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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1300 on: October 14, 2016, 04:10:15 AM »
"In 2015, sales of electric cars around the world amounted to 477,000, taking the total volume up to 1.15 million."
https://www.carbonbrief.org/iea-there-are-now-more-than-one-million-electric-cars-on-the-worlds-roads

"The electric car market is growing 10 times faster than its dirty gasoline equivalent.
There will be two million electric cars on the road by the end of 2016."

https://thinkprogress.org/electric-vehicle-sales-are-soaring-worldwide-5718b58441c7
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1301 on: October 14, 2016, 09:25:02 PM »
Deutsche Post DHL, the privately-operated German postal service, apparently couldn’t find a commercially produced EV that met its needs, so it designed and built its own.  Volkswagen is not amused, especially as the postal service is phasing out legacy VW Caddy vans.

Deutsche Post may sell electric delivery vans to other companies
https://chargedevs.com/newswire/deutsche-post-may-sell-electric-delivery-vans-to-other-companies-vw-is-not-pleased/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1302 on: October 15, 2016, 06:30:38 PM »
Tesla is building new ‘drive unit production lines’ at the Gigafactory, will not only manufacture the battery packs
Quote
The Tesla Gigafactory is key to the automaker’s planned production ramp up to 500,000 cars per year by 2018. It is expected to both significantly reduce the cost of Tesla’s battery packs, which will enable Tesla to reach the $35,000 price point for the Model 3, and to secure a large supply of battery cells.

Those two products, battery cells and battery packs, were until now the only products expected to be manufactured at the factory.

We now learn that Tesla plans to also manufacture drive units at the plant. With vehicle battery packs, the automaker will be closer to producing its entire next generation powertrains at what is expected to be the largest factory in the world by footprint.

Tesla is now listing six Gigafactory jobs for Drive Systems manufacturing and control systems engineers – positions that were previously reserved only for jobs in Fremont, California.
...
Tesla designed the Model 3 to be relatively easy to manufacture in order to facilitate a ramp up in production. Those design improvements might be easier to implement for the drive units at the Gigafactory where the company will also be producing the battery packs for the Model 3.

It offers more opportunities to streamline the process with the possibility for the entire powertrain being produced at the same plant.

Either way, the bulk of vehicle manufacturing would still happen at the Fremont factory where stamping, body-in-white, paint and final assembly are already taking the most space and workforce.
https://electrek.co/2016/10/15/tesla-drive-unit-production-lines-gigafactory-model-3/
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magnamentis

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1303 on: October 15, 2016, 08:01:17 PM »
use google translator to translate the page which i found only in german, i follow development of that technology over quite some time and it more and more seems to be legit IMO.

I guess we'll see.  But, at the very least, if it works you are looking at a big infrastructure build-out to supply the fluids.

Top Gear recently reviewed the car and found the claimed electrical system "defied the laws of physics." :o

Review: the nanoFlowcell-powered Quantino prototype
http://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/quantino/first-drive

that was:

a) before the recent test drives

b) without knowing the little detail of a newly developed liquid Electrolyte ( higher density or something of that kind. Comment of that kind often happen when people judge innovation by known ingredients while innovation by definition comes with "new" yet unknown and/or yet not achieved technologies.

from what i know this works indeed, while the question will be what it costs t produce the "fuel" and what side effects production will have (energy consumption, pollution and the likes)

should this once proof to be a feasible solution, i think infrastructure won't be an issue, means the investment would be worth it and call for big players to invest gladly.

right now, i agree there are still too many unknowns (publicly available information) for us
consumers and for those not directly involved and informed to come to conclusions.

interesting nevertheless IMO, once things like that, even not necessarily this solution, will pop up and happen and of course it has to be something new, else it would already be widely available.
i refer mainly to the range and in parts t safety here.

Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1304 on: October 16, 2016, 03:03:18 PM »
Never underestimate the power of "not cool." :)

Quote
Walked past a Lamborghini in London today. Kid looked at it, shook his head, said "It would be cool, if it were electric"

#signofthetimes

https://twitter.com/lneckermann/status/787342130637332480
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1305 on: October 18, 2016, 04:13:12 PM »
"Smart charging" will smooth the increasing demands of electric vehicles on the power grid.

Electric vehicle smart charging to go nationwide in the Netherlands, taking advantage of solar and wind energy
Quote
In a press release this week, the ‘Living Lab Smart Charging’ explains its 3 steps process:

Step 1. Make as many charging stations ready for Smart Charging. A huge upgrade operation is now taking place across the country making sure the existing charging stations will be able to technically facilitate Smart Charging. All new stations already are Smart Charging Ready, such as the 2.500 new charging points being rolled out by the Southern provinces of Noord-Brabant and Limburg.

Step 2. Use those innovative stations for research and testing of Smart Charging. Eg. there’s an App (by Jedlix) that allows its users to earn money by using technology to charge the car in the middle of the night when the wind is still producing power but there is little demand for it. In Utrecht ‘vehicle to grid’ is being tested together with Renault: charging the electric car with solar panels and using it as storage to put power back into the grid when the sun is no longer shining.

Step 3. Putting all innovation, tests and research findings into international standards so everyone can benefit from the Dutch experience with Smart Charging.
https://electrek.co/2016/10/18/electric-vehicle-smart-charging-to-go-nationwide-in-netherlands/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1306 on: October 19, 2016, 03:42:25 PM »
California Air Resources Board (CARB) boss hints at stricter zero-emission vehicle rules as automakers are stockpiling credits
Quote
Nichols had encouraging words for EV enthusiasts this week. While speaking with WardsAuto at “The Road Ahead” symposium, she said that the ZEV mandate is here to stay and added:

“If anything, I think it will move further and faster, not move in the other direction.”
https://electrek.co/2016/10/19/california-arb-boss-hints-at-stricter-zero-emission-rules-as-automakers-are-stockpiling-credits/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1307 on: October 19, 2016, 03:54:59 PM »
Production of the Tesla Model 3 has long been said to begin "by late 2017", so the change to "begins mid 2017" is noteworthy.  The Tesla third quarter financial report webcast October 26 should be quite interesting!

Elon Musk says first 12 months of Tesla Model 3 production are ‘sold out’, what does it mean for the U.S. federal tax credit?
Quote
Tesla updated the Model 3 page today to clarify that “production begins mid 2017”, which is in line with the previously disclosed production deadline of July 1st, 2017, and the company also added that “delivery estimate for new reservations is mid 2018 or later”.

The automaker clearly expects a year of sold out Model 3 production and Musk confirmed the expectation today....
https://electrek.co/2016/10/18/elon-musk-says-first-12-months-of-tesla-model-3-production-are-sold-out-what-does-it-mean-for-the-federal-tax-credit/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1308 on: October 19, 2016, 10:02:31 PM »
Final U.S. presidential candidate debate tonight.  Also a new Tesla product announcement, "unexpected by most," at pretty much the same time.  :o

Gilad Buchman:  @elonmusk Tough choices tonight.#debatenight  #TeslaAnnouncment
https://twitter.com/giladbu/status/788795770598072321

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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1309 on: October 19, 2016, 10:24:51 PM »
Ummm...  What?!

Elon Musk:  This is also what I was alluding to by Model 3 part 2
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/788823067392749568

Elon Musk confirms ‘Tesla Model 3 part 2’ is today’s mysterious ‘product unveil’
https://electrek.co/2016/10/19/tesla-model-3-part-2-elon-musk-unveil/


Edit: Tesla to make product announcement at 5pm PT (8pm ET – 12am UTC) followed by Q&A
« Last Edit: October 19, 2016, 11:24:10 PM by Sigmetnow »
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1310 on: October 20, 2016, 02:52:29 AM »
Wow.  Eight cameras and a 40x more powerful onboard computer in all new Teslas being manufactured today -- and in the Model 3 when it arrives -- will allow for software upgrades that eventually give full Level 5 autonomous driving.

Tesla announces all production cars now have fully self-driving hardware
https://electrek.co/2016/10/19/tesla-fully-autonomous-self-driving-car/

https://www.tesla.com/blog/all-tesla-cars-being-produced-now-have-full-self-driving-hardware
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1311 on: October 20, 2016, 01:47:00 PM »
The future has arrived!  Video of Tesla with new hardware/software navigating the streets of Palo Alto -- stop signs, red lights and all.  Hardware being installed now in Model S and X; will be in Model 3.  Software will be rolled out gradually; usage will of course be dependent on local laws.

Elon Musk tweeted: 
    Tesla drives itself (no human input at all) thru urban streets to highway to streets, then finds a parking spot
    8 cameras, 12 ultrasonars and radar all flush mounted and body color. Beauty remains.
    When searching for parking, the car reads the signs to see if it is allowed to park there, which is why it skipped the disabled spot
    When you want your car to return, tap Summon on your phone. It will eventually find you even if you are on the other side of the country
    Should mention that retrofitting to full self-driving hardware is very difficult. Cost delta is more than buying a new car. Wish it weren't.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/789019145853513729

Here's a video of the (rather creepy-looking) automated metal snake charger:
 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/789024368575729664

https://electrek.co/2016/10/20/watch-tesla-new-full-self-driving-autopilot-system-at-work/

Musk:  the system will be able to parse a sign showing time restrictions like this:
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1312 on: October 20, 2016, 04:51:54 PM »
The audio of the conference call announcing the Tesla autonomous hardware and the press Q&A has been posted to YouTube:

Tesla October 19th 2016 Autopilot 2.0 Conference Call FULL Model 3 Owners Club
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1313 on: October 20, 2016, 05:23:05 PM »
A look at Tesla’s new Autopilot hardware suite: 8 cameras, 1 radar, ultrasonics & new supercomputer
https://electrek.co/2016/10/20/tesla-new-autopilot-hardware-suite-camera-nvidia-tesla-vision/
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mati

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1314 on: October 21, 2016, 02:54:10 AM »
A look at Tesla’s new Autopilot hardware suite: 8 cameras, 1 radar, ultrasonics & new supercomputer
https://electrek.co/2016/10/20/tesla-new-autopilot-hardware-suite-camera-nvidia-tesla-vision/

The problem I will have with this is ice and snow accumulation, or a stray leaf.  I have had the current cruise controls in my car snap off due to sensor problems....
and so it goes

Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1315 on: October 21, 2016, 07:41:42 PM »
A look at Tesla’s new Autopilot hardware suite: 8 cameras, 1 radar, ultrasonics & new supercomputer
https://electrek.co/2016/10/20/tesla-new-autopilot-hardware-suite-camera-nvidia-tesla-vision/

The problem I will have with this is ice and snow accumulation, or a stray leaf.  I have had the current cruise controls in my car snap off due to sensor problems....

The cameras all have heaters (!), are placed in spots where they are shielded from precipitation -- and will notify the driver via a message if they become obscured.  :)
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1316 on: October 21, 2016, 07:46:08 PM »
All Teslas are now coming off the line with a liquid-cooled supercomputer in the trunk, to run (and learn from) the autonomous driving software.

All new Teslas are equipped with NVIDIA’s new Drive PX 2 AI platform for self-driving
https://electrek.co/2016/10/21/all-new-teslas-are-equipped-with-nvidias-new-drive-px-2-ai-platform-for-self-driving/
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Sigmetnow

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« Reply #1317 on: October 21, 2016, 09:43:43 PM »
Forbes:

4 Reasons Why Tesla’s Autonomous Driving Announcement Matters
Quote
Tesla says this enables full self-driving in “almost all circumstances, at what we believe will be a probability of safety at least twice as good as the average human driver.” The self-driving package costs $8,000. The software, or the brains, will still need to be validated and then eventually rolled out via updates to the system. The proper regulatory approvals will also need to be sorted out, so it’s unclear when customers will be able to experience fully autonomous driving.

Until now, the price of self-driving car has seemed untenable. It’s one reason why so many other automakers are pursuing self-driving taxis first. A personal self-driving car has been viewed as too expensive for the masses.

“People are always talking about how expensive fully autonomous cars will be initially,” Gartner analyst Mike Ramsey told Fortune. “It might be $100,000 and would only be run by cabs. But it’s not. We now have a price for full autonomy.”
http://fortune.com/2016/10/20/tesla-self-driving-hardware-matters/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1318 on: October 23, 2016, 07:38:48 PM »
“Building an automobile is hard.”

Apple Car Dies
Quote
Word has leaked from within Apple that it has decided not to build a car after all. According to Bloomberg News, hundreds of Project Titan employees have been reassigned, let go, or quit.
https://cleantechnica.com/2016/10/17/apple-car-dies/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1319 on: October 25, 2016, 12:06:36 AM »
From the Oil and Gas thread:

Electric car revolution may drive oil ‘investor death spiral’
The multi-trillion-dollar ‘big crash’ could start as soon as 2023, Bloomberg warns.
Quote
Advanced batteries could “tip the oil market from growth to contraction earlier than anticipated,” concludes the credit rating agency Fitch in a new study. Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) has already told investors to expect the ‘big crash’ in oil by 2028 — and as early as 2023.

Fitch Ratings agency warns that if recent technology trends continue, we may see an “investor death spiral” as first the smart money — and then everyone else’s — sell off oil company assets (bonds and stocks). That would in turn increase the industry’s costs for both debt and equity — while oil prices would be stuck at low levels as the world hits peak demand.

This would affect industries whose stocks and bonds are cumulatively valued in the trillions of dollars. In particular, Fitch notes, “an acceleration of the electrification of transport infrastructure would be resoundingly negative for the oil sector’s credit profile.”

https://thinkprogress.org/oil-investor-death-spiral-35773e131250
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idunno

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1320 on: October 25, 2016, 07:40:05 AM »
Self-driving cars would be fine, if they can be made to work on clockwork. If computer-controlled, bear in mind that any self-respecting 9-year-old is probably better at computer security than whoever installed the system. Also 17 million Russian teenagers, 4 million Libyans, 150 million Chinese.

Do you want to be a passenger in a vehicle which is being piloted from Benghazi, by a kid who regards the 9/11 attacks as a glorious victory over the infidels? And who has managed to hack into your new "smart" cooker or "smart" shower or "smart" toaster, which talks to your personal PC, which talks to your "smart" car.

A Rule of Thumb

A rule of thumb -

Too smart is dumb

Ogden Nash

Sigmetnow

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« Reply #1321 on: October 25, 2016, 03:21:38 PM »
Tesla has a "Bug Bounty" program that pays rewards to hackers who find vulnerabilities in Tesla software, including apps.  They have pushed software fixes to their entire fleet within days of such reports.  Other companies are taking up similar programs.

Tesla Increases Bug Bounty Payout After Experts Hack Model S
http://www.securityweek.com/tesla-increases-bug-bounty-payout-after-experts-hack-model-s

FCA joins Tesla in offering bounties to hackers
http://www.autonews.com/article/20160713/OEM06/160719964/fca-joins-tesla-in-offering-bounties-to-hackers
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1322 on: October 25, 2016, 05:59:23 PM »
Uber’s Otto completes first shipment by self-driving truck: an autonomous beer run with Budweiser
Quote
Otto, a self-driving truck startup founded by early team members of Google’s autonomous car program and recently acquired by Uber, announced today that it “completed the world’s first shipment by self-driving cars”.

There are some nuances to the ‘autonomous level’ of the drive, but it’s nonetheless an impressive accomplishment.

Otto’s truck drove itself on the I-25 from Fort Collins, through Denver, to Colorado Springs. The driver did the driving until the truck was on the highway.
https://electrek.co/2016/10/25/uber-otto-first-shipment-self-driving-truck-autonomous-beer-run/


Bloomberg:
Uber Self-Driving Truck Packed With Budweiser Makes First Delivery in Colorado
The ride-hailing giant teamed up with AB InBev to transport beer in an autonomous vehicle, which they say is the world’s first such commercial delivery.
Quote
Uber's Otto team worked with Colorado regulators to get permission for the delivery and to arrange for police supervision of the shipment, said Ron. Otto spent two weeks scoping out the driving route from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs, carefully mapping the road to make sure the technology could handle it. The team wanted the trip to take place in the early morning when traffic would be relatively light and on a day when the weather was clear. Those conditions were met last Thursday, when the delivery took place.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-25/uber-self-driving-truck-packed-with-budweiser-makes-first-delivery-in-colorado


Edit: This is the way it should begin, with approved vehicles, on approved routes, at approved times.
« Last Edit: October 25, 2016, 09:36:36 PM by Sigmetnow »
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1323 on: October 26, 2016, 01:02:15 AM »
U.S. judge approves $14.7 billion settlement over VW diesel vehicles
Quote
WASHINGTON, Oct 25 (Reuters) - A U.S. federal judge on Tuesday approved Volkswagen AG's record-setting $14.7 billion settlement with regulators and owners of 475,000 polluting diesel vehicles, and the German automaker said it would begin buying back the vehicles in mid-November.

The action by U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco marked the latest development in a scandal that has rocked VW since it admitted in September 2015 using secret software in its diesel cars to cheat exhaust emissions tests and make them appear cleaner than they really were.

Under the settlement, Volkswagen agreed to spend up to $10.033 billion on the buybacks and owner compensation and $4.7 billion on programs to offset excess emissions and boost zero-emission vehicle infrastructure and other clean vehicle projects.
http://news.trust.org/item/20161025150758-t1d8m
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Sigmetnow

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« Reply #1324 on: October 26, 2016, 01:35:27 AM »
Article and 3.5-minute vid.

UBER’S SELF-DRIVING TRUCK MAKES ITS FIRST DELIVERY: 50,000 BEERS
Quote
Autonomous cars are sexy, but trucks are more practical. And they’ll almost certainly be here sooner than cars, because the industry desperately needs them. The trucking industry hauls 70 percent of the nation’s freight—about 10.5 billion tons annually—and simply doesn’t have enough drivers. The American Trucking Association pegs the shortfall at 48,000 drivers, and says it could hit 175,000 by 2024.

Beyond eliminating the need for a hiring spree, autonomous technology will make the roads safer. Some 400,0000 trucks crash each year, according to federal statistics, killing about 4,000 people. In almost every case, human error is to blame. “We think that self-driving technologies can improve safety, reduce emissions, and improve operational efficiencies of our shipments,” says James Sembrot, who handles logistics for Anheuser-Busch and worked with Otto on the October test run.
https://www.wired.com/2016/10/ubers-self-driving-truck-makes-first-delivery-50000-beers/
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idunno

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1325 on: October 26, 2016, 08:08:30 AM »
This Elon Musk chap bears an uncanny resemblance to the "Luke Rattigan" character in the Dr Who episode "The Sontaran Stratagem"...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sontaran_Stratagem

When people discover that a security system which takes 2 days to fix a cyberattack makes for an interesting 48 hours trapped in a vehicle piloted by a malicious 9 year old, Mr Musk could well end up more closely resembling the same character, Mr Rattigan, towards the end of the subsequent episode...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Poison_Sky

To be clear: I personally would welcome, and would consider buying, an electric vehicle, especially if it could be powered by solar or wind power, as long as it contained absolutely no electronics, besides possibly the radio. And Tesla is going some good work on battery technology.


Sigmetnow

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« Reply #1326 on: October 26, 2016, 02:20:20 PM »
The Tesla Third Quarter 2016 Financial Results conference call is today, Oct 26, at 2:30 pm Pacific time (5:30pm ET, 9:30pm UTC). 
   They are usually quite interesting; Elon Musk makes a statement and financial folks follow up with questions.  Will Tesla report a GAAP profit for last quarter, for the first time in three years?  (And likely for the last time for a while, as revenue gets plowed back into the Model 3 production and gigafactory ramp up, and the Solar City merger?)  What is the new source of cash that, after saying last summer that Tesla would need to raise considerable funds during Q4 and early 2017, has Musk now saying the extra money won't be needed?  Expect more details regarding the fully-autonomous hardware being included with all new Teslas.  And the change in Model 3 production start, from "late 2017" to "mid 2017."

You can listen to to call (live or later on) at this link; a 3Q results letter will be posted here shortly before the call:
http://ir.tesla.com/events.cfm
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1327 on: October 26, 2016, 05:11:11 PM »
America Is Building More Three-Car Garages Than One-Bedroom Apartments
Quote
Even when buyers do prefer bigger garages, it's not clear that they're any likelier to own three cars. The share of households that own three or more cars has remained comparatively flat, ticking up from 17.3 percent in 1990 to 19.7 percent in 2013, according to data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
...
It’s hard to escape the irony that the U.S., which will need something like 43 million new housing units to keep up with population growth in the next 35 years, is using space to build apartment-size garages, even as trends in ride-sharing and self-driving cars cast a measure of uncertainty on American car culture.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-26/you-ll-never-be-homeless-in-america-if-you-re-a-car
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1328 on: October 26, 2016, 06:25:41 PM »
Electric Racing:  Audi Dumps Le Mans For Electric Upstart Formula E
Quote
Audi announced this morning that they will end their participation in the series it spent a decade dominating, the World Endurance Championship—including the 24 Hours of Le Mans—to shift their focus to the all-electric Formula E championship instead at the end of 2016. It’s one of the biggest shifts the racing world has seen in some time.

The costs of Dieselgate have, in fact, reared its ugly head over at Audi, as they explained in today’s press release that “burdens on the brand” forced them to focus on things that can keep the brand competitive in years to come.

That means focusing development on electric cars, and jumping into motorsport where they can do electric development over, say, a diesel-powered Le Mans prototype, as Volkswagen Group diesel efforts are now pretty irredeemable to the public eye. Audi wants to have full-electric-powered models up by 2018.
http://blackflag.jalopnik.com/audi-dumps-the-endurance-race-it-conquered-for-electric-1788228181
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1329 on: October 27, 2016, 02:56:04 PM »
Quote
  Tesla Third Quarter 2016 Update
• GAAP net income of $22 million and positive free cash flow of $176 million
• Record vehicle production, deliveries, and revenue
• GAAP gross profit per car increased significantly from Q2 to Q3
• Long-term debt reduced and liquidity increased to support future growth
• Every new Tesla produced now comes with hardware for self-driving
• Dramatic improvement in Model X reliability
• Model 3 on plan for volume deliveries in second half of 2017

Tesla reports a great third quarter 2016 performance!  Production of cars was up 37% from Q2 and up 92% from Q3 last year.  New products like the hardware for full autonomy, improved Autopilot software, and the big 100kWh battery will keep sales strong as they continue to prepare for "volume production" of the Model 3 in the second half of 2017.  (Not just a few M3’s by the end of December; Musk has previously tweeted that most folks who stood in line at stores to preorder their cars should have them by the end of 2017.)  Progress in the last few months makes Musk more confident of a production start in "mid 2017" rather than "late 2017."

Tesla makes a profit margin of between 20 to 30 percent on each car they make, and the margin for each model is improving.  But the company as a whole rarely shows a profit because Musk takes that money and pours it into R&D and cap ex (capital expenditures) like the Freemont factory and the battery gigafactory, so he can make even more cars and more profit in the future.

Belief in the Tesla business is strong enough that the company obtained additional lines of credit for leasing cars and warehouses at very good rates, which allowed them to pay down some debt, and obviate the need for the big cash raises this fall that Musk had previously warned about.

Q4 2016 may also show a slight profit (“despite ZEV credit sales in Q4 likely being negligible”), with SolarCity revenue roughly neutral, per Musk.  (Musk, from the conference call: SolarCity is "Not a cash cow; more of a cash vacuum.")  October 28th will see a big product demonstration event to unveil an integrated solar roof with next-generation energy storage and EV charging.

The Q3 2016 letter to shareholders is at this link: 
http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/ABEA-4CW8X0/2564229359x0x913801/F9E5C36A-AFDD-4FF2-A375-ED9B0F912622/Q3_16_Update_Letter_-_final.pdf

You can listen to a recording of the conference call webcast here:  http://ir.tesla.com/events.cfm

More analysis from Electrek:
Tesla (TSLA) announces Q3 financial results beat expectations, first GAAP profit in 3 years – $22 million [shareholders letter]
https://electrek.co/2016/10/26/tesla-tsla-announces-q3-financial-results-beat-expectations-and-make-a-profit-of-22-million-shareholders-letter/

Elon Musk reveals his 3 priorities at Tesla: Model 3, Self-Driving Autopilot, and 100 kWh battery
https://electrek.co/2016/10/26/elon-musk-reveals-3-priorities-tesla-model-3-self-driving-autopilot-100-kwh-battery/

Tesla Model 3 progress: production line layout completed, Tesla now testing subsystems
https://electrek.co/2016/10/26/tesla-model-3-progress-production-line-layout-subsystems/

Tesla Model 3: Tesla is now holding close to $700 million in customer deposits
https://electrek.co/2016/10/27/tesla-model-3-700-million-customer-deposits/


Poor old Bob Lutz, formerly of GM, just can't understand how a small upstart company making electric (!) cars can threaten the 100-year-old behemoth that is GM.  And thus affect the price of all his GM stock....
   Tesla/Musk attacked by ex-GM boss Lutz again, spreading misinformation ahead of earnings
   https://electrek.co/2016/10/26/tesla-elon-musk-attacked-by-gm-bob-lutz-again-misinformation-earnings
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1330 on: October 27, 2016, 07:53:56 PM »
Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg rallies cities to prepare for self-driving cars
Quote
Carlo Ratti, Director of MIT Senseable City Lab said, “Vast areas of urban land currently occupied by parking lots and roads could be reinvented for a whole new spectrum of social functions.” Audi Urban Futures Initiative’s Lisa Futing adds, “The biggest change to the urban fabric will be to parking infrastructure. Parking will be moved indoors and outside of city centers, freeing up outdoor lots and spaces for development and public space.”
http://www.teslarati.com/ex-ny-mayor-bloomberg-plan-cities-for-self-driving-cars
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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1331 on: October 27, 2016, 08:34:21 PM »
The War For Autonomous Driving, Part III: US vs Germany vs Japan
A face-off between cars from Audi, Cadillac, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Jaguar, Lexus, Mazda, Mercedes, Volvo, & VW, using their lane-keeping assistance systems (LKAS).
http://www.thedrive.com/tech/5707/the-war-for-autonomous-driving-part-iii-us-vs-germany-vs-japan
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« Reply #1332 on: October 27, 2016, 09:30:50 PM »
Quote
Mercedes-Benz will build the first model from its new EQ electric vehicle product brand in the northern German city of Bremen by the end of the decade.

The production model will be based on the EQ show car – an electric vehicle in the look of a sporty SUV that was presented at the 2016 Paris Motor Show last month. ...

The battery for the new electric vehicle will be developed by the Daimler subsidiary ACCUMOTIVE and produced in Kamenz (Saxony). The production is currently being expanded in the context of the corporate strategy CASE with an investment of 500 million euros. With this, one of the largest and most modern battery factories in Europe will be built. In future, ACCUMOTIVE will produce lithium-ion batteries for all electrified vehicles of Mercedes-Benz and smart – including plug-in hybrids as well as fully electric vehicles. On top of that, the site will produce batteries for stationary Mercedes-Benz energy storage units as well as 48-volt-systems. Daimler plans an overall investment of more than one billion euros in a global battery production compound.
http://electriccarsreport.com/2016/10/mercedes-benz-will-build-first-eq-electric-car-bremen-plant/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1333 on: October 28, 2016, 10:20:39 PM »
Not exactly a step back, if the idea is to replace some of the overwhelming number of pure ICE cars with hybrids while they ramp up battery-electric vehicles and infrastructure.

China Embraces Hybrid Cars in Pivot From Plug-in Only Path
Quote
China’s government is pivoting after years of promoting plug-in vehicles, elevating the importance of conventional hybrids and setting its first sales targets for the segment in a move that could benefit Toyota Motor Corp. and suppliers like Hunan Corun New Energy Co.

The government wants one in four vehicles to be plug-less hybrids that run on both gasoline and electricity by 2030, according to a transcript of comments made Wednesday by Ouyang Minggao, who leads a group China’s auto industry regulator commissioned to set targets for energy-saving autos.
...
China requires automakers to lower the average fuel consumption of their vehicles to 5 liters per 100 kilometers [47mpg] by 2020 from the current 6.9 liters. The government has targeted a 10-fold increase in electric vehicle sales by 2025.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-28/china-embraces-hybrids-in-pivot-from-plug-in-path-to-clean-cars
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1334 on: November 01, 2016, 08:07:59 PM »
Alex Roy:  "Prediction: Next 12 months of human driving will kill more people than all Self-Driving Car failures in the next 100 years."
https://twitter.com/alexroy144/status/793223820832280576
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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1335 on: November 03, 2016, 12:58:04 AM »
Odd choice by Nissan:  a new gas-powered car with an electric drive-train.  A small battery, and no plug.  Not zero emission.
Pluses:  affordability; usable by those without access to charging infrastructure; increased range per amount of fuel.

Nissan takes a step backward in electrification, introduces gas-powered range extender without plug
https://electrek.co/2016/11/02/nissan-takes-a-step-backward-in-electrification-introduces-gas-powered-range-extender-without-plug/
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ghoti

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1336 on: November 03, 2016, 02:21:47 AM »
Even the article title is misleading - the car has no electric range to extend. This is a gas car period with an electric transmission.

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1337 on: November 03, 2016, 07:33:08 AM »
Nissan probably built that one for Jeremy Clarkson. ;)

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1338 on: November 03, 2016, 03:48:11 PM »
Good on BMW.  (For comparison, global sales of the Tesla Model S alone passed the 100,000 unit milestone in December 2015, three and a half years after its introduction. :) )


BMW Group sells its 100,000th plug-in vehicle worldwide
Quote
The BMW Group has now delivered more than 100,000 purely electric-cars and plug-in hybrids to customers worldwide.

The BMW i3 alone has reached a figure of more than 60,000 units, making it the most successful electric vehicle in the premium compact segment. Meanwhile, the BMW i8 ranks first among electrified sports cars, with more than 10,000 delivered since the middle of 2014. Additionally, there are the approximately 30,000 plug-in hybrids sold to date; known today under the label BMW iPerformance, these reflect the successful broad-based transfer of BMW i technology.
http://electriccarsreport.com/2016/11/bmw-group-sells-100000th-plug-vehicle-worldwide/
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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1339 on: November 03, 2016, 04:39:13 PM »
Odd choice by Nissan:  a new gas-powered car with an electric drive-train.  A small battery, and no plug.  Not zero emission.
I bet it uses the same drive train as the Leaf to save production costs. 

On a side note we got hosed on our Leaf's early battery degradation warranty, we met the requirements at two months past the five year mark and got nothing, not even a discount on a new battery. 
FNORD

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1340 on: November 03, 2016, 05:49:01 PM »
Odd choice by Nissan:  a new gas-powered car with an electric drive-train.  A small battery, and no plug.  Not zero emission.
I bet it uses the same drive train as the Leaf to save production costs. 

On a side note we got hosed on our Leaf's early battery degradation warranty, we met the requirements at two months past the five year mark and got nothing, not even a discount on a new battery.

Nissan was such a great early leader in BEVs.  I can only hope they manage to regroup and shine once again.
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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1341 on: November 03, 2016, 05:50:33 PM »
White House announces new ‘EV corridors’ to accelerate deployment of electric vehicles and charging stations
Quote
The Obama Administration announced today a new series of initiatives to accelerate deployment of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure.  The main announcement is the creation of 48 national EV charging corridors on 25,000 miles across 35 states.

The announcement follows another series of initiatives announced earlier this year by the White House to boost electric vehicle adoption in the US by unlocking $4.5 billion in investments.

With the new programs announced today, state and federal agencies will be working together to ensure that each of those corridors will be equipped with enough charging stations to support electric vehicle drivers.

In a press release, the White House said that “drivers can expect either existing or planned charging stations within every 50 miles.” They will also make it easier to locate those stations from the highway:

“To make it easier for drivers to identify and locate charging stations, states designated as “sign-ready” are authorized to use signs developed by FHWA that identify electric vehicle charging stations and other alternative fuels along the highways similar to existing signage that alerts drivers to gas stations, food, and lodging.”
https://electrek.co/2016/11/03/white-house-ev-corridors-electric-vehicle-charging/

Edit: map is here:  http://hepgis.fhwa.dot.gov/fhwagis/ViewMap.aspx?map=Highway%2BInformation%7CElectric%2BVehicle%2B%28EV%29
« Last Edit: November 03, 2016, 06:02:54 PM by Sigmetnow »
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1342 on: November 05, 2016, 12:42:03 PM »
First production Chevy Bolts to begin rolling off a "slow" Michigan assembly line this week.
Quote
The Chevy Bolt assembly line began putting together customer cars today in Orion Township, Michigan according to the AP.  Unfortunately for most of us, the cars will only reach California and Oregon in 2016 before a wider rollout next year…
https://electrek.co/2016/11/05/first-production-chevy-bolts-to-begin-rolling-of-the-assembly-line-this-week/
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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1343 on: November 06, 2016, 06:46:20 PM »
CARB Finds New Audi Defeat Device, German Paper Digs Up Smoking Gun Document
Quote
The paper said that the device, which keys on movements of the steering wheel to detect that the car is in the lab, has been used in “several hundred thousand” diesel and gasoline-powered cars sold by Audi throughout the world. According to the report, Audi engines with the automatic transmission AL 551, as used in Audi A6, A8, Q5 and others, were equipped with the device until as late as May 2016, eight months after Volkswagen’s dieselgate scandal became public in September 2015.

According to the paper, the cheater device is camouflaged as a “warm-up function. As long as the warm-up runs, the transmission stays in a low rev mode, it uses less fuel and produces less CO2. This fuel saver mode is only active when the vehicle is in the testing bay. In normal traffic, the warm-up is deactivated, and the transmission switches to a mode with higher fuel consumption.”
http://www.forbes.com/sites/bertelschmitt/2016/11/06/carb-finds-new-audi-defeat-device-german-paper-digs-up-smoking-gun-document/
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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1344 on: November 07, 2016, 02:39:50 PM »
Toyota is planning long-range battery-powered electric cars for 2020 as its hydrogen fuel cells cars are failing
Quote
As we reported earlier this year, the few automakers still entrenched in hydrogen fuel cell technology were starting to show signs of succumbing to physics and turning to battery-powered electric cars in order to comply with stricter zero-emission regulations.

Now one of the most prominent proponents of hydrogen fuel cell cars, Toyota, is reportedly planning to mass produce battery-powered long-range electric cars by 2020.

The news comes as Toyota is having difficulties selling the Mirai, its hydrogen cars, in the US. Despite cutting the price on several occasions, with now a lease at only $350 (down from $500) in California, the Japanese automaker can’t find a market for the vehicle and only delivered 782 units since it started deliveries last year – and that’s including the state buying dozens of them for their own fleets to justify the millions of dollars spent on refuelling infrastructure.

Several industry watchers predicted that Toyota would eventually turn to batteries in its effort to deliver zero-emission vehicles – it was more a question of when they would make the transition. Now a new report this morning coming from Japan’s Nikkei (via Reuters) claims that Toyota is planning to invest in a team in early 2017 to develop an electric car with a range of “more than 300 km (186 miles) on a single charge” and ready to hit the market by 2020.
https://electrek.co/2016/11/07/toyota-long-range-battery-powered-electric-cars-2020-hydrogen-fuel-cells-failing/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1345 on: November 08, 2016, 12:49:31 AM »
The future of cars is... computers.  (Sorry, Neven! ;) At least it's for a good use: safety.)

Tesla bought a new ~$1 million state of the art data storage system to support its new Autopilot program
Quote
Tesla’s next generation Autopilot/self-driving hardware suite has a lot more sensors gathering data than its previous generation. And with now ~25,000 new vehicles per quarter contributing to its growing fleet and gathering even more data, the company needs a solid data storage infrastructure to support its fleet learning capability.

In an effort to do just that, Electrek has learned that Tesla recently invested in a new state-of-the-art data storage system to support its new Autopilot program and the significant amount data expected to be collected through it.
https://electrek.co/2016/11/07/tesla-bought-1-million-data-storage-system-autopilot-program/
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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1346 on: November 08, 2016, 04:49:18 PM »
You call it computers, I call it planned obsolescence.  ;D
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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1347 on: November 08, 2016, 05:14:29 PM »
Tesla plans to choose location for ‘Gigafactory 2’ in Europe next year, will produce both batteries and cars
Quote
Tesla CEO Elon Musk and CTO JB Straubel are in Germany today to announce the acquisition of a German engineering group, Grohmann Engineering. Following the announcement, they held a press conference  during which Musk emphasised that Tesla is planning “significant investments” in Germany and the conversation quickly moved to Tesla not only investing in engineering in Europe, but also in production.

Musk confirmed that Tesla plans to choose a location for ‘Gigafactory 2’ in Europe next year and he added that the factory will combine both the production of batteries and complete cars.
https://electrek.co/2016/11/08/tesla-location-gigafactory-2-europe-2017-both-batteries-and-cars/
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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1348 on: November 10, 2016, 07:44:47 PM »
Tesla made more money last quarter than the entire US oil industry made last year
Quote
While there are nuances to the claim made in this headline, it is technically true, since Tesla announced that it turned a profit of $22 million last quarter while the US oil industry managed to lose $67 billion last year due to its inability to stomach lower gas prices, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

I think it’s something to consider in this new political climate following the election of Donald Trump.

Notwithstanding any potential ulterior motives to favor fossil fuels or the fact that Trump doesn’t believe in man-made climate change, it’s important for the upcoming new Trump administration and GOP-controlled Washington to start looking at Tesla and other upcoming cleantech ventures as important middle-class American job creators and sustainable businesses.
https://electrek.co/2016/11/10/tesla-made-more-money-last-quarter-than-the-entire-us-oil-industry-made-last-year/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Cars, cars and more cars. And trucks, and....
« Reply #1349 on: November 10, 2016, 07:46:24 PM »
The morning after the election, GM announced a major shift from car production to trucks, and cut 2,000 jobs in its midwest U.S. plants.  No word yet whether that will affect production of the Chevy Bolt.
http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/home.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2016/nov/1109-production.html
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