Are EVs really dead?

Prototype of Mercedes-AMG's New EV and Its Fake V-8 Sounds

I am not sure who is the target audience of this, but they clearly not numerous. EV Charger had abysmal sales. This will be more of the same.

For anyone listening - people WOULD buy performance EV, but it has to be a) unapologetic EV b) deliver performance that no ICE could match. This mainly means two things - a) find ways to bring down weight as nobody wants to race 5000lb monstrosity b) find ways to improve cooling so thermal shutdown after a few hot laps isn't a thing.

One way to do this would be to make battery structural (i.e., body on battery) and drastically redesign layout (i.e., there is no need for hood or trunk). Last but not least - get rid of steering by wire, braking by wire as no enthusiast wants to be disconnected from the track. Otherwise you'd be just racing in a simulator, which is much cheaper.

Trying to making it look and feel like ICE is a mistake, as people would just get the real thing.

 

Fake V-8 sounds?

There's a word for that, and it's not polite.

 

this is just too funny.

 

These fake engine sounds are so dumb whether it’s in an EV or small 4 cylinder. How did any engineers ever think that this was cool?

 

I doubt it was the engineers' idea. We tend to have a practical approach to problems.

It was most likely a problem brought up by a "think tank" or survey monkey that realized that the v8 sound was one of the "highest rated" reasons why people bought them. Therefore, the requirement of v8 sound was passed onto the engineers and they delivered (since that's their job)

 

^^^^
Blame it on the marketing nerds!
(It's what my engineering team does.)

 

I wonder what options were rejected at the meeting deciding how to implement that requirement.

Also, fake engine noises existed before that, BMW was notorious for using speakers to "enhance" engine noise. Other brands, like Jaguars, use acoustic tubes to pipe engine noises through a firewall.

Some fakery always existed, but taking it to 11 with EVs is outright offensive. There is a difference between your wife occasionally faking orgasm and a blow-up doll playing such noises. If you find yourself with latter (EV or doll), rethink your life choices.

 

Hey, be careful now. The "blow-up dolls" of the future may not require to be blown up at all. If we get full on autonomous robots that fake orgasms AND make you a sandwich afterwards the wife as we know it may become obsolete...

 

Well, I've been away. While I have, this thread has taken a delicious turn.
We should develop a Luddite forum to question/constructively criticize new stuff and combat all the schlock out there.

 

I have no trouble with new tech. My problem is that we tried to force folks into electric vehicles before we had the infrastructure to support them. Cart before the horse stuff that politicians are so fond of. Meanwhile, over 150 years of internal combustion engine development would be tossed aside. A graduated approach is needed.

 

Are you inferring that if the infrastructure had been put in place then it would be okay to force folks into electric vehicles?

 

"force" is an interesting way to spell incentivize. I still don't recall even being encouraged to buy an electric vehicle, by anyone ever.

 

FYI, to quote the Simpsons: "I imply, you infer."
"I" being Blackshirt in this case

 

Out here in California, they may not 'force' you, but they'll make it damn difficult not to follow what the overlords want. Gas is already more expensive than anywhere else, i could see them just taxing gas so high that it almost 'forces' (using that word in quotes) you to comply. Hell, Newsom just raised the gas tax again, i don't remember voting on that.

 

The government has forced American drivers into a bunch of things that were called necessary. Seatbelts, airbags, catalytic converters, 5mph bumpers, and a host of other features have been imposed on drivers over the years. Some of the ideas were good ones and have saved lives and reduced property damage. The public good is a thing that is often a higher priority…and properly so. However, pushing an agenda that is far from “ready-for-primetime” is a recipe for chaos.

 

Ouch. You got me. Good eye!

At what point does an incentive to drive an electric car become a punishment for driving a gas powered one? Rebates for buyers of electric cars are an incentive. Extra taxes on gasoline are a punishment.

As for the rest, buckle up buttercup.
EPA Approves California Plan to Ban Sales of Gas Cars by 2035

 

Ban: “I don’t like it, so you can’t have it.”



Ninnies.

 

Below is a real time interview of the president of the EPA:

 

What about the removal of subsidies on gasoline so the price reflects the actual cost? Would that be a punishment?

Your article is old information.

Not even CA is allowed to adopt this policy at this time.

https://www.act-news.com/news/house-passes-resolution-to-overturn-californias-gas-vehicle-ban/

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCNROUEdLcM&t=902s

 

If I read the article you referenced correctly, only the House of Representatives has voted on the resolution to overturn California’s ban on ICE vehicles. The senate has note yet voted, so the ban is still in effect. And who knows which way the wind will be blowing 15 months from now. And California isn’t the only state considering the move. The point is that if 9 or 12 or however many states are pushing for it, you can’t just hand wave it away and say it’s never going to happen.

As for the subsidies — sure. Let’s do away with them. But let’s also do away with the state and federal excise taxes too.

 

Already signed by POTUS.

https://apnews.com/article/californ...gas-emission-526c14aa5a44cc3457233c1cfef7a2cc

If we get rid of federal and state gas taxes, how do you suggest paying for road and bridge maintenance?

 

Out of the general fund.

 

Haven't popped my head in here in a while. Skimmed things and this is what I got:

• "AI" is advanced text prediction generation and caution should be exercised, especially as you have to take into account the training data and who is controlling it. (e.g. that MechaHitler incident)

And it's a waste of energy and water. I can't believe these data centers aren't required to have closed cooling loops.

• American fuel prices aren't necessarily the cheapest in the world but even including the west coast it's very much on the lower end. California just seems expensive because we compare it to what we know. (and because everyone wants to live there)

• Powering a car by electricity does not mean more "control" is given up. Obviously, you can't charge from empty in five minutes during normal times but we have various means to make our own electricity at a smaller scale that is not feasible for gasoline. (Folks may laugh at the image of an EV being charged by a gas generator, but that can be swapped out with one powered by propane, diesel, four kids on stationary bikes, the sun, etc.)

(and "control" will be informed by means independent of how a vehicle is propelled - it's a lot easier to interrupt the supply chain of gasoline anyway than preventing people from using/generating electricity at home. A given Costco gas station could see multiple tanker truck visits a day to give a sense of the logistics required.)

• "Ready for prime-time" is a very hazy benchmark that depends widely on individual uses. I don't see much "electric" mandating - there are incentives and money put towards removing obstacles. There's always someone talking about how _____ electric truck is not suitable for long-haul towing but everyone and their mother knows that is a trade-off by now. (exaggeration)

On the flip-side, if you want an idling-all-day, mobile-office-type-deal at a job-site, you can't beat electric or a hybrid.

California's "ban" has the door left wide-open for hybrids still also so I would imagine there will be more plug-in options in a decade given that the 2nd generation Volt hadn't even come out a decade ago.

Things can always change as they have politically but having to push towards a target to get things done are a part of life.

Companies will be happy to always say "it's too soon" or "it's too much" until the end of time if it saves their current cash cows. By telegraphing "hey, this is expected to come down the pipeline" then you get better idea of what is possible as time and work goes on.

Same way that gambling website executive claimed in an interview that there isn't enough data to say unprecedented access to gambling in one's pocket is bad and that we should wait and see.

For a neat set of data points regarding towing different loads with an electric pickup from a YouTuber I enjoy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmKf8smvGsA

and here's a useful video about why you don't necessarily need to go straight to pricier, higher-power/speed charging equipment at home:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W96a8svXo14

 

Ok. That's fine, I guess.

But why not tax the gas we use for transport to pay for transport related maintenance?

What's the advantage of having that money taken out of the general fund?

 

1. Specialty taxes obscure the true level of taxation.
2. Specialty taxes are often, maybe even mostly, not spent on the things they were collected to support. California’s fuel taxes are among the highest, and its roads are among the poorest.
3. It’s my personal belief that using specialty taxes to coerce certain behaviors from taxpayers is unethical.

 

I would think the true level of taxation would be easier to obscure if it was all broadly categorized as "general fund."

 

General fund spending may make it harder to see how tax money is spent. But specialized taxes obscure how much is collected.

 

That’s great if you live a boring life and only do the same drive everyday. What happens when you want or need to drive more one day and use up most of the battery. Now your car is useless for almost an entire day while it slowly charges.

 

I’d say smart on him, he got the company to pay for his vehicle energy needs, it’s like he got a company gas card.

no how he acted, that’s different.