Industry Consolidation and the Tesla Onslaught

[santoshlv426]

Now Fiat and Peugeot have joined - so FIAT, Vauxhaul, Peugeot, Citroen, Chrysler et al are under one company and there's sure to be models that will be axed due to platform similarities.

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, apparently Tesla cannot keep up the supply for the demand by US Customers for the EV.

The future is electric, but it IS sad to see all these once distinctive brands disappearing. Very few brands today are true to their heritage but perhaps "heritage" is a luxurious nostalgia that todays business' can ill afford.

[scm]

... apparently Tesla cannot keep up the supply for the demand by US Customers for the EV.

They can't meet the demand for quality built cars ....

[scharlton]

Yes, it's a sad situation.

The car producers are being forced into the electric solution by political policies rather than sound engineering development and direction.

Electricity still needs to be generated to power these cars and the elements within batteries still need to be ethically mined, used and dealt with at the end of life. Transport accounts for 14% of Global emissions of CO2 and electricity generation and heating account for 24%, I can't help thinking electric cars will just transfer their share from transport to generation with no overall saving.

VW have announced 70 new all electric models by 2030 and are JV'ing with Ford with Ford buying the MB platform for their passenger cars and VW buying the Ford commercial platform for their commercial vehicles.

All car companies are still investigating hydrogen but on a much smaller basis in case it becomes the Betamax video and electricity the VHS video scenario.

New technology and the speed it needs to be introduced to meet governmental promises means all companies must collaborate.

Maybe if most people go over to electric, petrol will be in oversupply and become cheaper. Long live the ICE, especially in V8 form.

[Deleted User 1715]

Interesting to read the way koennisegg are going with camless 3 cylinder engines running on carbon neutral alcohol, 600hp from a 2L engine! Maybe better ways of producing liquid fuels to run ICE in place of petrol are the future? For me it’s all about energy usage and the basic principles of keeping weight at low as possible to reduce energy usage apply to all vehicles, whatever their propulsion.

[santoshlv426]

Current ICE engines are cleaner and greener than even. To produce 1KW.HR of energy from a petrol engine will probably have a lower carbon footprint than to produce the same energy from coal to convert it to electricity to drive an electric car.
If not coal, the carbon cost of erecting the infrastructure of a wind, solar farm to produce that electricity I'm sure will negate any benefits.
People with a voice and political parties need to find a purpose in the world and votes and have Zeroed in on the ICE. what they don't say, as this will cost them votes is the remarkable progress Mercedes, BMW, VW, Ford, GM, JLR, Toyota, Honda et al in making the engines efficient with emissions now probably being mostly water vapor and some CO2.

[scharlton]

I was very surprised to learn that a typical off-shore wind turbine installation takes 11 years to offset the CO2 needed to produce and erect it.
New nuclear electricity generating station at Bridgewater UK being built by Chinese/French has an agreed KW/Hr contracted price double that of current KW/Hr costs.
It may eventually save the planet but it certainly won't be cheap.

[santoshlv426]

And to add to this, I heard on the BBC that Norway is now taxing ICE cars and not taxing EV's to the point where the costs are the same. Added to that, Norway has stated no sales of ICE Cars from 2025 !
That's heavy !

[badger]

And to add to this, I heard on the BBC that Norway is now taxing ICE cars and not taxing EV's to the point where the costs are the same. Added to that, Norway has stated no sales of ICE Cars from 2025 !
That's heavy !

they won't tax electric vehicles until most people have them. then......

[santoshlv426]

As an engineer I - as I'm sure all of "us" understand the concept of no free lunch and according to the laws of physics, matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed.
Irrespective of the medium of propulsion used, if we need to port from point A to B, we're gonna have to pay for it and the environment is going to have to provide the resources one way or the other.
It's not the energy, there's more than enough. It's the Power (energy / time) which is where renewables fall short and will for a very long time.

For thos who have 35mins, this is a good listen

https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/ ... et-podcast

[Philskill]

And Newtons concept of Entropy can only increase is as definite as... Taxes will always increase...