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Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
Four major automakers that recently reached an agreement with the state of California to hold to certain emissions standards over the next decade are now the target of a federal antitrust investigation.
Ford, Honda, BMW, and Volkswagen confirmed to media they have been contacted about the probe, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
"Honda will work cooperatively with the Department of Justice with regard to the recent emissions agreement reached between the State of California and various automotive manufacturers, including Honda," the company said. BMW and Ford also confirmed receiving a letter from the DOJ, and Volkswagen said it is in "regular contact" with US authorities.
The companies reached an agreement with the California Air Resource Board (CARB) in July to produce cars for the US market that exceed national level-fuel efficiency standards. Under the terms of the deal, the automakers will improve their overall fleets' average fuel efficiency by 3.7% per year, starting with the 2022 model year. The plan also includes certain incentives to promote a transition to widespread manufacture and adoption of electric vehicles.
In a separate action from the DOJ probe, the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Transportation also sent a letter (PDF) to "put California on notice."
"This framework agreement appears to be inconsistent with Federal law," the agencies said. "We urge you to act immediately to disassociate CARB from the commitments made by the four automakers. Those commitments may result in legal consequences given the limits placed in Federal law on California's authority."
State leadership, however, does not appear likely to give way in response to the threat. "The Trump Administration has been attempting and failing to bully car companies for months now," California Governor Gavin Newsom said in an emailed statement. "We remain undeterred. California stands up to bullies and will keep fighting for stronger clean car protections that protect the health and safety of our children and families."
CARB chairwoman Mary D. Nichols in an emailed statement said the DOJ "brings its weight to bear against auto companies in an attempt to frighten them out of voluntarily making cleaner, more efficient cars and trucks than EPA wants. Consumers might ask, who is [EPA Administrator] Andy Wheeler protecting?"
(Score: -1, Troll) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday September 08 2019, @01:44PM (18 children)
"Joe Sixpack" does not drive an EV. Only yuppies and faggots drive EV's, and quite obnoxiously so.
(Score: 1, Troll) by Runaway1956 on Sunday September 08 2019, @02:08PM (13 children)
EF, even you will change in the next 4 decades. Yes, even you. You may become a yuppie or a faggot, and start driving an electrically powered vehicle. Really, what else are you going to do when there are no more internal combusion engines being built?
Much of the hype and talk about EV's is just so much bullshit, today. But, there are advancements being made in the field of batteries. Last thing I read was iron oxide batteries - or, lithium iron oxide. I hate to be responsible for adding to the hype, but a couple articles on the subject:
https://futurism.com/battery-revolutionize-clean-energy [futurism.com]
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/01/05/new_battery_design_mobile_phones_electric_vehicles/ [theregister.co.uk]
The major barriers for EV's right now are charge rates, and range. If I can buy a vehicle that will drive 500 miles, then recharge on household current in an hour and a half, I would most definitely consider it. Add a solar charging panel instead of a stupid painted roof/hood/trunk, and things look even sweeter.
In forty years, only yuppies and faggots will still be investing the kind of money necessary to keep an ICE on the road.
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday September 08 2019, @02:14PM (9 children)
You gimme an EV with a manual transmission and an entertainment system that sits on a different chip than the ECU, and we'll talk.
(Score: 1, Troll) by Runaway1956 on Sunday September 08 2019, @02:41PM (4 children)
So you're just another commie pinko democrat, after all. You want me to gimme something you want. Next, you'll be advocating free health care, free college education, free food, free housing, free sex, and free travel to extra-solar system colonies.
(Score: 0, Flamebait) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday September 08 2019, @02:48PM (3 children)
You can gimme a blowjob, and it better be a good one. You are likely not pretty enough for me to look downward during the process, but I will pay you five bucks for your efforts. By saying "five bucks," I mean five dollars, not five Black men. So the challenge is yours to accept.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday September 08 2019, @03:20PM (2 children)
*rolleyes*
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 08 2019, @06:51PM (1 child)
As a mere AC, I have to wonder why you even bother to try to talk to any of these people anymore.
(Score: 5, Touché) by Azuma Hazuki on Sunday September 08 2019, @08:06PM
Eth and Runaway deserve one another. I'd love to see what happens if the two of them get locked in a cell together. ...except the blowjob part, ick.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Sunday September 08 2019, @03:24PM (2 children)
I don't know about all EVs, but my Leaf's transmission is fairly simple -- it simply reduces the RPM from the electric motor and lets pick between forward and reverse -- just like you would see on a boat (there are some boats with two speed transmissions, but this is to give you an extra low speed for docking and such). Does a geared transmission even make sense with an electric car? This is interesting: https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/car-technology/a12019034/why-dont-electric-cars-have-multi-gear-transmissions/ [roadandtrack.com]
(Score: 4, Insightful) by PartTimeZombie on Sunday September 08 2019, @09:02PM
There's no point in replying to EF.
He think anyone who showers more often than monthly is a yuppie, and wearing a clean shirt makes you a faggot.
I am sure he understands the stupidity of a manual transmission EV, he is just terrified of change.
(Score: 2) by dry on Tuesday September 10 2019, @05:35AM
Perhaps a low gear in a 4x4, better control at very low speeds. The low gear would be seldom used but for crawling up a steep incline with loose gravel or such, perhaps. I'd guess it would be easy to spin the wheels at times with regular gearing.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 08 2019, @04:08PM
The big reveal.... EF is stupid. Still.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by krishnoid on Sunday September 08 2019, @02:36PM (1 child)
So you can get back in the car and keep driving? You, sir, must have super-powered wakefulness and buns of steel, and I applaud both (or all three) of those.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 08 2019, @05:44PM
(Score: 2) by deimtee on Monday September 09 2019, @01:57PM
The big problem is charge time. There is no way around the fact that a petrol (gas to you guys) pump easily delivers power at a rate of 20 megawatts.
My entire household switchboard tops out at 15KW. I can pay a not-toooo-large connection fee* and get a 3-phase 415V connection which will still top out at about 100KW. But I can only do that because not many people do get one. If even 5% of houses got one it would overload the grid,
And it would still take 200 times as long as a petrol pump.**
*Haven't priced one recently, but a few years back it was several thousand dollars including the heavy wiring to the board and new meters/breakers. Where you took it from there was between you and your electrician.
**Really it's about 100 times because of efficiency differences between ICE and electric engines.
If you cough while drinking cheap red wine it really cleans out your sinuses.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 08 2019, @04:05PM
From the quality of your insightful comments, I'm going to guess that you probably aren't smart enough to tie your own shoes.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 08 2019, @05:39PM
So how are you liking your EV so far?
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Monday September 09 2019, @02:19AM (1 child)
You're quite wrong there. EVs drive so much better than ICEs. It is a huge step up. Yeah yeah yeah it saves the Earth whatever. The important thing is the EV leaves the muscle cars and high-end German cars standing at the line. There is no gearing curve. There is no delay. The acceleration is instant and precise enough to cut your teeth on. Some dick in a BMW (is there any other kind?) won't let you into his lane? The EV can warp in ahead of him before he can even get the signal to his foot. There's no braying of cylinders or squealing of tires with an EV, just an instantaneous assertion of superiority. It is an expression of the ultimate and final victory of the geek over the jock. And, man, do the jocks look wilted when you blow their asshole-mobiles off the road.
Don't take my word for it. Take one for a test drive. A Tesla, and put it in ludicrous mode. You'll have to get a surgeon to surgically remove your smile.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 09 2019, @06:43AM
Don't care.
I've been on the track, I've hammered vehicles so powerful that the limiting factor was wheelies and traction.
Don't care.
In the real world, I care about a thing that will haul a metric ton of goods, plus passengers, on the highway as well as offroad for a range counted in hundreds of miles, and then refill quickly.
No EV that will do that is at my disposal. Until that changes, we might as well be talking about unicorn carriages. If it costs a fat premium over the ICE or hybrid alternative, it might still just as well not exist.