Automotive bubble....has it burst?

Futbalfantic said:
I’m going to agree with @benXJ here. The variability of hard parts is pretty excessive. There is no need for the 1000’s of different designs of brake pads, rotors, calipers, etc that there is. And this absolutely increases the prices of vehicles as the machinery to make these parts has to be retooled for all of the different designs. Auto manufacturers should limit the variability in those designs.
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In some cases they have. The 10-speed in the GMs and Fords… Same mechanical stuff, but a different computer to control it. Or at least they were the same around 2019 when I bought a 2018 F150.
But really, they can and will do it, but they’ll just use the savings to add to their profit. It’s not like they are regulated like the electricity company.
 
so dumb.gif
 
Whoever criticizes others must have something to replace them. Criticism without suggestion is like trying to stop flood with flood and put out fire with fire. It will surely be without worth. ~ Mozi
 
awheelterd said:
I think you're right. I can think of a couple folks that are still getting low key help from their parents. I remember hearing someone not long ago saying that their inlaws covered daycare for them. That 1200/mo right there would finance a ltz burb.
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Interesting article in regards to that

Expenses that parents help their adult kids pay​

A full 59% of parents said they financially helped an adult child in the past year, while 44% of adult children said they had received financial help from a parent in the same period.

Of those 44% of young adults, the majority (68%) were 18-to-24-years old. But 30% of adults between 30 and 34 also said they got a financial assist from a parent.

The money for all age groups combined was most commonly used to help pay for household expenses (28%), and cellphone bills and streaming service subscriptions (25%). Less common was help with rent (17%), medical expenses (15%) and education (11%).
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So for those interest in the whole Tesla cold weather charging thing, I have a theory.

I'm sitting in Boone charging for my drive home. Its about 32 degrees outside. My car conditioned (preheated) the battery for five minutes prior to arrival. It started charging at 36kW and even with continual heating is only getting to 50kW. Normal super charging is 200+ kW. So, I'd say the battery conditioner can't compete with subfreezing conditions. It is likely that Tesla needs to offer a cold weather option package or certify a third party aftermarket cold weather battery conditioner.

The other option would be for Supercharger stations to offer heated parking pads for cold weather charging.
 
Southern_Transplant said:
The other option would be for Supercharger stations to offer heated parking pads for cold weather charging.
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But how long would it take for that to get enough heat in to raise the battery temp with a 4-6” air gap and whatever skid plate/frame is under the battery?
 
jeepinmatt said:
But how long would it take for that to get enough heat in to raise the battery temp with a 4-6” air gap and whatever skid plate/frame is under the battery?
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Yeah, I'm not an engineer. But that might be something you could solve with windbreaks. The idea is just to give your vehicle's battery conditioning system (heater) the assistance it needs to get the battery up to 40-50 degrees to allow moderate charging.
 
Southern_Transplant said:
Yeah, I'm not an engineer. But that might be something you could solve with windbreaks. The idea is just to give your vehicle's battery conditioning system (heater) the assistance it needs to get the battery up to 40-50 degrees to allow moderate charging.
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It’s funny though that in the most frigid temps I’ve just pulled in, stuck the schnozzle in and the diesel does its thing. Then, I drive away…… 10 minutes in and out. Given I had to go in get a Dr. Pepper and take a piss but temps never caused me a bit of issue…. IJS:flipoff2:
 
jeepinmatt said:
But how long would it take for that to end up with homeless people crowding around it?
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FIFY.
The only way that would really work is an enclosure like a 3 walled carport. Then you're dealing with a major ordeal of upkeep.
An easy clue if it works is to see if this is as much a problem within parking garages as it is on the street.
 
RatLabGuy said:
FIFY.
The only way that would really work is an enclosure like a 3 walled carport. Then you're dealing with a major ordeal of upkeep.
An easy clue if it works is to see if this is as much a problem within parking garages as it is on the street.
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They are doing these out west currently.
It looks like a fiberglass car wash. You swipe your card, the door opens, your drive in
Plug up and the door opens on the other side when the charge is complete and the charger rehung.

I’ll see if I can get the pic I was shown …a well meaning station owner added a sign that says “keep vehicle doors and windows closed while charging to prevent CO exposure”
 
So how much electricity does the electric car waste heating up the air around the battery to heat up the battery to charge the battery? I’m sure it’s accounted for in the efficiency calculations :rolleyes:
 
skyhighZJ said:
It’s funny though that in the most frigid temps I’ve just pulled in, stuck the schnozzle in and the diesel does its thing. Then, I drive away…… 10 minutes in and out. Given I had to go in get a Dr. Pepper and take a piss but temps never caused me a bit of issue…. IJS:flipoff2:
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Something tells me that in those conditions that diesel truck left out all night wouldn't fire right up unless it had a heater block plugged in or was in a garage. Same goes for the EV, if it was at home in the garage, it would be charged up just fine.:buttkick:

Glad I live in NC, I don't like arctic shit.
 
Southern_Transplant said:
Something tells me that in those conditions that diesel truck left out all night wouldn't fire right up unless it had a heater block plugged in or was in a garage. Same goes for the EV, if it was at home in the garage, it would be charged up just fine.:buttkick:

Glad I live in NC, I don't like arctic shit.
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But see it’s a non-issue because the factory thought of it and installed the appropriate measures. All diesels come with some form of preheater be it a grid heater to warm the intake air or glow plugs to heat the combustion chamber. Also, almost every truck I’ve ever seen also come with factory block (coolant) heaters
 
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The irony of using energy to heat batteries so we can put more energy into the battery to drive around and use less energy...

All those parking lot heaters, heated fiberglass enclosures, etc would all take considerable levels of power to maintain optimum temp for battery charging.

I'm not against the EV technology. I'm against the lies being told that EV's are going to save the planet. Then seeing the folks at Cummins get raked. Sure diesel produces Nox but the levels are way lower than they could be. The media writes it like diesels are spewing death gas. How do you think your groceries get delivered, your kids school bus runs, etc?
 

"Hydrogen will likely remain a niche technology among cars, pickups, and SUVs, but like diesel has been an alternative to gas, Hydrogen still stands a decent chance of becoming the fuel of choice for long-distance trucking, heavy-duty work, and power generation in a zero-carbon-emissions future. Fuel cells offer longer range and quicker refueling than battery-electric vehicles, giving them an advantage in industries where every minute of downtime has an impact on the bottom line. Advocates believe a relatively small, strategically spaced network of hydrogen filling stations could make fuel cells a viable alternative to the diesel engines that drive so much of the modern economy."
 
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