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Neven

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1150 on: July 21, 2016, 10:06:42 AM »
Ladies and gentlemen, Elon Musk presents:  the future!  Here is his long-awaited* "Master Plan, Part 2.”

   Electric Tesla vehicles will include: "a future compact SUV and a new kind of pickup truck",

That is awesome! When can we expect this model:

The enemy is within
Don't confuse me with him

E. Smith

Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1151 on: July 21, 2016, 07:53:19 PM »
Clearly you need More Power.  How about loading up something like this?  ;D
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ritter

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1152 on: July 21, 2016, 10:47:33 PM »
Ladies and gentlemen, Elon Musk presents:  the future!  Here is his long-awaited* "Master Plan, Part 2.”

   Electric Tesla vehicles will include: "a future compact SUV and a new kind of pickup truck",

That is awesome! When can we expect this model:



Media coverage from the Republican Convention?  ;)

Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1153 on: July 22, 2016, 02:33:07 AM »
White House unlocks $4.5 billion for electric vehicle infrastructure and announces new EV programs
Quote
The Obama Administration announced today a new set of executive actions to directly accelerate electric vehicle adoption in the US through the expansion of charging infrastructure. The main announcement is the unlocking of up to $4.5 billion in loan guarantees for charging stations, but also an important collaboration between the Federal government and private companies, including some major electric utilities, automakers, charging station manufacturers and operators.
...
Other interesting initiatives announced by the White House today include a study on the feasibility of fast-charging up to 350 kW, a new partnership as part of the Battery500 research consortium to bring the cost of batteries per kWh down below $100 and the energy density over 500 Wh/kg with over 1,000 cycles.
http://electrek.co/2016/07/21/white-house-unlocks-4-5-billion-for-electric-vehicle-infrastructure-and-announces-new-ev-programs/
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Sleepy

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1154 on: July 22, 2016, 08:00:24 AM »
This guy desperately needs an autonomous car:

Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1155 on: July 22, 2016, 09:15:57 PM »
This guy desperately needs an autonomous car:


This guy wasn't so lucky.  Broke his ankle and totaled his brother's car:

Driver in Pokemon GO crash is a vet who knows better: No excuses, no Lapras
http://www.syracuse.com/crime/index.ssf/2016/07/pokemon_go_crash_man_warns_about_distracted_driving_after_breaking_ankle_missing.html
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Sleepy

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1156 on: July 23, 2016, 05:31:25 AM »
Yesterday a guy in Stockholm got his thigh impaled by a fence while playing, firefighters had to lift him off.

The golden scentence in your article above, Sig:
"I did think there would be accidents,"she said. "I did not think it would be my son."
We never think that problems we can foresee will happen to ourselves, do we? My mother also used to say that when she talked about WW2, so not much has happened since then.

Carl Linnaeus named us Homo Sapiens.
While vehicles and Pokemon GO does proove Homo Sapiens ability to discern and to think, it's hugely unwise to get impaled by fences, or using dinosaur-powered vehicles when playing.

Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1157 on: July 23, 2016, 06:40:39 PM »
Although the media are presenting lots of scary stories about Tesla autopilot and calling for it to be disabled, transportation regulatory bodies agree the technology should go forward.

Despite Fatal Crash, Top Safety Regulator Stands by Self-Driving Cars
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration chief Mark Rosekind:
Quote
"No one incident will derail the Department of Transportation and NHTSA from its mission to improve safety on the roads by pursuing new lifesaving technologies."
...
"If we wait for perfect, we'll be waiting for a very, very long time," he said. "How many lives might we be losing while we wait?"

Rosekind said self-driving cars will be able to improve even as they make mistakes. Data from an accident involving a self-driving car "can be taken, analyzed, and then the lessons can be shared" with manufacturers of all automated vehicles, Rosekind said.

Human drivers "must learn on the road and make the same mistakes as thousands before them," he said.
http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/despite-fatal-crash-top-safety-regulator-stands-self-driving-cars-n613941


European Authority says ‘no safety concerns’ with Tesla’s Autopilot after ‘beta’ scare
Quote
German publication Spiegel has since reached out to Hans Lammers, who is responsible for vehicle registrations and monitoring by the public authority (RDW) in the Netherlands. He said that there’s nothing wrong with the Autopilot as long as it is considered a driver assist system and not a self-driving system:

“We think there is nothing wrong with the system. If it is used correctly. As regards to the function, there is no difference to systems that are approved for other manufacturers.”
http://electrek.co/2016/07/14/european-authority-tesla-autopilot-after-beta-scare/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1158 on: July 24, 2016, 02:58:24 AM »
Autopilot in Solar Impulse 2 plane warns the pilot when a wing has dropped by vibrating a sensor wrapped around his upper arm.

Video clip:
https://twitter.com/bertrandpiccard/status/756961187863072770
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1159 on: July 25, 2016, 08:27:54 PM »
Geneva electric buses use ABB flash charging technology
Quote
The Swiss city of Geneva plans to deploy 12 electric buses that use a high-power flash charging system provided by ABB. The city began a pilot of the system in 2013.

The new e-buses will be built by Swiss manufacturer HESS, using several components from ABB, including integrated traction and auxiliary converters, roof-mounted battery units and energy transfer systems and permanent magnet traction motors. When fully commissioned in 2018, the e-buses will run on Line 23, connecting suburban Geneva with the airport.

ABB will deliver 13 flash charging stations, capable of topping up the batteries in 15 seconds at 600 kW, along the route, as well as three terminal and four depot stations.

Stationary storage located near the charging stations flattens out demand, reducing the required current by up to 10 times. This reduces the size of the power supply required and avoids stressing the grid.
https://chargedevs.com/newswire/geneva-electric-buses-use-abb-flash-charging-technology/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1160 on: July 26, 2016, 02:23:38 PM »
Porsche is ramping up effort to build the all-electric Mission E, will create more than 1,400 jobs
Quote
Volkswagen is moving forward with its plan to significantly increase the number of electric vehicles across its brands. Most established automakers seem to focus on plug-in hybrids in order to electrify their lineups, but Volkswagen is committing to all-electric vehicles, which is refreshing, and plans to introduce more than 30 new models and to produce “2 to 3 million all-electric cars a year by 2025” across all of its brands.

One of the first vehicles confirmed under this plan is Porsche’s Mission E, an all-electric luxury sedan. The automaker confirmed on Tuesday it is ramping up its effort to bring the vehicle to market and now plans to create 40% more jobs for the program than anticipated.

The company had previously announced that it would create about 1,000 new jobs at its base in Zuffenhausen and an investment about 1 billion euros ($1.12 billion) to make Porsche’s first all-electric car.

Now Porsche is talking about as many as 1,400 jobs to build up the Mission E’s assembly line and bring the vehicle to market by the end of the decade. Preparations are reportedly well underway in Zuffenhausen.
Photos and a concept video at the link:  http://electrek.co/2016/07/26/porsche-mission-e-all-electric-production/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1161 on: July 26, 2016, 09:56:15 PM »
VW $14.7 Billion Diesel-Cheating Settlement Gets Go-Ahead
Quote
Volkswagen AG’s settlements to get 482,000 diesel-cheating cars off U.S. roads won a preliminary go-ahead from a federal judge, clearing a path through the biggest obstacle to recovery from the scandal for Germany’s largest automaker.

The plan for buybacks and a possible fix covers car owners, the U.S. government and 44 states and will cost the company about $15.3 billion if the agreements are fully adopted. That includes VW’s $603 million accord with the states that isn’t part of the settlement before U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco.
...
The pact eats up almost all of the 16.2 billion euros ($17.8 billion) the company had set aside to cover the cost of the scandal worldwide. In addition to investor class actions in the U.S. and lawsuits in Germany and South Korea, the company faces criminal probes in all three countries. The German carmaker took a 2.2 billion-euro charge in the second quarter, chiefly related to legal risks in the U.S. The company will report full earnings figures on Thursday.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-26/vw-14-7-billion-diesel-cheating-settlement-gets-go-ahead
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1162 on: July 27, 2016, 03:59:17 AM »
Elon Musk, speaking at the Gigafactory opening media event tonight:

Quote
Musk’s response to how Tesla is going to pay for its master plan: “One part of that is working with strategic partners like Panasonic. We are seeing very good participation from our supplier for the capital costs of the Model 3 ramp. So we are going to fund it by Model S and Model X revenue, with money we have right now, with potentially a modest capital raise, but not a significant one. In a nutshell, there may be a capital raise, but it’s not going to be a huge one.”
http://fortune.com/2016/07/26/live-blog-tesla-gigafactory/


Quote
During the event, Musk reiterated that he expects battery costs to fall below $100/kWh by 2020. They are currently below $190/kWh. The cost reduction will not only come from the battery cells manufactured at the Gigafactory, but also through lowering the cost of the overall battery pack for the third generation platform.

Finally, Musk reiterated that he is confident the Model 3 will enter production in summer 2017 for deliveries starting shortly after.
...
Musk said that once at full production, he expects the Model 3 to generate around $20 billion in revenue per year for Tesla with $5 billion in gross profit (or 25% gross margin).
http://electrek.co/2016/07/26/tesla-model-3-elon-musk-generating-20-billion-revenue-25-gross-margin-tsla/


Edit: Here's a short video from the media tour:  A rare look inside Tesla's 'gigafactory'
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/07/26/a-rare-look-inside-teslas-gigafactory.html
« Last Edit: July 27, 2016, 04:07:27 AM by Sigmetnow »
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1163 on: July 27, 2016, 12:46:57 PM »
Gigafactory progress:

New Tesla Gigafactory picture shows new construction to double the size of the current plant
http://electrek.co/2016/07/24/tesla-gigafactory-picture-shows-construction-double-size/

New aerial photos of Tesla Gigafactory 1 reveal upcoming expansion
http://www.teslarati.com/new-photos-show-future-gigafactory-expansion/


Edit:  Tesla just released its own photos of the gigfactory expansion underway:
Tesla Gigafactory: New aerial pictures show progress and new expansions [Gallery]
http://electrek.co/2016/07/27/tesla-gigafactory-july-2016-new-aerial-pictures-gallery/
« Last Edit: July 27, 2016, 02:19:35 PM by Sigmetnow »
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1164 on: July 27, 2016, 06:06:20 PM »
This one was retweeted by Elon Musk.  Included:  2-minute video tour.

Inside the Enormous Gigafactory, Where Tesla Will Build Its Future
https://www.wired.com/2016/07/tesla-gigafactory-elon-musk/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1165 on: July 27, 2016, 06:10:48 PM »

But it won't be available until 2020.

Daimler unveils its first all-electric eTruck: 26 tonnes capacity, massive 212 kWh battery for ~125 miles of range [Gallery]
Quote
Innovative battery technology for Urban e Truck

Technically the Mercedes-Benz Urban eTruck is based on a heavy-duty, three-axle short-radius Mercedes-Benz distribution truck. In addition, however, the developers at Daimler Trucks have totally revised the drive concept: The entire conventional drivetrain being replaced by a new electrically driven rear axle with electric motors directly adjacent to the wheel hubs – derived from the electric rear axle which was developed for the Mercedes-Benz Citaro hybrid bus. The power is supplied by a battery pack consisting of three lithium-ion battery modules. This results in a range of up to 200 km – enough for a typical daily delivery tour. Thanks to the integrated concept with motors adjacent to the wheel hubs, the batteries are housed in a crash-proof location inside the frame.
http://electrek.co/2016/07/27/daimler-etruck-first-all-electric-truck-125-miles-range/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1166 on: July 28, 2016, 12:38:43 PM »
11 Key Tesla Gigafactory, Model 3, Solar, & Elon Romance Takeaways
Quote
“The factory itself is considered to be a product. The factory is the machine that builds the machine. It actually deserves more attention from creative and problem solving engineers than the product it makes. What we’re seeing, if we take a creative engineer and apply them to designing the machine that makes the machine, they can make 5 times as much headway per hour, than if they work on the product itself.
...
What you’re seeing is only 14% of the size of the factory overall. It’s quite huge. One of the things we discovered as we got more into the Gigafactory design and optimizing what it could do, we thought we could probably achieve about three times the output that was originally planned.

“So we originally expected to make about 35 gigawatt hours at the cell level and about 50 gigawatt hours at the module or pack level. Now we are expecting to do about 150 gigawatt hours in the same volumetric space as the original design. We can expect to see 10,000 [workers], compared to the 5,000 or 6,000 previous estimate. Maybe in three to four years.

Things are on track to be able to meet the Model 3 plan next year. We’re really excited about what’s happening here.”
...
Stationary storage will be as big as the car business long term. The growth rate will probably be several times what it is for the car business. We roughly assume that it’ll be probably a third of our output. But the growth rate is faster, so then grow to probably match what it is for cars.”
...
The calls for Tesla to turn off Autopilot following the 1st death with Autopilot on have been something we’ve ignored since they seem so nonsensical, but Elon keeps getting asked about the topic. His response today was essentially the same as before, but he also threw in an interesting stat (which is actually the only reason I’m including this and screwing up my “top 10” list):

Elon: “No, I think we did the right thing. I think we improved people’s safety, not just in fatalities but also injuries. We can see how it actually reduces impact velocity. It can reduce impact from 76 miles per hour to 46 miles an hour. That’s massive.“We polled Tesla owners, do you want autopilot disabled or not. Not one person wanted it disabled. That’s pretty telling.”
http://cleantechnica.com/2016/07/27/10-key-takeaways-tesla-gigafactory-opening/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1167 on: July 28, 2016, 12:58:03 PM »
The War For Autonomous Driving: 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class VS. 2017 Tesla Model S
Quote
In order to compare apples, we need to know what an apple is, and what they’re supposed to taste like. Here’s how the National Highway Transportation & Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines AD, greatly simplified:

Level 1 - You drive. ABS and Traction Control may back you up.

Level 2 - Car can drive some of the time. Be ready to take over anytime.

Level 3 - Car can drive much of the time. Be ready to take over, with advance warning.

Level 4 - Car can drive all of the time. Passengers can nap.

According to NHTSA, Levels 2/3 are semi-Autonomous, and Level 4 is fully Autonomous, but no manufacturer wants to market cars based that on language. As soon as the words Autonomous, Self-Driving or Driverless enter a customer’s mind, product liability looms, so manufacturers lump everything under ADAS, or Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, which is just a legal and PR hedge against having to slot into the NHTSA definitions. What they want to sell you is Drive Pilot, or Pilot Assist, or Piloted Driving, or Super Cruise, merely four out of a dozen suggestive yet meaningless marketing terms.

Where does Tesla Autopilot slot into the NHTSA Levels? The car company's site suggests Level 2, and most owners in the know would agree. Those who allegedly crashed using Autopilot certainly thought it was Level 3. Tesla has never claimed Autopilot is anything more than ADAS, but given its buzz—and the connotations of its branding to an unfamiliar public—their modesty could be seen as disingenuous.
http://www.thedrive.com/tech/4591/the-war-for-autonomous-driving-2017-mercedes-benz-e-class-vs-2017-tesla-model-s


Hands off
There is a lot of talk about a future with self-driving cars, but the future is actually here right now. We’ve taken a hands-off drive in Norway with cars you can already buy.
Quote
Tesla recommended not using the system on normal two lane roads. For us that’s their way of saying “Go out and test it on two lanes”.
Quote
The Mercedes lets go of the yellow lane marking [crossing into oncoming traffic lane], and we have to take control because the car makes no attempt to do so. The Tesla stayed close to the yellow lane marker into the turn, but handles the situation on its own.
http://www.autofil.no/936897/hands-off
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1168 on: July 30, 2016, 01:17:45 AM »
Quote
Elon Musk:  Some good guessing by @Jalopnik. The Tesla Minibus will be built on a Model X chassis. People density potential is surprisingly high.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/759153112993017856

Tesla Is About To Eat Volkswagen's Lunch
Quote
Volkswagen needs to wake up, Microbus-wise, because after a decade and a half of teasing the world about a reborn bus, Tesla basically just said that they’re going to beat them to the punch. Even if VW doesn’t seem to realize it, this is bad news for them.

How do I know Tesla is planning on eating Volkswagen’s lunch? Because they said so. Well, Elon Musk tweeted something that, if you think about it, is pretty much saying that Tesla will build a modern, electric Microbus—that holy grail vehicle of wealthy Boomers everywhere:

Quote
Dana Hull:  On reading @ElonMusk's #Masterplan again, it occurs to me that I'd really like to see a sketch of the bus
Quote
Elon Musk:  @danahull It's inspired by some of the California Custom VW combi design art
This tweet is referencing a part of Musk’s latest Master Plan for Tesla, where he references another type of vehicle that Tesla should be building:

       high passenger-density urban transport

This, of course, is something non-cyborg humans usually call a “bus.”
http://jalopnik.com/tesla-is-about-to-eat-volkswagens-lunch-1784408514

Here are some examples of “California Custom VW combi design art”:
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1169 on: July 30, 2016, 01:52:42 AM »
Efficient Drivetrains selected for San Diego port electrification project
Quote
As part of the program, EDI will create a series of electric port trucks, and electrify forklift vehicle accessories. The electrified port trucks will replace legacy vehicles of the same specifications, maintaining the same power and performance. Electrification of the forklift will eradicate emissions by eliminating engine idling.
https://chargedevs.com/newswire/efficient-drivetrains-selected-for-san-diego-port-electrification-project/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1170 on: August 01, 2016, 11:48:47 PM »
GM delivers 100,000th Chevy Volt in the US, fleet racked up 1.5 billion electric miles on total of 2.5 billion
Quote
GM announced today that it surpassed the 100,000 mark for Chevy Volt sales in the US – making the Volt the first plug-in vehicle to achieve the milestone. Interestingly, GM broke down the EV miles vs Gas miles driven by the fleet since its introduction in 2010.

The company says that Volt owners have driven “almost 1.5 billion miles in EV mode of a total 2.5 billion cumulative miles.”

It’s an interesting statistic, which shows that the Volt successfully replaced with electric miles 1.5 billion miles that would have normally been gas-powered, but it also highlights the need for fully electric vehicles since GM’s Volt fleet still used gas for an important 40% of its total mileage. Hopefully, the percentage will go down with the increase in electric range that came with the 2016 Volt, which now has a fully electric EPA-rating of 53 miles.

For comparison, Tesla’s global fleet of roughly 150,000 vehicles travelled over 2.6 billion electric miles. While the fleet is slightly bigger, the Volt has been on the road for 2 more years.
http://electrek.co/2016/08/01/gm-100000th-chevy-volt-us-1-5-billion-electric-miles/
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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1171 on: August 02, 2016, 02:19:47 AM »
Delphi to Begin Testing On-Demand Robot Taxis in Singapore
Quote
Delphi Automotive Plc, the vehicle-electronics supplier that last year conducted the first coast-to-coast U.S. demonstration of a self-driving car, will begin testing autonomous autos in Singapore this year that may lead to robot taxis by the end of the decade.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-01/delphi-to-begin-testing-on-demand-robot-taxis-in-singapore-irbidct9
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1172 on: August 02, 2016, 06:06:05 PM »
Here's a new one. The "straddling bus" is tall enough and wide enough that car traffic passes beneath it, while the bus passengers ride above.

Futuristic electric straddling bus concept is now a real full-scale prototype
Quote
The straddling bus serves the same purpose as a subway system, to provide mass transit without taking up space for road traffic, but TEB estimates that the cost of implementation is only about 16% of the cost of a subway due to removing the need for tunnels.

The system is powered by battery packs that can be charged by electric chargers installed along the vehicle’s route, not unlike more traditional electric bus charging concepts.

http://electrek.co/2016/08/02/futuristic-electric-straddling-bus-full-scale-prototype/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1173 on: August 03, 2016, 02:19:54 AM »
Trends in EV ownership:  No longer solely the province of aging eco-hippies, electric cars are catching on with younger people, women, and less eco-minded folks.

Trendspotting: 5 Ways EV Drivers Are Evolving
http://company.plugshare.com/news/2015/07/trendspotting-5-ways-ev-drivers-are-evolving/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1174 on: August 07, 2016, 09:03:27 PM »
Programming an autonomous vehicle:  when and how to break the law.

Stanford researchers teach human ethics to autonomous cars
Quote
To actually integrate autonomous vehicles into everyday life, researchers need to teach the cars how to make the safe driving decisions that come intuitively to humans. Stanford engineers are conducting experiments to translate social behavior into algorithms so that self-driving cars will maintain vehicle safety and passenger comfort.
http://news.stanford.edu/2016/08/01/teach-autonomous-cars-drive-like-humans/
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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1175 on: August 10, 2016, 03:27:38 AM »
"Nearly 55 percent of California drivers are likely to consider an electric vehicle for their next purchase or lease, according to a recent survey by Consumers Union and the Union of Concerned Scientists."

Zero emission vehicle program needs a tuneup
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article94649167.html
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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1176 on: August 10, 2016, 08:09:25 AM »
Questions about the 'straddling bus' are appearing in Chinese media, some claiming it's a hoax to swindle investors.


http://paultan.org/2016/08/09/chinas-elevated-bus-is-claimed-to-be-a-scam-reports/


The low clearance afforded (2.1 m) and the high clearance required (4.8 m) apparently are only two of the reasons it probably will never be built.


Terry

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« Reply #1177 on: August 10, 2016, 03:22:02 PM »
Questions about the 'straddling bus' are appearing in Chinese media, some claiming it's a hoax to swindle investors.


http://paultan.org/2016/08/09/chinas-elevated-bus-is-claimed-to-be-a-scam-reports/


The low clearance afforded (2.1 m) and the high clearance required (4.8 m) apparently are only two of the reasons it probably will never be built.h


Terry

There may be one or two locations where a vehicle like this makes sense (at an airport, with no room for train tracks?) but I don't see it taking the world by storm, either.  ;)
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« Reply #1178 on: August 10, 2016, 09:06:40 PM »
Nissan: There will be more EV charging stations in the UK than petrol stations by 2020
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The UK’s first fuel station opened in 1919, and the number peaked in the 1970s. More than 75% of UK petrol stations have closed in the last 40 years, whilst the number of EV charging locations has increased from a few hundred in 2011 to more than 4,100 locations in 2016.

Within Central London’s congestion-charge zone, only four petrol stations remain. The historic Bloomsbury Service Station, which opened in 1926, closed in 2008.

Meanwhile, EV charging points proliferate. 98% of UK motorway services locations (akin to American rest stops, but with fuel stations, restaurants, etc.) have EV charging stations, including DC fast chargers.
https://chargedevs.com/newswire/nissan-there-will-be-more-ev-charging-stations-in-the-uk-than-petrol-stations-by-2020/
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« Reply #1179 on: August 10, 2016, 09:32:52 PM »
2019!  Makes sense to begin autonomous-driven fleets serving a limited area in a city.  Low speed traffic, well-defined roads.

General Motors and Lyft aim to make autonomous taxis available in early 2019
Quote
It looks like GM, which already confirmed that they want to first use autonomous driving for taxi/ride-sharing with Lyft, plans to have a fleet in operation by January 2019.
https://electrek.co/2016/08/10/gm-lyft-autonomous-taxi-2019/
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« Reply #1180 on: August 11, 2016, 01:02:12 PM »
BMW appears to have no significant plans for EVs in the next 5-6 years.
(In comparison, Elon Musk recently said he regards anything more than five years for new Tesla products as "infinity."  :) )

Report: BMW’s electric vehicle timeline update, too little too late
Quote
Automobile Mag is out with a report inappropriately titled ‘BMW Doubles Down on EVs‘. The publication reports that BMW’s new EV initiative is called ‘Project i20’ and the gist of it is:

> the long-rumoured BMW i5 or i6, an all-electric SUV, would arrive in late 2021
> A new generation BMW i3 with more electric range scheduled for 2022
> Another BMW i8 generation, which could actually be the one featuring an all-electric powertrain.

If this timeline turns out to be true, it would be extremely disappointing for EV enthusiasts and BMW would be left behind as competitors are actually planning a myriad of new electric entries in the market before the end of the decade, including Audi, Tesla and Mercedes – BMW’s main competitors.

The BMW i3 came out in 2013 and it was generally believed that more electric vehicles would follow, but we are now talking about what could very well end up being 8 years before the company releases a new all-electric model.
https://electrek.co/2016/08/11/bmw-electric-timeline-update/
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« Reply #1181 on: August 11, 2016, 07:19:30 PM »
Electric car charging station companies issue warning over VW settlement
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Electric vehicle charging companies are calling for independent oversight of the $2 billion Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) is required to invest in clean car infrastructure, saying VW should not have the power to shape the nascent electric car charging space.

The German automaker agreed to invest the money, which includes $1.2 billion nationally and $800 million in California, as part of its penalties for equipping hundreds of thousands of its diesel vehicles sold in the United States with software designed to cheat tailpipe emissions tests.

While charging station companies called the money a potential "game changer," they worry that if it is misspent, it could hurt competition.

"The agreement shouldn't pick winners and losers, especially given that this emerging market transition will in no small part define 21st century transportation," twenty eight companies, including ChargePoint, EV Connect and Electric Vehicle Charging Association, said in a letter to the U.S. Justice Department on Friday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-emissions-settlement-idUSKCN10L038
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« Reply #1182 on: August 13, 2016, 04:17:26 AM »
China Proposing California-Like Mandates for Electric Cars
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China will consider mandates that carmakers produce more electric vehicles or purchase carbon credits from their peers, potentially emulating California’s system and transitioning from a subsidy-driven approach to catalyzing cleaner cars.
...
“Given that some key automakers lack the motivation to develop new energy vehicles, there is concern that development in the industry will suffer once the fiscal policies are weakened or dropped,” the NDRC’s draft document said. The rules would be mandatory for automakers of a minimum size and voluntary for others, it said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-12/china-proposing-california-like-mandates-to-build-electric-cars
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« Reply #1183 on: August 13, 2016, 08:28:10 PM »
India Court Lifts New Delhi's Diesel Ban
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> Top court allows diesel vehicle registrations after 1% levy
> Autos with 2-liter or larger diesel engines banned in December

Mahindra’s Executive Director Pawan Goenka said the automaker is “very relieved,” while Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz rejected the levy’s premise that its vehicles pollute the environment.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-12/india-court-lifts-diesel-ban-toyota-and-mahindra-said-hurt-sales
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« Reply #1184 on: August 14, 2016, 08:20:59 PM »
The Netherlands’ ban on gas-powered cars ‘likely to become law’, all new cars electric by 2025
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Earlier this year, we reported on the Dutch Labour Party’s initiative to instate a ban on new gas and diesel car sales in the Netherlands by 2025.  Since then other countries started discussing similar possibilities to phase out gas-powered cars on a comparable timeline.

India recently confirmed that it is evaluating a scheme for all its fleet to be electric by 2030 and the Norwegian government is discussing a similar mandate by 2025.

The initiative has since passed in the lower house of the Netherlands’ parliament and it is now seen by some as “likely to become law”.
https://electrek.co/2016/08/14/netherlands-ban-gas-powered-cars-likely-law-all-new-cars-electric-2025/
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« Reply #1185 on: August 15, 2016, 07:07:14 PM »
Study:  The electric vehicle shopping experience
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Sierra Club, a not-for-profit environmental organisation, conducted a study in 308 dealerships and stores from 13 different automakers across ten states with zero-emission vehicle mandates in order to evaluate the state of the electric vehicle shopping experience.

The study paints a negative (borderline disastrous) picture of the electric vehicle shopping experience, especially outside of California, for almost all automakers except for Tesla, which gives weight to the automaker’s direct sales distribution model through company-owned stores.
...
The study also found that aside from Tesla, dealerships often do not prominently display electric vehicles or even bring up the opportunity for the $7,500 federal tax credit.

The paper is full of quotes from the volunteers doing the survey. While anecdotal, most of them are worrying. Here are some examples:

A Ford dealership in California:
“They had no EVs in stock. I was told they didn’t have the charging infrastructure because it would cost $150,000 for the dealer to get the charging infrastructure.”
...
A VW dealership in Maine:
“There were no EVs in stock and he stated that he has no interest in ever selling an electric vehicle… He said the only way he would sell an EV is if VW forced him to.”

From a Ford dealership in New York:
“Senior sales staff had no idea what the battery electric vehicles’ range was. He called it a go kart.”
https://electrek.co/2016/08/15/new-study-tesla-store-model-dealerships-electric-vehicles/
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« Reply #1186 on: August 16, 2016, 01:56:20 PM »
Big institutional investors are increasing their stake in Tesla stock.

Tesla’s (TSLA) largest outside holder increased its stake by 25% ahead of the Tesla-SolarCity merger
https://electrek.co/2016/08/16/tesla-tsla-largest-outside-investor-fidelity-increased-stake/
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« Reply #1187 on: August 16, 2016, 09:12:56 PM »
Ford announces plans for fully autonomous cars in high-volume available in 2021
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Today, Ford CEO Mark Fields announced that the automaker plans to start producing fully autonomous (level 4) cars in high-volume by 2021. Fields described Ford’s autonomous driving effort as just as significant as when Henry Ford created his first assembly line.

The automaker’s 2021 target is in line with most of the auto industry, but behind some technology companies like Google or Tesla – if you consider Tesla more of a tech company than an automaker.

Fields says that Ford’s level 4 autonomous vehicles will not have a steering wheel and the vehicles will find their way into the ride-hailing and ride-sharing industry first.
https://electrek.co/2016/08/16/ford-fully-autonomous-cars-high-volume-available-2021/
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« Reply #1188 on: August 17, 2016, 01:49:34 AM »
US EPA tightens limits on 3/4 ton and up trucks

https://www3.epa.gov/otaq/climate/documents/2016-08-ghg-hd-final-rule-phase2-preamble.pdf

Nice. Will be challenged in court, mebbe up to the Supremes, and as usual EPA will win again.

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« Reply #1189 on: August 17, 2016, 02:47:20 PM »
To be revealed at the Paris auto show this fall.  Available "2018-19."  No word on price....

VW to debut a new electric car with ~300 miles of range next month in Paris
https://electrek.co/2016/08/17/vw-debut-new-electric-car-300-miles-range-paris/
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« Reply #1190 on: August 18, 2016, 09:04:17 PM »
Chevy Bolt EV: LG gearing up to ‘mass-produce parts’ for the car this month
Quote
We said it before, but it’s worth pointing out again now that the production is about to start. GM’s Chevy Bolt EV could have just as well been called the LG Bolt EV since the Korea-based electronic giant, LG, is making most of the components that make the Bolt an electric vehicle, including the battery pack, the electric motor and the power electronics.

And now we learn that LG is gearing up to ‘mass-produce parts’ for the car as early as this month – ahead of the official start of production at GM, which is expected in October.
https://electrek.co/2016/08/18/chevy-bolt-ev-lg-mass-produce-parts/
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« Reply #1191 on: August 18, 2016, 10:24:03 PM »
Pittsburgh!  By the end of the month!  (With safety drivers. ;) )

Uber reveals a fleet of human-supervised self-driving cars available to customers in Pittsburgh
Quote
Only 3 months after its test fleet started hitting the streets of Pittsburgh, Uber announced today that it is rolling out a fleet of human-supervised self-driving cars available to customers by the end of the month. The company unveiled its modified Volvo XC90 SUV equipped with cameras, lidar, radar and GPS (pictured above).

A few will be in operation by the end of the month and a fleet of 100 by the end of the year.
https://electrek.co/2016/08/18/uber-fleet-human-supervised-self-driving-cars-available-customers-pittsburgh/

More details in the Bloomberg piece:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2016-08-18/uber-s-first-self-driving-fleet-arrives-in-pittsburgh-this-month-is06r7on
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« Reply #1192 on: August 19, 2016, 09:03:58 PM »
Ford’s all-electric ‘Model E’ is planned for the spring of 2019
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It could even be for an EV platform with different models. Autonews reports:

“The Model E, available as a crossover as well as a car, will follow a strategy similar to that of the Hyundai Ioniq, which is to be offered as a hybrid, plug-in hybrid and pure electric vehicle. The EV version is expected to have a range of about 200 miles per charge, a target CEO Mark Fields confirmed Ford is shooting for to challenge Tesla and the Chevrolet Bolt. Production is planned for the spring of 2019 in Mexico.”

2019 is a little late considering the Bolt is hitting the market later this year and the Model 3 is expected in 2017, around the same time as the next generation Nissan LEAF, but better late than never.

The Model E will be part of Ford’s $4.5 billion investment in 13 new electric vehicles coming by 2020, though some of those are expected to be plug-in versions of existing Ford models.
https://electrek.co/2016/08/19/fords-all-electric-model-e-spring-of-2019/
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« Reply #1193 on: August 20, 2016, 12:07:58 AM »
An upstart Canadian auto seller is aiming to drive the worldwide market for electric vehicle sales by launching an innovative web-based sales platform and showroom that will move transactions online and away from the traditional car lot.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/culture/technology/canadian-startup-looking-to-sell-electric-cars-in-a-completely-different-way/article31444001/

and so it goes

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« Reply #1194 on: August 20, 2016, 01:56:28 PM »
An upstart Canadian auto seller is aiming to drive the worldwide market for electric vehicle sales by launching an innovative web-based sales platform and showroom that will move transactions online and away from the traditional car lot.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/culture/technology/canadian-startup-looking-to-sell-electric-cars-in-a-completely-different-way/article31444001/

I applaud their efforts!  However, ensuring that parts and servicing of the various kinds of EVs will be available anywhere they want to sell them is certainly a monumental task.
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« Reply #1195 on: August 20, 2016, 05:41:30 PM »
Uber and Lyft Want to Replace Public Buses
Pressed by tight budgets, some towns are cutting transit lines and subsidizing car rides.
Quote
Pinellas Park, Florida, isn’t the kind of place where you'd expect to gain insight about the future of mass transit. The suburb of Tampa is as car-crazy as your average stretch of Floridian sprawl—the local landmarks include the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum and a drag racing strip—and anyone who can avoid the bus does. But recently the agency responsible for the area’s public transportation began a novel experiment: It stopped running two bus lines and started paying for a portion of Uber rides instead.

In Uber’s early days, it said it wanted to be “everyone’s private driver.” Now the company and its main U.S. competitor, Lyft, are playing around with the idea of becoming the bus driver, too. Uber has partnered with a handful of local public transportation agencies to strike deals like the one in Pinellas Park, which it expanded earlier this month. Later this month Lyft plans to launch a partnership with Centennial, Colorado, its first deal where a local government will subsidize its rides. The company also said it has helped a dozen transit agencies apply for federal grants that would pay for a portion of Lyft fares in situations where its drivers would effectively become part of the public transportation system.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-15/uber-and-lyft-want-to-replace-public-buses
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« Reply #1196 on: August 20, 2016, 08:49:32 PM »
"The mission was nothing less [than] to replace Uber’s 1 million human drivers with robotic drivers as soon as possible. The message is, if you drive for Uber, you should keep your resumé up to date and your eyes open for other lines of work."

Uber will offer self-driving Volvos in Pittsburgh this month
http://www.teslarati.com/first-uber-self-driving-cars-available-pittsburgh-month/
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« Reply #1197 on: August 21, 2016, 09:40:29 PM »
Porsche Drivers Fume: Where’s Our VW Diesel Payout?
The automaker has yet to settle with owners of its most luxurious brands.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-18/porsche-drivers-fume-where-s-our-vw-diesel-payout
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« Reply #1198 on: August 22, 2016, 01:20:05 PM »
”EPA said the modified settings increase power and performance, but also increase the motorcycles' emissions of hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides."

Harley-Davidson to Pay $12 Million Fine Over Motorcycle Emissions
http://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/harley-davidson-pay-12-million-fine-over-motorcycle-emissions-n634216
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« Reply #1199 on: August 22, 2016, 03:56:13 PM »
VW Holds Emergency Talks With Supplier as Production Halt Widens
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Volkswagen AG held emergency talks with a supplier in a dispute that’s forced VW to halt production of its best-selling Golf and Passat after the parts maker took the unprecedented step of cutting off deliveries of transmission and seat components.

The shutdown widened Monday to six factories across Germany, impacting 27,700 employees, or about 10 percent of VW’s domestic workforce. Commerzbank AG estimated the stoppage, now in its fifth day, could cut profit by as much as 70 million euros ($79 million) a week.
...
According to Prevent, Volkswagen was seeking to pass on the costs of the crisis by squeezing suppliers, and the parts maker was forced to take a stand to secure its survival. VW is under pressure to reduce spending as it grapples with lawsuits and regulatory investigations after disclosing last September that 11 million diesel-powered cars were equipped with software designed to cheat on emissions tests. It’s set aside 18 billion euros to cover the scandal’s costs.

Prevent’s Car Trim seat-component division and ES Automobilguss transmission-parts unit suspended deliveries when Volkswagen refused to reimburse the suppliers for alterations made at their factories in anticipation of a contract that was later dropped. The parts maker had demanded 58 million euros in compensation, Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported on Sunday. The order canceled by VW involved a 500 million-euro deal with Car Trim that was scheduled to start next year, a person familiar with the matter said last week.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-22/vw-restarts-talks-as-supplier-feud-expands-to-golf-production
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