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Li3PS4 and similar solid state experiments eventually died out because they decompose at high voltages.
Japan’s NIMS reports highly stable cycling of nanoporous, amorphous silicon anodes for all-solid-state lithium batteries
Researchers at Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) have reported that nanoporous, amorphous silicon film anodes can show excellent cycling stability with extremely high lithium storage capacity: 2962 mAh g−1 and 2.19 mAh cm−2 after 100 cycles. An open-access paper on their wo...
More proof that Utah is the promised land.
Study: air pollution along Utah’s Wasatch Front causes more than 200 pneumonia cases each year
Air pollution trapped along the Wasatch Front by winter inversions is estimated to send more than 200 people to the emergency room with pneumonia each year, according to a study by University of Utah Health and Intermountain Healthcare. Bad air quality especially erodes the health of adults ove...
Didn't see that comin' at all. /sarcasm
Volume production of Tesla Model 3 pushed back to late Q1 2018; battery module problems; record loss in Q3 2017
In its third-quarter 2017 financial results update, Tesla Motors reported that it is delaying its expected start of volume production—defined here as 5,000 Model 3 vehicles per week—to “late Q1 2018”. The company was earlier targeting that milestone for “some time in 2017”. (Earlier post.) As fi...
Weather does not equal climate, Harvey.
WMO reports GHG concentrations at highest in 800K years
Concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere surged at a record-breaking speed in 2016 to the highest level in 800,000 years, according to the World Meteorological Organization’s Greenhouse Gas Bulletin. Globally averaged concentrations of CO2 reached 403.3 parts per million in 2016, up fr...
So CARB extorts money from VW for causing air quality issues and then instead of helping the people that supposedly harmed, CARB then uses the money to expand its operations. Nice.
California Air Resources Board breaks ground for new $419M lab, headquarters in Riverside; $154M from VW settlement
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) broke ground on its new state-of-the-art Southern California headquarters. The 380,000-square-foot building will be home to one of the largest and most advanced vehicle emissions testing and research facilities in the world. Construction costs of $419 m...
Lad, your miopic view is amusing. Cadillac sales are up not just in the U.S., but globally. And have been since the recession. GM has EVs.. the Bolt, the Volt, the Spark, and the ELR to name a few. GM is also the recognized leader in fuel cell technologies and just JV'd with Honda for production.
Your statement that the ICE is "obsolete" is also hilarious. We have at least another 50 years of ICE dominance in automotive. Battery electrics currently make up about 1% of the overall market and electrified vehicles about 3-4% of it. Automotive moves in decades, not weeks.
Cadillac demonstrates V2I capability with traffic siginals
Cadillac’s CTS sedan, one of the first production vehicles to contain Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communication (earlier post), has now successfully demonstrated Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) capability in Michigan. Cadillac CTS development vehicles received real-time data from traffic controlle...
Tesla isn't "years ahead" and certainly isn't actively promoting their cars as being capable of fully automated driving. Tesla has little to lose if their cars get into trouble, which is happening, because of the misnamed "Auto Pilot" system. It's called BETA software for a reason. Note that the promotional page you quote uses FUTURE tense, not present. You also poignantly left out the huge disclaimer below that which clearly states that IT'S NOT REALLY AVAILABLE YET.
That doesn't even look at liability. Tesla makes a couple of thousand cars a month. Volkswagen makes tens of thousands. If VW put Tesla's systems into their cars and put it out to the public, they'd face billions in potential lawsuits and jeopardizes hundreds of billions in assets and tens of thousand of jobs globally. Tesla faces only a few million in losses and maybe bankruptcy and the loss of a few hundred jobs in California.
I'm sorry, but given their track records, I'd trust the safety systems in a long-awaited VW system over the "F the consequences" bulldog approach of Tesla any day. Between the low reliability findings for Tesla's vehicles and the human life consequences involved, I think prudence is far more justified.
Cars aren't smartphones.
Volkswagen’s 10-year evolution of Park Assist; heading toward trained parking and higher levels of autonomy
Volkswagen first introduced a parking assistance system based on ultrasonic sensors in the early 1990s. However, it was the “Park Assist” Gen 1 system presented in the Touran in 2007 that marked a foundational point in the commercial development of the technology. After it was activated, Park A...
@CheeseEater88 They do it for both emissions and because high compression engines have a tendency to pre-burn (misfire) if the fuel is not vaporized enough and injected at exactly the right time. The extra control over fuel dispersion port injection adds gives them a better burn rate. Which results in better emissions, lower fuel usage, and controlled timing.
2017 Ford F-150 to offer 2nd-gen 3.5L EcoBoost with dual direct and port fuel injection; 10-speed automatic
The 2017 Ford F-150 will offer an all-new, second-generation 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine and 10-speed transmission. The new 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine will provide 30 lb-ft more peak torque compared with the first-generation 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine, up to a best-in-class 450 lb-ft (610 N·m) for ...
If these work as expected, they'd be perfect for tanker vessels hauling oil, compressed gasses, etc. as well as for many very large fishing vessels and the like. As mahonj points out, not so much for most cargo and passenger vessels.
ETI to launch project to develop Flettner rotor sails for ships; seeking at least 10% improvement in fuel efficiency
The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) in the UK is seeking partners for a new project which it hopes will deliver fuel savings of at least 10% for large shipping vessels. The Flettner Rotor Supply, Install and Commission Project will deliver a full scale demonstrator of Flettner Rotor technol...
I suppose that this puts them "18 months away" from production like every other press release they've put out over the last six years has done?
Elio Motors releases body framing and engine cradle design to suppliers for E-Series engineering prototype builds
Elio Motors, the startup vehicle manufacturer launching a three-wheeled vehicle that will get up to 84 MPG with a targeted base price of $6,800 (earlier post), has released to its suppliers the body framing and engine cradle design for its E-Series engineering prototypes. The E-Series prototype...
What? An EV story that doesn't fawn over Tesla? OUTRAGEOUS! BLASPHEMY!
New automotive application for second-life batteries from electric vehicles
On the sidelines of the COP21 summit, Carwatt and its partners Renault, Paris City Council, BPI France, the Alès École des Mines Engineering School, and the Bobigny Business Campus are showing a converted Renault Trafic powered by second-life lithium-ion batteries recycled from Renault electric...
Obviously CheeseEater88 is the definitive source for truck ownership. And typical of most battery electric EVangelists. No clue what the real market wants, only what he thinks it should want.
Chevy Colorado diesel pickup EPA-rated at up to 31 mpg highway
The 2016 Chevrolet Colorado two-wheel drive with the Duramax turbo-diesel (earlier post) will be the most fuel efficient pickup in the US, offering an Environmental Protection Agency-estimated 31 mpg (7.58 l/100 km) highway fuel economy. The EPA-estimated highway fuel economy for 2016 Colorado ...
Ya, Nick, that V6 is great.. until you try to tow or haul something heavy. Which is kind of the point of a truck.
Chevy Colorado diesel pickup EPA-rated at up to 31 mpg highway
The 2016 Chevrolet Colorado two-wheel drive with the Duramax turbo-diesel (earlier post) will be the most fuel efficient pickup in the US, offering an Environmental Protection Agency-estimated 31 mpg (7.58 l/100 km) highway fuel economy. The EPA-estimated highway fuel economy for 2016 Colorado ...
@CheeseEater88 - GM did idle the LG plant a few years ago, but it's been up and running since mid-year last year and just underwent a small expansion to add another production shift. The Bolt is coming soon and LG is building those batteries. They also build the electronics in most OnStar systems. They're a very integral part of the Bolt, supplying a lot of parts for it.
Samsung SDI opens Li-ion battery plant for EVs in China
Samsung SDI held a completion ceremony for its new EV battery plant was held at Gaoxin Industrial District within Xi’an, Shaanxi Province of China. Samsung SDI is the first global battery manufacturer to construct an EV battery plant and initiate mass production in China. The Xi’an plant has ...
(Insert inevitable Tesla comment here. Oh! Too late!)
The LG plant is in CHINA because in CHINA you have to build there or you cannot sell there. Pretty simple why they're doing this.
Samsung SDI opens Li-ion battery plant for EVs in China
Samsung SDI held a completion ceremony for its new EV battery plant was held at Gaoxin Industrial District within Xi’an, Shaanxi Province of China. Samsung SDI is the first global battery manufacturer to construct an EV battery plant and initiate mass production in China. The Xi’an plant has ...
Your post, electric-car-insider.com, proves that green car proponents:
1) Have no idea how automotive marketing works.
2) Have no idea what advertising's goals usually are.
3) Are clueless about who the target market is.
4) You think you have a superior knowledge of how to make a 16-second commercial people will actually watch.. but don't.
5) Can draw conclusions based on nothing tangible.
The ad is clearly aimed at a younger market. Probably a lot younger than you. The Focus has sporty driving and a fast pace as its primary selling points in this BEV, unlike teh LEAF. Unbeknownst to most EVangelists who cannot fathom anything beyond their mother's basement, most car buyers are emotional buyers, not logical ones. You get people into dealerships by showing off the cool factor.
This is why most automotive commercials (or any other commercial that actually sells) show unrealistic scenarios. How often does the soccer mom really "save the day" by having a miniature school bus at her disposal to get the entire soccer team to the game on a moment's notice? How often does the truck owner actually go to a jobsite and load a bunch of heavy crap into his otherwise pristine pickup and haul it around on dirt roads before meeting his beautiful model wife at the barn? How often do sports car buyers actually, realistically, take their cars to the track and blow away the competition in drifting and performance driving?
Ya, so, by all means, pretend that commercials as documentaries about a car will actually sell it. They don't.
BTW, when all of those used Focus cars hit the market, they'll sell like five-day-old dead fish. Just like all of the other used EVs do.
Ford launches first Focus Electric ad
Almost 4 years after the car’s market introduction (December 2011) and after selling some 5,500 units, Ford has launched its first Focus Electric ad. The ad ties to a larger Ford campaign, “By Design”—the first dedicated campaign for Ford cars, analogous to the “Built Ford Tough” campaign for tr...
Or the commercial could be a 16-second spot designed to SELL A CAR.
If you want a documentary, go friggin make one. Ford is in the business of selling cars, not promoting Henrik's green agenda.
Ford launches first Focus Electric ad
Almost 4 years after the car’s market introduction (December 2011) and after selling some 5,500 units, Ford has launched its first Focus Electric ad. The ad ties to a larger Ford campaign, “By Design”—the first dedicated campaign for Ford cars, analogous to the “Built Ford Tough” campaign for tr...
Henrik the Tesla champion strikes out again. Not only is he comparing apples to oranges and claiming the Tesla warranty to be "superior," he's doing so with a statement that only propounds his obvious ignorance. Hyundai and Kia both offer 100,000 mile powertrain warranties on their vehicles and for a full TEN years, not just eight. They were pioneers in doing so, offering this before Tesla was even incorporated, let alone producing a car. Oh and on vehicles that cost less than a 1/4 of what the Model S does. DOH!
Volkswagen launches new Passat GTE plug-in hybrid in Europe
Volkswagen has launched its second plug-in hybrid based on a high-volume production model: the Passat GTE, available either as a sedan or Variant (wagon)—the first plug-in hybrid from Volkswagen to be sold as either. (Earlier post, earlier post.) The Passat GTE and Passat GTE Variant will arrive...
"Blah blah blah" says the guy who's never driven one. This car outruns the Tesla Model S or Roadster, is built in a far more sustainable manner than the Model S or Roadster, and has a far longer range than the Model S or Roadster. It's also a better drive, gets fuel economy that even a Prius would envy, and is one of the coolest looking cars on the planet.
But it's not "cool" enough for Dr. Strangelove.
BMW wins overall International Engine of Year 2015 for hybrid drive system in i8 PHEV
BMW took top honors at the latest International Engine of the Year Awards, with the 1.5-liter, three-cylinder hybrid drive unit in the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid being declared the overall winner—as well as picking up two class wins—edging out Ford’s 1.0L three-cylinder EcoBoost. BMW also picked up a...
@Brent: "High fracturing water use or consumption alone does not necessarily result in impacts to drinking water resources, the reviewers found."
EPA draft assessment finds no widespread, systemic impacts to drinking water resources from fracking
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a draft assessment on the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing activities on drinking water resources in the United States. The assessment, done at the request of Congress, found that hydraulic fracturing activities in the US are carried...
Too bad this entire report is completely irrelevant. The CAFE measurements are made using NHTSA MPG numbers, which are completely different from those produced by the EPA via manufacturers. When I reached out to the professor in charge of producing this report a few days ago, I got no response. This report is nothing more than headline fodder from the UofM.
UMTRI: automakers have surpassed new CAFE requirements for past 3 years
In the three years since the new CAFE standard for fuel economy has been in effect, automakers have surpassed it each year, improving new-vehicle fuel economy by about a mile per gallon annually, according to an analysis by Brandon Schoettle and Dr. Michael Sivak of the University of Michigan T...
You mean "The right products, in the right place, at the right time AND PAID FOR BY GOVERNMENT may be the secret.."
National Electric Vehicle Sweden to lay off up to 200 employees
NEVS (National Electric Vehicle Sweden), the company struggling to bring the Saab brand back to life, said that it intends to lay off up to 200 employees due to lack of work, as the decision to re-start production will be further delayed. NEVS had retained its permanent workforce for producti...
You know why that is, sheckyvegas? It's because all of the hype and political tripe around AGW is based on these models that are continually being shown to be false. That's why. If you cannot model any of the warming that's occurring without making the science look dodgy and slanted, people are going to assume you have an agenda.
New study on Holocene conundrum suggests need for reexamination of both proxy data and climate models
In an open access paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from the US, China and Europe re-examine the “Holocene conundrum”—a contradiction between the results of reconstructed data records and model-based climate simulations. Marine and terrestrial proxy tempe...
Is this is same stupid Obama plan that couldn't get the number of counties in Hawaii right and the one that thinks that a 0.00004% increase in asthma attacks is somehow significant?
Ya, thanks but no thanks. I think we need someone intelligent and capable of basic research (at least the ability to Google, for hell's sakes) making decisions. Not that chump.
Obama climate plan calls for new fuel economy standards for heavy-duty vehicles post-2018; cleaner fuels and investment in advanced fossil energy
Among the transportation-related elements of US President Barack Obama’s new climate action plan, which he is outlining today in a speech at Georgetown University, is the development of new fuel economy standards for heavy-duty vehicles post-2018. In 2011, the Obama Administration finalized the...
Meanwhile, Al Gore still walks free..
Man sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for selling $9 million in fraudulent renewable fuel credits
US District Judge William D. Quarles, Jr. sentenced Rodney R. Hailey, of Perry Hall, Md., to nearly 12 years and six months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for selling $9 million in renewable fuel credits which he falsely claimed were produced by his company, Clean Gre...
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