Battery based electric vehicles of today and tomorrow.

[Gale Hawkins]

TVA gives up construction permit for nuclear plant

Nuclear isn't competing well with solar when it comes to cost and liability.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Auto forecaster cuts outlook by most since chip shortages emerged

This lost of sales was needed to help fund their move to EVs. I expect the Pandemic will wind up helping the move to EVs faster than any other force at play. The associated transfer of wealth will impact spending practices. New heirs always gives spending a one time boost. This may boost EV adoption.

GM Issues Stop Sale Order On Chevy Silverado HD, GMC Sierra HD

Did GM just forget how to prevent arcing and sparkling?

 

[Oaktree]

I have a friend that used to work at Boeing doing QC work, it was a nightmare for them to move to a different operating system. And I being on the other end, it is a nightmare supporting "obsolete" operating systems. It eventually becomes a cost dependent decision.

Agree. The support time frame for older systems has become shorter and shorter. Some customers hold onto an old reliable system for grim death and then it becomes a huge issue.

Define "obsolete". Very often the "old version" does everything it needs to do. The tech industry loves "latest and greatest", and in some segments (cellphones for example) there are enough fools with more money than smarts who fall for it, but most applications get by just fine with "last year's model".

OK that clears up why Tesla doesn't have chip shortages like say GM. Tesla is asking the fabs what new chip technology they will provide going forward so they do the required physical mods and modify or come up with new from scratch software.

Tesla will not take out GM. GM will take out GM.

I expect many companies that use chips in their solutions will decide to close the door or merge in with another as car companies are doing. If it is not broken don't fix it is going to be the demise of many companies.

What a load of crap. GM isn't going anywhere.
If I were building a product, I'd want a supplier that gave me a product that met my specifications not one who expects me to keep re-inventing my products to match what they feel like selling me.

 

[Oaktree]

TVA gives up construction permit for nuclear plant

Nuclear isn't competing well with solar when it comes to cost and liability.

Nuclear's problems are political, not technical. Mention nuclear power and people immediately think "Chernobyl" or "3 Mile Island", even though both of those events took place decades ago.
Solar has the image of being "green" even though it's not really.

 

[Williy]

Years ago I read where this person purchased a
Toyoda Hybrid the gas mileage wasn't as stated
and the maintenance only cost $1500 just makes
you want to go out and get one! bah humbug Just
get a hybrid that recharges the batteries as you
drive along. The diesel subs charged the batteries
while running on diesel engines.
A lot of people think electric cars are great and others
think gas, LP, hydrogen or diesel are great and this kinda debate could go on forever.............

What is the cost of the equipment so you can charge
your electric car at home???

willy

 

[3930dave]

Tesla is asking the fabs what new chip technology they will provide going forward so they do the required physical mods and modify or come up with new from scratch software.

Tesla will not take out GM. GM will take out GM.

In a past (work) life, part of my job was to keep the latest product (IC) roadmaps in front of key customer engineers.

You have a point about GM.... there is no way in _______ a major IC manufacturer does not communicate their lifecycle roadmaps, at least on key components, to GM.

When I was in the game an Intel, Motorola, TI etc would be giving AT LEAST 12 months notice of the Last Time Buy date on processors and other proprietary parts.

Smarter OEMs paid attention, and did their planning accordingly - coming up to Last Time Buy, they decided how many years worth of product they wanted to support and ordered accordingly. Better IC manufacturers also allowed a different (later) Last Time Ship date - they didn't expect you to take all x years worth of product in one delivery.

Elon's from the Valley, so he came up in the midst of the player's that intuitively understand and drive the fast-changing game of IC production.

It's not the sexy part of Engineering (and, generally unheard of in public), but a good Component Engineering group can make a huge difference in how smoothly Production flows over time. That is, providing their Corporation heeds the advice re. spending what $ at what milestones in Time.

I see future EVs moving through design-build-buy-End of Life cycles much closer to how Apple sells iPhones, than what our generations knew as lifespans for automobiles.... esp. if you live outside the salty/rusty north or seacoast regions.....

That ^ vector, is one of the reasons I'm pretty tough today on the Battery-Recycling issue..... I'd be tough on it anyway, but I double-down when it's something that is supposed to be Saving the Planet......

Rgds, D.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

In a past (work) life, part of my job was to keep the latest product (IC) roadmaps in front of key customer engineers.

You have a point about GM.... there is no way in _______ a major IC manufacturer does not communicate their lifecycle roadmaps, at least on key components, to GM.

When I was in the game an Intel, Motorola, TI etc would be giving AT LEAST 12 months notice of the Last Time Buy date on processors and other proprietary parts.

Smarter OEMs paid attention, and did their planning accordingly - coming up to Last Time Buy, they decided how many years worth of product they wanted to support and ordered accordingly. Better IC manufacturers also allowed a different (later) Last Time Ship date - they didn't expect you to take all x years worth of product in one delivery.

Elon's from the Valley, so he came up in the midst of the player's that intuitively understand and drive the fast-changing game of IC production.

It's not the sexy part of Engineering (and, generally unheard of in public), but a good Component Engineering group can make a huge difference in how smoothly Production flows over time. That is, providing their Corporation heeds the advice re. spending what $ at what milestones in Time.

I see future EVs moving through design-build-buy-End of Life cycles much closer to how Apple sells iPhones, than what our generations knew as lifespans for automobiles.... esp. if you live outside the salty/rusty north or seacoast regions.....

That ^ vector, is one of the reasons I'm pretty tough today on the Battery-Recycling issue..... I'd be tough on it anyway, but I double-down when it's something that is supposed to be Saving the Planet......

Rgds, D.

I seriously doubt if the Planet needs saving that moving to EVs is going to be the planets salvation.

 

[3930dave]

I seriously doubt if the Planet needs saving that moving to EVs is going to be the planets salvation.

Shortage of Koolaid in your Neck O'Woods G ?

Big Wink.

Your thoughtful and technically curious approach to all the topics connected to EVs is what keeps me and many others hanging out here...

My spidey-sense fires off when pretty much anything is being OverSold, and esp. when science is being used to market some aspects, then conveniently ignored in others (I'm speaking of the market, mass-media, and gubmints.... not the content of this thread).

I've probably stated here, but perhaps not recently.... I do welcome EVs as a transport option, but do have some concerns about enforced reductions in ICE vehicle availability...... If I lived in the centre of a high-density city, and didn't roam much outside of it I'd have less of a concern.....

Given the lack of attention paid to rural needs in recent decades.... yep, I'm concerned about how this plays out.....

Rgds, D.

 

[Cat385B]

What is the cost of the equipment so you can charge
your electric car at home???

willy

About $50-$500 for the wire and outlet. (Depends on proximity to panel)
$350-600 for a smart charger, or around $100-$150 for an adaptor cord to go from your car’s cord to a 220v outlet.
Actual power cost would be based on consumption, cost of kw in your grid, and whether your supplier has off-peak rates or EV rates.
If I switched over to the E-truck I have pre-ordered tomorrow, it would take me 34 working days to pay off the equipment I would need to purchase, using the money I would save in fuel costs.
110 miles round trip, 6.0 gas uses $21 worth of fuel per day at $3/gallon, vs the e truck using 30 kw (estimated) at .09 (off-peak) per kw.
Those savings are huge, but they will diminish quickly as electric vehicles become more popular.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

The computer chip industry has a dirty climate secret

Free lunches are not easy to find!

 

[txdon]

The computer chip industry has a dirty climate secret

Free lunches are not easy to find!

Not one mention of the amount of water used or hazardous waste from Samsung or the politicians trying to lure
the $17 Billion Microchip Plant to our county down the road in Taylor TX. Our Local Government has lined up incentives for the Project that include millions of tax incentive for Samsung.

Samsung to Build $17 Billion Chip Plant in Taylor, Texas

In a surprising twist of events, Samsung may have chosen a different location for its new $17 billion semiconductor manufacturing plant.

www.thefpsreview.com

 

[Whidbey]

Define "obsolete". Very often the "old version" does everything it needs to do. The tech industry loves "latest and greatest", and in some segments (cellphones for example) there are enough fools with more money than smarts who fall for it, but most applications get by just fine with "last year's model".

What a load of crap. GM isn't going anywhere.
If I were building a product, I'd want a supplier that gave me a product that met my specifications not one who expects me to keep re-inventing my products to match what they feel like selling me.

My background is that of a computer programmer. I remember back in the day when a company I worked for was running a partucular operating system on their IBM mainframe. IBM wanted them to move to a new OS. As stated in prior posts there is a substantial cost to the company using that software in testing to ensure everything still works after the 'upgrade'. In this particular instance IBM backed off due to the pushback from my company and many others.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Not one mention of the amount of water used or hazardous waste from Samsung or the politicians trying to lure
the $17 Billion Microchip Plant to our county down the road in Taylor TX. Our Local Government has lined up incentives for the Project that include millions of tax incentive for Samsung.

Samsung to Build $17 Billion Chip Plant in Taylor, Texas

In a surprising twist of events, Samsung may have chosen a different location for its new $17 billion semiconductor manufacturing plant.

www.thefpsreview.com

That's is an interesting article.

I see the western USA moving towards ghost town status due to the lack of water for people, animals, farming, manufacturing, etc. SpaceX and Tesla migration toward the east is huge for states like TX as the fossil fuel industry decline in part to it's damage to drinkable water supplies.

Two years ago I bought our 2016 Nissan Leaf which was the cheapest EV option that I could within 200 miles due to a battery weeks away from failing after to move to EVs became self evident. Recently I got a letter from an area Toyota dealership telling me they would give me a good trade-in value on my Leaf.

EV demand in the USA is unreal. Some Tesla used models are selling for more than they did new.

Our rising water levels in our water wells locally adds to my comfort zone based on what I hear from other parts because the rising oceans is not a local cause. The Ohio River feeds our water table.

 

[3930dave]

The computer chip industry has a dirty climate secret

Free lunches are not easy to find!

Option 1) Whizzy new cell phone.
Option 2) Local farmers get to grow crops, raise livestock.

Fun choice....

Good article. Summarizes key things that are well known within the industry, but are largely unknown/ignored by the general public.

Carbon gets talked up a lot lately, but, consider this..... I'd have to look up the exact %, but PRC's production of PV (solar) cells is not small.

JUST the toxic waste PRC creates to drive cheap solar panels into our markets should not be ignored by the people here evangelizing EV+PV as the next miracle.........

That ^, is the not-ignoring-science-when-it's-convenient Thing.... (again, for clarity, I'm spouting off about the public-marketing, not the people/contents of this thread.....)

Rgds, D.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Ford Mustang Mach-E to undergo police-car tests

Now they will be faster and not setting around burning gas.

 

[3930dave]

Ford Mustang Mach-E to undergo police-car tests

Now they will be faster and not setting around burning gas.

It will be interesting to see how that does in the testing.

I remember taking note in a Car Craft article many years ago, how they worked over a v8 out of a police vehicle. Rodders and machinists will know what I'm talking about (I just can't remember the term for the process).... what was being addressed was the issue of thermal cycles on the block - big city patrol vehicles spent most of their life running, 3 shifts till retired.... so compared to private vehicles, the cop-block never cooled down....

As these EVs build up in fleets, various support factors will change, and not just the upgrade of the mains-feed to the garage.

Until recharge times approach gasoline fill times, extra (non down-for repair) units will be needed, above the ICE # on patrol.

I'm sure that Generator companies are salivating...... can you imagine the size of the emergency generator you will need to recharge even half a fleet of police vehicles quickly ?

It will be interesting (looking for ur's comments later in time.....) to see how Cali handles that ^ generator issue, esp. during their extended elective power cuts....

Rgds, D.

 

[Jstpssng]

Shortage of Koolaid in your Neck O'Woods G ?

Big Wink.

Your thoughtful and technically curious approach to all the topics connected to EVs is what keeps me and many others hanging out here...

My spidey-sense fires off when pretty much anything is being OverSold, and esp. when science is being used to market some aspects, then conveniently ignored in others (I'm speaking of the market, mass-media, and gubmints.... not the content of this thread).

I've probably stated here, but perhaps not recently.... I do welcome EVs as a transport option, but do have some concerns about enforced reductions in ICE vehicle availability...... If I lived in the centre of a high-density city, and didn't roam much outside of it I'd have less of a concern.....

Given the lack of attention paid to rural needs in recent decades.... yep, I'm concerned about how this plays out.....

Rgds, D.

I have said the same thing in the past. Your well thought out albeit different viewpoint is also an example of what keeps this thread alive.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Thanks for the kind remarks. At age 70 many have no concern when it comes to EVs but our son and daughter turn 24 this week. I see many will jump on the EV band wagon only to get burned.

On the flip side some will go ICE and get burned on a 72 or 84 month loans and be upside the whole way. ICE vehicles will crash hard because of their higher total cost of ownership.

4 years down the supply of EVs there should be good killing interest in ICE.

Another flip side will be how cheap the gas vehicles will make more sense for many people. For someone that lives in town or a few miles from town goes to McDonald's church and Walmart and Kroger's they would be able to find a very very nice fairly new gas car that could last them for many years so the EV would not make sense for them perhaps.

EVs are a status symbol to some. If one is just getting by on Social Security a great deal on a nice gas car is going to be attractive. The same may apply for kids going off to college.

Today EVs are a wild card at best so be aware.

 

[Cat385B]

The Lucid Air (Dream edition) has been tested and given a range estimate of 520 miles, and has a price tag of $169,000. Reservations for that one are also sold out.

No lack of people with more money than brains, it would seem.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I seriously doubt if the Planet needs saving that moving to EVs is going to be the planets salvation.

I saw an article today that claimed we could build a carbon-free electrical grid for 1/3 of the $21 trillion we spent in Iraq and Afghanistan over the last 20 years.