G. David Felt

@oldshurst442 Talking about hotdogs, I have to say, I get these from Business Costco as they are not sold at the regular costco, but they are awesome. Beef Brisket Hotdogs, grill up great, juicy and flavorful. Awesome when made as a Seattle dog which is a butter grilled bun, hotdog, cream cheese, sautéed onions and spicy BBQ sauce.

Welcome to Blue Oval City, this is the 21st century FORD Vision moving forward with automotive leadership. Ford Motor Company has announced plans to bring electric vehicles at scale to American Customers with two new massive, environmentally and technologically advanced campuses in Tennessee and Kentucky for the production of the next generation of electric F-series trucks and the batteries to power the future Ford and Lincoln vehicles. Here is a bullet list of what Ford is doing and it is just not an investment in Tennessee and Kentucky, but so much more: Ford to bring electric zero-emission vehicles at scale to American customers with the largest, most advanced, most efficient auto production complex in its 118-year history Called Blue Oval City, the complex will be constructed on a nearly 6-square-mile site in west Tennessee and build next-generation electric F-Series pickups and advanced batteries Moreover, a new BlueOvalSK Battery Park is to be built in central Kentucky consisting of twin battery plants that will power a new lineup of Ford and Lincoln EVs Ford and SK Innovation plan to invest $11.4 billion and create nearly 11,000 new jobs – close to 6,000 in Stanton, Tennessee, and 5,000 in Glendale, Kentucky; production of the new electric vehicles and advanced lithium-ion batteries will begin in 2025 Three new BlueOvalSK battery plants – two in Kentucky and one in Tennessee – will enable 129 gigawatt hours a year of U.S. production capacity for Ford These investments build on Ford’s recent announcements that it will work with Redwood Materials on closed-loop domestic battery recycling and make a new investment to increase production of the F-150 Lightning pickup in Dearborn, Michigan, starting next year Ford is investing $90 million in Texas – $525 million total in the U.S. to train skilled technicians to service connected, electric zero-emission vehicles SK innovation is the new partner that FORD is partnering with as they make their largest ever U.S. Investment in electric vehicles at one time as they invest $11.4 Billion dollars in Tennessee and Kentucky creating nearly 11,000 jobs as FORD strengthens local communities and builds on FORD's position as America's leading employer of Hourly autoworkers. This investment will produce 129 GWh annually allowing for more than one million batteries including long range packs for SUVs and Trucks of all configurations. Blue Oval City is a all-new $5.6 billion mega campus in Stanton, Tennessee which will create approximately 6,000 new jobs as FORD reimagines how vehicles and batteries are manufactured. This will be built on 3,600 acres with an annual capacity of 43 GWh of production per year. Ford has stated this campus will be a vertically integrated ecosystem that allows assembly and expansion of the electric F-series vehicles. This plant will be designed to be carbon neutral with zero waste to landfill once fully operational. Ford working with SK Innovation will build a $5.8 billion BlueOvalSK Battery Park, creating 5,000 jobs. The TWIN BATTERY PLANTS on the site are intended to supply Ford's North American assembly plants with locally assembled batteries for powering the next generation of electric Ford and Lincoln vehicles. This plant will be built on 1,500 acres with a production capacity of 86 GWh per year. To quote Ford Executive Chair Bill Ford: “This is a transformative moment where Ford will lead America’s transition to electric vehicles and usher in a new era of clean, carbon-neutral manufacturing” “With this investment and a spirit of innovation, we can achieve goals once thought mutually exclusive – protect our planet, build great electric vehicles Americans will love and contribute to our nation’s prosperity.” This comes amid a strong demand for the all-new Ford F-150 Lightning Truck, E-Transit and Mustang Mach-E electric vehicles that are currently in production or ramping up production. Ford predicts that their global production will be between 40 to 50% electric by 2030. Despite the size of these new campuses / assembly plants, the impact is expected to be minimal on the surrounding environment with a goal to generate a positive impact. This is expected to be attained through biomimicry in design of the facilities. Ford had this to say about these new locations: "Through an on-site wastewater treatment plant, the assembly plant aspires to make zero freshwater withdrawals for assembly processes by incorporating water reuse and recycling systems. Zero-waste-to-landfill processes will capture materials and production scrap at an on-site materials collection center to sort and route materials for recycling or processing either at the plant or at off-site facilities once the plant is operational. Ford is collaborating with Redwood Materials, a leading battery materials company, to make electric vehicles more sustainable and affordable for Americans by localizing the supply chain network, creating recycling options for scrap and end-of-life vehicles, and ramping up lithium-ion recycling. Ford believes battery recycling is essential for the success of an electrified future and has the potential to offer significant economic benefits as well as help solve for end-of-life battery recycling." SK Innovation of South Korea started as an oil refining business in 1962 and expanded into diverse areas of business including exploration, and production of batteries and electronic material. The SK Innovation battery business will be spun off October 1st 2021 as a wholly owned subsidiary to accelerate business growth and promote corporate value. SK Innovation will have a total of a 150 GWh of production when these new Ford/SK plants come online in the US. SK Innovation is overseeing the current construction and had this image to share of the Blue Oval City plant. One could say the future looks BRIGHT for Ford and SK Innovations. Ford to Lead America’s Shift to Electric Vehicles with New Mega Campus in Tennessee and Twin Battery Plants in Kentucky; $11.4B Investment to Create 11,000 Jobs and Power New Lineup of Advanced EVs | Ford Media Center SK Innovation and Ford invest $11.4 billion to seize the top position in U.S. battery market via BlueOvalSK – SK Innovation Newsroom (skinnonews.com) View full article

You seemed to have glossed over a very important point I made: In the latest Rivian is no Tesla story on CNN Business, it is an interesting observation that many of the reservation holders have stated that they are waiting to replace their 4 Runner or Prius with a Rivian R1T or R1S auto. The down to earth approach of the CEO RJ, life style focus and environmental messages that feel sincere is what has driven people to pre-order the Rivian auto's. With production now in full swing, one has to wonder what Toyota will do as they loose customers to Rivian. Per that CNN story with interviews with actual people who have reservations / orders placed, it is VERY REAL that people who own 4 Runners and Prius auto's are trading them in for a Rivian. That is a Toyota loss. As @riviera74 clearly pointed out, being #1 in a shrinking market is NOT a good place to be. These are all signs we saw with GM leading up to it's bankruptcy. Ignoring the market, ignoring the customers, believing that the Executives know best. I personally think Toyota is in a dangerous situation and needs to wake up to what the world is asking for and that is not a drivable Hydrogen generic auto! Life Style BEVs are the future.

@oldshurst442 Yes that is the new Z06 per the official corvette Instagram page.

In 2007 the auto media was projecting that GM might fall from being the worlds largest auto company in production terms. In 2009, the final numbers proved that Toyota Motor Corporation had surpassed GM as the worlds largest auto company by production numbers. Also Toyota was growing in sales of their Hybrid line under the Prius moniker. Fast forward to 2021, battery electric auto's are all the rage by auto companies. Toyota production of auto's in Japan has 50% of them exported to other countries such as the Prius Hybrid and TRD Trucks. The CEO of Toyota has stated that the country is a "export-reliant country" and by shifting Japan as well as other countries shifting to BEVs and requiring production to be local, jobs will be lost. Toyota says up to 5.5 million jobs will be lost by going to BEV's versus keeping Hybrids going and moving to Hydrogen which will achieve the reduction in green house gas but also keep people working. The largest part of this argument is that Toyota shifted heavy resources to Hydrogen as the future of the auto industry and trucking industry while companies like GM supported Hydrogen research but also was still looking at electric auto's. This does make one think that Toyota also thought Tesla might just be an anomaly that would go away and yet did not have a full embrace by Tech workers all over the world and Europe. China then also choose to go with electric over hydrogen auto's and this found Toyota to be behind everyone else that had chosen to follow China with focusing on electric auto's. Rivian has also done what no one else had done before and that was to focus on electric auto's as Life Style vehicles. With this, it should come as no surprise that folks that have been turned off by Tesla have gravitated to Rivian for those wanting an electric vehicle. In the latest Rivian is no Tesla story on CNN Business, it is an interesting observation that many of the reservation holders have stated that they are waiting to replace their 4 Runner or Prius with a Rivian R1T or R1S auto. The down to earth approach of the CEO RJ, life style focus and environmental messages that feel sincere is what has driven people to pre-order the Rivian auto's. With production now in full swing, one has to wonder what Toyota will do as they loose customers to Rivian. As per multiple news stories about Rivian lately, it seems many Toyota Customers are waiting to get a new Rivian. This has shown in Fords Conquest sales of the Mach-E at a 70% conquest rate for people switching from other brands to the Mach-e. Ford has also taken a page from Rivian's marketing in pushing the Mach-E as a life style BEV for Tailgating and on the road Parties. Ford has just recently announced the Ford F-150 Lightning electric truck lineup which has already sold out the first year production as they offer both commercial and retail versions of the truck. As the official largest truck seller for decades in the US, this will make it even harder for Toyota as Ford also enters the electric truck market at a much lower price over the luxury truck from Rivian. Even with the latest update of the Toyota Tundra: Toyota faces a monumental challenge in just getting to be competitive with the American truck builders due to the extensive assortment of cabs and beds that are offered along with power trains and now electric as you also have GM entering the Life Style electric auto market with their Hummer by GMC twins of a truck and SUV. As GMC has marketed the worlds first SuperTrucks! 1,000 HP with WATTS to Freedom mode. This makes one question how a company that thinks Hydrogen is better and invested in the first Hydrogen fueling stations in California can over come the growth of the pure electric market with people able to charge anywhere especially at home over night. Be is a slow 110V charge, 220V or 440V, Toyota is going to have a hard time as the populations in Europe, China and North America move to electric auto's for the future. Even those that are not fans of Trucks or SUVs but like the performance will have their own Life Style electric option as Dodge rolls out their BEV's. Toyota has recently committed to spending $13.6 Billion on Solid State Battery technology as they work to catch up with the rest of the auto industry. They believe their Rav 4 Hybrid and pretty much every other product they have can hold them with Hybrids till BEVs are ready, but in a fickle market place, where Tesla is loosing market share to Rivian and Ford, how can Toyota hold onto their global industry lead? This brings up another question that has to be asked, is Ford ready to be the global leader in Auto sales as they lead the push into a full electric portfolio? What about Rivian as it is backed by Ford and especially by Amazon with a decades long contract to deliver electric vans for package delivery. Could this be what allows Rivian to rise to one of the top auto builders in the next decade? What are your thoughts on this, could the resistance to electric auto's by Toyota be their downfall? Who do you think might become the industry leader in auto manufacturing by the end of this Decade, 2030? Toyota Passes GM To Become #1 (cnbc.com) Rivian is no Tesla. That's exactly what these EV buyers want - CNN Tesla’s BEVs vs. Toyota’s hybrids: the battle for the future of low emission cars - Energy Post Report: Toyota Working Against EV Shift (thetruthaboutcars.com) Toyota’s Chief Says Electric Vehicles Are Overhyped - WSJ Toyota President Akio Toyoda: All-EV plan wrong for Japan | Automotive News (autonews.com) A complete shift to EVs could cost Japan millions of jobs, cautions Toyota CEO (hindustantimes.com) News | Ford Media Center View full article

Yes that does make logical sense. There are many interesting reads in the Tech Sector on the Jalopnik.com site.

Very interesting HISTORY read about DuPont and GM from WWI to the 1950's when anti-trust was brought against the two companies. A Brief History Of Gasoline Part 5 DuPont Standard Oil (jalopnik.com)

Interesting read about a Tesla Bricking itself and not able to move at all. Seems if a power issue happens on your Tesla, it locks up and there is no ability to go into Neutral to roll to the side of the road, just lock up and stop where you are till it can be dragged to a Tesla repair facility, not even a limp home mode like current ICE auto's have. A Tesla Bricking Itself On The Highway Shows EVs Have A N Issue (jalopnik.com)

Seems Mercedes Benz cannot move forward with Electric auto's without help from Stellantis and their American auto section that covers Chrysler/Dodge/Ram/Jeep who is ahead of Mercedes in battery / electric development for BEVs. Thought that $40 Billion in R&D was putting Mercedes on top of the electric auto company. Seems they are falling farther and farther behind. @smk4565 Thoughts on this development? Stellantis and TotalEnergies welcome Mercedes-Benz as a new partner of Automotive Cells Company (ACC), raising its capacity to at least 120 GWh by 2030 | Automotive Cells Company (acc-emotion.com) Stellantis and TotalEnergies welcome Mercedes-Benz as a new partner of Automotive Cells Company (ACC) and raise its capacity plan to at least 120 GWh by 2030 | Corporate communications | Stellantis Mercedes-Benz to join ACC and build a European battery champion with global ambitions - Daimler Global Media Site Daimler Getting Back Into Bed With Chrysler for Battery Biz (thetruthaboutcars.com)

Seems no matter what Musk says about California, he cannot get away from it as Tesla previous unannounced Mega Factory has broken ground and this plant specifically will produce the Mega-Battery packs for the Utilities. No word if they will move the Mega-packs used by the Home storage systems with the solar roof system to be made in California as currently they are built in Sparks Nevada. Tesla's battery-manufacturing 'Megafactory' breaks ground in California (autoblog.com)

Seems Germany passed a law which will make German auto companies source equally from alternative vendors for rare earth elements and since Europe and China are currently the two biggest markets for electric auto's, seem a little Australian ore company that covered 10% only of rare earth ore needs has jumped 17% in stock value as they negotiate with the German auto companies to supply ore for their electric motors. They do mention American auto companies that are moving away from rare earth motors and battery packs except for Tesla who has embraced China supply and is going full force with Chinese rare earth elements to make their motors and battery packs. Automakers hedge against China rare earth dominance (autoblog.com)

This is kind of cool, Rolls Royce maiden flight of their electric plane. Press releases - Rolls-Royce’s all-electric ‘Spirit of Innovation’ takes to the skies for the first time –Rolls-Royce Have to say I think this is a pretty sexy plane. Picture Album - ACCEL | Flickr Video

This so called Tesla Insurance button alone even if I could fit into a Tesla would keep me from ever buying it. Talk about slow boat to hell control, why drive let alone own an auto if you want the company to control everything for you and you do not want to drive with responsibility. Slow Teslas everywhere: 24 hours into ‘the FSD button’, what is your Safety Score (Beta)? (electrek.co)

Volvo has stated that two-thirds of consumers now consider a brand's environmental policies as a critical factor when purchasing luxury products according to a recent study (Source: Vogue Business Index, Winter 2020). This same percentage of buyers has indicated that they would like to see carbon labelling on products as a way to provide greater transparency of the companies impact on products and materials (Source: The Carbon Trust, 2020 YouGov Survey) This means that a company needs to take into account actively sourcing high-quality, sustainable and responsibly-sourced materials as they strive to build luxury products. This coincides with Volvo launch of the C40 Recharge as the first luxury model fully devoid of Leather. 285932_Animal_Welfare_Leather-free_interior.mp4 The conclusions and insights in these reports will help shape Volvo electric Auto's portfolio as they launch model after model moving to a pure electric portfolio by 2030. To quote Robin Page, head of design at Volvo, "We have a vision of where we need to go in the future, with the first step to ensure we harness sustainable, natural and recycled materials." By 2025, Volvo is aiming for 25% of materials in New Volvo auto's to consist of recycled and bio-based content, as part of its ambition to be a fully circular business by 2040. This means that materials whether it be from auto's or other products re-enter the circular economy and become part of new products or go back into the earth where they can be used be it composting, etc. Now one would say that Leather is natural and so why not have leather in their auto. To quote their press release: The company’s move towards leather-free interiors is also driven by a concern about the negative environmental impacts of cattle farming, including deforestation. Livestock is estimated to be responsible for around 14% of global greenhouse gas emissions from human activity, with the majority coming from cattle farming. Instead of leather interior options, Volvo Cars will offer its customers alternatives such as high-quality sustainable materials made from bio-based and recycled sources. Further in giving customers who care about animal welfare and recycling, Volvo had this to say in their press release: For example, Nordico, a new interior material created by Volvo Cars will consist of textiles made from recycled material such as PET bottles, bio-attributed material from sustainable forests in Sweden and Finland, and corks recycled from the wine industry – setting a new standard for premium interior design. This material will make its debut in the next generation of Volvo models. Volvo Cars will also continue to offer wool blend options from suppliers that are certified to source responsibly, as the company looks to ensure full traceability and animal welfare in its wool supply chain. For those that wonder how this is being driven, you can read the report Volvo is using in this focus change: For the full version of The rise of conscious design: a report about tomorrow’s materials, click HERE. Volvo believes this move to go leather-free as a step in the right direction in taking a strong and ethical position to do what it can to help stop animal harm which comes from reducing the demand for materials that contain animal products. You decide for yourself, is this interior of the C40 a luxury interior? Volvo wants to invite you to join them in helping the world be a SUSTAINABLE world where Sustainability is a requirement rather than an option. The C40 will start in the US well equipped at $58,750 before tax credits. These BEVs will come with 250 kWh of complimentary high speed charging at Electrify America's network and a 4yr or 40,000 mile warranty. To quote their press release: The New C40 Recharge will be available in the Ultimate specification level and includes every available feature such as Android Operating System with Google imbedded, oversized fixed Panoramic Moonroof, Pixel LED lighting, Pilot Assist, Harman Kardon Premium Sound, 360° Surround View Camera and Unique 20” wheels. Customers can choose the Fjord Blue Carpet for no additional charge and it may be combined with 4 of the 7 exterior paint colors. 2022 C40 SUV by VOLVO Welcome to the 21st Century of Sustainability! Volvo Cars to go leather-free in all pure electric cars as part of animal welfare ambitions - Volvo Car USA Newsroom Volvo Cars and The Future Laboratory explore the future of sustainable luxury materials in new report - Volvo Car USA Newsroom Volvo C40 Recharge Enters U.S. Well Equipped at $58,750 Before Tax Credit; Expanded Fast Charging Now Available - Volvo Car USA Newsroom (volvocars.com) View full article

Why did the spider eat fireflies every evening? He wanted a "light" snack after dinner! _________________________________________________ What tea do footballers drink? Penaltea ________________________________________________ What is the biggest ant in the world? An Elephant

Reviews are starting to come out and to say that the Rivian kicks the Raptors and TRX butts is to be expected by me, but seems to be a big surprise to the writers. Driving Rivian R1T Off Road: Ram TRX & F-150 Raptor Are No Match (insideevs.com) Shocker: 2022 Rivian R1T Proves Electricity Is Better Than Gasoline for Off-Roading (motortrend.com)

Excellent read and I have to say one of the better balanced reviews. Ford Bronco Sport vs. Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport vs. Subaru Outback Wilderness vs. Toyota RAV4 TRD Off-Road: Got Chops? (motortrend.com) Bronco for the clear Home Run Hit Win! This just seems to be the perfect camper for some here and I am thinking of @A Horse With No Name who wants to drive central america and sleep all over. Bruder EXP-8 Is the Ultimate Off-Road Camper Trailer for Overlanding (motortrend.com)

I love working at home, easy commute, have my office so when I go in, all business. Leave it and my time. I do admit, the wife went crazy at first when my company in Feb 2020 went 100% work from home, but now that the whole company is 90% work from home, the other 10% are those that have to be on site and for the most part works best as it makes it much easier to get my work done, take time off when I need to for appointments, errands, etc. I honestly could not ever see myself going back to an office. I do miss the social interaction, but I do get plenty of that online via Zoom meetings, Slack Huddles and rarely unless I am forced to use terrible Microsoft Teams. I will say this, I have a coworker who always wanted a trailer to go camping who finally bought one, set it up to be his remote office away from the house, but uses the house WiFi in 256 bit encryption mode and loves it. No wife, kids, animals to distract and he says it truly feels like going to the office since he has to physically leave his house and walk the 15 steps to the side slab where his new trailer is parked.

Very Cool find parked on a street. Ultra-Rare 1930s GM Futurliner Seen Street Parked in Random Small Town—and We’ve Got Answers (thedrive.com) Another Great read We Found Ford's Incredible Turbine-Powered Semi-Truck 'Big Red' That's Been Lost for Decades (thedrive.com)

Hoarder

So Functional!

Thinking on this, your right, the current style is just BLAH compared to this fake grill on the front end that at least gives it a style weather you like it or not. I think that is why I like the e-Tron sedan more than Tesla