Battery Electric Vehicle News / Enjoying the Transportation Revolution

michaels

JKenH said:

Tesla Accused of Shutting Off Autopilot Moments Before Impact

https://futurism.com/tesla-nhtsa-autopilot-report

Drivers had at least 8 seconds of vision before colliding with stationary first responder vehicles.

I would call that driver error but I am old fashioned and think one should be looking where they are going when in control of a coupe of tons of metal travelling at speed.

JKenH

michaels said:

JKenH said:

Tesla Accused of Shutting Off Autopilot Moments Before Impact

https://futurism.com/tesla-nhtsa-autopilot-report

Drivers had at least 8 seconds of vision before colliding with stationary first responder vehicles.

I would call that driver error but I am old fashioned and think one should be looking where they are going when in control of a coupe of tons of metal travelling at speed.

Indeed, they should.

Grumpy_chap

JKenH said:

Ford Halts Mustang Mach-E Sales: Safety Recall With No Current Fix

That could be fatal for the Mach-E as a model.
If Ford don't get to grip with it very quickly, it could be fatal for Ford.

Coastalwatch

First signs perhaps that legacy car manufacturers in the US are beginning to show signs of stress with the difficulty in transitioning away from a century's worth of ICE development and investment into the brave new world of EV's!

Tesla are conspicuous by their absence here so with the Biden administration's apparent preference for union compliant companies they might receive a sympathetic hearing.

Toyota appear to be keeping their options open by lobbying for both EV and FF support.

Electric car makers write open letter to US Congress

The CEOs of General Motors, Ford, Stellantis and Toyota Motor North America are urging the U.S. Congress to lift the federal government’s cap on the number of vehicles that are eligible for a tax credit of up to $7,500 from the current 200,000 vehicle cap.

In a joint letter Monday to congressional leaders, the executives say the credit, which begins phasing out once a company sells 200,000 plug-in electric vehicles, is essential to keep the vehicles affordable as production and commodity costs rise. The letter reads: “Eliminating the cap will incentivize consumer adoption of future electrified options,” as signed by GM’s Mary Barra, Ford’s Jim Farley, Stellantis’ Carlos Tavares and Toyota North America CEO Tetsuo Ogawa.

Interestingly enough, Toyota recently came under fire for lobbying for fossil fuels in the USA, with a petition on the internet gaining over 110,000 signatures in a day. It seems that Toyota is attempting to leverage both markets at the moment, which could turn out to be a pricey strategy in the long run.

https://www.electrive.com/2022/06/14/electric-car-makers-write-open-letter-to-us-congress/

JKenH

Coastalwatch said:

First signs perhaps that legacy car manufacturers in the US are beginning to show signs of stress with the difficulty in transitioning away from a century's worth of ICE development and investment into the brave new world of EV's!

Tesla are conspicuous by their absence here so with the Biden administration's apparent preference for union compliant companies they might receive a sympathetic hearing.

Toyota appear to be keeping their options open by lobbying for both EV and FF support.

Electric car makers write open letter to US Congress

The CEOs of General Motors, Ford, Stellantis and Toyota Motor North America are urging the U.S. Congress to lift the federal government’s cap on the number of vehicles that are eligible for a tax credit of up to $7,500 from the current 200,000 vehicle cap.

In a joint letter Monday to congressional leaders, the executives say the credit, which begins phasing out once a company sells 200,000 plug-in electric vehicles, is essential to keep the vehicles affordable as production and commodity costs rise. The letter reads: “Eliminating the cap will incentivize consumer adoption of future electrified options,” as signed by GM’s Mary Barra, Ford’s Jim Farley, Stellantis’ Carlos Tavares and Toyota North America CEO Tetsuo Ogawa.

Interestingly enough, Toyota recently came under fire for lobbying for fossil fuels in the USA, with a petition on the internet gaining over 110,000 signatures in a day. It seems that Toyota is attempting to leverage both markets at the moment, which could turn out to be a pricey strategy in the long run.

https://www.electrive.com/2022/06/14/electric-car-makers-write-open-letter-to-us-congress/

As Senator Joe Manchin said “There’s a waiting list for EVs right now with the fuel price at $4. But they still want us to throw $5,000 or $7,000 or $12,000 credit to buy electric vehicles. It makes no sense to me whatsoever.” 

What would maintaining the federal tax credit achieve? More demand which drives up prices. 

Ford Dealer Adds $69,554 Markup To F-150 Lightning

https://insideevs.com/news/590922/ford-f150-lightning-markup/

Even if the practice is stamped out among dealers, there will be buyers hoping to make a quick buck. Those buyers are likely to be the well heeled who have the money rather than those the government would like to see moving into EVs. These incentives are very poorly targeted. 

I seem to recall similar objections were raised when the FiT scheme for domestic solar was retired. Just like the domestic solar industry, market forces are now driving demand for EVs beyond what the industry can supply. There is no point just rewarding people wealthy people for being virtuous. 

silverwhistle

JKenH said:

I seem to recall similar objections were raised when the FiT scheme for domestic solar was retired. Just like the domestic solar industry, market forces are now driving demand for EVs beyond what the industry can supply. There is no point just rewarding people wealthy people for being virtuous.

No, the objections were to the way the FIT scheme was stopped. There was a plan for a taper to reduce the subsidy which helped businesses (and potential customers) plan, but it was abruptly stopped. Indeed initially the solar industry were of the opinion the subsidy was too large, and that it was designed to make them look bad.

But I do agree that subsidies in the longer term are a bad thing, but they have a role in developing industries and technologies. They have to be planned in detail and well thought out to deal with unintended consequences, which is not the government's forte. For example they seem to think that subsidies for house buying don't similarly inflate prices, for both new housing and the existing stock. Housing isn't a new industry..

paul991

The  answer would of been to continually lover the maximum price of the  ev ,and may be even subsidise the sale of  up to  3 year old second hand cars .I have just  bought a 3 year old ice car I would of loved to of purchased a bev but sadly the money just didn't stretch that  far for anything half decent. It seems only the well off get  subsidies

michaels

The 200k rule does feel like a market distortion in that at any point in time some manufacturers will get it and others won't which will be painful for those who don't - but if you look at is as a $1.5bn (200k times 7.5k) subsidy to each manufacturer to support transition then I think it makes sense.

Although even this can be gamed simply by using badge engineering another manufacturers EVs to pocket the subsidy whilst doing no EV transition.

Martyn1981

Coastalwatch said:

Tesla are conspicuous by their absence here so with the Biden administration's apparent preference for union compliant companies they might receive a sympathetic hearing.

Hiya CW. Elon stated a while back that he doesn't think the US BEV industry needs any subsidies anymore, but suggested it alongside removing any subsidies and support for the FF industry.

Legacy Auto just needs to ramp up BEV production now, and maybe 'do a Tesla' and build out a proper charging network, or help upgrade the 'Electrify America' network (largely funded by VW's fines) to a higher standard - more locations, more chargers, faster chargers, and working chargers.

EVandPV

Fiat tests wireless road charging

While we’re still waiting on wireless electric car charging, Fiat is working on dynamic wireless EV charging. The latest tests in Italy proved a success, with the firm being able to charge an electric Fiat 500 at motorway speeds.

The Dynamic Wireless Power Transfer (DWPT) is a system of coils positioned under the road surface that transfers energy directly to vehicles without the need to stop at electric car charging stations to top up the battery. The technology will be able to work for any vehicle fitted with a receiver that transfers energy coming from the coils to the electric motors.

Fiat tests wireless road charging | Auto Express