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General Motors Plans 20 All-Electric Cars By 2023 (bloomberg.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: General Motors joined a growing group of automakers promising an emissions-free future for cars by pledging to sell 20 all-electric vehicles by 2023. The largest U.S. automaker, which generates most of its profit with large sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks, plans to have a lineup of both battery-powered cars and hydrogen fuel-cell autos, which also run on electricity. Two new EVs will debut in the next 18 months to follow the Chevrolet Bolt that's been on sale for less than a year. The planned lineup demonstrates GM is doubling down on electrification despite the Bolt's slow start in U.S. showrooms and companies' inability thus far to profitably sell EVs. The automaker has delivered fewer than 12,000 units of the battery-powered Bolt, which goes about 238 miles between charges. Deliveries have primarily been concentrated thus far in California, which mandates sales of emissions-less vehicles.
They produce around 10 millions cars a year, and expect to sell just 20 all-electric ones in 5 years (to be kind) ?
(Yes, I understand that "models" was lost somewhere. "Implied" as they pretend :) )
I have discovered a truly marvelous proof of killer sig, which this margin is too narrow to contain.
Electric cars don't work when the power goes out, ICE powered cars do.
That is until you go to gas up, and there's no power to the pumps.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
If GM cared about selling the Bolt...
It costs several hundred million dollars to bring a new vehicle to market, especially with a new drivetrain, as type acceptance on new drivetrains takes years.
I know a lot of people don't quite get this concept, but companies don't like spending money on things that don't make money.
If GM DIDN'T care about the Bolt, they wouldn't have spent the time, effort and money developing it.
My Other Computer Is A Data General Nova III.
Meanwhile, here's how emergencies actually play out for EV owners.
"If there was an antonym to 'Elon Musk', it would be 'Richard Branson'."
The big problem is, and until it's resolved, the dealerships. To get a scope of the problem, a new vehicle really only comprises about 20-30% of a dealerships' revenue. The vast majority of a dealership's income is the service department.
As such, they HATE EVs. Because the drive train is so simplified, there is actually very little that needs to be maintained (you have your usual brakes and other things, but those don't really need a lot of servicing).
And a lot of the "no maintenance" parts are prematurely replaced by dealerships just because they can bill you for it - a car may only need an oil change once a year, but you can bet your dealership will have you coming in at least twice a year to do an oil change.
The EV, you don't really have to bring it in even once a year - maybe once every couple of years just to replace common consumables and check on the brakes (which will last a lot longer since they aren't used as much - regenerative braking reduces brake wear significantly). The biggest parts that will go wrong are the electronics, which can be electronically monitored, and being solid state, are extremely reliable.
Tesla sells you a bumper to bumper everything-but-tires service package for $600 a year - cheap compared to ICE vehicle services but even overkill for an EV (especially since the tires aren't included, and they're about the only part that wears out at the same rate).
In Florida with Irma, 2/3rds of the entire state's power went out. Let alone in the worst hit areas.
And EVs continued working like a dream there, for the reasons mentioned in the article.
Yeah, good luck with that when you join us in the real world.
Meanwhile, find any home or business with power from any source - somewhere that maintained their grid connection, somewhere with a natural gas generator, somewhere with solar, whatever - and you can charge. Not like you generally need to. Unlike gas, which has terrible efficiency when driving in the sort of low speed / stop-start conditions of disaster aftermath, EV ranges become much longer at low speeds, surpassing gasoline. And can "idle" with the AC on for 1/2 to 1 order of magnitude longer.
The article presents peoples' real-world experience with EVs in real-world disasters. Including one that was the greatest electrical system disaster in US history. You're free to disbelieve it if you want.
"If there was an antonym to 'Elon Musk', it would be 'Richard Branson'."