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BMW is putting some big numbers to its electrification efforts. At a media event in Munich on Thursday ahead of next week's Frankfurt Motor Show, the automaker announced plans to bring to market at least 25 electrified vehicles by 2025 -- 13 of which will be fully electric. The new models are expected to be marketed through all of BMW AG's brands, including Mini and Rolls-Royce, but may also include BMW Motorrad, its motorbike division.
Most interestingly, Harald Krüger, BMW chairman of the board, revealed Tuesday that his company will show a four-door, pure-electric concept car in Frankfurt under its i sub-brand. The car will be designed to slot between its i3 electric urban runabout and i8 plug-in hybrid sports coupe. Few concrete details were revealed about the coming show car, but reading between the lines, it's clear that BMW is incubating a Tesla competitor -- likely a rival for the Model 3. The car's design is expected to be influenced by the Vision Next 100 (shown below), a futurethink concept vehicle designed to commemorate BMW's centennial.
Word from inside the executive circles at Ford is that they're gearing up to chase Tesla, too. How long before the last internal combustion engine production car rolls off the line, 5 years, 10 years, or 15?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by n1 on Sunday September 10 2017, @02:27AM (2 children)
I get what you're saying, it wasn't a deliberate attempt to misinterpret.
I've made the point before that while most EV charging is done at home, but where i'm from (Europe) most people do not have the option to plug-in at home. I've lived in several places where you're lucky to get a parking spot within two blocks the house or apartment. Maybe one day there will be charging infrastructure 'on the street' but we're many years away from it being commonplace, and the costs to build and manage that network are not small.
It's the same at peoples fixed places of work, there's maybe sometimes less than half of the parking available for the number of employees, people park on the street not in the office car park... That's only for visitors and executives.
Again to the point, the lost tax revenues will need to be replaced by something, and it will be on EV/transport. So by the time it truly is mass market, it won't be cheaper than ICE. Just like all the energy efficient lightbulbs and appliances 'save you money' only against what you would have paid, because either way your electric bill is still going up and the utility companies are not going to accept reduced revenues or profits.
I like EV's and I want one, it costs me over $100 (outside the US) to refuel for around 600 miles of driving in both ICE vehicles I own, it's painful at times. But we're a long way off for it being a practical and cost efficient replacement for my current modes of transport, and the same applies to basically everyone I know who isn't in the top 1% income bracket. Even with the Model 3, that's not going to change unless there are some truly exceptional deals on leasing at $250/pm.. And still in Europe driveways and garages for overnight charging is a luxury the 'mass market' consumer doesn't have.
I want to see more EV's, and I want to see wider adoption of them... What I don't want is an all or nothing approach so many seem to want with EVs before it's cost effective or a practical replacement for ICE.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Whoever on Sunday September 10 2017, @04:15AM (1 child)
The thing about EVs adoption is that it is going to take a long time. The EV infrastructure doesn't need to support every car owner today. There is plenty of time to build the infrastructure as the vehicle population shifts to EVs.
Street lights can be adapted to include EV charging, providing a solution for a portion of car owners, both at home and at work.
You are right that the tax revenue from ICE vehicles will need to be replaced as people move to EVs. I suspect that the solution will be to increase taxes on ICEs, until EVs become dominant, and then shift the tax burden over to EVs. Many European countries have a policy to eliminate the sale of new ICE vehicles, increased taxes on ICE vehicles supports this policy.
There really is only one way to reply to that nonsense: Bullshit!
(Score: 2) by n1 on Sunday September 10 2017, @05:28AM
I agree, EV adoption is going to take time. People like the submitter of this article seem optimistic that it could be complete in 5-15 years. 15 years may be possible if you don't count a hybrid as ICE, or are talking about very specific markets, but it's still a stretch in my opinion.
Adapting street lights is an appealing proposition and has some potential, but i'd like to see some proposals about how it's actually going to work. The systems used, who's paying installation costs, how will use be charged and the like. Also the safety/security of having cables trailing out of street lights across the pavements to cars several feet away is an interesting problem that needs a solution.
The 'shift tax burden onto EV' is what I mean by saving money against what you would have paid (in the future, vs what you have paid in the past). The early adopters, the already economically secure get the short term and potentially long term economic benefits... Before taxation shifts and/or before utility prices increase. The general population gets the higher tax on ICE burden and then by the time EV is suitable or ICE is legislated away, they'll still end up paying about the same, possibly indirect and spread over different methods of taxation.
The UK, as an example, has gone all in on the energy efficient light bulbs and appliances, televisions are much more efficient than they used to be. Much less desktop computer use in the home... Has anyone seen their electric bills come down? Average electric bill in UK was £288 in 2004... In 2014 it was £592.. After all those years of advances in energy saving technology being adopted by the general consumer. Energy efficient widgets perhaps offset the increased operating costs of the widgets, but the total cost of ownership doesn't ever seem to come down, even after accounting for inflation.
Last month...
Just to be clear again, I want to see a more widespread adoption of EV's, i'd love to have an EV pickup that I could charge with my own solar power. I am very much in favour of reducing consumption and having efficiently designed systems. The current ICE status-quo is rightfully coming to an end.
I want to see more alternative fuels and more choice in personal transportation, not for it to replicate the 'one size fits all' model of the smart-phone market where the 'average' person doesn't want/need a physical keyboard or a replaceable battery, so they don't even offer a choice anymore.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/british-gas-price-increase-energy-bill-electricity-125-per-cent-from-september-a7870131.html [independent.co.uk]
https://www.ovoenergy.com/guides/energy-guides/the-average-gas-bill-average-electricity-bill-compared.html [ovoenergy.com]