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posted by
martyb
on Wednesday November 23 2016, @11:33PM
from the that's-one-way-to-reduce-emissions dept.
from the that's-one-way-to-reduce-emissions dept.
The head of Volkswagen's core brand is sketching out a broad restructuring emphasizing electric cars and digital technology such as autonomous vehicles and car-sharing.
Volkswagen division head Herbert Diess said Tuesday at a news conference at company headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany that the goal is "to fundamentally change Volkswagen" as it bounces back from a scandal over cars rigged to cheat on diesel emissions tests.
The plan foresees new investments in electric-car technology and in software that would enable new ways of using and sharing cars over the longer term.
Would all this upheaval in the auto industry be happening without Tesla?
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Volkswagen Aims to Go Electric, Raise Lagging Profits
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* m2 stares at the monitor... it looks like a hamburger...
m2 - that's a bad sign
(Score: 3, Insightful) by ledow on Thursday November 24 2016, @08:47AM
Electric cars have been around since the 60's and before. In the UK, we call them "milk floats".
Advanced in battery technology, from the lead acid to the Li-ion to the Li-poly are what's driven electric cars, not the car itself.
And even things like the advance in powerful magnets, and development of large electric motors for lots of purposes.
Not Musk and his toy car.
If you haven't noticed, most people still don't own an electric car. And those that do have hybrids etc. that are nothing to do with Tesla. And Tesla's car is sold on the "autopilot", re-use of the battery, etc. rather than it being electric.
This "upheaval" isn't really. I can buy an electric car from most manufacturers today. When I bought my car at the end of last year, direct from the manufacturer, they had electric and hybrid models. There's a reason that I didn't touch them. Many reasons, in fact. I work in private schools, and I see thousands of cars come and go past my office window every day, owned by some of the richest people in the area. Few of them are electric and those that are are hybrid rather than full electric. There's a reason for that, too. And these people own iPhones and demand iPads for their kiddywinks "because". Hell, one of them phoned in saying they couldn't come to school today because "the Porsche was stuck behind the electric gates". I kid you not.
This "upheaval" is VW desperately searching for a new product line that doesn't have their bad reputation smeared all over it. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if they sold their electric cars under an entirely different name to avoid the association. Every other manufacturer has an electric model. They aren't exactly selling like hot cakes.
Tesla gets the press because it's the only car manufacturer NOT selling petrol and diesel cars. No other reason.
But electric cars have been around for decades. They always suffered range issues. They always suffered expensive battery replacements. They always suffered huge weight for their batteries. They always suffered long recharge times (overnight in the case of electric milk floats). The only thing that's changed is the battery technology (nothing to do with Tesla), which gives them the capability to produce more torque (hence greater acceleration). Electric cars can out-accelerate any sports car made. But people still aren't buying them en-masse. Because what they can't do is the Le Mans 24 hours, or even that "trip to Auntie's over Christmas" reliably. I know of ONE place with electric charging in my town - it's a Waitrose (posh supermarket). Sure, you could leave it plugged in while you wandered around doing your shopping but that 30-minute charge isn't going to do much after you get back home. Yet I can name 10+ petrol stations off the top of my head even though I only ever use one, use it once a week (if that), and spend 5 minutes in it.
I have a 32Amp commando connector electric RCD outlet on the side of my house. It runs my girlfriend's electric kilns when she uses them. I have a massive thick cable for it that would easily reach the front-yard (I actually bought it with that intention of future-proofing, and so I can plug a lawnmower or whatever in too). I bought a brand new car recently. I looked at, and then didn't buy, electric vehicles. I hate cars, mechanical things, I'm not interested in boy-racer speeding or colour or sleekness or accessories - I want a car that's functional first, has room inside it, and just works. Gimme another cupholder rather than another second off my 0-60. The complexity of a modern fuel-based engine is way out of my league to do anything with, so you'd think I'd want to reduce mechanical interventions as much as physically possible.
But electric cars still don't cut it.
I've looked at electric mopeds quite seriously. It would cost me a penny to get to work and would be able to recharge fully during my working day, and I could literally plug it in in my office. My girlfriend's Italian so she loves the idea (they love their mopeds). But the purchase cost + maintenance + the fact that we can't use it for practical things involving more than a bag of shopping means it's a toy, still. Even alongside a petrol car for doing the bigger things, I can't justify the cost.
As such, there is no upheaval in the auto industry. There's a new product that people are just being pretty "meh" about. Every manufacturer copied it because it's basically an electric car from the 60's with a lithium battery, it's not hard to do. But they aren't exactly selling like hot cakes, and for good reason. Nobody has actually solved the problems with them - battery capacity, battery charging times, battery weight, battery safety.
(Score: 2) by butthurt on Friday November 25 2016, @07:16PM
Nobody has actually solved the problems with them - battery capacity, battery charging times, battery weight, battery safety.
General Motors claims a 238-mile (383 km) range for its Chevrolet Bolt. It's not going to win at Le Mans but it seems adequate for many purposes.
/article.pl?sid=16/09/14/0130242 [soylentnews.org]
As for safety, the unique danger is high voltage. The dangers of fire or explosion are also present with petrol, CNG, propane or hydrogen--perhaps less so with diesel, but this topic is about VW. ;-) I've not found statistics on such things but one freelance blogger who did
[...] concluded that, to date, a significantly smaller percentage of [Teslas] catch on fire than conventional cars.
-- http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2013/1102/Tesla-Motors-Model-S-fires-Another-setback-for-electric-cars [csmonitor.com]
When an electric car burns or explodes, it may be deemed more newsworthy than when the same happens to an ICE car.