OT: Electric vehicles
- Thread starter BellyFullOfWhiteDogCrap
- Start date
In the EV space, there are currently no competitors.
Tesla is about to more than double production capacity. Berlin and Austin?
Back to the Leaf and Nissan, wonder why Nissan never put more effort into expansion of EV models. They say they have plans in the future but they have been in the non-hybrid EV market since 2011, second only to Tesla.
If current automakers had their way, EVs would not exist. Tesla is dragging all of them into the future.
So, why is Nissan and other legacy auto manufactures late to the party?
EVs aren't profitable.
An ICE engineer and an EV engineer are not one in the same.
EVs are software driven.
Factories have to be retrofitted to manufacture EVs or new factories have to be built.
Different supply chains have to be put in place.
Dinosaur executives that are more concerned with their retirement compensation rather than innovation and change.
Domestically, union labor makes rapid change difficult.
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Yes, but part constrains will mitigate all the production capacity. That’s why they are raising prices right?
I don't think so. Austin and Berlin coming online aren't exactly surprises. Tesla is prepared. What parts constraint are you referring to?
Price hikes are in response to a surge in orders. That's business.
It’ll be interesting to see if they can keep that margin when majority of the cars are not made in China.
Telsa is raising prices because they can.
As if things can’t get any nuttier, earthquake in Japan has now idled three microchip plants. Pretty soon, The Walking Dead will have an episode about zombies delaying car production.
Seems like most/all car dealers are raising their prices. These days, almost everybody can.
Did not realize the Hummer EV was a 9,000 pound beast. They had a 10 vehicle recall already for tail lights.
I posted a while back about the weight of the EV Hummer. It remains a head scratcher why GM would even make this vehicle, given the low sales volume and ridiculous 210 kWh battery pack. The battery pack alone weighs more than a small sedan and 210 kWh would be enough batteries for 3 sedans.
From an engineering perspective, it is befuddling. Someone from GM says as much in one of the links above.
But the Hummer commercial kicks ***! Much better than Tesla commercials!!
Is this is one of those EVs our politicians are imploring us to buy to reduce reliance on gasoline--if Lebron has one, everyone should be able to get one too, right? 
Wonder how much Missy Elliot and Timbaland received for the licensing of that song, and perhaps GM would be better served investing those $$$$ into battery research to make the vehicle lighter and more efficient?
The best use of that song that will never be topped is the 40 Year Old Virgin:
100%
The GM Bolt fires and recalls are well documented. You'd think GM would move away from large, pouch style cells since this particular battery form factor is the most prone to thermal runaway (fire).
So, what does GM do after the Bolt fiasco? Double down on large pouch cells for all of their upcoming EVs.
I guess $billions in advertising takes priority over battery research/safety.
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There are hybrids available for $20,000 like the Maverick . Don’t know what the lowest price electric is.
The Rivian is not quite as ugly as the the Cybertruck, but is is close lol. That being said, great to see more trucks and cars made in America.
Hybrids and "full" EVs are two different categories. Hybrids have been around and mass produced longer than full EVs.
The cheapest available EV right now (I think) is the Nissan Leaf, at about $28,500, before the federal tax credit. For reasons discussed above, this vehicle may not work for a lot of people. While EV purists may disagree, hybrids are a good compromise.
On the federal tax credit, many people purchasing cars for less than $30,000 may not have the income that would allow for that $7,500 credit (I think?). So, if correct, that $7,500 credit may not be available to those without sufficient income that would be granted a $7500 tax credit:
They make it because cars (trucks/SUVs) can be great fun, not just a means of transportation, which is very boring.
And people who would be in the market for something like an EV Hummer would probably love it if the battery could power 10 sedans. It’s an exercise in excess. The more “ridiculous”, the better.
It’s not for you (or for me either). But it‘s not head scratching why it’s being built. Not at all.
When one considers that the original Hummer (the vehicle!!) was a huge gas guzzler. The current EV model seems to be in keeping with the image of being an exercise in excess as you put it. But something seems inherently wrong with an EV celebrating and flouting excess. It's kind of like a tree hugger buying an electric chain saw, or something like that (maybe a bad analogy--no offense to tree huggers).
Hummer is cool. But too rich for me. I totally understand why GM did it.
Hey! I love trees!
Being the contrarian I am, I find the dichotomy between the purported environmental goodness of the fact it’s an EV and the apparent evil of it being so excessive, kind of cool. I was never a fan of the original ICE hummers, but this one is weird enough to make me like it.
I don’t want one. But, still, I like it.
Like I always say: everything in moderation. Including moderation.
Expect to see a lot more grid-based battery storage in the future.
Backlog for Megapack into 2023. A very good sign.
You're not missing anything. Teslas sold in the US are made in the US. Berlin will supply Europe (once fully ramped). Shanghai takes care of Asia and exports to the rest of the world.
@jtung230 is a very bitter soul. HIs Tesla talking points come from the "experts" who lost $millions shorting the stock.
So...Model Y customers just want a living room couch that they can use to surf the net on?
Belly, when fully operational, do you know how many full time jobs will be created at the Texas plant?
lol...no.
Shanghai is expanding. Phase 2 begins production next month. Total production ~2 million units/year.
Although deliveries will begin next month, Austin will not be "fully operational" any time soon. Tesla purchased a **** ton of land around the current Austin factory (~3X the size of downtown Austin) In addition to the main building, they are currently constructing a battery cathode facility. Other announced projects are an ecological preserve. No other plans have been announced, but they own A LOT of property around factory. Tens of thousands will be employed with no end of expansion any time soon.