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Author Topic: Electric Vehicles  (Read 46541 times)

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AGelbert

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Re: Electric Vehicles
« Reply #360 on: February 24, 2018, 02:24:40 pm »

2018 Nissan LEAF 🍃 ⚡ Still On Sale (More Email Pitches, New Videos)💐

February 23rd, 2018 by Cynthia Shahan

https://cleantechnica.com/2018/02/23/2018-nissan-leaf-still-sale-email-pitches-new-videos/
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Electric Vehicles
« Reply #361 on: February 28, 2018, 12:09:56 pm »
Nissan & DeNA To Begin Robo Taxi (Easy Ride) Pilot Service On March 5

February 27th, 2018 by James Ayre


article:

https://cleantechnica.com/2018/02/27/nissan-dena-begin-robo-taxi-easy-ride-pilot-service-march-5/
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Electric Vehicles
« Reply #362 on: February 28, 2018, 12:27:24 pm »
TESLA SEMI: WHAT WE (ACTUALLY) KNOW

February 27th, 2018 by Frugal Moogal

Originally published on EV Obsession.

I’ve been reading EV Obsession and CleanTechnica for a while now, using it to help examine electric car costs and pricing to determine how these upcoming vehicles will impact us on a cost basis, and I have read article after article about the Tesla Semi. The articles followed a pattern that it seems like happens with every Tesla product: Tesla announces a product reveal, there are articles hypothesizing about what Tesla will do, then there are articles saying it isn’t possible, then there are articles saying that other companies will do it better before it comes out and no one will care.

Tesla held the Semi reveal event and of course the pattern restarted, now with two different products — the Semi and the Roadster.  The recent statement from Daimler’s head of trucks that the Tesla Semi defies the laws of physics is a continuation of this trend, and it convinced me to write.


Before I go on, I think it’s worth pointing out why I think what I’m about say has any value. The merits of EVs are often debated based on environmental friendliness metrics or what the sexiest ones can do.

Neither of those arguments really compel me at all.

Are EVs more environmentally friendly? Sure. But you know what is even more environmentally friendly? Not driving at all.

Are they sexier? Maybe. Tastes in cars vary, but I challenge anyone to look at an original Nissan Leaf and declare it a “sexy” car.


Take away those two arguments, and it’s where I come in. Ultimately, I believe it’s people like me who don’t look at those factors as to why EVs are about to dominate. But that’s for another time.

I worked at a big business with significant control over a multi-million dollar budget. I was at the table for seven-figure purchases with the other party promising us performance that competitors claimed impossible. I live in the world of stats and figures, and use them to sniff out what is possible.

With that, I want to stick the business lens on the Tesla Semi and make some predictions. And sorry, Daimler, I think you’ve been passed by.

When Musk first stated Tesla would make a long-haul Semi, the article pattern began. Then there was the reveal, complete with stats that seem almost cartoonish. The pattern restarted. We’re still hearing that the stats must be impossible.

Let’s back up and look at this like a business. I’m certain that the prototypes are the real deal, and the stats are conservative if anything. Here’s why:

Elon Musk cited the stats for the truck. I already hear those that question Tesla saying, “Yeah, Elon says a lot of things. So?” And to be honest, that’s true. Elon says things that he wants to do in Twitter a lot.

But this was different. If you were watching through Tesla’s website as he was saying it, information popped up to pre-order the truck.


If Musk said the truck would go 500 miles knowing it can’t, that is a textbook case of false advertising. All you need to prove false advertising is show that you were misled by the advertising and suffered “injury” as a result. Want an open-and-shut false advertising case? Buy a Tesla Semi, load it up, drive it on a 500 mile route, and have it run out of juice.

I expect that the semi will be able to go 500 miles at highway speed fully loaded. Not because Elon Musk said so, but because Elon Musk said so at a public event for the Semi where Tesla opened orders for the truck itself. You don’t name aspirational numbers at an event where you begin actively selling the product if you want your company to survive.

And before anyone says, “yeah, but they are selling fully autonomous driving without that capability yet,” yes, they are … but when you buy it, they tell you it is a feature that will be coming in the future, not when you get the car.

For the cost to operate per mile, electricity cost has been questioned as an “unrealistic” 7 cents per kWh. That might be unrealistic based on what you pay for your home electricity, but it was a guarantee. Another easy open-and-shut false advertising case.


I’m not going to get into the nitty gritty on why I’m sure the stats they showed undershoot the savings a Tesla Semi will achieve (they estimated diesel at $2.50 a gallon!), but suffice to say, businesses usually undershoot their claims or don’t make them at all. I’m sure DHL did the math when it said it expects to recover the premium on these trucks within 1.5 years.

Besides: Tesla is selling this product directly to a group of people like me who are going to run the numbers every which way and figure out if this is cheaper to use. Lying to us is a bad idea. Lie to us on something that is an open-and-shut false advertising case at your own peril.

There is still at least one mystery — it seems a battery breakthrough occurred. I’m banking on that already being true.

Before you read an(other) article that says that the batteries for the Semi and the Roadster are an aspirational goal that Tesla probably won’t hit, remember that Tesla started taking pre-orders for the Roadster at the exact same time. Something is up, or else Tesla just opened itself up for more false advertising claims, and those who can drop $50,000 to pre-order a car are in a group I’d not want to anger either.


If Tesla staked its future on aspirational claims, it is doing it with the two most dangerous groups. I tend to believe the pattern will hold, and the Tesla Semi is real, and it truly is a Beast. A Beast that is ready to save a lot of money.

https://cleantechnica.com/2018/02/27/claims-tesla-semi-impossible-seem-illogical/
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Electric Vehicles
« Reply #363 on: March 01, 2018, 07:13:34 pm »
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Electric Vehicles
« Reply #364 on: March 03, 2018, 05:16:45 pm »
Nissan, Tesla surpass 300,000 electric cars; one started later, one did it with a single model

John Voelcker

77 Comments Feb 20, 2018



https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1115343_nissan-tesla-surpass-300000-electric-cars-one-started-later-one-did-it-with-a-single-model





 
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Electric Vehicles
« Reply #365 on: March 03, 2018, 05:34:20 pm »
Jaguar E-Type, reappears as all-electric concept
Sean Szymkowski

38 Comments Sep 12, 2017
 
SNIPPET:

Should a ban or possible restrictions on cars powered by fossil fuels come into effect at some point in the future, this sort of conversion may prove popular for some enthusiasts. 🌞


Full article:

https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1112600_worlds-sexiest-car-jaguar-e-type-reappears-as-all-electric-concept
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Electric Vehicles
« Reply #366 on: March 04, 2018, 03:20:16 pm »
Agelbert NOTE: If the BAIC-EC180, pictured below, which sells for the quivalent of $22,000 in China, was allowed to be sold in the USA, they would sell like hotcakes!


China Electric Car Sales In January — BAIC EC-Series & Cadillac(!) Shine ✨

March 3rd, 2018 by Jose Pontes

After the December sales peak, January signaled the expected hangover, but still, sales stood at some 35,000 passenger plug-in vehicles (PEVs), up four-fold year over year (YoY), making this by far the best January ever for electric car sales in China.

The PEV share started the year at 1.4%, a step below the 2.1% of 2017, but as sales pick up during the year, the expected 2018 PEV share should be around 3% by year end.

Last month, the Chinese OEMs represented roughly 40% of all PEVs registered globally, an impressive number, especially considering that January is usually one of the slowest months in the Chinese PEV market. (However, that’s also the case in many other markets.)

Despite exports still being symbolic, the domestic market is more than enough to absorb the current production, helped by the fact that it is a highly protected market. In fact, foreign brands have only 5% of PEV sales. Of this small cake, nearly half (2% of overall PEV sales in the country) belong to Tesla, with the remaining 3% of overall PEV sales being distributed by BMW (1%), Cadillac (1%), and other manufacturers (1%).

In January, plug-in hybrids had an exceptional month, collecting 4 out of the top 6 positions, which can be explained by the fact that they are less dependent on subsidies. Nevertheless, the BAIC EC-Series is still the poster child of the Chinese PEV market, scoring close to 8,000 deliveries. (Hmm, 8,000 is approximately 2,000/week — sound familiar?) Meanwhile, BYD placed two plug-in hybrid models — the Song SUV and the Qin compact sedan — in the top 5.

Top 5 Best Selling PEVs

#1 – BAIC EC-Series: Winning the best-seller status for 6 months in a row in a competitive market like China is no small feat. Even harder is to be the global best-seller during those same 6 months. But that’s exactly what the EC-Series has done, having registered 7,870 units in January. The little city EV is becoming disruptive in its home market, owing its success to a trendy design, reminiscent of a crossover; improved specs (now with 200 km or 125 miles of range); and competitive pricing ($22,000). With the Chinese and the global editions of the 2017 Best Selling PEV award in its hands, the EC-Series has started 2018 in the same tone, and I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that this small EV could outsell the Nissan Leaf and the Tesla Model 3 in 2018, becoming the 2018 Best Selling PEV in the World.

#2 – JAC iEV7S/E: One of the EV pioneers in China, selling plug-ins since 2010, JAC is trying to regain relevance with its iEV7S/E compact crossover. The vehicle registered a record 3,356 units in January, allowing it to reach the runner-up position. A vehicle targeted to urbanites, for a competitive $26,000 before incentives, you get a trendy compact vehicle (Kia Soul sized), with the 33kWh battery providing just enough range (251 km or 157 miles NEDC) to cover the needs of the urban jungle.

#3 – BYD Qin PHEV: This is the most common plug-in car in China, with almost 100,000 units registered to date. Thanks to recent changes, BYD’s “Model 3” (0–100 km/h in 5.9s) got its mojo back and is once again a major player, registering 3,339 units last month. With a competitive price ($31,000 before incentives), sales are expected to remain high, as long as BYD manages to make enough of them.

#4 – BYD Song PHEV: The current rising star product from Build Your Dreams (BYD) is the plug-in hybrid version of its Song compact SUV. It had 2,681 registrations in January, a good start of the year, staying above its nemesis, the #5 Roewe eRX5 PHEV. BYD’s “Model Y” won both the Best Selling PHEV and Best Selling Electric SUV trophies last year, but this year, it will have a harder time securing these best seller titles, namely because of…

#5 – SAIC Roewe eRX5 PHEV: … this model. Shanghai Auto has high hopes for its eRX5 twins (BEV and PHEV), and especially for the plug-in hybrid version, having registered 2,217 units last month, earning it its second top 5 position. Will it be able to beat the BYD SUV this year? Despite being beaten on pure specs (60 km of electric range NEDC) compared with the Song (70 km), the Roewe seems to be a more accomplished vehicle, and with time it can win street cred, thus improving sales in the long run.

Outside the top 5, and even in a slow selling month, there are a couple of models beating records, like is the case of the #6 Roewe i6 PHEV — with 2,088 deliveries, it had its best result since it landed 9 months ago.

Another one was the surprising Cadillac CT6 PHEV, a model that so far hadn’t really made an impact in its class. In January, it registered 451 units, shattering its previous record (195 units), managing even to collect its first top 20 presence. That means it outsold even the almighty Tesla Model S in the country (330 estimated deliveries).  It’s not often that you write that Cadillac outsells Tesla…

Two new additions to the top 20 joined the ranking in January, with the promising GAC Trumpchi GE3 jumping to #13, thanks to 536 deliveries ( a new personal best), while the #10 BAIC EX-Series small crossover reminds us that Beijing Auto is not only the EC-Series — there are other nameplates in the stable able to pull top 20 presences.

Looking at the manufacturer ranking, BAIC started the year in the lead, with 25% market share. Last year’s winner, BYD, is not far behind (21%). This was only a first stage of a race that promises to be tough between these two titans, both running hard and fast for the 2018 title.

In third place, we have Shanghai-based Roewe consolidating its bronze medalist status, with 13% share.

Cool New Kids 

This month, we had a number of new additions, from yet another minivan/MPV out of Dongfeng to the cheap & chic Yudo Pi1 small crossover. My favorite landing this month was the…



Xiaopeng XPeng X3
— This Tesla-inspired vehicle is the first fruit of an internet-based startup, which has subcontracted the local manufacturer Haima to make the first units of its XPeng SUV. The vehicle combines striking design with some quite impressive stats on the performance side: 0–100 km/h in 5.9 secs and 190 hp max power, most notably. But for a vehicle with premium aspirations, 300 km (188 miles) of range (NEDC) is not really 2018. … Anyway, as with all EV startups, developing the car is important, but it’s not the most crucial thing. It’s no use to have a disruptive model if you can’t really make it in volume, and that’s the major question here: With volume production only scheduled for 2019, will the company survive a sloooow production ramp-up?

Also published on EV Obsession’s Electric Car Sales page.

 https://cleantechnica.com/2018/03/03/china-electric-car-sales-january-baic-ec-series-cadillac-shine/
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Electric Vehicles
« Reply #367 on: March 10, 2018, 03:22:02 pm »
Agelbert NOTE: RE, resident of Anchorage, Alaska, provides a picture of him sitting on his EWZ electric scooter in the following post.

I'm going to invest in Electric Scooter companies, if I can find one that is listed for trading.   
This problem is minor and not the fault of the company that some ass hole users leave the Ewz obstructing traffic.



RE

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2018/03/09/bird-scooters-santa-monica/

Co. Behind ‘Uber Of Scooters’ Meant To Help People Go Green Hits A Bump In The Road In Santa Monica
March 9, 2018 at 10:45 pm
Filed Under:App, Santa Monica, Uber

SANTA MONICA (CBSLA) — A transportation startup whose goal it is to help people go green on a smaller scale has hit a bump in the road.

Bird Rides’ scooter service launched in Santa Monica in September, much to the delight of people like Tyler Habit.

“I actually got rid of my car three months ago,” Habit told CBS2 News.

One of the selling points of the service is that a person can get on the scooter, then get off without having to lock up the device anywhere.

“It’s almost exactly like Uber. They’re all over the city,” said one user.

However, that feature became a liability when the City of Santa Monica filed a criminal case against Bird.

The city said a scooter was left blocking a wheelchair on the sidewalk. Additionally, they can’t be driven on sidewalks though they routinely are, and only one person can ride them at a time — no kid passengers.

“It’s very dangerous, and these are high-speed, serious transportation devices,” said Santa Monica Deputy City Manager Anuj Gupta.

Bird entered a plea deal with the city in February and paid more than $300,000 in fines and restitution.

“We’re definitely learning along the way, and we want to do it better every time,” said Patrick Studener, Vice President of Operations for Bird.

This week, the Santa Monica City Council approved temporary regulations, which would charge companies like Bird for impound fees when their devices are left in obstructive places.

Despite the company’s legal troubles, it won’t dissuade Tyler Habit from using them.

“I don’t miss parking. I don’t pay for parking. I don’t get parking tickets anymore,” said Habit.

People are encouraged to be conscious of where they leave the scooters and are warned to wear helmets on instructions placed on the scooters and in the corresponding app.

Santa Monica plans to put permanent rules in place for the scooters by the end of the year.

Bird scooters are currently located in Santa Monica, Venice, around UCLA and San Diego.

He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Electric Vehicles
« Reply #368 on: March 12, 2018, 02:18:49 pm »
Swedish Copper Mine Converting Monster Trucks To Run On Electricity ⚡   

March 12th, 2018 by Steve Hanley

Located far up near the northern tip of Sweden is the Aitik mine, the largest open pit copper mine in the country. There, enormous Caterpillar 795F mining trucks with tires 15 feet tall haul 310 ton loads of rocks up steep inclines 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The bottom of the mine is 1,500 feet below the surface of the earth. Combined, a fleet of 30 trucks moves 70 million tons of earth each year. From that total, 97,500 tons of copper are obtained, along with 2.9 tons of gold and 62 tons of silver.


Caterpillar electric truck  Sweden

The mining trucks are marvels of modern engineering, but they have one drawback. Each one consumes over 100 gallons an hour of diesel fuel, according to a report from TU. To address that issue, Caterpillar is converting some of the trucks to run exclusively on electric power taken from overhead wires. Batteries large enough to supply the enormous amount of power needed would simply be too large and heavy to work on individual trucks, but putting the energy needed into overhead wires solves the problem.


The overhead wiring is being constructed by ABB and Eitech, two companies with lots of experience building electrified railways and tram systems. The work is supported by a grant of $1.2 million from the Swedish Energy Agency. A similar system for trucks carrying cargo from ports to inland distribution terminals has been constructed in Southern California. The Caterpillar 795F mining trucks are already powered by diesel electric powertrains, so converting them to exclusively electric power will be fairly straightforward and Caterpillar has already started on the conversions.



Initially, the electrified trucks will only be used to haul non-ore bearing rocks to a 200 foot high area a half mile away, but if the system proves reliable and cost effective, it could be added to the road leading from the bottom of the mine. Such equipment has never been used in such harsh winter conditions before, so a “proof of concept” period of time is needed to make sure the trucks won’t break down on the way up or down, which could bring the entire mining operation to a halt.

Each truck will be capable of handling up to 4.75 megawatts of power. With that much energy on tap, they can actually move twice as fast as the diesel electric trucks in use today, which struggle to reach 10 miles per hour on the uphill climb from the bottom. Faster speeds could lead to significantly higher production from the mine, leading to more revenue for the operators.

Economics is the principle reason to make the switch to all electric power  , but eliminating the emissions from 30 diesel powered trucks burning 100 gallons of diesel fuel an hour into the pristine atmosphere near the Arctic Circle is a benefit the entire world can celebrate.

Hat tip to Leif Hansen

https://cleantechnica.com/2018/03/12/swedish-copper-mine-converting-monster-trucks-run-electricity/

Agelbert NOTE: Now even Caterpillar  :o  ;D, a world leader of internal combustion engine powered construction machinery, is joining the EV revolution
 This is definitely going to give the Fossil Fuel Industry     SERIOUS heartburn. GOOD!  :D

Yes, I'm sure some clever fossil fueler will try to claim the electricity for these trucks will come from fossil fuel run power plants. To that bit of pathetic grasping at fossil fuel polluting status quo straws, all I can say is, you are worthy of pity (as well as polluter's prison! ).  There is AMPLE sunlight available to use solar panels at copper mining sites (said mines are typically in arid areas). AND, to run 24/7, with enough solar energy harvesting during the day, battery storage (or the giant rock piston type storage) would take care of night operations, thereby totally eliminating fossil fuels from the energy demand and supply loop.



But, there is more!

Electric motor power is far superior to iinternal combustion engine power for construction machinery because of the massive amounts of torque required, which the internal combustion engine cannot provide. That is why the monster trucks already were Diesel-Electric, like locomotives. ONLY electric motor power has the TORQUE available to do the super heavy load moving work, PERIOD.

Furthermore, the fuel savings ALONE can offset the investment in solar panels AND the overhead electrical infrastructure providng juice for the Monster Electric Trucks AND the energy storage infrastructure, after which the Kilowatts of electric FUEL is, except for the already proven to be modest Renewable Energy maintenance costs, virtually FREE!  As for the long arctic nights, there is PLENTY of wind renewable energy that can be harvested too.

So, take your fossil fueler 🦖 irrelevant arguments and put them where the sun  🌤 doesn't shine (pun intended).
« Last Edit: March 12, 2018, 05:49:44 pm by AGelbert »
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Electric Vehicles
« Reply #369 on: March 12, 2018, 06:54:24 pm »
Tesla Model 3 Motor — Everything I’ve Been Able To Learn About It (Welcome To The Machine)🤖🏁✨

March 11th, 2018 by Steve Bakker

SNIPPET:


Quote
Summary

With the breakthrough in reluctance machine design these past few years, we may be witnessing a sea change with regards to the powertrain for the electric vehicle market. Given reports about the performance of the Model 3, the reported jump in miles per kWh that owners are reporting over prior Tesla models, along with our 5 easy puzzle pieces, it’s a reasonable bet that Tesla has perfected the reluctance machine and in doing so has pulled an engineering rabbit out of its hat.

Regardless of the exact motor design, Tesla has clearly hit it out of the park with the Model 3’s powertrain.


Full VERY informative and educational article:⭐
https://cleantechnica.com/2018/03/11/tesla-model-3-motor-in-depth/


Related Video 🌟:

He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Electric Vehicles
« Reply #370 on: March 14, 2018, 06:26:40 pm »

Another Reason To Love Your Bolt (or Volt) Electric Vehicle — CT Exclusive Interview

March 12th, 2018 by Tina Casey

GM chief Mary Barra delivered a speech on electric vehicles at the CERAweek energy conference, and while she was doing that, CleanTechnica spent some time on the phone with another interesting person at the company, GM’s Manager of Global Waste Reduction John Bradburn. Barra made the case for electric vehicles from a zero emissions standpoint, Bradburn added a layer of zero waste context that fans of the Chevy Bolt and Volt can appreciate.

How Green Is Your Electric Vehicle, Anyways?

CleanTechnica has been sitting up and noticing that some electric vehicle manufacturers are taking sustainability to the next level up from zero-emission driving, by investing in renewable energy, sustainable materials and waste management.

Back in 2015, our sister site Gas2.org noted a Volt electric vehicle battery recycling project aimed at running a data center on wind and solar energy, and that’s just one example of GM’s zero waste mission.

A few years ago, GM summarized its lessons learned and offered a list of best practices in a document titled “The Business Case for Zero Waste.” One item that pops out in terms of reducing carbon emissions is this:

Quote
The corporation’s total elimination of waste is having an immediate impact on carbon dioxide emissions as well. During 2014, more than 10 million metric tons of CO2-equivalent emissions were prevented from entering the atmosphere as a result of its reuse and recycling programs.

That waste related emissions angle is an important one for electric vehicle fans. Driving around in a zero-emission vehicle fine as far as that goes, but sustainable mobility goes beyond the tailpipe to include cradle-to-grave considerations.

Why You Can Love Your Bolt (Or Volt) Even More

Those sustainability considerations can add an element of long term brand value to the bottom line benefits of zero waste.

Brand value is becoming more important as consumers become more savvy about greenwashing, and look for companies with sustainability programs that really do make a difference.

With that in mind, let’s hear from GM’s John Bradburn (following comments edited for flow and readability):

Quote
At GM, our sustainability goals that reach way beyond just zero waste. Zero waste is a benchmark that people can relate to, but what we want to do it go beyond that.

Traditional recycling is something to aspire to, but when we can see something for what it can become, then we move into new territory and use these programs to benefit society, wildlife, habitat, and challenged communities.
 

In other words, GM is zeroing in on reclaiming and re-using, rather than simply throwing more material into the recycling stream. That opens up new opportunities for community engagement and corporate social responsibility. For example, GM is deploying its zero waste strategy to support the community gardening movement in Detroit and other communities. As Bradburn sees it, the company’s support ripples out to embrace a teaching and mentorship role:

I believe that when people touch soil and watch the miracle of growth, and add to the ecosystem, it really does touch people and helps them understand how important the environment is.

One part of the garden program involves repurposing steel shipping baskets  to make raised beds for community gardens. The Chevy Volt also comes directly into play:

Quote
The Volt battery cover is a challenging plastic to recycle, but it can be repurposed. Take a section of the battery cover, flip upside down, put legs on it, and you can create a raised planter box  🌷 🌱 for people who are elderly. It’s big enough for three tomato plants. They have gardened all their lives but now they can’t bend down, so this is perfect for them. 

We also build and distribute these planters 🎍 to physically challenged groups, for the very purpose of being able to garden.

If that is starting to ring some bells, you might be thinking of GM’s bat houses made from Volt battery covers. As Bradford emphasizes, that project is aimed at ecosystem rehabilitation including urban areas (think pest control) as well as suburban and rural habitats.

On Beyond Electric Vehicles

Our conversation included some observations about GM’s recent work in recovering waterborne plastic. Ocean plastic has been a huge issue for years and the media spotlight has recently intensified.

The interesting thing about GM’s interest is that ocean plastic is not generally an issue for the car industry. It’s more of a consumer-end problem. Nevertheless, GM has accumulated considerable expertise in waste recovery, and its involvement in the ocean plastic issue demonstrates how companies can apply their in-house sustainability programs to broader issues.

GM has been working with the nonprofit Living Lands and Waters Group (it also partners with the US Business Council for Sustainable Development) to tackle the river end of the ocean plastic issue, which is a logical place to focus because rivers are the major source of ocean plastic. Bradburn explains:

Quote
We did a zero waste Ohio River demonstration event in Cincinnati last year, in which we collected all of the various materials from the shoreline and recycled them.

Polystyrene foams are a prevalent type of plastic on the shoreline, so one of the interesting projects that came out from that is artificial rocks.

The styrofoam has stays in the river for a long time, and it gets pushed around in the mud. It naturally shaped itself into rocks, so basically what I did was dried and coated them to a material to look more like rocks.

They can be used for interior walls. It’s another example of how we need to look at things not as they are, but for what they can become.

Bradburn concluded with some thoughts on how GM’s zero waste leadership has helped to push waste management out from behind the factory gates to focus on broader sustainability issues — and how that reflects on electric vehicle ownership and intergenerational collaboration, too:

We believe very strongly about community outreach and commitment and the global environment. As a leader part of our job is to mentor others on how these sort of things are possible.

As an environmental professional, when I’m out in the field talking to people, everybody who has our vehicles loves them, they tell me how much they love their electric vehicles. There is a lot of great enthusiasm out there.

It really is going to be an interesting way of life in the future, when we look at all these technologies that are coming at us so fast. I feel strongly that we need to take the experience and wisdom of people who have been around a long time, and who have experienced life for many years, and combine that with the imagination and enthusiasm of our youth.

Circling back around to Barra’s comments last week, the CEO  had some interesting things to say about Bolt’s production numbers and the impact of the federal tax credit. In an interview with CNBC, Barra also emphasized the company’s commitment to an all-electric future with “zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion.” 

GM is also upping its interest in autonomous cars and the electric vehicle rental car side of things — like Ford, GM sees the plus side of diversifying outward from of the individual car ownership model to include various forms of car sharing.

https://cleantechnica.com/2018/03/12/another-reason-love-bolt-volt-electric-vehicle-ct-exclusive-interview/
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Electric Vehicles
« Reply #371 on: March 14, 2018, 08:04:15 pm »


Going Green: Norwegian Shipbuilders Turning to Battery Power ⚡

March 13, 2018 by Mike Schuler

SNIPPET:

Pictured: The world’s first fully electric , battery-powered car and passenger ferry, Ampere, has been operating in Norway since 2015. Photo courtesy Siemens

By Mikael Holter and Jeremy Hodges (Bloomberg) — Not far from Norway’s North Sea oil rigs, shipbuilders are assembling some of the first ferry boats ever to be powered entirely by batteries.

For years, the yard, nestled against the deep-blue sea waters and snow-clad mountains of the country’s deepest fjord, mostly made fuel-guzzling boats for the oil industry. But orders vanished as crude slumped in recent years. Now, like other Norwegian industries, its future prosperity depends on going green.

“If you look at the next five years, this is what we’ll be doing,” said Erlend Hatleberg, a project manager at Havyard Group ASA, which runs the Sognefjord shipyard that’s switched to specializing in boats with battery technology similar to plug-in cars. “We were in a really deep trough. But activity is back.”

While progress in electrifying the world’s excessively polluting shipping fleets is miles behind advances in automobiles, Europe is making initial strides as Paris Climate Accord goals to cut carbon dioxide emissions loom large. Dozens of battery-powered boats that can move through inland waterways in Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands are about to make their first voyages, including some able to run fully automatically without a crew.

Nowhere is this push more prevalent than Norway, a country where almost all electricity produced is hydropower, the state oil company is expanding into offshore wind farming and people drive more electric cars, per capita, than any country in the world.

Next up, Norway wants two-thirds of all boats carrying both passengers and cars along its jagged and windy Atlantic coastline to be electrified by 2030. Havyard is filling 13 orders for zero-emission ferries received since 2016.

Havyard Group recently announced it has received an order for seven battery-powered ferries to Fjord1. Image credit: Havyard

Zooming out, though, the progress may be a drop in the bucket. To really slash maritime pollution would require the 50,000 tankers, freighters and carriers traversing the oceans to switch to renewable energy. The largest use diesel engines as big as a four-story house, with emissions comparable to 64,000 passenger cars.

Without big changes, the International Council on Clean Transportation warns sea transport could be responsible for 17 percent of CO2 emissions by 2050, up :P from 2-3 percent now. But shipping was omitted from the Paris deal and battery technologies haven’t evolved enough for long ocean voyages, according to the International Maritime Organization, which is set to reveal in April an initial set of guidelines for cutting greenhouse gases.

Full artcle:

http://gcaptain.com/going-green-norwegian-shipbuilders-turning-to-battery-power/
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Electric Vehicles
« Reply #372 on: March 15, 2018, 08:56:44 pm »
Which major car group owns Tesla?

March 12, 2018

David Herron, Lead Software Engineer at Amzur Technologies (2017-present)

Tesla is no longer called Tesla Motors, and has product lines in solar power and energy storage besides the car products we’re more familiar with.

The company is not a subsidiary of some other conglomerate of something or other. It is a standalone company, built the hard way with investment dollars and employees.

There was a time in 2008–9–10 when Toyota and Daimler both bought chunks of Tesla Motors (as it was called at that time). Tesla Motors was close to the edge of bankruptcy, and needed the investment dollars. Both Toyota and Daimler have since pulled out of Tesla, selling their stakes.

The money Toyota invested into Tesla almost exactly equalled the price Tesla paid to Toyota for the factory in Fremont. Toyota and GM had jointly operated that factory, with GM pulling out during the crash of the auto industry, and Toyota deciding they’d better shutter the plant. Tesla as a result got the factory for a song, and that’s the asset which is most propelling Tesla’s growth.

During that time period, Tesla Motors and Toyota jointly developed the Gen2 Toyota RAV4 EV. When it was unveiled, that car was designed on the outgoing RAV4 platform - meaning that updating the RAV4 EV to the new RAV4 platform would have meant a redesign. Additionally, Toyota announced they’d be selling exactly 2,500 of the RAV4 EV’s, presumably enough to gain CARB ZEV compliance.

For Daimler, Tesla helped the company with development of the B Class Electric and IIRC a version of the Smart ED. Since then Daimler has decided to go their own way rather than rely on Tesla’s technology, and sold out their stake.

Because Tesla relies on investor dollars to keep afloat, its stock ownership is spread among a group of investment houses. Arthur Stepanyan’s answer gives good details on this. The largest shareholder stake is Elon Musk, the CEO.

Arthur Stepanyan, Car fanatic since the age of 8

Tesla is not owned by any major car company. I’m not sure if any car - or auto industry - company owns a bit of Tesla stock, but the major shareholders do not include any such companies. They are as follows, based on available data:

More than 50% of Tesla Motors Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) shares outstanding are held by 13 individuals and three investment firms. Of the 13 individuals, CEO Elon Musk owns 26.5% of the outstanding shares, and the other 12 collectively own 1.2%.

The percentages are based on a share count of 131.42 million shares outstanding as of December 31, 2015, according to the company's definitive proxy statement filed ahead of its May annual stockholders meeting.

That Musk still holds more than a quarter of the company's shares should be no surprise. What may be surprising is the Musk's salary in 2015 was a meager $37,584. Chief Financial Officer Jason Wheeler's salary was almost as low, at $46,154, but Wheeler received nearly $21 million in stock options for the year and Musk received none. Tesla's chief technical officer, Jeffrey Straubel, was paid a salary of $250,560 in 2015 and received no stock awards.

Here's a look at Tesla's top five shareholders.

Elon Musk, founder and CEO, owns 37.19 million shares (26.5% of shares outstanding at the end of December 2015). At Tuesday's closing price, the shares are valued at $8.45 billion.

Tesla's second largest shareholder is FMR LLC, a Fidelity company, which owns 10.2% (13.34 million) of Tesla's outstanding shares. FMR's stake is valued at $3.03 billion. FMR's largest holdings include stakes of nearly $26 billion in both classes of Google stock, $17.4 billion in Facebook stock and nearly $16 billion in Apple stock.

Baillie Gifford & Co. is Tesla's third-largest shareholder, with 10.71 million shares (10.2% of shares outstanding), valued at $2.43 billion. The investment firm is based in the United Kingdom and has its largest holdings in Amazon ($4.85 billion), Baidu ($4.8 billion) and Alibaba ($3.37 billion).

Tesla's fourth-largest stockholder is T. Rowe Price Associates, which holds 7.87 million shares, valued at about $1.79 billion. The investment firm's largest holdings are Amazon ($13.6 billion), Microsoft ($9.23 billion) and Facebook ($7.75 billion).

The fifth largest stockholder is Tesla's chief technical officer, Jeffrey Straubel, who beneficially owns 584,601 shares, valued at $132.82 million

https://www.quora.com/Which-major-car-group-owns-Tesla


He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Electric Vehicles
« Reply #373 on: March 21, 2018, 02:50:02 pm »


Eventually, Joe Schmo Will Have His Electric Car “Lightbulb Moment”

March 21st, 2018 by Matt Pressman

Originally published on EVANNEX


SNIPPET:

Tesla’s Elon Musk recently said, “If somebody said you’re gonna pour the liquid remains of dinosaurs into your vehicle and burn them in order to move from one place to another, releasing toxic fumes – and by the way, you better not have your car on in a closed room cause you’re gonna die – you’d say, ‘Why are we doing that?’ People drive basically parked in traffic with the air inlet [open] for their cabin right in front of the exhaust pipe of another car. It’s insane. You’re sucking up the toxic gas from the car in front of you.”


Finkel puts this all in historical perspective; he reminds us. “In the 1880s, the idea of electric street lights seemed absurd. If you had to light the streets, you did it with gas. Gas lamps were a fire hazard, smelled terrible and were barely an improvement on total darkness. Apart from that, they were fine… The problems were obvious; the potential was only visible to those with the courage to look.”

Full article:

https://cleantechnica.com/2018/03/21/eventually-joe-schmo-will-electric-car-lightbulb-moment/

Agelbert COMMENT:

Well said. I would add that insane behavior is conducive to a short life span.

"The data shows the climate policy agenda, in terms of corporate influencing 🐲, is being driven by a small number of massive global corporations 🐉🦕🦖  .
It also shows a group of powerful of companies in the tech, consumer goods and utilities sectors increasingly pushing for policy to implement the Paris Agreement." - Dylan Tanner, Executive Director, InfluenceMap

“Lobbying should come under the same scrutiny as any other business activity. If companies 😈 are making a concerted effort to undermine climate policy, they may well be driving a systemic risk that will impact portfolios.” - Alice Garton, Corporate lawyer, ClientEarth

"Corporations can greatly influence what policies are adopted to address climate change. Thus it is important to extend the analysis of corporate behavior beyond its physical emissions. This accounting system clearly shows which corporations are assisting in a transition to a low carbon future, and those that are hindering this effort. Investors concerned about climate change need to take corporate policy actions into account in their investment decisions." - Robert J. Brulle, Professor of Sociology and Environmental Science, Drexel University

https://influencemap.org/report/Corporate-Carbon-Policy-Footprint-4274a464677481802bd502ffff008d74

He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Electric Vehicles
« Reply #374 on: March 21, 2018, 08:52:32 pm »
EcoWatch

World's First Mass-Market 3D-Printed Electric Car Costs Less Than $10K :o

The world's first mass-produced 3D-printed electric vehicle could hit the roads by 2019.


Italian startup X Electrical Vehicle (XEV) and Shanghai-based Polymaker, a 3D-printing filament manufacturer, are behind the LSEV—a $9,500 two-seater with a top speed of 42 miles per hour and a range of 93 miles.

Except for its windows, tires and chassis, just about every part of the LSEV is made from polyamide, or nylon.

"To me, XEV is the first real mass production project using 3D printing," said Dr. Luo Xiaofan, the co-founder of Polymaker in a clip touting the project. "When I say 'real,' of course there has been other companies using 3D printing for production, but nothing can really compare with XEV in terms of the scale, the size and the intensity."

According to media reports, the car has already received 7,000 pre-orders from the Italian postal service and Arval, a car sharing service owned by BNP Paribas.

If everything actually goes to plan, it's a pretty genius move to combine electric cars with 3D printing—two rapidly booming industries. Experts predict that electric vehicles will make up 35 percent of global new car sales by 2040 and will soon become cheaper than purchasing and running a traditional gas guzzler. The 3D printing market—which is expected to cross $13 billion—could help buoy the EV sector because it offers endless customization options and could drastically cut development and production time and costs.

Case in point, the 950-pound LSEV is made from only 57 parts, whereas a typical car weighs twice as much and has more than 2,000 parts.

"The research and development process of a car model conventionally takes between three to five years, but 3D-printed cars like XEV only take between three months to 12 months," said Luo.

Investment costs were also reduced more than 70 percent in comparison with a conventionally manufactured vehicle, he noted.

China has emerged as a major electric car buyer. In an effort to slash emissions and curtail its notorious pollution problem, the Chinese government offers big subsidies to electric car manufacturers.

Guo Xiaozheng, a senior designer at XEV, told the South China Morning Post that Beijing plans to issue new laws for low-speed electric vehicles by the second half of this year, meaning its cars could become even cheaper in the near future.

"Production costs can be slashed further as volume increases and by 2024, the total costs for our cars will be cut by half," Guo said.

A prototype of the LSEV is currently displayed at Shanghai's China 3D-printing Culture Museum. It will also be exhibited at Auto China 2018 in Beijing next month.

https://www.ecowatch.com/3d-printed-electric-car-2549882492.html
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

 

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