Featured Threads Archive
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EVs continue to get cleaner.
The Union of Concerned Scientists has updated their paper on how clean EVs really are in each region in the U.S.
New Numbers Are In and EVs Are Cleaner Than Ever - Union of Concerned Scientists
This one has a fun active map where you can compare the previous update with 2012 data vs 2014 data.
In MN, the average EV runs as cleanly (Greenhouse Gas wise) as a car that gets a combined 51mpg!
Being a Minnesota resident, I was very happy to see this and hope to see continued improvements.
Interestingly, a couple of regions actually lost ground.
Weighted by sales data, EVs have reached about 73mpg (CO2-wise) in the U.S. -
Ceres Power - Solid State Electrolyte Fuel Cells
A word of caution after the YouTube:
I am reminded of how NiMH batteries became a dead-end because the patents were held too tightly. Available for data centers, NiMH licenses all but banned them for transportation. Yet Toyota managed to get in before the curtain came down to the success of the Prius. Unintended, this increased the efforts in LiON batteries which are rapidly relegating NiMH to a footnote of history.
The problem is "Ceres" is limiting who can get access to their technology. In the USA, Cummins who also have a significant investment in ICE powered systems. Cummins advertises their interest in this technology for data center power ... the same grave of NiMH battery systems.
If history repeats itself, it means inspiration and investment of other, natural gas fed, fuel cell technologies. Trying to partner with "big companies" is the death of the technology until it become irrelevant. Here is the CEO of Ceres reading their last... -
Novel idea from the Hyundai Ioniq
Novel idea. Wish our Prii had this feature:
"If you should accidentally leave a light on or something plugged in and the battery gets drained, there's no need for a jump-start. Just push a button on the dash and the car's big onboard battery pack will quick charge the 12-volt portion of the battery. No more calling AAA for a jump or dragging out jumper cables and hoping for a kind Samaritan to help you, and no replacing the heavy 12-volt battery every couple of years." - from cars.com website -
Automotive Grade Linux in 2018 Camry
Might Toyota consider activating Android Auto & Apple CarPlay? Looks like a step in the right direction.
"Because Toyota was one of the first to work on the project, it's had a heavy influence in AGL's development and direction." -
Daimler Battery Plans
Source: Daimler Spends $1.15B Building Two EV Battery Plants | TheDetroitBureau.com
With investments in electric vehicles and batteries continuing to climb in the industrial world, Germany’s Daimler AG has broken ground for a new 500-million-euro battery factory near Dresden that is being described as one of the largest and most modern plants of its kind in the world.
. . .
“The battery factory in Kamenz is an important component in the implementation of our electric offensive. By 2022, we will have more than ten purely electric passenger cars in series. We also continue to drive forward the hybridization of our fleet. Under the EQ brand, we are creating a holistic ecosystem for e-mobility,” said Zetsche, who was accompanied to the ground-breaking ceremony by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
. . .
Moreover, Daimler has assumed that the proportion of electric... -
Curious EV economics
Source: UBS: Chevy Bolt Powertrain $4,600 Cheaper Than Thought, Tesla Model 3 Likely To Be Profitable | CleanTechnica
The UBS team found that the powertrain for the Bolt was $4,600 cheaper to produce than originally thought, “with much cost reduction potential left.” It also found that the electronics built into the car cost about $4,000 more than those in a conventional car, not including the cost of the battery. But they say GM is losing money on every Bolt they sell. “We estimate that GM loses $7,400 in earnings before interest and tax on every Bolt sold today, mainly due to a lack of scale.”
The same analysts say they expect Tesla to lose $2,800 on entry-level versions of its soon to be introduced Model 3 but think customers will opt for extra cost options that will raise the average selling price to $41,000 — $6,000 more than the base... -
1st ¼Year's EV Sales at 2.7% in CA
With low gas prices & mediocre economy - not too shabby, as Cali is the largest plugin market in the U.S.
Bolt EV helps boost electric car sales by 91% in California - LA Times
Looking forward to Toyota jumping into the fray & giving both Tesla & the Bolt a run for their money. Maybe get electrics up over 3% of market share !!
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Motortrend: Prime vs Volt (and other alt. vehicle comparisons)
Finally saw an article that seems fair in it's evaluation of the Prius Prime! This writer not only covers the theoretical aspects of each car, but then goes into SOME of the real-life advantages of Prime over Volt.
Future Car Special: Comparing Hybrids, Plug-Ins, EVs, and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars - Motor Trend
Yeah! One for our team[emoji16][emoji16][emoji23][emoji41]
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U.S. Shale Is Immune To An Oil Price Crash In 2017
Source: U.S. Shale Is Immune To An Oil Price Crash In 2017 | OilPrice.com
Since OPEC announced the production cut deal at the end of November, industry analysts have been warning that rising production from producers outside the deal—U.S. shale in particular—is effectively capping the oil price gains from that agreement.
Four months after the OPEC/NOPEC deal took effect, oil prices droppedto the levels preceding the agreement, amid concerns over still stubbornly high inventories and rising U.S. output.
. . .
Since December 2016, oil output in the Lower 48 states, minus the Gulf of Mexico, has been on a continuous expansion, with 430,000 bpd growth so far. The growth from the average level in the fourth quarter of 2016 to May 2017 is around 340,000 bpd, Rystad said.... -
Motoring New Zealand: Long-Term Prius Plug-in Hybrid Test
New Zealand does not officially import the Prius PHV (either generation) but it does import used Japanese-spec cars and brings them up to NZ specifications (like replacing the Japanese head unit with a local NZ one).
Edit: It now imports the Prime.
The first 100 ks in our long-term Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid | Stuff.co.nz
The first 1000km in our Toyota Prius PHV | Stuff.co.nz
Why are people so uber-rude about our long-term Prius plug-in? | Stuff.co.nz
Long-term Prius PHV report, with special guest star... -
Toyota Canada Prices 2017 Prius Prime!!
Toyota Canada has finally released Canadian info!!
Major points:
- Launches exclusively in Quebec on June 1, 2017
- Base: $32,900 MSRP ($35,204 under Quebec's all-in pricing law)
- Technology: $38,565 MSRP ($40,779 under Quebec's all-in pricing law)
Colours:
Blizzard Pearl
Magnetic Grey Metallic
Hypersonic Red
Titanium Glow
Blue Magnetism
Launching exclusively in Quebec in response to Quebecers’ leadership in the adoption of hybrid and electric cars, the 2017 Toyota Prius Prime goes on sale June 1 at a price that’s sure to please | Toyota Canada
Prius Prime - Toyota Canada
@PrinceD11 @EddyCurrent... -
MPG Testing is a bit of a Mystery
Source: MPG Testing is a bit of a Mystery: How does your car rank? - Torque News
Ok, I found this article has solid facts and data but a little light-weight in some of the finer details. Of course some of would only be happy with 2-5,000 word essay with charts, graphs, formula, and data. ... You know, what I keep trying to post. <GRINS>
This article is more about plug-in metrics but lets see if anyone wants some boring Bob follow-up posts.
Bob Wilson -
What Drives Us Podcast - #230 When A Mommy And Daddy Unicorn Love Each Other… - What Drives Us
Russell Making carz iz hard Mark The Workhorse Group of Ohio show and drive the W-15 Electric Pickup Truck russell Opinions are like…6 things about hybrids On again, off again, make up your smart mind russell UPS deploying fuel cell delivery trucks in Sacramento
Read more about this episode on WhatDrives.Us -
NVIDIA and Toyota collaborate to accelerate market introduction of autonomous cars
I like this collaboration very much:
Green Car Congress: NVIDIA and Toyota collaborate to accelerate market introduction of autonomous cars; new Volta GPU architecture
NVIDIA and Toyota Collaborate to Accelerate Market Introduction of Autonomous Cars | NVIDIA Newsroom
NVIDIA Launches Revolutionary Volta GPU Platform, Fueling Next Era of AI and High Performance Computing | NVIDIA Newsroom
Looks like we will soon see next improved version of TSS.
P.S. Interesting name for their new processor: NVIDIA® Tesla® V100 data center GPU -
Volkswagen CEO to Tesla
Source: Volkswagen CEO: 'Anything You [Tesla] Can Do, We Can Do Better'
Though Tesla is years ahead of VW’s plans for electrification, and the Silicon Valley automaker plans to be producing 500,000 cars a year by the end of next year, and perhaps one million by 2020, VW believes it will win. Volkswagen brand boss, Herbert Diess, said at a recent press conference: "Anything Tesla can do, we can surpass."
Unsaid,"Ve just chose not to anything."
I've noticed a lot of 'concept' cars including an electric microBus but no product.
Bob Wilson -
Possible uptick in new car mileage
I'm a little squeamish about posting what could be normal, statistical variation. But the chart also relates to the tapering down of Prius hatch back sales in September 2013: Average Fuel Economy On the Rise Again
![[IMG]](proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hybridcars.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F05%2Faverage-fuel-economy-april-2017-668x409.jpg&hash=16654af0d82f1105583b6d0b0199227c)
Data compiled by University of Michigan’s Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle show the average fuel economy of new vehicles sold in April 2017 was its highest all year, after January and February reported 25.1 mpg and March had 25.2 mpg. The 25.3-mpg figure also matches the highest its been since August 2014, when it was 25.5 mpg.
The more interesting phenomena is the plateau that started the middle of 2014. In effect, buyers were no longer selecting fuel efficient cars to the same degree. There were many reports suggesting SUVs and pickups had became much more... -
Energy Use For FCVs Higher Than EVs
And even hybrids. The numbers just don't work out for hydrogen.
Energy use for hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles: higher than electrics, even hybrids (analysis) -
Hybrid pickup
Source: Workhorse W-15 4WD Plug-In Electric Work Truck First Drive Review
Ohio’s Workhorse Group thinks it has the perfect light-duty truck for those criteria: the Workhorse W-15 4WD Plug-In Electric Work Truck.
Workhorse isn’t the first company to attempt to put an electric pickup on the road, but it is the first to build one from the ground up rather than convert an existing truck. Phoenix Motorcars has been converting Ford E-Series vans to electric drivetrains for years and attempted, briefly, to do the same to a SsangYong pickup imported from South Korea. Via Motors has been converting Chevrolet Silverados and Express vans into plug-in hybrids for a few years now, but both graft electric motors onto the existing powertrain.
Workhorse has taken...
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