– “Fully Self-Driving Cars Are Here” – Waymo To Begin Testing Driver-Free Autonomous Taxis In Phoenix
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Cars
Wind farms would need to ‘cover whole of Scotland’ to power Britain’s electric vehicles
– Wind farms would need to ‘cover whole of Scotland’ to power Britain’s electric vehicles:
SCOTLAND would need to be entirely covered by wind farms in order to power all of Britain’s electric cars, according to a leading academic.
Jack Ponton, emeritus professor of engineering at Edinburgh University, said another 16,000 turbines would be required in order to replace petrol and diesel cars with electric vehicles.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has pledged to phase out the internal combustion engine by 2032 – eight years ahead of the rest of the UK.
But Prof Ponton said that, even if the issues of power generation and charging points were sorted out, the National Grid could simply not cope with the increased demand.
He said: “It is a nice idea as electric cars are much more efficient, cleaner and actually simpler devices than the current internal combustion engine vehicles.
“Technically, it is an excellent idea. But the problem starts when you begin to think, ‘Where are you going to get the energy to run them?’.
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H/t reader kevin a.
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😂 “Opel Adolf” 😂
😂 You can’t make this stuff up! 😂
RÜSSELSHEIM (D) – Opel verkauft eine Felge im Hakenkreuz-Design. Das erstaunt, denn das Symbol ist in Deutschland verboten. Der Autobauer streitet jegliche Ähnlichkeit ab.
Welchen Teufel hat den Alufelgen-Designer des neuen Opel Crossland X bloss geritten? Die Hakenkreuzoptik sorgt in deutschen Medien für hitzige Diskussionen. Nicht ohne Grund: Die Verwendung von hakenkreuzförmigen Symbolen ist seit 1945 verboten. Die Fachzeitschrift «Auto Bild» nennt den Crossland X bereits Opel «Adolf».
Mercedes-AMG Project ONE Is An Outrageous $2.53 Million 1000HP Hybrid Hypercar
– Mercedes-AMG Project ONE Is An Outrageous $2.53 Million 1000HP Hybrid Hypercar:
We got a tiny glimpse of the Mercedes-AMG Project ONE hypercar last week, but today we’re receiving “The Full Monty”. In a word, the car is simply stunning. As we previously reported, the Project ONE is heavily derived from Formula 1 technology, including its carbon fiber monocoque construction and its turbocharged V6 engine.
Starting with the engine, the 1.6-liter unit produces 612 horsepower by itself. But roughly 600hp isn’t enough for “hypercar” duty. You need more powah! So, the V6 is augmented by a total of four electric motors. Two front-mounted wheel motors add 160hp each (spinning at 50,000 RPM each), and are hooked up to their own single-speed transmission. A third 160hp eclectic motor is connected to the V6 engine’s crankshaft. If that wasn’t enough, a fourth electric motor is found within the turbocharger to help eliminate turbo lag.
Total system output is in excess of 1,000hp — and that’s not to mention that an extra 50hp is at your command using the overboost functionality. Drivers will harness all of this power with an AMG SPEEDSHIFT 8-speed automated manual transmission, with shifting duties being handled by paddles behind the steering wheel. When operating at full tilt, the Project ONE can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.3 seconds and will reach a top speed of 217mph. It’s also said that it can dash from 0 to 124 mph in under 6 seconds, which is less than most cars can get to 60.
Read moreMercedes-AMG Project ONE Is An Outrageous $2.53 Million 1000HP Hybrid Hypercar
China is joining France and Britain in announcing plans to end sales of gasoline and diesel cars
– China looks at ending sales of gasoline cars:
China is joining France and Britain in announcing plans to end sales of gasoline and diesel cars.
China’s industry ministry is developing a timetable to end production and sale of traditional fuel cars and will promote development of electric technology, state media on Sunday cited a Cabinet official as saying.
The reports gave no possible target date, but Beijing is stepping up pressure on automakers to accelerate development of electrics.
China is the biggest auto market by number of vehicles sold, giving any policy changes outsize importance for the global industry.
HENRY FORD’S HEMP CAR
10 X STRONGER THAN STEEL IN THE 1940’S: HENRY FORD’S HEMP CAR: https://t.co/ob1PAu1qw3 pic.twitter.com/FLGhsFxQdm
— The Global Elite (@TheGlobalElite) September 10, 2017
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Elon Musk Magically Extends the Battery Life of Tesla Vehicles Fleeing Hurricane Irma
Magic!
– Elon Musk Magically Extends Battery Life Of Teslas Fleeing Irma:
In what is either a generous act of charity or an unnerving example of the control Tesla exercises over the vehicles it producers, or perhaps both, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has magically unlocked the batteries of every Tesla in Florida to maximize the distance that people fleeing from Hurricane Irma can travel before stopping to refuel at one of the company’s “superstation” charging centers.
Typically, these types of over-the-air upgrades can cost thousands – if not tens of thousands – of dollars.
Read moreElon Musk Magically Extends the Battery Life of Tesla Vehicles Fleeing Hurricane Irma
“Self Drive Act” Passes House Committee 54-0: Safety Standards Scrapped, 25,000 Driverless Cars Coming Right Up
Many contend that self-driving trucks and cars will not happen anytime soon for numerous reasons (most of them easily refuted).
One of the reasons is of lack of approval from Congress.
That argument will go on the ash heap of history by the end of the year because a bipartisan House Panel Approves Legislation Speeding Up Deployment of Self-Driving Cars.
The Madness Is Back: Homeowners Take Out Mortgages To Buy Bitcoin, Cars And Wine
Continue to prepare for collapse.
– The Madness Is Back: Homeowners Take Out Mortgages To Buy Bitcoin, Cars And Wine:
It’s been about a decade since the term “mortgage arbitrage” made headlines. It’s back.
In the clearest sign yet of just how late far the investing cycle the developed world finds itself, the FT writes that wealthy British homeowners are again borrowing against their property to invest in bonds, equities, alternative investments or commercial property as the low cost of debt creates opportunities for “mortgage arbitrage”. And while taking out a mortgage to invest in “safer” arbs like corporate bonds, commercial real estate or private equity would be at least understandable, if not excusable, in the current low-yield regime, some more extreme “investment” decisions suggest that the madness and euphoria that marked the peak of the last asset bubble is back: because while growing numbers are prepared to risk using their primary residence as collateral, some are ready to gamble on extremely volatile assets like bitcoin, wine and cars.
Read moreThe Madness Is Back: Homeowners Take Out Mortgages To Buy Bitcoin, Cars And Wine
General Motors Auto Sales Crash, Dealer Inventory Near All Time High
– GM Auto Sales Crash, Dealer Inventory Near All Time High:
It was expected to be a bad quarter for General Motors. It ended up being abysmal.
GM reported that July auto sales crashed by a whopping 15%, nearly double Wall Street’s already depressed expectations of a 8% drop, and with GM mothballing production across the country to catch up with lagging demand, it still sold only 226,107 vehicles as a result of double digits drops in Chevy, Build and Cadillac Sales of 15.3%, -30.5% and -21.7%, respectively. The only “good” performer was GMC, which dropped by “only” 7.3% Y/Y.
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Germany orders recall of 22,000 Porsches over emissions cheating (Update)
– Berlin orders recall of 22,000 Porsches over emissions cheating (Update):
Germany on Thursday ordered luxury car brand Porsche to recall 22,000 vehicles across Europe over emissions test cheating amid a widening election-year scandal.
“We will order a legally binding recall for these vehicles, just as we have in other cases,” he said.
Read moreGermany orders recall of 22,000 Porsches over emissions cheating (Update)
Volvo goes electric, ditches cars powered solely by gas
– Volvo goes electric, ditches cars powered solely by gas:
HELSINKI (AP) — Volvo says it will only build electric and hybrid vehicles starting in 2019, making it the first major automaker to abandon cars and SUVs powered solely by the internal combustion engine.
CEO Hakan Samuelsson said the move was dictated by customer demand. It means that in two years, all new Volvo vehicles will have some form of electric propulsion. The rest of the auto industry is likely to make similar moves in a few years, said Sam Abuelsamid, senior analyst for Navigant Research, with luxury automakers leading the way.
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H/t reader squodgy.
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Jay Leno Takes Joyride in Divergent3D’s “3D Printed Supercar” Jay Leno’s Garage
– Jay Leno Takes Joyride in Divergent3D’s “3D Printed Supercar”:
Jay Leno’s Garage takes a spin in the world’s first 3D printed environmentally friendly supercar: the Divergent Blade.
If you’re interested in cars, you likely know all about Jay Leno’s Garage. If not, this is an Emmy-winning TV show in which the former late night talk show host and comedian reviews and tinkers with unique automobile designs.
Recently, Leno took a joyride in the Divergent Blade, the “world’s first 3D printed supercar”. Developed by the California company Divergent 3D, this environmentally friendly vehicle has already been around for quite some time.
Although it was released at the Pebble Beach Concours in California back in 2015, it’s still causing a stir around the automotive industry. The car has a 720-horsepower Mitsubishi Evo engine and has a top speed of around 320 km/h (200 mph).
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H/t reader kevin a.
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RECOVERY: Wall Street Wakes Up to #Carmageddon
– Wall Street Wakes Up to #Carmageddon:
Auto industry faces “Unprecedented Buyer’s Strike”: Morgan Stanley
After five months in a row of year-over-year declines in auto sales, and therefore after five months in a row of sales that fell below already lowered expectations, the big guns on Wall Street are now seeing the writing on the wall, and are trying to come to grips with it.
“A stretched auto consumer, falling used [vehicle] prices, and technological obsolescence of current cars are ingredients for an unprecedented buyer’s strike,” wrote Morgan Stanley’s auto analyst Adam Jonas in a note to clients.