G. David Felt

I am excited to replace my Trailblazer SS with a Corvette SUV EV.

WOW, interesting story of an Audi e-tron in an accident with a Toyota sedan and the battery pack gets ejected. Watch Audi e-tron Battery Pack Get Ejected During Crash (insideevs.com)

Totally agree that it is an Ugly car, but just something about it also draws my attention. Your right, at least it is not 15 year old style and looking worse with every month.

Korean is the only thing I would consider outside of the U.S. if I could fit in smaller autos. Pretty much I love the Dodge Banshee EV and I do think the next generation of Mach-e will be even better. I am excited to see what all GM also brings out as we should be seeing some time in 2023 the Escalade EV Concept as well as I would expect other EVs under the various name plates. I do agree with you that GM should be able to build a profitable car based on Ultium platform.

I say Tesla needs to worry, after all, they have always stated they are the best and longest range EVs and yet now the world knows they are not. 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Beats the Tesla Model 3 on Range (motortrend.com) Hyundai Ioniq 6 Beats Tesla Model 3 in EPA Range (yahoo.com) 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 EV achieves EPA range of 508 km, beats Tesla Model 3 - Times of India (indiatimes.com) Hyundai’s Ioniq 6 official EV range beats the Tesla Model 3 RWD - The Verge @oldshurst442 Might be your new car?

KBB can make it so hard to gather the info on EVs compared to ICE at times, but still the results are not surprising, and I do find it humorous that they contradict Consumers Reports on these autos. I feel the past over the current 2023 models has CR hung up on past issues rather than looking at the latest auto with the fixes and how it is doing. Electric Vehicle Research Center | Kelley Blue Book (kbb.com) 3 of the Best Electric Cars According to Kelley Blue Book (motorbiscuit.com) 3 of the Best Electric Trucks According to Kelley Blue Book (motorbiscuit.com) 3 of the Best Electric SUVs According to Kelley Blue Book (motorbiscuit.com)

Interesting read on the Detroit auto makers. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/30/ford-general-motors-earnings-prices.html Cool, GMC Hummer SUV has entered production. https://electrek.co/2023/01/30/2024-gmc-hummer-ev-suv-enters-production/

Interesting read for the science nerds here. Seems like the Germans are late to the party of tying up Lithium and other raw material components for batteries. As such with a huge abundance of Calcium and Sulfur, Germany is paying for a 3-year R&D to see if they can make a Calcium/Sulfur battery that is equal too if not better than the Lithium-ion battery. Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics - Sustainable Batteries Based on Calcium And Sulfur (dlr.de) More good news for Lithium batteries and making them safer. Stanford scientists figured out why lithium metal batteries fail (electrek.co)

Let's get to the core of why Infinitum is a company to watch, possibly invest in if you are comfortable with risk and how it could influence the Electric Vehicle movement of the global automotive industry. First, understand that electric motors have been around for over 100 years. They are made up of an iron core, a ton of wrapped copper wiring and can be very heavy. In this regard is the biggest reason for the change coming with a company like Infinitum. Example of traditional electric motor installed versus Infinitum All-in-one solution. Here you can visually see the difference between a traditional electric motor and Infinitum All-in-one solution. The statistics speak for themselves. All-in-one solution has been stated from the beginning of this writeup and one not versed in electric motors would be right to ask what does this mean? Simple, most electric motors are what one would call idiot motors with no intelligence. Just a motor that spins, doing a job and unless it fails, it does nothing else nor can it change on its own to do the job better. Here is the expanded view of the All-in-one solution and the feature list of the benefits. Top of the line efficiency and energy savings Conventional motors feature a steel core with copper windings, causing eddy currents that result in significant motor losses. Replacing the core and copper windings with the PCB stator eliminates these losses, resulting in a higher efficiency motor. Same power in half the size and weight Lightweight materials mean motors generate all the power in half the weight and size, at a fraction of the carbon footprint of conventional motors. Low noise emissions The absence of magnetic forces between the rotor and the stator and the elimination of torque ripple drastically reduce the acoustic noise produced. Durable and reliable The conductors are fully encapsulated and provide the entire coil with an equal coefficient of thermal expansion. This insulation method and stator design is almost indestructible per Infinitum. Modular form factor The modular approach allows Infinitum to meet application and output requirements by incrementally adding or removing stator panels or motor modules. Connected and Configurable Sensors embedded in both the VFD and motor provides insights into performance, allowing for predictive and prescriptive maintenance, preventing unscheduled downtime. Cloud connectivity is an optional feature. Let's dig into the Technology basics of the Infinitum electric motor. While other motors make a drastic improvement in one characteristic of a motor at the sacrifice of all others, Infinitum re-imagined the motor, achieving total efficiency with a motor that is smaller, lighter, quieter, more durable, and more efficient. Air-Core motor By etching copper coils directly onto the PCB stator, we eliminate the heavy steel core and copper windings of conventional motors. This not only reduces the size and weight by half, but by removing the iron in the magnet path we’ve eliminated torque ripple, cogging, stator hysteresis, and eddy current losses. The result is a significant increase in efficiency across all load conditions. The PCB stator also makes it much easier to automate the manufacturing process to ensure repeatable, consistent quality. Market leading controls The state-of-the-art variable frequency drive (VFD) facilitates variable speed applications, reducing overall energy usage by running the motor at lower speeds. This provides a level of control not available in conventional motors and the high switching frequency of the VFD, up to 200 kHz, also dramatically reduces audible noise. IoT-enabled Infinitum motors have built-in IoT capability to enable optional over-the-air software updates, on-demand access to real-time performance analytics, and remote monitoring. Aircore-EC-Assembly-Animation480.mov Infinitum have built the Aircore for use in many existing places of low horsepower needs, their Mobility line is focused on the transportation sector. Aircore mobility are liquid-cooled smarter air core motor design that delivers a premium performance mobility application. At a fraction of the weight of conventional motors, the Aircore Mobility motors dramatically improve efficiency and reliability while also offering high-speed, excellent torque, and a modular design. As a result, Aircore Mobility motors are well suited for drivetrain and propulsion and auxiliary motor applications for Class 1 -8 commercial vehicles as well as aerospace, marine, construction, and agricultural applications. Aircore-Mobility-Components-And-Cooling-Logo480.mov Aircore Mobility motors as designed for Class 1 to 8 commercial vehicles, aerospace and marine applications including heavy machinery can be set at 50 to 250kW (67 to 335 HP) of power without significantly increasing the size and weight of the drivetrain. Using an axial flux design, Aircore Mobility motors generate more torque and faster rotation in a smaller package compared to competitors motors. The modular disc design of the Aircore Mobility motor allows Infinitum engineers to build multi-stator, multi-rotor motors that offer high power with increased performance. The innovative design allows for a highly efficient oil-cooling system that cools the interior stator, helping to increase power density by a factor or 3 to 5 times. PCB stator have copper coils etched into the stator, eliminating heavy iron core and copper windings used in traditional conventional motors. This cuts the size and weight in half if not more while increasing high reliability and durability. This lends to an ultra-quiet EV. Aircore Mobility advantages are as follows: Ultra-high efficiency Superior power density Modular axial design Rapid prototyping Durability and reliability High speed A 150 kW Aircore Mobility electric traction motor has the following specification: 150 kW continuous power (201 hp) 300 kW peak power (402 hp) 190 Nm continuous torque (258 lb-ft) 7,500 RPM nominal speed 10,000 RPM peak speed 20kg active mass 95% peak efficiency Class 4-6 use Infinitum-Aircore-Mobility-Motor-Brochure-12-2022A.pdf Some might wonder why an oil cooled system if these electric motor design as air cooled is so great. In quoting the research that went into the Aircore Mobility motor: QUOTE Preliminary results show that, with oil flowing at 6 L/min, the cooling system could remove nine times more losses than the air-cooling system, allowing us to increase the motor power by a factor of three. At 6 L/min flow, as a function of losses, the temperature rise rate in the motor is only 0.0081°C/W. Compared to air cooling, where we see a temperature rise rate of 0.0729°C/W, the temperature rise of the 10 HP motor running a full load dropped from 41°C to only 5°C. If we allow the temperature rise in the oil-cooled motor to match the 41°C of the air-cooled version, the oil-cooled system could remove up to 5,000 W of losses – corresponding to the three-fold increase in motor power mentioned above. The maximum temperature of the materials inside the motor, especially the stator, determine the maximum power rating. The more effective the cooling system, the higher the possible power density. In a radial-flux motor, like those used in EVs from Tesla and Volkswagen, the air gap between the stator and the rotor surfaces is usually too narrow for coolant to flow through, so designers need to apply coolant outside of the air gap. Further, with traditional copper windings, a large amount of the copper surface area isn’t exposed to the coolant. With Infinitum’s axial-flux motor, fluid is sprayed directly over the surface of the stator which maximizes heat transfer away from the current-carrying copper. Since the stator generates the most heat, direct coolant application has a significant advantage. While we have more work to do, initial modeling and testing of oil-cooled Infinitum motors show great promise for the electrification of vehicles because of their smaller relative size, light weight, and high-power density. Infinitum Frequently asked Questions Infinitum has also scaled this electric motor tech down to very small sizes that can benefit other areas of the EV industry such as traditional fans used with a heat pump or to operate other items on an auto such as doors, powered seats, frunk lids, etc. Infinitum believes there is not much they cannot design using this electric motor technology for a wide range of applications. View full article

Toyota corporation and it's CEO has been very clear from the start that they do not think people want EVs and have stated this with their dedication to Hydrogen cars that have bombed in their limited sales, fuel infrastructure and more. Toyota then came out with their first EV the bz4x that was a full-on recall / buy back only months later after production started in 2022. Now as Toyota is changing leadership as the current CEO moves to the board as Chairman and a younger by a few years takes over the CEO leadership of the company, Toyota is doing a radical shift. Toyota Motor Corp. in an interview with "The Asahi Shimbun" has stated that they plan to develop a pure EV-only platform to cut costs, raise production efficiency and competitiveness with the rest of the automakers globally with a focus on Tesla. To date, Toyota has used a hybrid platform that supports ICE, Prius and their first EVs, the bz4x by Toyota and the Lexus RZ450e, a rebadged version of the bz4x. Due to the sharing of the current platform to support both internal combustion engines, hybrid powertrains, these first EVs are a complicated mess of design and space. This means that there are parts used that are totally unnecessary for EVs and more complex due to the needs of Hybrids/ICE autos. This also means that these EVs are more expensive to produce and support. It also means that Toyota has limited choices on where and how to mount battery packs, electric motors, internal space and more when compared to the competition. Toyota has rising production costs at a time that Tesla has started to cut prices globally. Toyota has acknowledged that they cannot generate profits and sales while competing with automakers that use a dedicated skateboard platform. While Toyota is expected to rank #1 in global auto sales for 2022, they are not even in the top 10 EV sales leaders for 2022. As per the latest auto sales for EVs, the U.S., Europe and China are dominated by Tesla in First place and in China second place is BYD, where VW is second in Europe and Hyundai/Kia has taken the second place of EV sales in the U.S. Toyota has stated that this new EV dedicated platform will go into production either mid 2027 to mid 2028 and that they will still be able to produce 30 electric models starting in 2030 with production capacity of 3.5 million that same year. Retiring CEO but New Chairman Akio Toyoda believes that the U.S. target of 50% EV sales by 2030 is very difficult if not impossible to achieve. The Toyota Chairman says 85% of Toyota sales in the U.S. will still be ICE even though sales figures show California sales at the end of 2022 had 16% EVs and other states are approaching 10% with expected gains in 2023. With California, the largest auto market in the U.S. already past that 15% sales point that Toyota thinks EVs will only be at by 2030; GM Ultium platform, Hyundai/Kia E-GMP platform and other automakers having dedicated EV Platforms going into production makes one think that Toyota could end up losing their crown at Global auto sales leader Especially at Europe and China move ahead to hit 50% EV sales by 2030 if not sooner as some countries move up ending ICE sales to 2028. This makes one wonder how relevant Japanese auto companies will be by 2030 as many other auto companies in Japan are either joining to get a single EV out or none at all in a very conservative approach to a changing global market. One only has to look at Honda which has a single EV for Honda and Acura by using GM's Ultium platform and coproducing an EV with Sony on a Sony platform. Then you have Mazda that thinks an EV with a rotary generator is the way to go. End result is we live in interesting times for the Auto Industry and the auto buyers. View full article

@oldshurst442 @ccap41 You guys like cars, I think if Ford is paying attention, this Galaxie EV Concept is Da Bomb! This Futuristic Ford Galaxie Concept Could Compete With Modern EVs (hotcars.com)

I do not see this going backwards approach that you see. It totally makes sense that as R&D groups at colleges around the world and especially here in the U.S. are wanting energy density, they have also thought about the fastest way to make EVs happen with better battery packs and that is using what is already in the industry in moving to solid-state batteries faster with a proven technology form factor just a bit bigger. Welcome to the 4680 races for battery tech. I honesty can see the 4680 carry the EV race through the next decade or two before some other form factor becomes so much stronger and cheaper. That may or may not be pouches. For all we know, the whole individual cell thing could become history as they figure out how to build a 400-mile energy dense battery in the current 12V auto battery size. Who knows what the future can hold. None of this makes me think we are moving backwards to the old days of the 40's to 80's of the 19th century mindsets. Or am I totally misunderstanding of your post?

Sadly, we all know that not every color does well when it comes to a photo or on a computer screen due to no true color matching for most monitors / smartphones / tablets. So, it will be interesting to see the Cacti green color in the real world.

I agree to disagree my friend. ? Lime Green Corvette can do WITHOUT! I like the Cacti green, would have rather had it a emerald green metallic, but will take the Cactic green.

One could say that LG marketing tag line of "Life's Good" might be not so good right now. According to the Korean news site "thelec.net" GM is following recent announcements by BMW, Volvo, Stellantis and others that have chosen to dump the use of pouches and focus on cylinder cells using the 4680 format that Tesla has brought to market. The 4680 according to Tesla is five times more energy than the current smaller cells that Panasonic builds for them, increases range by 16 percent and is six time more power when you compare equal to equal size battery packs. This change in direction has thrown a wrench in the talks for the 4th Ultium Cell plant that GM announced last year with LG. GM has issued a no comment statement on the joint venture with LG. LG has stated that talks are ongoing but delayed. One would be right to question GM on "Why the Change when prismatic and pouch batteries have higher energy density?" The downside to cylinder cells is lower energy density due to the increased space in the battery pack when the cylinder cells are packed together. The answer it would seem to be is twofold, simpler production process and a solid-state future as even Tesla has stated that the advances undergoing testing would allow them to move from existing battery chemistry to solid-state on the same production line. Auto makers see that by adopting the 4680-cylinder design, the 80mm length of the cylinder making them longer and wider works to reduce the spaces when the cells are packed together. On top of this is that there is no need for tabs like a pouch further allowing space saving, weight reduction, and cost. It would seem that along with all the various battery startups, the design thought by these companies is to support the current battery production line with a chemistry makeup that will enhance cell safety, reduce production costs and time while speeding up the rollout of the solid-state energy dense cells. The final piece is the reduction in cost of the cells. It would seem that the oldest type of batteries, could be what gives the EV market the biggest cost savings for entry level EVs. For those interested in hearing from one of the leading engineers who has torn down more Tesla's than any other company, the video above will give you Sandy Munro's thoughts on the 4680 cell and the future of batteries. While Samsung SDI has not confirmed or denied reports, theelec has stated that inside sources confirm a 4680 pilot production line is going online to provide test samples to Tesla and anyone else interested in the cell. LG Energy Solutions on the other hand has released a press statement that they see great growth in their pouch cell production and yet at the same time to enable them to be a supplier to Tesla and more has set up a mass production facility for production of the 4680 cell with a two-pronged focus on polymer-based solid-state battery cells and sulfide-based solid-state battery cells. Both designed out of colleges in the U.S. LGES did in the same new release state that the second half of 2023 will see increased revenue growth as cost pass-through mechanisms help drive the price of the pouch cells down as the various Ultium plants ramp up production. Samsung has moved their R&D from the lab to production with the use of the graphene ball, a unique battery material that enables a 45% increase in capacity, five times faster charging than traditional lithium-ion batteries and ready to go into solid-state battery cell production. With Samsung 4680 cells going into production, the science-based theory is that a graphene ball based 4680 battery pack of 100kWh will take 12 minutes to fully charge. As an alternative battery cell provider, GM is now squarely in the sights of Samsung. The Samsung Graphene ball tech along with the Nature Energy technology by Samsung will allow a battery pack of 100kWh to cover 500 miles according to Samsung. Samsung has built the pilot line for 4680 cells at Cheonan with an annual capacity of up to 12GWh. This is the same plant that is currently now making 2170 cells that are being sold to various EV companies including Tesla. View full article

Very cool the power of this mega dump truck. This Cheetos Tesla Semi is cool to see. I love the graphic design work the company did on the truck. Tesla Semi Details From Frito-Lay Visit: Powertrain, Interior, Charging (insideevs.com) One could never say the battery pack was tiny on the Tesla Semi. New Photo Reveals Tesla Semi's Massive Battery System (insideevs.com)

Looks better on the web page, but the download does look less green imho.

That as an EV would rock!

Loving that they have added ability to build your own e-Ray Corvette and loving the Cacti exterior color and now you can choose the interior color and so I went with the two-tone Cacti interior too. Very subtle but the green interior with black accents works for me on this car.

Yes, but if GM wanted to get people excited and into cars over SUVs/Trucks, that 2024 Buick Riviera as an EV would be a WINNER even for me. I love it. Yes, I would agree that the Cadillac has its gaudy points, but then what Luxury line does not. I see it as a very strong starting point for a V edition Coupe for Cadillac.

@oldshurst442 @Drew Dowdell @ccap41 @Robert Hall @surreal1272 So I have to say that the ideas coming out of CarScoop on Instagram is HOT. Their idea of a 2024 Buick Riviera with vintage hints are cool. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn2vzf8OrwY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Then we have using the Camaro platform a Cadillac Sports Coupe. https://www.instagram.com/p/CnzJWeRudny/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Some very cool ideas.

Interesting news today: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/prosus-to-cut-30-of-corporate-staff-in-latest-tech-layoffs/ar-AA16JzL8?ocid=msedgntp&pc=W069&cvid=c409791e7237427b9c04a97e0a651014 Love this story about the Ford Galaxy 500 with 7L engine. 10 Things That Made The Ford Galaxie 500 7 Litre A Fantastic Muscle Car (msn.com) This will be interesting if it truly comes to market, Toyota 2000GT. The Iconic Toyota 2000GT Returns As The Ultimate Grand Touring Sports Car (msn.com) You can check out what the original 2000GT looked like here: Toyota Automobile Museum: Collection (2000GT) | Company Archives | Downloadable Assets | Toyota Motor Corporation Official Global Website 2000GT | Vehicle Gallery | Toyota Brand | Mobility | Toyota Motor Corporation Official Global Website This is very interesting as the most recent testing shows Tesla is far behind other auto companies in self driving technology. Tesla's Autopilot is falling behind as other software catches up (msn.com) CR Rates Active Driving Assistance Systems - Consumer Reports Ford/Lincoln BlueCruise/ActiveGlide Rated #1 score of 84 GM SuperCruise score of 75 Mercedes Driver Assistance score of 72 BMW Driving Assistance Professional score of 69 Toyota/Lexus Safety Sense 3.0 score of 65 VW/Audi Travel Assist/Adaptive cruise assist score of 62 Tesla Autopilot Score of 61 Rivian Highway Assist score of 59 Nissan/Infiniti ProPilot Assitant score of 58 Honda/Acura Sensing/AcuraWatch score of 58 Volvo/Polestar Pilot Assitant score of 53 Hyundai/Kia/Genesis Highway Driving Assitant score of 47 Good read on the tech that is enabling self driving.