All-electric commitment will now play out 'over decades,' GM GEO says
Mary Barra's remarks come as sales of electric vehicles slow down in the U.S., but the executive said she is optimistic that EVs are the future of transport.
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/autos/ ... rcna155389
General Motors CEO Mary Barra says the storied automaker's plan to turn its fleet 100% electric will now play out "over decades."
In an exclusive interview with NBC News, Barra clarified the company's previously stated intention to eventually phase out gas-powered cars.
"I wouldn’t say we’re recommitting," Barra said of the company's pledge, first announced more than six years ago. "You know, we said back in 2018 that we’re committed to an all-electric future. But as we make this transformation, it’s going to happen over decades. And that’s why I couldn’t be more proud of our gas-powered fleet as well."
See more on this story on “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT.
The remarks come amid a softening sales environment for electric vehicles in the U.S. In April, Cox Automotive reported that Kelley Blue Book data showed that the first quarter of 2024 saw the first quarter-over-quarter decline in EV sales since the pandemic and that sales were up just 3% year-on-year.
Last spring, GM announced it was discontinuing its Chevy Bolt EV, which had previously made up the vast majority of the company's electric vehicle sales, in favor of a new EV platform called Ultium that serves as the battery system across its remaining electric fleet.
Barra told NBC News that GM now has offerings for virtually any consumer preference, whether it's gas or electric.
"I want people to choose an EV because they love every aspect about it," she said. "And if it doesn’t fit their lifestyle, in that same showroom, we’ve got a great gas-powered vehicle that I think will meet their needs."
Tesla continues to dominate EV sales in the U.S., and although it has gradually given up some market share, it continues to command 50% of EV purchases. Barra confirmed that GM-made EVs will have access to Tesla charging stations, as well as those managed by Pilot Flying J — something that will help alleviate concerns about EV charger availability.
Barra expressed hope that further expansion of the EV charging network will make choosing an electric vehicle easier for consumers.
GM has seen success in EVs for at least one its more recent models. Kelley Blue Book data reported by Cox showed about 1 out of every 6 Cadillac purchases is an electric vehicle — the most of any brand not focused entirely on EVs. Cadillac was also one of nine manufacturers that recorded more than 50% year-on-year growth in EV sales.
It's indicative of the current trend in the electric vehicle market: They are becoming more popular at the higher end. Cox reported that Cadillac achieved an approximately 500% year-over-year increase in EV sales thanks to robust sales of its Lyriq crossover, which costs between $58,590 and $63,190.
It stands in contrast to the Bolt, which was previously the most affordable EV on the market.
Barra did not directly reference the Bolt, but said EVs will have to become more affordable if widespread adoption is to occur.
"Everyone has been talking about to really drive EV adoption, we’ve got to get to EVs that are affordable," she said. "And when you think this — we’re going to have a model out later this year that starts around $35,000. Then with the tax credit you think about $7,500. This is under $30,000."
There are some limits to that $7,500 tax credit so closely associated with EV purchases. Receiving that credit depends on the buyer's income and where the vehicle and its battery components were made. Certain models are excluded from the United States' EV tax credit program. Those restrictions are part of the Biden administration's effort to promote EV and battery components made in the U.S.
Former President Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, has expressed opposition to the Biden administration's EV push, calling the effort "radical."
Barra said a second Trump administration would not alter the company's future plans.
"We will be just committed because we think in the long term [EVs are] better," she said. "And even right now — I mean, get in an EV and drive it. It’s instant torque. You never have to go to the gas station, especially if you have at your home or where you live, whether it’s an apartment or your house, you have accessibility charging."
She continued: "I think over the long term when we have a very robust charging infrastructure, people are going to choose EVs, because they’re better."
PP
Electric Cars II - Not Silly!
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Fox3WheresMyBanana
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Re: Electric Cars II - Not Silly!
While new electric vehicle sales are slowing, used sales are ramping up
https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/04/business ... index.html
Sales of new electric vehicles have started to slow, but the opposite is happening with used EVs.
A combination of factors has led to increases in both the number of used electric vehicles available to purchase and the number of people looking to buy them. The reasons include tax breaks, price drops and a glut of cheap Tesla models caused by Tesla’s own price cuts on its new cars and SUVs.
The auto site Cars.com, which carries dealer listings for used and new vehicles, said searches for used EVs on its site have increased 45% since last year. On TrueCar, another site that helps car shoppers find new and used vehicles, interest in EVs was up 39% in the first quarter of this year compared to last year. The used car sales website Carvana saw its used EV sales more than double since last year.
One reason is that federal tax credits on used EVs, not just new ones, are finally available, and they’re hitting at just the right time. The $4,000 federal tax credit for pre-owned EVs can be used by the dealership as a price reduction at the time of the sale, rather than the customer having to wait until they file their taxes to get the money. Not all dealerships are willing to do the paperwork, though. Also, there are limitations on the vehicles that qualify as well as limits on the income of the buyer.
One Georgia car dealership executive, who asked to remain anonymous because he wasn’t authorized to discuss sales strategies with the press, said his dealership has seen a huge increase in sales of used EVs since he started advertising that his dealership could apply tax credits at the time of sale, immediately lowering the price by $4,000.
“What it’s doing, in my opinion, is it’s allowing middle income shoppers that really are interested in EVs, but had always thought they were out of their price range to come into the market, become EV owners, and also achieve a car payment that is sustainable,” the dealer said.
Price cuts and supply gluts
A surge in the number of used EVs available has also enabled an economically paradoxical situation: even as demand for used EVs is rising, prices are still falling. According to Cars.com, even as searches for used EVs on the site rose 45% since last year, the supply increased 42% and the average price of a used EV on the site has dropped 20%.
Truecar reported a similar situation. While increases in used EV sales are huge, they still make up a small portion of overall used vehicle sales. Carvana, for instance, reported that used electric vehicles made up 4.3% of its sales in the first quarter of this year, but that was a big jump from 1.8% last year.
“You have people who’ve been sitting on the sidelines who want an easy, risk-free way to adopt new technology,” said Matt Jones, a spokesperson for TrueCar. “And the risk is way reduced when you’re buying something that costs $20,000 versus $80,000.”
Manheim, a company owned by Cox Automotive that sells used cars wholesale to auto dealers, has had to upgrade its operations across the country to deal with the influx of used EVs. The company, which operates a number of large auction sites that each process thousands of used cars, sold 60% more EVs last year than in 2022 and expects the number to triple in 2024.
“We’ve had to add chargers, but it’s not just chargers. It’s chargers and then everything in our shops… were built for [internal combustion] vehicles,” said Grace Huang, President of Cox Automotive Inventory Solutions. “And so we’ve had to add lifts that can handle more weight because the batteries are very heavy.”
A big part of the drop in used EV prices can be attributed to Tesla, which — over the past year or so — has been aggressively cutting prices of its popular Model 3 sedan and Model Y SUV. It’s a simple matter of economics that when an automaker cuts the prices of its new products, the prices of similar used products – in this case, EVs – drop too.
The price of a given used 2021 Tesla Model 3 sedan dropped, on average, about 29% during calendar year 2023, according to data from Edmunds.com. That was more than the average model year 2021 used vehicle which would have lost about 19.5% in value over that same period.
EVs have always had faster depreciation, or loss in value, than gas cars, though, which works in favor of buying used EVs, said Jones.
A good time to buy a used EV?
Used EVs still cost more, on average, than used gas-powered vehicles, but they cost a lot less than new EVs. While prices for new EVs average around $63,000, prices for used ones average around $36,000, according to Cars.com.
And the price gap between electric and gas powered used cars is shrinking rapidly, according to Carvana. Where there was a $13,000 difference, on average, between gas powered used vehicles and used EVs in the early part of 2023, the difference has shrunk to just $7,000 by the first quarter of 2024.
The appeal of what’s available has also increased. EVs have improved over time, so models now hitting the used market now are a lot better than the very early EVs that would have been available as used cars years ago, said Rebecca Lindland, an industry analyst with Cars.com.
“This is a significant change so that people who may have looked at an EV five years ago, It’s worth a revisit because of the improvements in technology, specifically in range and charging,” she said.
Batteries in used EVs are also holding up well, according to Recurrent, a company that tracks EV battery health. The vast majority of used EVs can be expected to go very nearly as far on a charge as they could when they were new.
The fastest-selling used EVs on Cars.com right now are the Chevrolet Bolt models, Rivian trucks and SUVs and the Hyundai Ioniq 5, according to Cars.com.
Courtney Vaughn just bought a used Hyundai Kona EV on Carvana that will cost her $16,000 after the $4,000 tax credit, she said. She lives in New York but is having the car delivered in California so it will be waiting for her there when she moves there for a new job.
“I’m really excited and there’s only, like, 66,000 miles on it,” she said.
Concerns about gas prices and having to deal with California’s smog tests interested her in buying an EV, she said.
Besides the federal tax credit, Lindland also recommends people check for local and even municipal tax incentives for new or used electric cars and home EV chargers. Incentives can vary a lot from place to place.
“Really look at your immediate neighborhood,” she said. “This is a zip code level search.”
A good local car dealer should be able to help you find out about all the incentives that are available, she said. She also recommended looking at the US Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuel’s Data Center, which has a guide listing federal and local EV incentives.
PP
https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/04/business ... index.html
Sales of new electric vehicles have started to slow, but the opposite is happening with used EVs.
A combination of factors has led to increases in both the number of used electric vehicles available to purchase and the number of people looking to buy them. The reasons include tax breaks, price drops and a glut of cheap Tesla models caused by Tesla’s own price cuts on its new cars and SUVs.
The auto site Cars.com, which carries dealer listings for used and new vehicles, said searches for used EVs on its site have increased 45% since last year. On TrueCar, another site that helps car shoppers find new and used vehicles, interest in EVs was up 39% in the first quarter of this year compared to last year. The used car sales website Carvana saw its used EV sales more than double since last year.
One reason is that federal tax credits on used EVs, not just new ones, are finally available, and they’re hitting at just the right time. The $4,000 federal tax credit for pre-owned EVs can be used by the dealership as a price reduction at the time of the sale, rather than the customer having to wait until they file their taxes to get the money. Not all dealerships are willing to do the paperwork, though. Also, there are limitations on the vehicles that qualify as well as limits on the income of the buyer.
One Georgia car dealership executive, who asked to remain anonymous because he wasn’t authorized to discuss sales strategies with the press, said his dealership has seen a huge increase in sales of used EVs since he started advertising that his dealership could apply tax credits at the time of sale, immediately lowering the price by $4,000.
“What it’s doing, in my opinion, is it’s allowing middle income shoppers that really are interested in EVs, but had always thought they were out of their price range to come into the market, become EV owners, and also achieve a car payment that is sustainable,” the dealer said.
Price cuts and supply gluts
A surge in the number of used EVs available has also enabled an economically paradoxical situation: even as demand for used EVs is rising, prices are still falling. According to Cars.com, even as searches for used EVs on the site rose 45% since last year, the supply increased 42% and the average price of a used EV on the site has dropped 20%.
Truecar reported a similar situation. While increases in used EV sales are huge, they still make up a small portion of overall used vehicle sales. Carvana, for instance, reported that used electric vehicles made up 4.3% of its sales in the first quarter of this year, but that was a big jump from 1.8% last year.
“You have people who’ve been sitting on the sidelines who want an easy, risk-free way to adopt new technology,” said Matt Jones, a spokesperson for TrueCar. “And the risk is way reduced when you’re buying something that costs $20,000 versus $80,000.”
Manheim, a company owned by Cox Automotive that sells used cars wholesale to auto dealers, has had to upgrade its operations across the country to deal with the influx of used EVs. The company, which operates a number of large auction sites that each process thousands of used cars, sold 60% more EVs last year than in 2022 and expects the number to triple in 2024.
“We’ve had to add chargers, but it’s not just chargers. It’s chargers and then everything in our shops… were built for [internal combustion] vehicles,” said Grace Huang, President of Cox Automotive Inventory Solutions. “And so we’ve had to add lifts that can handle more weight because the batteries are very heavy.”
A big part of the drop in used EV prices can be attributed to Tesla, which — over the past year or so — has been aggressively cutting prices of its popular Model 3 sedan and Model Y SUV. It’s a simple matter of economics that when an automaker cuts the prices of its new products, the prices of similar used products – in this case, EVs – drop too.
The price of a given used 2021 Tesla Model 3 sedan dropped, on average, about 29% during calendar year 2023, according to data from Edmunds.com. That was more than the average model year 2021 used vehicle which would have lost about 19.5% in value over that same period.
EVs have always had faster depreciation, or loss in value, than gas cars, though, which works in favor of buying used EVs, said Jones.
A good time to buy a used EV?
Used EVs still cost more, on average, than used gas-powered vehicles, but they cost a lot less than new EVs. While prices for new EVs average around $63,000, prices for used ones average around $36,000, according to Cars.com.
And the price gap between electric and gas powered used cars is shrinking rapidly, according to Carvana. Where there was a $13,000 difference, on average, between gas powered used vehicles and used EVs in the early part of 2023, the difference has shrunk to just $7,000 by the first quarter of 2024.
The appeal of what’s available has also increased. EVs have improved over time, so models now hitting the used market now are a lot better than the very early EVs that would have been available as used cars years ago, said Rebecca Lindland, an industry analyst with Cars.com.
“This is a significant change so that people who may have looked at an EV five years ago, It’s worth a revisit because of the improvements in technology, specifically in range and charging,” she said.
Batteries in used EVs are also holding up well, according to Recurrent, a company that tracks EV battery health. The vast majority of used EVs can be expected to go very nearly as far on a charge as they could when they were new.
The fastest-selling used EVs on Cars.com right now are the Chevrolet Bolt models, Rivian trucks and SUVs and the Hyundai Ioniq 5, according to Cars.com.
Courtney Vaughn just bought a used Hyundai Kona EV on Carvana that will cost her $16,000 after the $4,000 tax credit, she said. She lives in New York but is having the car delivered in California so it will be waiting for her there when she moves there for a new job.
“I’m really excited and there’s only, like, 66,000 miles on it,” she said.
Concerns about gas prices and having to deal with California’s smog tests interested her in buying an EV, she said.
Besides the federal tax credit, Lindland also recommends people check for local and even municipal tax incentives for new or used electric cars and home EV chargers. Incentives can vary a lot from place to place.
“Really look at your immediate neighborhood,” she said. “This is a zip code level search.”
A good local car dealer should be able to help you find out about all the incentives that are available, she said. She also recommended looking at the US Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuel’s Data Center, which has a guide listing federal and local EV incentives.
PP
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Fox3WheresMyBanana
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Re: Electric Cars II - Not Silly!
As with all advertising, anything that talks only in percentages and not absolute sales numbers, or vice versa, is trying to make something look better than it is.
Re: Electric Cars II - Not Silly!
Tesla shareholders have backed a record-breaking pay package for boss Elon Musk.
Re: Electric Cars II - Not Silly!
No one is worth that obscene amount. 
PP
PP
Teslas Behaving Badly
Tesla in 'self-drive' mode crashes into police vehicle in California
https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/tesla ... california
FULLERTON, Calif. - A Tesla that was in ‘self-drive’ mode crashed into a Fullerton, California, police car that was on the scene of a fatal collision.
An officer was managing traffic following a deadly accident at the intersection of W. Orangethorpe Ave. and Courtney Ave. just after midnight on June 13.
According to the police department, the police vehicle had its emergency lights on, and several flares were placed on the road when a blue Tesla crashed into the police vehicle, which was blocking traffic.
The officer spotted the car and quickly moved to the side of the road, narrowly dodging the Tesla.
Police say the Tesla driver admitted to using his vehicle's 'self-drive' mode while being on his cell phone… a violation of California law.
Man drives Tesla while wearing Apple Vision Pro headset
A man who posted video of himself wearing an Apple Vision Pro while driving a Tesla on February 2 has said the video was filmed for a skit, and that police didn’t pull him over, as he initially claimed. Credit: @lentinidante via Storyful.
"Self-driving mode can be convenient, but always remember the importance of staying alert and ready to take over at any moment. While there are no laws against the "self-drive" mode, all rules and laws of the road still apply to the driver while controlling the vehicle," the police department said in a statement.
The Tesla driver remained on the scene and cooperated with the investigation.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving claimed 3,308 lives in 2022. Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating, and drinking.
PP
https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/tesla ... california
FULLERTON, Calif. - A Tesla that was in ‘self-drive’ mode crashed into a Fullerton, California, police car that was on the scene of a fatal collision.
An officer was managing traffic following a deadly accident at the intersection of W. Orangethorpe Ave. and Courtney Ave. just after midnight on June 13.
According to the police department, the police vehicle had its emergency lights on, and several flares were placed on the road when a blue Tesla crashed into the police vehicle, which was blocking traffic.
The officer spotted the car and quickly moved to the side of the road, narrowly dodging the Tesla.
Police say the Tesla driver admitted to using his vehicle's 'self-drive' mode while being on his cell phone… a violation of California law.
Man drives Tesla while wearing Apple Vision Pro headset
A man who posted video of himself wearing an Apple Vision Pro while driving a Tesla on February 2 has said the video was filmed for a skit, and that police didn’t pull him over, as he initially claimed. Credit: @lentinidante via Storyful.
"Self-driving mode can be convenient, but always remember the importance of staying alert and ready to take over at any moment. While there are no laws against the "self-drive" mode, all rules and laws of the road still apply to the driver while controlling the vehicle," the police department said in a statement.
The Tesla driver remained on the scene and cooperated with the investigation.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving claimed 3,308 lives in 2022. Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating, and drinking.
PP
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Fox3WheresMyBanana
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Re: Electric Cars II - Not Silly!
There have been quite a few crashes in self-driving mode into emergency vehicles that are stopped in a carriageway.
Methinks the computer vision gear and/or software can't cope with the flashing lights.
Methinks the computer vision gear and/or software can't cope with the flashing lights.
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Fox3WheresMyBanana
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Re: Electric Cars II - Not Silly!
EVs: Stick a fork in them, they're done.
But if you read the media, everything is marvellous.
https://canadianautodealer.ca/2023/02/c ... available/
It's backed by data from KPMG, one of the world's largest analyst groups.
It's Total and Utter Sh!te.
And this is an industry article - the ones in the general media are even more rainbows and unicorns.
Here's some quotes:
The adult population of Canada is 25.7 million (Ages 20-75, I'm being generous and assuming older seniors don't buy new, although quite a few do. The total adult population is 2 million more.)
Canada auto registrations in 2019 were 1.9 million, and fleet registrations (which in Canada are 80% work trucks) were 400,000 so under 6% of the Canadian population actually do buy a new vehicle each year.
The actual sales so far this year (and last) are more than 15% down on pre-pandemic figures, and Scotiabank estimates the sales for this year and next will be 3.5 million total, or 11% of the Canadian population (discounting the fleet sales).
So, the number of Canadians who will buy a new vehicle in the next two years, as estimated from the KPMG survey, is four times larger than the number who actually have in the past.
And that's before we start looking at the finance rate expectations being sadly and laughably wrong.
Now to EVs.
Fleet truck buyers in Canada don't buy EVs, not least because they don't have the range vs payload. Also, fleet trucks in winter often act as a warming shed, and the engines are kept running at idle throughout the shift. In fact, North American trucks are specifically designed to do this. An EV would have no hope doing this. So, we can knock about 220,000 vehicles off the annual registrations when calculating EV vehicle percentages.
Last year, ZEVs totaled 8.2% for BEVs and 3% for PHEVs from the total registrations, which translates to 9.5% and 3.5% for the registrations made by individual buyers.
So, whilst 28% of Canadian buyers say they will buy ZEVs, only 13% do.
In short, EV sales forecasts are around nine times larger than reality would indicate as reasonable.
You will note the deliberate exclusion of actual numbers in this and other EV articles - it's all percentages, preferably from estimates and samples, despite the hard data being both easily available and official.
I still have not seen a single EV plugged into any of the completely free recharging points in my Province, and some of them've been there for 10 years now.
But if you read the media, everything is marvellous.
https://canadianautodealer.ca/2023/02/c ... available/
It's backed by data from KPMG, one of the world's largest analyst groups.
It's Total and Utter Sh!te.
And this is an industry article - the ones in the general media are even more rainbows and unicorns.
Here's some quotes:
61 per cent of Canadians plan to buy a new vehicle within the next five years, of whom 42 per cent will buy within the next two years, or by 2025
58 per cent who plan to buy a new vehicle by 2033 say they want a greener vehicle: hybrid (30 per cent), a battery EV (15 per cent), and a plug-in EV (13 per cent).
Here's why it's TUS.81 per cent say rising interest rates are making EVs cost prohibitive, shifting them out of their price range. Still, two thirds (67 per cent) expect financing rates will fall or even normalize in a couple of years by the time they purchase an EV, reducing this barrier to ownership.
The adult population of Canada is 25.7 million (Ages 20-75, I'm being generous and assuming older seniors don't buy new, although quite a few do. The total adult population is 2 million more.)
Canada auto registrations in 2019 were 1.9 million, and fleet registrations (which in Canada are 80% work trucks) were 400,000 so under 6% of the Canadian population actually do buy a new vehicle each year.
The actual sales so far this year (and last) are more than 15% down on pre-pandemic figures, and Scotiabank estimates the sales for this year and next will be 3.5 million total, or 11% of the Canadian population (discounting the fleet sales).
So, the number of Canadians who will buy a new vehicle in the next two years, as estimated from the KPMG survey, is four times larger than the number who actually have in the past.
And that's before we start looking at the finance rate expectations being sadly and laughably wrong.
Now to EVs.
Fleet truck buyers in Canada don't buy EVs, not least because they don't have the range vs payload. Also, fleet trucks in winter often act as a warming shed, and the engines are kept running at idle throughout the shift. In fact, North American trucks are specifically designed to do this. An EV would have no hope doing this. So, we can knock about 220,000 vehicles off the annual registrations when calculating EV vehicle percentages.
Last year, ZEVs totaled 8.2% for BEVs and 3% for PHEVs from the total registrations, which translates to 9.5% and 3.5% for the registrations made by individual buyers.
So, whilst 28% of Canadian buyers say they will buy ZEVs, only 13% do.
In short, EV sales forecasts are around nine times larger than reality would indicate as reasonable.
You will note the deliberate exclusion of actual numbers in this and other EV articles - it's all percentages, preferably from estimates and samples, despite the hard data being both easily available and official.
I still have not seen a single EV plugged into any of the completely free recharging points in my Province, and some of them've been there for 10 years now.
Re: Electric Cars II - Not Silly!
Electric SUV maker Fisker files for bankruptcy
https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/18/investin ... index.html
Fisker, a US electric vehicle startup, said Tuesday it had filed for bankruptcy.
The company had already warned it was in trouble. When it published quarterly earnings in February, it said it might not have enough money to survive another year. Fisker added then that it was in discussions with an existing investor about possibly putting more money into the company.
On Tuesday, a Fisker spokesperson said in a statement: “Like other companies in the electric vehicle industry, we have faced various market and macroeconomic headwinds that have impacted our ability to operate efficiently.”
While growth in global EV sales is slowing, Fisker has also grappled with its own problems.
Its sole product is the Fisker Ocean electric SUV. Last year, around 10,000 of the SUVs were made but only about half had been delivered to customers, the company said in its earnings report in February.
The Ocean was also the subject of a review that month by American YouTuber Marques Brownlee titled, “This is the Worst Car I’ve Ever Reviewed.”
“Do not buy this version of the Fisker Ocean,” reads the video’s description. The video, which sent Fisker’s stock plunging after its release, has racked up 5.7 million views so far.
In a recent interview with Automotive News, the company’s founder and CEO Henrik Fisker admitted that the Ocean had quality problems. He blamed the issues on software from different suppliers that worked poorly together and said they were being addressed through updates.
Besides its own troubles, Fisker has had to deal with a jump in competition from established automakers since the company was established in 2016. Now, besides Tesla, heavyweights like Hyundai, Kia, Ford and General Motors offer electric SUVs that are similar to the Ocean but without the risks of dealing with an unknown startup. And China’s BYD has soared to challenge Tesla as the global market leader in EVs.
Still, Fisker’s bankruptcy is another sign of the broader headwinds and speed bumps facing the burgeoning EV industry. Worldwide sales of plug-in vehicles could rise 21% this year, according to recent forecasts by the International Energy Agency. While significant, that’s a smaller rise than the 35% increase in 2023.
In the United States and Europe, one barrier to faster adoption of electric cars is their higher average price compared with new conventional cars. Another is a lack of public charging infrastructure.
Fisker filed for bankruptcy Monday, choosing the common Chapter 11 route, which allows companies to try to resolve their financial problems through reorganization. The startup said Tuesday that it was in “advanced discussions with financial stakeholders” about the sale of its assets.
Fisker had also previously said it was in rescue talks with a major established automaker but that those talks had fallen apart without a deal.
PP
https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/18/investin ... index.html
Fisker, a US electric vehicle startup, said Tuesday it had filed for bankruptcy.
The company had already warned it was in trouble. When it published quarterly earnings in February, it said it might not have enough money to survive another year. Fisker added then that it was in discussions with an existing investor about possibly putting more money into the company.
On Tuesday, a Fisker spokesperson said in a statement: “Like other companies in the electric vehicle industry, we have faced various market and macroeconomic headwinds that have impacted our ability to operate efficiently.”
While growth in global EV sales is slowing, Fisker has also grappled with its own problems.
Its sole product is the Fisker Ocean electric SUV. Last year, around 10,000 of the SUVs were made but only about half had been delivered to customers, the company said in its earnings report in February.
The Ocean was also the subject of a review that month by American YouTuber Marques Brownlee titled, “This is the Worst Car I’ve Ever Reviewed.”
“Do not buy this version of the Fisker Ocean,” reads the video’s description. The video, which sent Fisker’s stock plunging after its release, has racked up 5.7 million views so far.
In a recent interview with Automotive News, the company’s founder and CEO Henrik Fisker admitted that the Ocean had quality problems. He blamed the issues on software from different suppliers that worked poorly together and said they were being addressed through updates.
Besides its own troubles, Fisker has had to deal with a jump in competition from established automakers since the company was established in 2016. Now, besides Tesla, heavyweights like Hyundai, Kia, Ford and General Motors offer electric SUVs that are similar to the Ocean but without the risks of dealing with an unknown startup. And China’s BYD has soared to challenge Tesla as the global market leader in EVs.
Still, Fisker’s bankruptcy is another sign of the broader headwinds and speed bumps facing the burgeoning EV industry. Worldwide sales of plug-in vehicles could rise 21% this year, according to recent forecasts by the International Energy Agency. While significant, that’s a smaller rise than the 35% increase in 2023.
In the United States and Europe, one barrier to faster adoption of electric cars is their higher average price compared with new conventional cars. Another is a lack of public charging infrastructure.
Fisker filed for bankruptcy Monday, choosing the common Chapter 11 route, which allows companies to try to resolve their financial problems through reorganization. The startup said Tuesday that it was in “advanced discussions with financial stakeholders” about the sale of its assets.
Fisker had also previously said it was in rescue talks with a major established automaker but that those talks had fallen apart without a deal.
PP
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Fox3WheresMyBanana
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Re: Electric Cars II - Not Silly!
That review
The reviewer does a thorough, considered job, and clearly knows his stuff.
The bad points list starts at 8:02
The reviewer does a thorough, considered job, and clearly knows his stuff.
The bad points list starts at 8:02
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OFSO
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Re: Electric Cars II - Not Silly!
Just sat here and did some calculations from metric to UK imperial. My 125ps Ford diesel estate (2015) uses 5.2 litres of diesel per 100 kms at €1.40 per litre. So €7.28 per 100 kms or 60 miles. Diesel cost is therefore €0.12 a mile.
The Fisker solar panels provide a daily charge equal to 5-8 miles. That would save me €0.60 to €0.90 in fuel costs a day compared to my Ford. Hardly worth having. And there again, like most car owners in Spain, I park in the shade and never in direct sunlight if possible.....
Nice looking car, though.
The Fisker solar panels provide a daily charge equal to 5-8 miles. That would save me €0.60 to €0.90 in fuel costs a day compared to my Ford. Hardly worth having. And there again, like most car owners in Spain, I park in the shade and never in direct sunlight if possible.....
Nice looking car, though.
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Fox3WheresMyBanana
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Re: Electric Cars II - Not Silly!
Fisker appears to have done the decent thing in regards to its suppliers, and folded whilst assets still exceed liabilities. The investors are mostly up the Swannee, however, but that's the risk one takes in capitalism.
Fundamentally, it looks to me like the company decided to sell what its execs wanted to buy, not what its customers did, and the solar panel roof is a good example of that.
I guess they got way behind on development, rushed it into production to start some cashflow going, and fell victim to all the faults.
..and "Macroeconomic headwinds" = "Nobody's got any money".
The best kind of solar panel roof would automatically unfold and retract, and extend beyond the edges of the vehicle. Then one could, and indeed should, park in full sun, and this would also make parking easier as these spots are the last to fill.
Shouldn't be too hard to wind-brace such a structure.
Fundamentally, it looks to me like the company decided to sell what its execs wanted to buy, not what its customers did, and the solar panel roof is a good example of that.
I guess they got way behind on development, rushed it into production to start some cashflow going, and fell victim to all the faults.
..and "Macroeconomic headwinds" = "Nobody's got any money".
The best kind of solar panel roof would automatically unfold and retract, and extend beyond the edges of the vehicle. Then one could, and indeed should, park in full sun, and this would also make parking easier as these spots are the last to fill.
Shouldn't be too hard to wind-brace such a structure.
Re: Electric Cars II - Not Silly!
Solar panels on EVs are only useful as a trickle charge, you're never going to get more than 1kW from the typical available area. I have a small 20W panel I use in the van to keep the battery happy when the van is idle for a few weeks. With the new battery earlier this year, I probably don't even need that, although it also does duty to charge the little auxiliary battery I use for internal lighting.
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OFSO
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Re: Electric Cars II - Not Silly!
Yeah but on the Fisker the panels were set into a glass roof. Ever felt the back of panels after a few minutes in the sun ? All that heat would have radiated into the car...
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Fox3WheresMyBanana
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Re: Electric Cars II - Not Silly!
Exactly, the panels need an air gap underneath for both their own operation, and the comfort of the pax.
20% efficient cells means 80% inefficient - the math isn't hard.
20% efficient cells means 80% inefficient - the math isn't hard.
Teslas Behaving Badly
Arizona woman trapped in Tesla when battery dies
https://www.azfamily.com/2024/06/19/ari ... tery-dies/
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A Valley woman has a warning for her fellow Tesla drivers after getting trapped in her car.
When its power went out, she had no idea how to get out of her car, and she was far from alone.
Diane has owned her Model Y for about three years without serious complaints.
“Pretty happy,” she said. “It’s a fun car to drive.”
But that changed last month when she tried to go for a drive.
“It was fully charged,” she said. “I unplugged the car, went to get in my car, shut the door, and everything just shut down. I couldn’t open the windows. I couldn’t unlock the doors. I was trapped.”
Diane was stuck inside her car. She wanted to check the owner’s manual to try to figure out what was going on, but that was impossible: the glove box wouldn’t open either.
“I called a friend of mine in the neighborhood and said, you know, can you please come over right away. I’m trapped in the car. He came over he couldn’t figure it out. He says there’s no way to open the car from the outside.”
Diane got on the Tesla app and requested Emergency Roadside Assistance. Eventually they let her know through a text that there’s a secret latch to open the door.
Once she located it, Diane was finally able to get out. “It’s scary,” she said. “It’s very unnerving to say the least.”
Diane’s not alone.
Numerous reports have been made of Tesla drivers being trapped in their cars when the battery dies and all the electronics shut down.
Here’s the problem: like most electric vehicles, Tesla vehicles have a main battery that powers the car and a smaller battery that powers the onboard electronics. That includes the door release and the power windows.
When that battery dies, the doors and windows won’t work.
“There is no warning when it’s low or about to go out,” she said. “So it just shuts down.”
So, where’s that secret latch? You’ll find it on the armrest but on the underside, and it’s completely unmarked.
Diane had no idea it was there. She says she’s talked with several Tesla owners over the past few weeks and they didn’t know about it either.
She’d like to see Tesla do more to educate drivers about this important safety feature and believes the company should make a change.
“But to me, it seems that the default for when you lose power should be windows and doors open. Not lock. It should be the reverse logic. That I don’t understand.”
On Your Side reached out to Tesla, but did not receive a response.
If you own a Tesla, make sure you know where the manual door release is in your car. You’ll find it in your owner’s manual.
Toddler trapped in car when Tesla battery dies in Scottsdale
https://www.azfamily.com/2024/06/20/tod ... cottsdale/
SCOTTSDALE, AZ (AZFamily) — Renee Sanchez says she’s a big fan of Tesla, but what happened to her recently has changed her mind.
The Scottsdale grandmother tells On Your Side that she loaded her 20-month-old granddaughter into her car seat for a trip to the Phoenix Zoo.
“And I closed the door, went around the car, get in the front seat, and my car was dead,” she said. “I could not get in. My phone key wouldn’t open it. My card key wouldn’t open it.”
As On Your Side explained in a recent report, when the Tesla battery that operates electronics dies, a hidden latch on the driver’s side armrest will manually unlock the door. Many Tesla owners don’t know about this latch.
But in this case, Sanchez was stuck outside of her Tesla while the toddler was trapped inside, buckled into a car seat.
Sanchez tells On Your Side she had no option but to call 911, which immediately sent out Scottsdale firefighters.
“And when they got here, the first thing they said was, ‘Uggh, it’s a Tesla. We can’t get in these cars,’” she said. “And I said, ‘I don’t care if you have to cut my car in half. Just get her out.’”
Firefighters were forced to break a window with an ax, but they first covered the window with tape to keep the glass from flying.
Meanwhile, Sanchez’s granddaughter sat alone inside the Tesla, which was getting hotter and hotter.
“She was OK for the first few minutes,” Sanchez said. “But as soon as the firemen came and all the commotion started and the windows getting broken into, she started crying because she was scared.”
A firefighter climbed through the window and pulled the little girl free. They even gave her a little fire hat to calm her down.
“After I knew she was safe, then the anger,” she said. “Then, all the thoughts of, oh my God, this could have been so much worse.”
The 12-volt battery that powers the car’s electronics died without warning.
Tesla drivers are supposed to receive three warnings before that happens, but the Tesla service department confirmed that Sanchez didn’t receive any warnings.
“When that battery goes, you’re dead in the water,” she said.
On Your Side has learned there is a way for drivers to unlock their cars when they’re stuck outside, but it’s a complicated series of time-consuming steps involving wires and battery chargers.
But again, many Tesla owners and first responders don’t know about it.
“They need to educate the first responders because they had no idea,” Sanchez said. “They were as much in the dark as I was.”
Sanchez wants to see Tesla add a better option to get into a car with a dead battery.
And while she has been a big supporter of the company, this latest episode has shaken her faith.
“I give Tesla props. When it works, it’s great. But when it doesn’t, it can be deadly,” Sanchez said.
From the Tesla manual, click/tap here to see how to open the doors with no power.
Click/tap here for information on how to open the hood with no power.
PP
https://www.azfamily.com/2024/06/19/ari ... tery-dies/
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A Valley woman has a warning for her fellow Tesla drivers after getting trapped in her car.
When its power went out, she had no idea how to get out of her car, and she was far from alone.
Diane has owned her Model Y for about three years without serious complaints.
“Pretty happy,” she said. “It’s a fun car to drive.”
But that changed last month when she tried to go for a drive.
“It was fully charged,” she said. “I unplugged the car, went to get in my car, shut the door, and everything just shut down. I couldn’t open the windows. I couldn’t unlock the doors. I was trapped.”
Diane was stuck inside her car. She wanted to check the owner’s manual to try to figure out what was going on, but that was impossible: the glove box wouldn’t open either.
“I called a friend of mine in the neighborhood and said, you know, can you please come over right away. I’m trapped in the car. He came over he couldn’t figure it out. He says there’s no way to open the car from the outside.”
Diane got on the Tesla app and requested Emergency Roadside Assistance. Eventually they let her know through a text that there’s a secret latch to open the door.
Once she located it, Diane was finally able to get out. “It’s scary,” she said. “It’s very unnerving to say the least.”
Diane’s not alone.
Numerous reports have been made of Tesla drivers being trapped in their cars when the battery dies and all the electronics shut down.
Here’s the problem: like most electric vehicles, Tesla vehicles have a main battery that powers the car and a smaller battery that powers the onboard electronics. That includes the door release and the power windows.
When that battery dies, the doors and windows won’t work.
“There is no warning when it’s low or about to go out,” she said. “So it just shuts down.”
So, where’s that secret latch? You’ll find it on the armrest but on the underside, and it’s completely unmarked.
Diane had no idea it was there. She says she’s talked with several Tesla owners over the past few weeks and they didn’t know about it either.
She’d like to see Tesla do more to educate drivers about this important safety feature and believes the company should make a change.
“But to me, it seems that the default for when you lose power should be windows and doors open. Not lock. It should be the reverse logic. That I don’t understand.”
On Your Side reached out to Tesla, but did not receive a response.
If you own a Tesla, make sure you know where the manual door release is in your car. You’ll find it in your owner’s manual.
Toddler trapped in car when Tesla battery dies in Scottsdale
https://www.azfamily.com/2024/06/20/tod ... cottsdale/
SCOTTSDALE, AZ (AZFamily) — Renee Sanchez says she’s a big fan of Tesla, but what happened to her recently has changed her mind.
The Scottsdale grandmother tells On Your Side that she loaded her 20-month-old granddaughter into her car seat for a trip to the Phoenix Zoo.
“And I closed the door, went around the car, get in the front seat, and my car was dead,” she said. “I could not get in. My phone key wouldn’t open it. My card key wouldn’t open it.”
As On Your Side explained in a recent report, when the Tesla battery that operates electronics dies, a hidden latch on the driver’s side armrest will manually unlock the door. Many Tesla owners don’t know about this latch.
But in this case, Sanchez was stuck outside of her Tesla while the toddler was trapped inside, buckled into a car seat.
Sanchez tells On Your Side she had no option but to call 911, which immediately sent out Scottsdale firefighters.
“And when they got here, the first thing they said was, ‘Uggh, it’s a Tesla. We can’t get in these cars,’” she said. “And I said, ‘I don’t care if you have to cut my car in half. Just get her out.’”
Firefighters were forced to break a window with an ax, but they first covered the window with tape to keep the glass from flying.
Meanwhile, Sanchez’s granddaughter sat alone inside the Tesla, which was getting hotter and hotter.
“She was OK for the first few minutes,” Sanchez said. “But as soon as the firemen came and all the commotion started and the windows getting broken into, she started crying because she was scared.”
A firefighter climbed through the window and pulled the little girl free. They even gave her a little fire hat to calm her down.
“After I knew she was safe, then the anger,” she said. “Then, all the thoughts of, oh my God, this could have been so much worse.”
The 12-volt battery that powers the car’s electronics died without warning.
Tesla drivers are supposed to receive three warnings before that happens, but the Tesla service department confirmed that Sanchez didn’t receive any warnings.
“When that battery goes, you’re dead in the water,” she said.
On Your Side has learned there is a way for drivers to unlock their cars when they’re stuck outside, but it’s a complicated series of time-consuming steps involving wires and battery chargers.
But again, many Tesla owners and first responders don’t know about it.
“They need to educate the first responders because they had no idea,” Sanchez said. “They were as much in the dark as I was.”
Sanchez wants to see Tesla add a better option to get into a car with a dead battery.
And while she has been a big supporter of the company, this latest episode has shaken her faith.
“I give Tesla props. When it works, it’s great. But when it doesn’t, it can be deadly,” Sanchez said.
From the Tesla manual, click/tap here to see how to open the doors with no power.
Click/tap here for information on how to open the hood with no power.
PP
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OFSO
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Re: Electric Cars II - Not Silly!
Thanks for the link to the Tesla manual. Amazing that these cars even get certified for sale.
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Fox3WheresMyBanana
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Re: Electric Cars II - Not Silly!
Amazing is one word.
Criminally Incompetent is two.
But when the product or service fits the governing party's political agenda, the Law, and indeed common sense, takes a back seat.
Criminally Incompetent is two.
But when the product or service fits the governing party's political agenda, the Law, and indeed common sense, takes a back seat.
Re: Electric Cars II - Not Silly!
Not quite as bad, but quite a few cars have tailgates that can only be opened with electrical power; our minivan is one. This is highly relevant if you've got a dog in a crate in the car and the crate door is only accessible via the tailgate. Someone found out the hard way when his car suffered an electrical fire on the highway with his dog trapped in the back. He did manage to get the dog out but both suffered burns and smoke inhalation. That was one of the incentives for me to go buy a van that would take a couple of crates easily, and it's all mechanical locks too.