Battery based vehicles of today and tomorrow pt 2

[goeduck]

This article indicates the still hot pandemic and a spreading world wide recession/depression has forever changed the love affair with the automobile. The car buying babyboomers needs are dropping like a rock as we are. Maybe the robo taxi era will arrive and the 18-25 age group that are being priced out vehicle ownership.

Car buying is never going back to normal

Even though dealerships are getting more cars on their lots, automakers still plan to capitalize on having less inventory sitting around.

www.businessinsider.com

Article makes sense. I would never buy a new truck without preordering exactly what I wanted. Maybe a car, but not a truck.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

A lot of us are being priced out of affordable vehicle ownership, but I'm not sure robotaxis (or ubers or any other sort of taxi) are a practical solution either should vehicle non-ownership become widespread, especially during busy periods.

The old ways of dealerships having 100+ vehicles on the lot days were numbered anyway, cost of keeping that kind of inventory must have been massive. Personally, I'm not thrilled with a strictly build-to-order system either unless you can truly customize it...not just choose from one of a handful of packages. You know, be able to get the larger engine, "good" stereo, etc. without having to get a bunch of other crap you don't want. I, for one also like to be able to test-drive something before I commit to it...I have long legs and relatively few sedans are comfortable for me. Also nice to know ahead of time on ergonomics...ie-control placement, how intuitive things are (a big deal these days given how tech-y everything is), etc.
Hopefully things settle out somewhere in the middle.

Battery replacement is a PITA on most modern vehicles. Long gone are the days when it was right out in the open with a + cable, a - cable and some sort of hold-down.

I expect major changes will come after the babyboomers are only minor share of car buyers.

 

[California]

Chevy Bolt was designed with extra legroom in the back seat. Their EUV (Bolt version 2) has even more. These cars were designed for Uber/Lyft use! The leading edge of what GM thinks is the future for passenger cars.

 

[ovrszd]

Chevy Bolt was designed with extra legroom in the back seat. Their EUV (Bolt version 2) has even more. These cars were designed for Uber/Lyft use! The leading edge of what GM thinks is the future for passenger cars.

I pay no attention to what GM thinks. Thry only exist because of taxpayer support.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I think countries with high fuel prices will make the change over first and maybe work some of the bugs out of the technology.

As cleaner vehicles transition to renewable fuels, is the tank running dry for diesel?

New technology to replace diesel fuel could transform the freight industry and a lot of the machinery used in agriculture and mining. So what does that look like on the ground?

www.abc.net.au

 

[Oaktree]

I expect major changes will come after the babyboomers are only minor share of car buyers.

I'd say Gen X'ers, or maybe even the older millennials. Neither are all that different than boomers when it comes to transportation. Beyond that point I won't be here so I really don't care.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Chevy Bolt was designed with extra legroom in the back seat. Their EUV (Bolt version 2) has even more. These cars were designed for Uber/Lyft use! The leading edge of what GM thinks is the future for passenger cars.

How's that work for all of us who live rural? Can you Uber my trailer to town and back, gee, thanks.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I am not sure GM ever had a serious EV plan. Musk has indicated he would not have invested into Tesla Motors had GM went forward with the EV1 project and beyond. It amazes me he was the only man to put together teams that could build EVs and and more affordable space travels.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Toyota has avoided making EVs and just announced a production hydrogen fuel cell car. My brother, an engineer ,tells me that for the time being, it takes more energy to extract hydrogen, than what we get out of hydrogen as fuel. Perhaps that will change.

2023 Toyota Mirai | Toyota.com

Celebrate your environmentally aware lifestyle with the powerful, zero emissions, fuel cell electric 2023 Toyota Mirai, and learn how innovation is power.

www.toyota.com

 

[Eagle1]

That and most hydrogen is extracted from natural gas or other fossil fuel because it cheaper and easier than from water.