Featured Threads Archive

I was visiting in the New York City metropolitan area this weekend. While I was there Consolidated Edison, the regional electrical power company, was doing a thorough job of contacting pretty much everybody in the area and asking them to use less electricity. The problem? it was hot out, weather in the 90's (32.°C) and humid. They were afraid they couldn't handle the load from people turning on their air conditioners.

Judging from cars on the road they have maybe 1% electric vehicles in that area right now. The state has forbidden the sale of gassers after 2035. If they can't support air conditioners now, how do they expect to handle thousands of EVs a decade from now??

Source: Self-driving car blocking road ‘delayed patient care’, San Francisco officials say | California | The Guardian

"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Toyota_PRIUS_PHV_S_%22GR_SPORT%22_%28DLA-ZVW52-VLJBXE%29_front.jpg" - Image link incase it doesn't work.

I've only found one image of this besides when the car was up on their GR division page. Did Toyota just decide to call it off, with the unveiling of the "23 Prius?

Tesla discounts Model S by $30,000 and Model X by $41,000 to gain EV tax credits

That lower price makes them eligible for the federal $7,500 tax credit.

Wondering how badly that's going to cause rivian and the Ford lightning & Mustang to take sales hits

Source_1:
Tesla Just Released The NEW Model 3 - Everything We Know So Far - YouTube

Source_2:


Source_3:


Hummmm, if I could get one before September 30, I could transfer my FSD to the new Model 3. So my options:

• KEEP OLDER EVS - 2019 Model 3 Standard Range Plus and 2017 BMW i3-REx. This keeps me in self-maintenance mode and modifications I get to experiment with both cars to extend life and performance.
• ADD NEW MODEL 3 - trade-in either the 2019 Model 3 or 2017 BMW i3-REx for the new Model 3. Self maintenance on the retained, older car and HOOT HOOT the new Model 3. But ordering one, there is a risk of getting an 'inventory' Model 3, not the new one.

Regardless, the older Model 3 has just become a buyer's market. Tesla wants to dispose of the suddenly older Model 3s to promote selling the new Model 3s....

in the news:

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-66643936.amp

...

...

11 Best Hybrid Cars for Commuters in 2023, Ranked - Autoweek

https://www.thedrive.com/news/honda-solid-state-batteries-will-offer-same-energy-density-at-half-the-weight

I think this statement in the article is not correct though:

If the solid-state battery tech is twice as energy dense vs the conventional tech used today, you would need a 200kWh battery pack to push the same car 600mi instead of 300mi.
The battery would have the same volume and weight, but pack twice the energy. Thus achieving twice the range vs a conventional li-ion battery. Or they would have to halve the weight of the vehicle, or double the motor's efficiency.
But a 100kWh battery pack, no...

The Crucial Tech That Made Toyota’s Hybrid Revolution Possible

These days, the Toyota Hybrid System doesn't get a lot of love. With our rapid move towards electrification, much more emphasis has been placed on full battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and to a lesser extent, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Hell, in America, you can get a tax credit on a number of BEVs and PHEVs, but not any conventional hybrids. Toyota's hybrid system is old news, though there's a case to be made for its future.

That seems to be the claim;

Tesla supplier CATL unveils battery that can add up to 400km of range in 10 minutes | TechCrunch
.

Baffled by long wait times for some EVs in Canada? I looked for answers - The Globe and Mail

When I ordered my Hyundai Ioniq 5, in late 2021, I was warned it would take about eight months to get my electric vehicle, given the high demand and disrupted supply-chain networks.

I was delighted when it took a mere four months. Turns out, I was lucky.

Today, my local Hyundai dealership in Toronto isn’t even taking orders for EVs, because wait times have stretched beyond two years. Models have disappeared from the showroom.

No wonder I instinctively acknowledge every other Ioniq 5 owner I encounter with a nod or wave – sometimes subtle, sometimes not – as though we belong to an elite club of Model T owners.

But wait a minute: I’m also reading about unsold EVs piling up on the lots of car dealerships in the United...

Prius and Prius Prime should join the list by next year.

Several EVs and hybrids now selling below MSRP, report says

Reuters news link.

'About a decade ago, Tesla rigged the dashboard readouts in its electric cars to provide “rosy” projections of how far owners can drive before needing to recharge, a source told Reuters. The automaker last year became so inundated with driving-range complaints that it created a special team to cancel owners’ service appointments.'

https://www.axios.com/2023/07/26/electric-car-charging-network

Ford: strange.
VW: they are EA, so why the need for a new network. "why don't they join us?". Because your backed charging network showed you cannot deliver a reliable experience, that's why...and your id.4s are clogging the chargers instead of their owners using their own plugs at home...
Toyota: of course.

From the California New Car Dealer Association:
https://www.cncda.org/wp-content/uploads/Cal-Covering-2Q-23_FINAL.pdf



BTW, Tesla Model 3 and Y appear to be leaders in their segment by a lot.

Having recently bought a 2017 BMW i3-REx, I was curious. FYI, new BMW i3-REx are no longer for sale. But there is a difference of opinions on whether it is an EV with a built-in, motorcycle engine powered, DC charger or a plug-in hybrid missing a mechanical drivetrain link. Regardless, it is an awesome, 4-seat car:

• ~83 mi, 36 MPG gas only, 2.3 gal tank at 70 mph
• ~104 mi, 3.7 mi/kWh EV only, 28.3 kWh battery at 65 mph

Source_2: How much does the average American drive a day? - Zippia

Perhaps some of you finance nerds could help us better understand why Toyota has committed to paying $5 billion on stock dividends when usually that number is much lower all while their total debt is rising much higher with no long term plan of substance to address a lack of growth in sales?

This analysis from Seeking Alpha makes it clear Toyota's objective of short term profits for the market, rather than long term stability for a successful business are starting to smell real bad:

Toyota Motor: Dividend Is At Risk As Company Struggles For A Turnaround | Seeking Alpha

First I am interested in Mullen (sarcastically)..The CEO is a BS artist, (and possibly an ex con)
as in there will never be a Mullen 5 . But he is really good at picking up a lot of assets cheap, like Coda, Bollinger Motors and Electric Last Mile (including enormous EV plant in Mishawaka, IN) ... also battery technology .

He should team up with Elio.

All those CODAs went to him, no idea where they went after that
Here's The Sad Fate Of All Of Those Unsold Coda Electric Cars

What is getting me to post is this perpetual motion machine getting tested at a fed facility, sad and humorous

DC fits fleet of EVs with bogus gadget promising 60% range boost – Ars Technica


Anyway the original PR: (SIC) (ad hominem approved)


BREA, Calif., April 24, 2023– via...

Found this interesting. Afraid to ask the cost of the battery and what chargers will charge that fast.
https://www.topspeed.com/toyota-745-mile-solid-state-battery/