges are “grave” and must be clarified swiftly, said Stephan Weil, prime minister of the German state of Lower Saxony, which owns 20 percent of Volkswagen’s voting shares. “Possible consequences can be decided after that.”

The European Commission also said it’s taking VW’s cheating seriously and is in contact with U.S. regulators and the company about details of the case.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-21/volkswagen-drops-15-after-admitting-u-s-diesel-emissions-cheat

[ritter]

Damn it. I drive a TDI. I love the car. Now what? Emissions vs. fuel economy is such a crappy game to try to play.

[Sigmetnow]

Just came across this, from August:

California Has a Plan to End the Auto Industry as We Know It
Mary Nichols, the California regulator who showed the world how to clean up smog, is pushing for all cars to be electric.

Nichols really does intend to force au­tomakers to eventually sell nothing but electrics. In an interview in June at her agency’s heavy-duty-truck laboratory in downtown Los Angeles, it becomes clear that Nichols, at age 70, is pushing regula­tions today that could by midcentury all but banish the internal combustion engine from California’s famous highways. “If we’re going to get our transportation system off petroleum,” she says, “we’ve got to get people used to a zero-emissions world, not just a little-bit-better version of the world they have now.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-03/california-regulator-mary-nichols-may-transform-the-auto-industry

[Sigmetnow]

More info, including things to know if you are an owner, or a prospective buyer.  And the initial fallout.

VW Diesel Emissions Recall: What You Need To Know In 10 Questions
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100125_vw-diesel-emissions-recall-what-you-need-to-know-in-10-questions