Featured Tesla is Going Out of Business, says former GM Vice Chairman.

I'll gladly help you get him into this costume

¡feliz Navidad!



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Those are nice, but wouldn't you rather have the Real McCoy?

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Not sure on the legality of that...

 

Regarding Bob Lutz, he is probably best known as the type of "car guy" who would come up with something like the Viper. Also, though, with the Volt, he championed what is probably the best currently available powertrain format for many people, the plug-in hybrid.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

i doubt elon loses any sleep over his running commentary.

 

Tesla can lose some stock value...

 

Lutz rambling about battery storage ... true brilliance ;
[QUOTE ]"... According to Lutz, if the stationary storage market were truly ready for growth, it would have been tapped by Alessandro Volta in 1800 when he invented the first battery ...." [/QUOTE]
Former General Motors Executive Bashes Tesla's Storage Plan: 'Boy, I Don't See it' | Greentech Media

iirc, Alessandro Volta's invention wasn't even rechargeable. That was someone else. That's what happens when Lutz speaks ... showing off a wealth of wisdom.

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Lutz would be quoting Kung Fu Panda: "There is no secret sauce!"

 

You can get it good, fast, or cheap. Pick 2.

 

people on the waiting list want good and fast, i'll settle for good and cheap.

 

Interesting story in the WSJ today about developing high-tech lubricants to allow the design of new ultra-efficient internal combustion engines, thus postponing the doom of ICE technology.

"Ford has said that by 2022 it would slash spending on conventional engines by a third, around $500 million, and invest instead in development electric and hybrid vehicles. That comes on top of about $4.5 billion in planned spending to develop more than a dozen new electric vehicles. GM plans to launch 20 electric vehicles world-wide over the next six years."

"General Motors Co. on Wednesday pledged to sell one million EVs annually by 2026. Oil multinationals are spending more on renewable-energy sources and, in some cases, investing in electric vehicles’ recharging infrastructure"

"But such activities still make up a fraction of their sales. Most companies expect the combustion engine to remain dominant for decades to come, which means improving efficiency is crucial."​

Extending the life of a mature technology is not as sexy as being out there on the cutting edge. But mature technologies require investments only for maintenance and marginal improvements. Therefore they are usually profitable and relatively low-risk generators of revenue.

Whether or not you believe that Tesla can survive and flourish, it's hard to dispute that Tesla has managed to give electric vehicles the "sizzle" that the industry's traditional marketing gurus couldn't or wouldn't. But maybe that wasn't their job.

 

The new Camry uses 0W16 oil, and some models in Japan are starting to use 0W8.

Even if the ICE dies in personal cars, there are still plenty of uses for it. Which makes improvements still a worthwhile investment.

 

You are absolutely correct. The proverbial handwriting is upon the wall.

Even so, the internal combustion engine is a mature technology -- and unless something changes dramatically, its use will decline but not disappear. No one is suggesting that the ICE will continue as transportation's dominant motive power. But that does not mean that these devices are going to be totally gone in all markets, in all countries, and for all purposes.

The Wall Street Journal's graphic is interesting:

High-efficiency-lubricants by Old Bear posted Nov 20, 2017 at 5:05 PM

In parts of the world where there is no charging infrastructure or where local environmental issues are not a major consideration, the ICE will still be around. Therefore, it makes sense to make whatever improvements one can to improve efficiency, minimize fuel consumption, and reduce emissions.

But I digress. My intended point was that the "big players" (GM, Ford, etc.) already recognize the inevitable decline of the ICE and are committed to the alternative future. Regulatory requirements in China, Europe, and even some U.S. cities, will be one of the major factors causing this business decision. Consumer interest and increasing confidence in the technology also will play an important part.

 

The marginal improvements become ever more expensive. This reality is also known as the Law of Diminishing Returns. It is just SO much cheaper to slap a few more kWh on to a car.

 

these lighter oils may be causing the premature death of the ice.

 

Years ago, I remember hearing that a way to increase efficiency of gas engines would be to run them at much higher temperature, like 500 degrees rather than 200. This would require different coolant and lubricants, and various different materials, but would significantly increase efficiency. Is there any recent discussion of this?

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Maybe in some other thread someone is talking ice efficiency . This one.however is about Bob Lutz's crazy Factor. Or maybe it's just senility. No - he's been that way for several decades. Maybe an alien abduction/replacement?

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