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Thanks for the chart. I love this sort of information. It's amazing that, while only 10 million people live in Portugal, it's the world's 7th language. The answer is an easy one: Brazil. I once read something that said the 2 languages which polled the highest on the "want to learn" list are French and Italian. That's "want" as opposed to what people ultimately do. The second list bumps up French quite a bit. Most high school and university students in this country study Spanish. I took a lot of French in high school and a little bit of Spanish in college. Most people forget what they learned. I never did. It sure has come in handy. Guess what, folks? You go to Quebec or Argentina, for example, and speak to the locals fairly proficiently in THEIR language ... and you will be treated even better. I should have asked @oldshurst442 Qu'est-ce que avez-vous fait pour ton anniversaire? I'll ask 442 this because I know ocnblu wouldn't want to field the same question in another language.

BIG NEWS BIG NEWS BIG NEWS GM's annual Investor, Analyst and Dealers meeting in Detroit, GM showed off their newest modular platform with a new battery, motors, etc. This new platform will suppor 13 new auto's as GM steps up to compete with Tesla. https://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2020-03-04/gm-shows-13-electric-vehicles-as-it-tries-to-run-with-tesla This new battery pack will allow GM to support a 400 mile range in their Hummer by GMC truck and offer other sizes across SUV/TRUCK/CAR models. Starting with the Cadillac Lyriq to be shown April 2nd we will also get a new Chevrolet BOLT CUV, Hummer by GMC pickup as GM moves forward to have out by 2024 as 2025 models the following: 3 Cadillac SUVs, Luxury Car Chevrolet Midsize SUV along with the Bolt compact SUV and full size truck. 2 Buick SUVs GMC Hummer Truck and SUV Cruise Origin, autonomous electric shuttle GM plans to sell 1 million EVs by mid decade

Pricing on early COEs keeps going up!

Perilous, or necessary? One day, governments might decide to essentially BAN the ICE in favor of BEVs. Sounds like Cadillac (and GM in general) are looking ahead to that (admittedly distant) possibility.

So mercantilism is good for whom exactly? As long as nations and peoples have differing competencies, free trade is still the best way to maximize consumer welfare. Comparative advantage would still lead you to a rules-based free trade regime. Does China cheat? YES. Do we need to address some of our economic problems? yes. But the notion of free trade is economic suicide presumes that all consumers in an economy essentially work for a handful of domestic producers that can (and in many cases has) produced shoddy goods at high prices. Australia's problem is that the market is simply TOO SMALL to sustain an auto industry that requires investment in the billions and sales in the millions every single year. High tariffs on any goods only protect domestic industries from competition that would make consumers' lives better. Crushing the weak and defending the strong who can lobby their way to hiding behind an invisible wall with no recourse for anyone else is just plain silly and counterproductive. Protecting industries for a nation of barely 25 million people is a massive tax on its citizens, and pursuing that policy is wrong for a whole host of reasons. A few jobs here and there will not make up for the fact that it would still be more expensive to dramatically cut down or worse yet cut off trade with other nations. Consumers are always better off if there is competition, foreign or otherwise, for their hard earned wages to buy anything. Mercantilism only helps a few at the expense of consumers anywhere. Besides, if free trade were suicide, then why has trade consistently exceeded worldwide GDP growth since WWII? Free trade is a good thing to have; mercantilism is wrong.

Have had my eye on this light post for years. Been in my house not far from it for 28 years now, and tho this was a gas station built in the mid '60s & apparently torn down sometime in the '90s, I don't remember it. Light is interesting because the post is hinged in the middle, allowing it to be lowered to change the bulbs. It would be a quick project to sink a Sonotube, pour a footing, and install this (repainted) back by my shop. Maybe 1 day the site will be cleaned up and I can snag it.

I've been saying it for awhile, but I think them(anybody, not just Ford) targeting performance and naturally efficiency with an EV will be key. "Everybody" has tried the whole small car EV thing and they don't do too well. I believe making a fun and capable EV will make them much more desirable. 7/5 is a fraction as well so it could be more by just saying "fraction" but people don't commonly think of 'greater than 100%' when saying "fraction". Buuuut, looking at the dictionary definition, it has to be less than 1.

Or that it was Monday.... ? Think that might be the best day to see a movie.....

GM Looking to the Future with their 100 year celebration of Futurama.

Here are some sites that have reviewed EV versus ICE ownership. https://www.2degreesinstitute.org/reports/comparing_fuel_and_maintenance_costs_of_electric_and_gas_powered_vehicles_in_canada.pdf Charts and various deeper dive info, but they studied 3 difference research studies on the comparison of near equal EV to ICE auto's and the average ended up being that EV's were 47% less to maintain and operate than an equal like ICE auto. https://www.energysage.com/electric-vehicles/costs-and-benefits-evs/evs-vs-fossil-fuel-vehicles/ Energy Sage is an independent think tank looking at the cost of ownership per year of ICE versus EV. One of the studies they list as used to review costs had this to say and I quote: A 2018 study from the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute found that electric vehicles cost less than half as much to operate as gas-powered cars. The average cost to operate an EV in the United States is $485 per year, while the average for a gasoline-powered vehicle is $1,117. They do state that the largest expense in an EV is the Battery pack. Yet they also state that every year costs have gone down while longevity has gone up. Now this is by an EV pro web site, but I had to crack up laughing as they use the image of the Maytag repair man as it covers the cost of an EV over the first 100,000 miles. https://insideevs.com/news/317307/ev-vs-ice-maintenance-the-first-100000-miles/ I like this as they take it from the approach of a service file covering in details that I think can resonate with many people. Tires: both EV and ICE will need tires and rotations, based on rotation every 7,500 miles you have 13 trips in your first 100,000 miles for both types of auto's. Oil Change: Older auto's used to be 3,000 miles, newer ones run from 3,000 to 7,500, they took 5,000 miles on average, meaning 20 oil changes for ICE over 100,000 miles. Cost $400 to $800. EV = None Automatic transmission: generally recommended service every 100,000 miles. $30 to $100 for ICE and is more if done at garage or dealer. EV = None Coolant: Generally 150,000 miles and you do have to check on it through out the life of the ICE auto. EV, if they have a thermal management system like the Chevrolet Bolt, you will have similar checks. Fuel: ICE they used 12,750 miles a year which would equal 400 trips to the gas station for the first 100,000 miles based on 28 mpg @$3.50 per gallon equal $12,500. EV's plugged and unplugged daily with 90% of charging done at your home based on cost of 3.5 cents per mile equals $3,500 Spark plugs and wires: Usually 100,000 service, DIY $60, Shop $200 EV's = none Muffler: Location and driving determines the life of the muffler and catalytic converter. Short stop n go driving shortens life compared to long trips Muffler $100 to $250, Cat $500 to $1,000. EV's = none Brakes: Depending on the auto, they figure at least 2 trips in the first 100,000. They average $200, $400 over the life, but I know that is more like $400 each time and $800 for the two trips in 100,000. With regenerative brakes, this is cut in half, so $200 or what I believe is $400. Big 100,000 miles service: from Timing belts to water pumps, tune up, etc. They are quoting $900 to $1,100. I can honestly say I think it is more inline with $1,000 to $2,500 depending on the ICE auto. EV's you might have battery issues to deal with which can run $5,000 unless you go refurbished. Yet batteries are getting stronger and better so this is becoming a much smaller issue for most EVs. In reality as they say, you can keep driving an EV even with a reduced battery life, but an ICE with engine issues has a stronger chance of leaving you stranded. Over all, I think the cost of ownership for EVs is half that for the ICE.

I personally think Chevy will kill the Camaro as is, but will re-invent it as an EV crossover coupe thingy (like you said...but EV) to compete with the Mustang Mach-E. As I posted above, I wasnt trolling with the E-ROC comment. Electric Racing of Champions instead of IROC. There is also no reason to believe its staying either... GM has been....silent on the future of Camaro after 2023. That means anything really. But its more of a negative to be silent than a positive. Very very true... However. This is GENERAL MOTORS we are talking about!!! GM has already killed the F-Body twins with similar sales in 2002 as the sales that the Alpha platform ATS and Camaro generated. And...in 2002...SUVs were all the rage which was a major reason for canceling the F-Body and killing the Camaro/Firebird. In 2020, SUVs and CUVs have become the bread and butter products and EVs have somewhat become all the rage and Camaro is neither. Mizz Barra DID say GM was going full on electric in 2023 and beyond. This is why I have stated that Camaro will probably be an EV CUV to rival the Mustang Mach-E. Or if not a CUV, then an EV coupe the Camaro will become. I have strong suspicions.

They understand it. They speak it but are too shy to do so if that makes any sense... I mean, if they are forced to speak Greek, they will do so. But its not as fluid as I speak it. To be fair, at home, we speak English and French more often than we do Greek. Sad to say. But reality dictates that Greek is not part of our environment. Even when we have family get togethers, we speak English more often than not. Its like the sentence is started in English, therefore English would be the language and structure we define our communications with and Greek words are substituted sometimes in place of English ones. And sometimes French words are also added to the sentences as well. And that is how my kids "speak" Greek as well... They will back away from speaking fully Greek though. I speak almost perfectly in Greek. I do have a slight anglophone tone when I do speak Greek as opposed to a Greek from Greece. Plus I obviously dont speek Greek lingo from Greece. I also speak Greek at a slower speed than native Greeks do. But my speed is matched to theirs after a couple of days when Im there. (In Greece) But my anglophone tone remains. Same with my (Quebec) French. My (Quebec) French is on par with the Frenchies of Quebec, except I got that slight English thing going on. Its ever so slight, but one could tell Im an anglophone. My dad's French was pure laine Quebecois though. And his English was pure Canadian English (Montreal English). My English goes from a Montreal English accent to a slight American one. Blame American culture...

Well I went to work, then I stopped at the park and walked four brisk laps around the lake. It helped. Except ppl were flying. The speed limit is only 15 because, you know, it's a park, but too many of them were going like 25. Then they turn the wrong way on a one-way stretch of road in there, even with multiple signs advising them of the fact. But at least I got my laps in.

Sadly, My mind and body are not as advanced age as you and your friends. I doubt you could stay up with me skiing, in the gym or so many other things. Working from home when you have idiots still moving around sick is a smart move. Just finished my 2hr upper body workout in the gym. What did you do to have a strong mind and body today?

Im afraid...its not only the US government that needs to be told "NO" as you put it. The whole bloody planet's governments are doing this. I dont know if and when the Americas are gonna do this (North, South and Central) but many countries in Europe are in motion of banning ICE engines in their city cores and probably everywhere else in their respective countrys eventually soon. Ditto for the Asian continent too. The thing is...the rest of the planet's population are not exactly against this as feverishly as some Americans are... And THAT poses mucho problems not only for the USA (we could discuss this how if the whole world wants to do away with ICE and adopts EVs, how does THAT phoque up the American way of life, because its an interesting discussion) but for American car companies such as GM, Ford. (FCA is gonna be further entrenched with Europe) (We could discuss that because THAT is interesting too as GM and Ford are counting on China's market and China is one of these countries that are pushing EVs harder than anywhere else. Other than Norway.) Ah...but they HAVE banned cigarettes... Im assuming the US is like Canada and smoking cigarettes is limited to a few designated areas around public spaces... No total ban...because money is to be made. That and criminalizing ciggies and ciggie smoking will just end up in disaster...kinda like prohibition did way back when... And...I KNOW that jails are overflowing with soooo many criminals that they dont know what to do with them anymore. Incarcerating smokers for such a petty crime wont make any sense. Will cost too much. So yeah...smoking is tolerated by law... As far as EVs go... One thing that EV lovers should take heed is that all these online updates that they love soooo much may end up screwing them. Tesla records data. Data like speed and distance traveled and that data will be used against the user. It will be monetized to Tesla's, insurance's and especially the government's favour. Taxing the mileage one drives and insurance quotas based on your speed and mileage driven and the like... Be careful what we wish for... So Im aware of all the shyte that is going on. Im for EVs. But certain things that go with EVs as a package...Im very weary about.

So you did not do anything special for your birthday. Thanks for asking. You replied with the language of... something Here, I'll speak French, my tabarnak. What the heck is a tabarnak I don't even know. Thanks for the refresher, mon petit pomme de terre

This the same Gov’t that, after 50 years of a planetoid of evidence, still hasn't banned cigarettes?

Good thing, I hear Seattle authoritays are strongly recommending ppl over the age of 60 should stay home as much as possible. You shouldn't chance it at your advanced age. Well I had two yerrs of French tongue action in high school but I am a bit rusty. Did you ask him "How was your birthday?" or "What did you do for your birthday?" Please reply avec anglais. Merci gopoop.

It is very weird as I went into the office yesterday and then decided to just work from home as the bulk of my fellow 1200 employees are working from home. The streets are very quiet, people are clearly standing at a distance from everyone and everyone is wiping down their desk, keyboards, mice, etc. using disinfectant wipes. I was walking down the stairs to the cafeteria to get food yesterday and choked on saliva going down the wrong pipe. Talk about people jumping back and moving away from me. Was way too funny. F5 network company closed their 44 floor HQ tower due to needing to be sterilized since employees got sick. Amazon had an employee and is cleaning that building and sent out very strict guidelines. Even Dell sent out a notice about no more shaking hands, no hugging, keep your distance and if you feel at all not well to stay home. Will be an interesting experiment in work from home. I have to wonder how many companies will rethink having a large office if they can get the job done having far more workers work from home.

Maybe Seattle needs more fossil fuels burned in the air, right @ocnblu?? https://www.yahoo.com/news/seattle-ghost-town-residents-face-040500149.html @dfelt, I'm hoping(and assuming) you and your family are doing alright?

I would only assume they are going by services that are supposed to be done via the service manuals. It's about the only apples to apples comparisons, using ICE manuals and EV manuals and recommended service intervals per the manufacturers.

YES. With that added density, you could halve the weight of a current battery and still add range. This and the increased rate of charge are where the game changing points occur.

Major Battery play is coming from a California start up called Enevate. They have had $111 million invested in them from LG Chem, Samsung and Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi. Enevate has in their 4th generation of battery technology developed an XFC Silicon Lithium battery. XFC = Extreme Fast Charging Silicon a very common material and easy to produce in a lab as the new Anode material replacing graphite anodes causeing the use of rare earth elements. Battery storage density is 10 times that of current Lithium-ion cells. Batteries available in 2024-2025 model year EVs. Enevate went revolutionary rather than evolutionary like Tesla, Panasonic, etc. has done with keeping the graphite and adding silicon to increase density. Enevate went with a silicon layer, then copper, then silicon building what is believed to be the current dense's anode around. If your a nerd interested in the deeper details of the battery tech, read the full story here: https://chargedevs.com/features/enevate-says-its-silicon-dominant-anode-technology-is-ready-for-ev-production/ Have to say this is exciting as this will help deliver the power density for range and feature functions that people want in full size auto's.

It would be smart to partner for that, as well. That Rivian van/truck seems like the real deal and you'd only have to buy-in instead of a ground up build.. But, they sell a lot of them so maybe the costs to build your own would pay off.

Your also not the Normal auto owner. Many here do their own maintenance. Looking at the bigger picture of most people who drive their auto and treat it like an appliance. They go to the dealer or some service shop when the auto needs attention. As such, the EVs for the bulk of society are going to be lower cost due to the less maintenance on the auto. Regenerative braking is from within the electric motor, not actual brakes. Full details can be found here with pictures. https://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-parts/brakes/brake-types/regenerative-braking.htm To Quote: In a traditional braking system, brake pads produce friction with the brake rotors to slow or stop the vehicle. Additional friction is produced between the slowed wheels and the surface of the road. This friction is what turns the car's kinetic energy into heat. With regenerative brakes, on the other hand, the system that drives the vehicle does the majority of the braking. When the driver steps on the brake pedal of an electric or hybrid vehicle, these types of brakes put the vehicle's electric motor into reverse mode, causing it to run backwards, thus slowing the car's wheels. While running backwards, the motor also acts as an electric generator, producing electricity that's then fed into the vehicle's batteries. These types of brakes work better at certain speeds than at others. In fact, they're most effective in stop-and-go driving situations. However, hybrids and fully electric cars also have friction brakes, as a kind of back-up system in situations where regenerative braking simply won't supply enough stopping power. In these instances, it’s important for drivers to be aware of the fact that the brake pedal might respond differently to pressure.

• I change oil about every 7 months (about every 6K miles). Do it myself; a good opportunity to check out underneath. 10 qrts oil plus filter : $55. If I went by the oil life monitor, it'd go 8500 miles between changes. That'd be 17 oil changes in 151K miles. • No plugs, no wires. • No muffler costs; I haven't replaced (or needed to) a muffler or pipes over the last 300,000 miles of driving 2 different vehicles. • Brakes last roughly 75K miles, so I've done them twice on the current truck. I know the rears are due now. I do them myself- that service will be cheaper than an EV, whom no owners will do the work themselves. Regenerative brakes may go longer between changes, but the replacement job has to be more expensive. • No timing belt or timing chain : gear drive- never needs service. Just replaced alternator a few months ago (original), still has everything else motor-wise original @ 197K. No DEF either. Fuel is a difference, but fuel isn't 'service'. These comparisons always lump fuel in with the maintenance question.

That only works if consumers actually want to buy EVs. Outside of Global Warming coolaid strongholds like California that is not really happening for three reasons. (1) People like the ability to refuel in 2 minutes vs recharge in 2-10 hours. (2) At today's costs the battery costs more than the lifetime gasoline cost of ICE powered cars. (3) Batteries with an energy density of about 0.8MJ/kg is simply not a direct replacement for gasoline at 46 MJ/kg. If you car carries the same weight in fuel as the Tesla Model S does in battery mass (1,200 lbs) it'll have an astounding range of 6,000 miles at a modest 30 mpg. If you have an all EV lineup today. GM will go out of business as it'll mean a 95% reduction in market share on top of losing money on every vehicle they sell. IMHO, pure EVs are impractical. What is needed if we are to go to mostly EVs is some way to have infinite range using combustible fuels when you need to at a minimal space, weight and economic cost. Fuel efficiency is not particularly important since daily commutes can largely be done on battery power (if the inconvenience of having to plug the vehicle in every night). This points to a turbo-electric generator. Why? Because it is very simple. It is air cooled. And, it has very high power density -- about 50hp from the size of a stack of CDs. It is not very efficient. But if you only use it for that one interstate trip or two a year, plus when you forgot to plug in your car, who cares if it is 15 mpg?

@dfelt How many of us have been saying about the right EV product (SUV/CUV) with the right combination of range, price, esthetics, dimensions, utility WILL sell well!!! (referring to the Mustang Mach-E) Thanx for posting. Now...hopefully Ford actually hits those performance numbers as promised.

True. But (affordable)sports cars lately...dont really sell well... Muscle cars, when done and marketed well...actually DO sell well. The Challenger is proof of that. Affordable mid-engined cars...when well done, unlike the Fiero, like the Toyoter MR2...didnt sell well way back in the day. Ironically, the Fiero DID sell well... When GM is moving away from ICE and going towards EVs...I dont think an affordable mid-engined ICE vehicle will make sense. Maybe the Camaro will become an affordable EV sports car. Skateboard platform and the battery being housed under the carriage type deal negates a need for...a mid-engined ICE sports car. However... Corvette and/or Cadillac could benefit from this Speed proposal. But from different "fiction" discussion. Cadillac could include a mid-engined sports car in its line-up with a Black-Wing V8...or better yet...what you have proposed with your Microblock engine ideas. However, like @Robert Hall said, high priced, ultra performing Vettes are part of the fabric...so Z06/ZR1, Zora full on EV or hybrid Vette is a must for being a Chevrolet and a Corvette at that. Your Speed idea is a GREAT idea if Corvette was its own brand. Yes...Cadillac be more awesome if it too, had a version of the C8. But...Cadillac needs product that better defines what Cadillac is all about. Cadillac is starved of such product as of now. A mid-engined sports car is not that product. When Cadillac rights itself, then and only then will a supercar should be in its cards. The XLR was flubbed. The Cien came and went as a concept. The Ciel, El Miraj were wasted as concepts. That was Cadillac's chance. Now...15 years later, they need to re-think their product line-up again. EVs are gonna be their new battle ground.

GM announced that in support of their employees move to EVs that they will add 3,500 charging spots across Canada and the US for their employees to park in and charge while at work. https://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/home.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2020/mar/0303-ev.html GM is wanting to support their employees making it as convenient as possible for their employees to enjoy the rewards of EV ownership. GM also confirmed in this announcement that Hummer by GMC will be out at the beginning of the 2022 model year or first quarter of 2021 and Cadillac will have their first of many EVs out at the start of the 2023 model year or first quarter of 2022. Be interesting to see how this all goes for GM. The LG/GM battery plant is under 24/7 construction.

Three months into open reservations and the first year of the 2021 model Mach e is sold out. That is 50,000 auto's sold. You can get all the details here at the Corporate Ford site. With additional info here at the Ford Sales site. Links take you right into the Mach e info. Yet Green Car Reports already took their Media kit and the News Release from those two sites and broke the multiple pages down nicely. The sales are NOT a California Bubble as Ford released a nifty map showing the Mach e sold in every state of the Nation and by the most popular color. Map at the end. Three-quarters of the Mach e sold are AWD in every state except Connecticute, Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire where the Ratio is 90%. 30% of the Mach e sold are the AWD High-performance GT edition. Ford is not releasing at this time what percentage is the First Edition Model nor how many exact units sold in each state only listing where the units have been reserved sold with the $500 deposit. Like the Interior, but would want it in one of the two tone colors rather than all black. I REALLY HOPE they have Dark Mode for that huge screen.

Agree when you talk that price or the price of the Bentley above at $1.9 Million. I honestly cannot think of what really would say this is a million dollar interior. Then a $1,000 to people that buy stuff like this is like $10 to us. They live in a world way outside the common human.

Like the days of Rome so are the end of various languages as humanity moves towards a single communication language. English seems to be the defacto business language and science language. According to Babbel which I see both Google and Bing point to as the #1 authoritative language we have the following Top 10 most used languages in the world. Chinese - 1.3 billion native speakers Spanish - 460 million native speakers English - 379 million native speakers, 753 million secondary speakers Hindi - 341 million native speakers Arabic - 315 million native speakers Bengali - 228 million native speakers Portuguese - 220 million native speakers Russian - 153 million native speakers Japanese 128 million native speakers Lahnda (western punjabi) - 118 million native speakers Top ten languages most spoken by people who speak them, we get a different list. English - 1.132 billion speakers Mandarin Chinese - 1.117 billion speakers Hindi - 615 million speakers Spanish - 534 million speakers French - 280 million speakers Standard Arabic - 274 million speakers Bengali - 265 million speakers Russian - 258 million speakers Portuguese - 234 million speakers Indonesian - 199 million speakers https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/the-10-most-spoken-languages-in-the-world

My birthday was yesterday. Saturday, got home from work tired and greasy and in pain (chest and muscles hurt from cleaning the restaurant and from a cold). Took a shower and I took the family out to dinner to celebrate. We had a nice time. We saw Venom the movie when we got home. Yesterday, my actual birthday, came home from work tired and greasy and in pain (chest and muscles hurt from cleaning the restaurant and from a cold). Took a shower. We saw Alien and Aliens. My wife hates those movies so she went to bed early. My kids, twas the first time they saw it. Today. Sweet phoque all! Its Spring Break for them, and Im actually staying away from all members. Im being anti-social as I want some needed "me" time. Im feeling much better physically, but I need some alone time. Nothing to do with me aging one more year LOL. Ive just had a very very rough...month at work and with this cold...I just need to unwind. But tomorrow...we are going skating!!! Yeah...I was supposed to go into work but BECAUSE Im feeling better, but Im also feeling a little remorse for being anti-social...I will go skating with my kids!!! The wife could come too...but she dont skate. She could stay home and cook if anything.

I dunno; the Europeans seems to make copying American hi-powered V8s work for them.

Took it to walgreens and went to a carwash shop to remove some dirt outside and inside.

Well...I took my time to explain. It seemed you were interested. My bad. You told me after I translated...whatev... It was insultive. If you did not care...dont respond back with such nonchalance arrogance. And you did it twice with two posts. But yeah... I will apologize for I have been rude to you. Sorry. (All in English so I dont insult you further for writing in french.)

Haha, I knew the Cadillac Lyriq would be music to dfelt's ears. Now whether that translates to anyone else is the perilous part of GM's awful plan to finish off Cadillac.