EV (electric vehicle) News & Discussion

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1617 posts

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#2253711 7-Jun-2019 12:24

kingdragonfly: A tunnel is about buying property rights, getting government's permission, moving Earth, and building giant pipes, and passing all the safety regulations.

You should watch some of Elon's TED Talks on things like his tunnelling projects.

He explains where the big costs are and the logical way they are reducing them. He has some really interesting and original ideas which while ambitious, make perfect sense and don't require new technology to be invented. It's why investors love him.

kingdragonfly

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#2253978 7-Jun-2019 17:21

I'm still a bit skeptical.

If I could see a video of the borer in action, running continuously for some distance through granite then low density mud, I'd be impressed.

His proposed continuous tunneling, and running the tunnelers several times faster would be new technology.

The electric carriers would need to never break down in the tunnel.

Also tunnel fires could happen with electric vehicles. So smoke ventilation, cameras, emergency lighting, power communications, and evacuation rooms are essential.

I guess running a vacuum and airtight vehicles would reduce fires and smoke, and allow much faster speeds, but add the danger of suffocation, and the added weight of carrying oxygen tanks.

I'd guess with a narrow tube, and the vehicle taking up most of the space, the vehicle could act like a piston.

Anyhow I'm still skeptical, but Elon has accomplished more than I would have predicted.

Handle9

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#2254119 7-Jun-2019 21:22

tripper1000:
Handle9: If the Model 3 is such a profitable car how do you explain the massive losses that Tesla made in Q1? For the sake of balance see below for a more conservative opinion based on results.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckjones/2019/01/22/wasnt-tesla-supposed-to-make-more-money-as-the-model-3-ramped/#5151716ec737

Did you read the article? Because three main themes come out;

1) That they need to have higher volumes to make the much vaunted $35K Model 3 a viable option (they are not yet offering this version, so the article isn't saying the present versions are not viable).

2) That the Tesla stock price is over-rated because the dividend is running at only 2% (when reinvesting profits into capital expansion as growing companies do, you shouldn't expect dividends so it is warning off speculators, not those in it for the long haul). There are successful companies/stocks that have never paid a dividend in 30 years, as they reinvest all profits in expansion, so the stock goes up in value is stead of paying a dividend.

3) That they need higher volumes/cash flow if they want to stay on target building the new Giga factories etc.

The underlying theme is not that the company is unprofitable, but that it may not be able to stick to it's expansion targets without wracking up more debt or issuing more stocks.

The ill advised slammed 2degrees because it "hadn't made a profit in 10 years" at one point. The company was reinvesting earnings in expanding and once the expansion process was done, it did start making a profit/payind a dividend. The catastrophizers didn't invest but the smart people did. Same-same with Tesla.

If you're drinking the koolaide that's what the article says. If you are reading it like a typical investor it says that Tesla's management isn't particularly effective.

There is plenty of evidence of this, they haven't been able to reduce their costs the way they said they would and they can't hit their forecasts. If you can't do what you say you can do, and you can't accurately predict your cost side that is a huge issue for the markets. The markets are fine with reinvesting your profits, they hate you not knowing what is going on and not being able to forecast. That's why their share price has tanked in the last 12 months.

Their products are interesting and they are great at marketing but they aren't all that effective at scaling a manufacturing business.

kingdragonfly

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#2254684 9-Jun-2019 09:06

1968 All-Electric Mustang Fastback - Zombie 222

FULLSPEED

In this episode of Austin Garages, Steve heads over to Bloodshed Motors to check out an all-electric muscle car.

He meets with Mitch Medford, the creative genius behind the Zombie 222, a 1968 Ford Mustang fastback that's been converted to all electric. 1,000 horse power, 1,800 pound feet of torque, 0 to 60 in 1.79 seconds.

They don't call it a Hot Rod; they don't call it a Rat Rod; they call it a Lightning Rod.

SaltyNZ

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#2254742 9-Jun-2019 11:14

That's .. insane. And also exactly what I will do if I ever win the lottery. With a brand new WRX, of course.

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MarkH67

518 posts

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#2254793 9-Jun-2019 13:02

SaltyNZ:

That's .. insane. And also exactly what I will do if I ever win the lottery. With a brand new WRX, of course.

I think that over the next few years there will be an assault on most of the drag racing records by EVs, they are inherently better at producing torque and it is easier to tweak the weight distribution by smart positioning of batteries.

But I would be too lazy to build something, with a powerball win I'd probably just buy a Model 3 performance, more than enough car for my wants/needs.

GV27

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#2254889 9-Jun-2019 16:27

SaltyNZ:

That's .. insane. And also exactly what I will do if I ever win the lottery. With a brand new WRX, of course.

There are a lot of Group B replica companies popping up in Europe that use powertrains and gearbox combinations that would cost an arm and a leg to buy, let alone freight.

I'd almost certainly be dropping a electric powertrain into one of those fibreglass kits to get me a reliable exotic daily :D

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Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

Beltor

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#2255041 10-Jun-2019 08:53

GV27:
SaltyNZ:

That's .. insane. And also exactly what I will do if I ever win the lottery. With a brand new WRX, of course.

There are a lot of Group B replica companies popping up in Europe that use powertrains and gearbox combinations that would cost an arm and a leg to buy, let alone freight.

I'd almost certainly be dropping a electric powertrain into one of those fibreglass kits to get me a reliable exotic daily :D

Check out this insane video .....

https://youtu.be/pHaqiWcWSIc

WyleECoyoteNZ

1049 posts

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#2255144 10-Jun-2019 11:44

AutoCar UK video review of the Audi e-tron SUV

kingdragonfly

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#2256196 11-Jun-2019 16:31

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-10/audi-recalls-first-electric-vehicle-in-u-s-on-battery-fire-risk

Audi Recalls First Electric Vehicle in U.S. on Battery Fire Risk

Bloomberg. By Gabrielle Coppola and Dana Hull

Volkswagen AG luxury brand Audi is recalling its first all-electric vehicle due to the risk of a battery fire.

The company issued a voluntary recall of approximately 540 E-Tron SUV models sold in the U.S. because of a risk that moisture can seep into the battery cell through a wiring harness glitch, spokesman Mark Dahncke said. The company isn’t aware of any fires or injuries because of the flaw, which affects a total of 1,644 models, he said.

The E-Tron, which went on sale in the U.S. in April, is Audi’s first fully-electric car and one in a wave of contenders from traditional automakers looking to challenge Tesla Inc.’s dominance of the segment. While electric vehicles are no more prone to accidents or fires than gasoline-powered cars -- and might be less so, according the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration -- the lithium-ion battery technology that powers them is still evolving, and there is no consensus on safe system design.

Audi said there have been five instances globally where a battery fault light turned on because of the moisture issue. It began contacting E-Tron owners in the U.S. last week, prior to a warning from federal safety regulators, and should have a repair available by August.

“We are applying an abundance of caution as no such incidents have been reported globally,” the company said in a statement.

Audi said it’s offering E-Tron owners loaner vehicles and an $800 cash card to cover gas or incidentals during the recall period, as well as free roadside assistance. There are still E-Trons unaffected by the recall available for sale, it said.

kingdragonfly

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#2257600 13-Jun-2019 20:19

https://www.forbes.com/sites/neilwinton/2019/05/23/when-european-fuel-efficiency-rules-bite-buyers-can-choose-the-microcar-or-the-bus/#1f5e77c3111e

When European Fuel Efficiency Rules Bite, Buyers Can Choose The Electric Microcar Or The Bus
Forbes

Get used to it Europeans. By 2030 you will probably be driving to work in a little electric car like this Uniti from Sweden. It will probably have two seats, a range of maybe 30 miles or 50 kilometers, and cost under €10,000 ($11,137).

This is because car manufacturers will no longer be able to make conventional small cars and money at the same time. The European Union CO2 regulations decree that by 2021, each carmaker's output must average fuel economy the equivalent of 57.4 MPG / 24.4 KPL. This increases to an improbable 92 MPG /39 KPL by 2030, at least in a conventionally powered car, and that’s the point.

The EU has decided Europeans must and will embrace electric cars. Given the current high price and lack of utility of battery electric cars, that bodes ill for everyday motorists commuting to work. It requires a huge improvement in the range of electric cars and a large dive in price. To demonstrate the massive mountain the EU has created for the industry, in 2015, cars and SUVs were ordered to achieve average fuel consumption of 41.9 MPG / 17.8 KPL. By 2018 they’d managed an average of 46.1 MPG / 19.6 KPL, but that was achieved with what critics say was unreliable data. The devastation of diesel sales has meant that any improvement has gone into reverse in 2019.

European industry leader Volkswagen has already said it will be impossible for it to make small cars like the Up and Polo profitably by 2030.
...

Top 4 Cheap All-Electric Cars | Great Performance from $9000

bfginger

1269 posts

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#2257618 13-Jun-2019 21:12

This is because car manufacturers will no longer be able to make conventional small cars and money at the same time. The European Union CO2 regulations decree that by 2021, each carmaker's output must average fuel economy the equivalent of 57.4 MPG / 24.4 KPL. This increases to an improbable 92 MPG /39 KPL by 2030, at least in a conventionally powered car, and that’s the point.

For some context the exceptionally efficient Mitsubishi Mirage can't manage much better than 20km/pl. Not even the first generation Honda Insight was rated for 24,4km/pl.

The only non micro, non plug in vehicle I'm aware of that manages better than 24.4km/pl in the real world is the Toyota Vitz Hybrid and maybe the Nissan Note e-Power in the detuned "Eco" mode. The EU regulators must've looked up the most efficient car on the market and thought everyone should sell that kind of thing.

39km/pl without a plug would require a hybrid lightweight kei sized vehicle. Suzuki might be able to pull it off.

Linuxluver

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#2257751 13-Jun-2019 23:50

bfginger:
This is because car manufacturers will no longer be able to make conventional small cars and money at the same time. The European Union CO2 regulations decree that by 2021, each carmaker's output must average fuel economy the equivalent of 57.4 MPG / 24.4 KPL. This increases to an improbable 92 MPG /39 KPL by 2030, at least in a conventionally powered car, and that’s the point.
For some context the exceptionally efficient Mitsubishi Mirage can't manage much better than 20km/pl. Not even the first generation Honda Insight was rated for 24,4km/pl. The only non micro, non plug in vehicle I'm aware of that manages better than 24.4km/pl in the real world is the Toyota Vitz Hybrid and maybe the Nissan Note e-Power in the detuned "Eco" mode. The EU regulators must've looked up the most efficient car on the market and thought everyone should sell that kind of thing. 39km/pl without a plug would require a hybrid lightweight kei sized vehicle. Suzuki might be able to pull it off.

The EU really, REALLY wants people to stop burning fossil fuels....so the noose is tightening.

NZ should be doing this too.....for climate change AND to save the $5.6 billion we spend every year importing fuel for transport. The latter would improve our terms of trade and strangthen our dollar against other currencies. We all, in effect, get a pay rise with respect to imported goods for not using petrol or deisel.

_____________________________________________________________________

I've been on Geekzone over 16 years..... Time flies....

ajbw

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#2257906 14-Jun-2019 08:46

I'm a bit puzzled about your units conversion here.
Isn't 24.4 km/litre 68.9mpg?

SaltyNZ

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#2257910 14-Jun-2019 08:49

ajbw: I'm a bit puzzled about your units conversion here.
Isn't 24.4 km/litre 68.9mpg?

Or in more regular units, a smidgen over 4L/100km.

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