G. David Felt

I love my commute, all 32 steps from the kitchen with breakfast to my office. Such a harsh commute now.

Good Idea to see that comparison. 1918 Pandemic (H1N1 virus) | Pandemic Influenza (Flu) | CDC So 1918-1919 Pandemic, 675,000 died in the us out of a population of 103,000,000 or .66% Based on 9-23-2021 data Home - Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center (jhu.edu) So then 2020-2021 Pandemic, 684,226 deaths out of 330,000,000 US Population is .21%, so we need to have 2,178,000 deaths on this pandemic to equal the death percentage of the 1918-1919 pandemic. I follow the GM Design Studio Instagram account and that was todays archive pic. They never say what it was, but I am wondering corvette or Camaro?

Seems Wabtec has found their launch customer. A mining company in Australia has placed an order for the First of the GM Ultium battery backed freight trains. First is that Wabtec upgraded from 2.5 MWh of battery / power to 7 MWh of battery / power. The australian mining company found in testing that an Electric engine in with the traditional Diesels actually gave better performance in getting the 1.6 mile long ore cars moving and stopping. As such, they have ordered an undisclosed amount of new engines to be mixed into their diesel mix. Current testing has shown double digits of diesel and time saving due to having these torque monsters in the mix for getting the trains moving under full heavy load. First electric Ultium Locomotives will be delivered in 2023. Wabtec launches e-locomotive with first order - electrive.com

Seems in an update from Cadillac, the Lyriq is it for this year of news for 2021, the President of Cadillac says we will have to wait till 2022 to learn more about the Cadillac Electric Vehicle lineup. While not from the Cadillac press room, the web site electrek is reporting that after loosing 1/5th of their dealers who took buy outs as not wanting to convert to an EV dealership, Cadillac is gaining new dealers who want to be an electric dealer. After losing dealers over its electric move, Cadillac is now gaining new ones - Electrek “Cadillac is entering new luxury markets and reestablishing itself in crucial areas it had ceded to rivals — including Beverly Hills, Calif., where it hadn’t been since the 1980s, and its former home base of Manhattan, N.Y., where its only store closed last year. Some established Cadillac dealers are scooping up additional stores, while a few dealers are getting involved with the brand for the first time.”

Totally agree it is very weird but then I see this now that we have surpassed the deaths of the 1918 Influenza as a culling of the idiots. I also saw in the news today that another Conservative radio host is telling conservatives to get vaccinated, that the liberals are using reverse phycology to kill them off and they are stupid if they do not get vaccinated. Was cracking up laughing when I saw that story pop up. Everyone has a reason pro or con about Covid-19, but until they get sick, then things change. I suspect we will never really see a change back to the way things were pre-pandemic due to the mutations of the virus. I see we have a new version they have listed on the John Hopkins and CDC web site that is a variant of interest due to the fact that it has less than 10,000 infections here in the U.S. but is the core version now in Central America and it is resistant to the current Vaccines. As such, I suspect we have a long way to go on Viruses. BACK ON AUTO TOPICS I am very excited as GM rumors are that they will have a ton of announcements at SEMA this year. Current news as I posted was the death of their 755 HP V8 crate motor, but rumors is a new version will come out due to the new top end Corvette that could be announced. Second rumor is that the new e-Crate motor choices will get announced now that GM has shown off their Ultium Motors. This is one I am excited about as I am looking to change my 1994 GMC Suburban to AWD Electric, would be cool to put the 1,000 HP trio motors with controllers that is going into the Hummer Pickup into my Suburban.

Archive GM Photo, anyone recognize the concept as I do not.

True, while the interior is a plastic jungle, it has held up even when not taken care of like in the photo I grabbed off the net. Mine looks even better compared to that, will have to on a non work day go out and take a pic on the inside.

I get what you say, but then while I love the open leg room, when compared to what GM had done with this same style in 93 as a 94 model year. Rivian has done a great job.

Column shift now with the ability to have electronic versions is a true waste of space as that center console is just so FAT! Talk about a waste of leg space and comfort. One thing I love about my 94 GMC Suburban is that the center stops with the seats and you still have a big open space, very roomy and comfortable at the legs. Not my Suburban, but my interior does look like this, but much cleaner. Love the leg space, love that Rivian has taken this approach in their R1T and R1S auto's.

Seems that Tesla is not honoring their 8yr power train warranty on first gen Tesla S for water intrusion into the motors from driving in the rain. Beware: Older Tesla Model S Motor Might Fail If Driven In Rain (insideevs.com) Forgot how ugly I found the first generation Tesla S Interesting story on the EQS matching the Tesla S in Range but cheaper than the Lucid Air which is the most expensive Luxury sedan now it would seem. Mercedes EQS Vs Tesla Model S Vs Lucid Air: Compared (insideevs.com) Great charts in the above story matching these 3 cars. EQS is 1/3rd more expensive than the Tesla but slower due to considerable less power, but has a nicer interior. EQS is less expensive by about 1/3rd compared to Lucid air and both have a Luxury interior, but EQS fails like it did against Tesla with a much weaker power train, performance and handling again. Looks being a personal choice among the three so they seemed to stay away from the style question.

The exterior still has not grown on me, ugliest of the GM trucks. Interior is a very much needed update that is nice.

Have to say that the latest release of interior pictures shows an attention to quality and luxury in the Rivian R1T truck.

True, it does have nothing to to with power motive either electrical or gas, but considering how GM used this shape for the electric cars used in the 90's movie Demolition Man with Silvester Stallone and Wesley Snips, and many electric concepts especially form Mercedes of late seem to use this over all form / style even Lucid, as you have pointed out, everyone seems to have gravitated to a consistent generic form, this car slips through the air and I remember my grandfather Brougham and how quiet it was. Yes gas can be silent when properly engineered as has been proven by Lexus, but having just watched last night with the wife the above old movie, this Cadillac Concept says electric to me as shortly after this the EV1 came out too. Demolition man movie cars used and yes GM had this as an electric car in the movie.

I understand and that Cadillac does have a Superior exterior style over the EQS. One could almost think it was an electric vehicle.

Is it just me or did the EQS just totally rip off Cadillac again? ? 1988 Cadillac Voyage Concept 2022 EQS

Washington State has the following, I do wish they would require proper conceal training and not just applying, background and finger check. I feel people should also undergo a mental check. WA State Licensing (DOL) Official Site: How to get your license Concealed Pistol license in Washington state Requirements You must be 21 years old to have a CPL and if you: Carry a pistol concealed on your person. Have a loaded pistol in a vehicle You won’t qualify for a CPL if you: Have a revoked concealed pistol license. Are subject to a court order or injunction concerning the possession of firearms. Are free on bond or personal recognizance while awaiting trial, appeal, or sentencing for a felony offense. Have an outstanding warrant for your arrest for a felony or misdemeanor. Were ordered to forfeit a firearm within the last 12 months. Were convicted of a felony. To restore your rights, contact the courts where your conviction is or the superior court where you live. Fees Fee amounts depend on the license you are requesting. See our list of current fees. How to apply Call or check the website of your local LEA and verify you live in their jurisdiction. If so, ask for a Concealed Pistol License Application. You will need a valid state driver license or ID. If you are a permanent resident alien, bring your permanent resident card. If you have an alien firearms license, bring your original passport and US‑issued alien number or admission number. If applicable, bring your original certificate of rehabilitation or firearms restoration orders. Pay fees with cash or check/money order payable to the law enforcement agency. LEA will complete the fingerprints and a background check. Your license is valid for 5 years from the date it is issued. RCW 9.41.050: Carrying firearms. (wa.gov) Summary of Washington Gun Laws Washington is a shall-issue state. Licenses are issued at the local level by the sheriff or police department. Any private sale of firearms in Washington is required to be completed through a Federal Firearms Licensed (FFL) and a background check is required. Firearms registration is required insofar as retail dealers must record and report all retail pistol sales to local police/sheriff and to the State Department of Licensing. For transfers of handguns to an individual without a valid Washington driver’s license or state identification card or who has not been a resident of the state for the previous consecutive 90 days, FFLs may not deliver the handgun until the transferee passes a background check or 60 days have elapsed since the date of the request, whichever occurs first. It is unlawful for any person to “carry, exhibit, display, or draw any firearm or any other weapon apparently capable of producing bodily harm, in a manner, under circumstances, and at a time and place that either manifests an intent to intimidate another or that warrants alarm for the safety of other persons.” However, there are exemptions to the law, one of which is for any person acting for the purpose of protecting oneself or another against the use of presently threatened unlawful force by another. Open carry is legal without a license for anyone at least 21 years old who is legally allowed to possess a firearm. Some areas are off-limits, including public schools and state courthouses. Based on the passage of SB 5038, open carry is also prohibited at the Capitol, any state legislative office, any public legislative hearing or meeting and within 250 feet of a permitted demonstrations. You must have a valid permit/license to carry a loaded handgun in any vehicle in Washington. Concealed carry is legal for residents with a Washington Concealed Pistol License (CPL) and for non-residents with a license/permit from a state that Washington honors. CPLs are issued to residents and non-residents that are at least 21 years old. There is no current requirement to attend a firearms training course. Washington prohibits the carrying of a concealed handgun without a license except in a person’s abode or fixed place of business. In terms of reciprocity, Washington recognizes permits from other states that meet specific requirements. Self-Defense Although Washington doesn’t have a specific castle law, the Washington State Supreme Court has ruled that there is no duty to retreat if a person is in a place he or she has the lawful right to occupy and is being assaulted. Use of Force The use force is justified in the following cases: Whenever used by a person in preventing or attempting to prevent an offense against his or her person or a malicious trespass or other malicious interference with real or personal property lawfully in his or her possession, provided the force is not more than is necessary; Whenever reasonably used by a person to detain someone who enters or remains unlawfully in a building or on real property lawfully in the possession of the person, so long as the detention is reasonable in duration and manner to investigate the reason for the detained person’s presence on the premises, and so long as the premises in question did not reasonably appear to be intended to be open to members of the public. Justifiable Homicide Homicide is justifiable when committed either: In reasonable defense against a felony or the imminent danger of great personal injury to any person;  or In resisting of a felony in or upon a dwelling or other place of abode, in which he or she is. Defending Against Violent Crime No person shall be placed in legal jeopardy of any kind whatsoever for protecting by any reasonable means necessary himself or herself, his or her family, or his or her real or personal property, or for coming to the aid of another who is in imminent danger of or the victim of assault, robbery, kidnapping, arson, burglary, rape, murder or any other violent crime. [Wash. Rev. Code § 9A.16.020, 9A.16.050 & 9A.16.110]

Thank you for sharing and stay safe my friend!

Ford and Redwood Materials have teamed up on a closed-loop system that allows both companies to achieve their goals to make electric vehicles more sustainable, drive down the cost of batteries and ultimately make electric vehicles accessible and affordable for more Americans. Ford and Redwood are collaborating to achieve the following: Ford Motor Company and Redwood Materials, a leading battery materials company, are collaborating to make electric vehicles more sustainable and affordable for Americans by localizing the complex supply chain network, creating recycling options for end-of-life vehicles, ramping lithium-ion recycling and increasing U.S. battery production Closing the loop ensures valuable materials that are used in battery production are recycled to be used again to drive down costs and reduce reliance on imports and mining of raw materials Creating a U.S. circular supply chain is a major step toward making battery electric vehicles sustainable, accessible and affordable for more Americans As part of Ford’s plan to invest more than $30 billion in electrification through 2025 and to further advance their joint business opportunities, Ford has invested $50 million in Redwood to help expand Redwood’s manufacturing footprint. Redwood is moving forward to produce anode fails and cathode materials all domestically at their new 100 GWh plant which will allow them to supply enough batteries for 1 million electric vehicles per year by 2025. Redwood expects to have their new manufacturing site producing in Northern Nevada 500 GWh of material providing enough to support 5 million electric vehicles by 2030, half of the US annual vehicle production. Sustainable and affordable battery materials is the missing pieces of a puzzle that Redwood believes they have solved added to the recycling part of making the BEV market a closed-loop supply chain for clean energy products. The solutions that Ford and Redwood are putting together will remove a very large carbon footprint that is currently dominated by China and has led to a enormous cost along with the large carbon foot print. Ford and Redwood believe that 95% of a battery pack can be recovered and reused in the closed-loop supply chain that will drive down costs while increasing affordable access to everyone. To quote Jim Farley, CEO and President of Ford: “Ford is making electric vehicles more accessible and affordable through products like the all-electric F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E and E-Transit, and much more to come” Ford has invested $50 million of the recent $700 million raised by Redwood for construction and production of their new battery production and recycling center. As a North America domestic sourced material and battery production center, this greatly reduces the carbon footprint in comparison to other companies that are sourcing their battery supplies from over seas. Per a recent interview with Bloomberg, Tesla co-founder J.B.Straubel has kept a big secret, Redwood is not really a recycling company only. Redwood did rise to become the U.S. largest Lithium-ion battery recycler in the U.S., but Straubel did not leave Tesla in 2019 to clean out the left over used Lithium battery packs only. The broader goal was to move a major chunk of battery-component industry from Aisa to the U.S. As Straubel has pointed out, every battery has two electrodes, an anode and cathode, between which current travels and the Cathode is the largest cost of a battery along with determining performance and environmental footprint. Redwood while ramping up in the US to produce battery material as well as recycle said material is also looking to build a similar operation in Europe to support European auto makers. Electric vehicles make up only 4% of passenger vehicle sales today, but Straubel sees a big flip coming, especially with 15 countries and 31 cities having announced timelines to entirely phase out sales of ICE auto's. Bloombergs research has shown that every time the global supply for batteries doubles, the cost drops by 18% as per the data tracked by BloombergNEF. Locally sourced battery materials can help drop that cost even faster especially at a time where China accounts for more than 80% of global production of battery components and materials. As has been pointed out by Redwood, it would take 6,147 recycled iPhone batteries to provide enough Lithium for a tesla model Y but just 166 iPhones to provide enough cobalt. Straubel say's that there is so much cobalt laying around in old electronics that even with Redwood battery production, more will be produced from recycling than it needs from manufacturing and especially as new format batteries come online no longer using Cobalt this will free up it's use for other areas of rare earth elements. Per Redwood and BloombergNEF data, battery production produces initially more CO2 than building an ICE auto. BEV's are however so much more efficient to operate , they more than make up for the battery pack production even in places where electricity is powered by Coal. Data shows it takes only 16,000 miles of driving an EV to become neutral and after that is a net positive. Roughly a year and Half of car ownership for the average American to then see the benefits of EV ownership. Consolidating the supply chain and using 50% recycled material would cut emissions from battery-pack manufacturing by 31%. Cleaner cathode production shrinks the overall emissions footprint from long range battery packs. According to recycling data, the majority of batteries were shredded into what is called "black mass" and this powder is then shipped over to the Asian rim for recycling from Asian companies. Redwood looked to shred up the batteries into a slurry and separate out the valuable nickel, lithium, cobalt and copper into their proper powders that then end back up into the supply chain locally for building of batteries and thus reducing the amount of miles the raw components travel and reducing the CO2 output from the travel across the pacific and back. Redwood looks to reduce the reliance on foreign suppliers increasing the Made in America label, jobs while reducing costs so more Americans can afford a cleaner electric vehicle. Straubel is being listened to here in the U.S. and Europe as he was the brains behind Tesla's battery strategy from the start when Elon Musk approached him following a engineering talk at Stanford University in 2003. Success is almost a given being that when Straubel left Tesla, he brought along to his startup, Kevin Kassekert who was in charge of building Tesla Gigafactory in Sparks Nevada. Kassekert was responsible for finding the site, building the factory and hiring most of the people who operate it. Kassekert and Staubel with Ford and other investors are looking to fill the missing void in producing inexpensive quality American electric vehicles. If your thinking as others have, this could be a great time to invest, sadly Redwood is not publicly traded yet. Straubel has declined to disclose his personal stake in Redwood, but did say that he has been a major investor in each funding round and will continue to do so as it is fun and rewarding for him. This next step in becoming a major battery parts producer will require significant money and all options are on the table to fund the growth of the company. Straubel has stated they are not ready yet for an IPO as they want to grow the company in other ways first, but eventually they would like to go public in the future. End result, Ford has achieved a major part of their BEV strategy for a closed-loop battery supply and recycle solution that will help them deliver on a BEV at all price points from entry level to luxury and beyond. Redwood has achieved another company to buy from them and use their recycling services and America has gained another source of jobs and local supplied material chain reducing dependence on foreign sourced material. Ford, Redwood Materials Teaming Up on Closed-Loop Battery Recycling, U.S. Supply Chain | Ford Media Center Redwood Materials and Ford Motor Company Announce Strategic Relationship — Redwood Materials A Tesla Co-Founder Is Building a U.S. Battery Industry - Bloomberg View full article

Interesting to read this story: Toyota CEO: Going All-EV Could Cost Japan Millions Of Jobs (insideevs.com) Part of this is their Keiretsu approach to business which is illegal in Europe and the U.S. A keiretsu (Japanese: 系列, literally system, series, grouping of enterprises, order of succession) is a set of companies with interlocking business relationships and shareholdings. In the legal sense, it is a type of informal business group that are loosely organized alliances within the social world of Japan's business community. Toyota has sued California and is doing everything they can to stop EV adoption even while they slowly work to produce and role out EV's. I also find this interesting considering that Japan is a country that allows NO IMMIGRATION! You can live there with your spouse or even take a job, but you can never become a citizen with legal rights. As such, Japan has one of the oldest senior populations in the world and is relying on more and more labor from Philippian's and other lower income Asian countries. I find this understandable as Japan has been stagnant for the last couple of decades in creating new tech due to their society of everyone fitting in, no one going against the ruling class. Japan has in many ways fallen behind China and Korea. Another example is the Sony TV's as Sony stopped R&D after their flat TV Tube TV's and as such now purchase LCD screens from Samsung and resell them under a Sony Label. Sad, but I actually see Japan falling farther behind US and Europe based companies as the world changes and Japan stays stagnant.

RIP Willie Garson, an awesome actor that I will miss. Came to really like his skill in the TV 6 season show White Collar as the character Mozzy. Never had an interest in the Sex and the City series or movies where he supposedly hit it big. Willie Garson dies at 57: 'Sex and the City' star worked on HBO reboot 'even while he was sick' (msn.com)

Glad you like your gun and want to carry, but no need that I see to have a gun. I can kill ya with so many other options just as easily, but would rather just agree to disagree on issues and live together in our Multi-Cultural world than to have people carry guns and possibly during a moment of anger do something they would regret. Thank you for taking training as I honestly think if one wants a gun, they need to learn how to handle it, maintain it and be responsible. Sadly we have piss poor leadership in this regards especially in Texas with them no longer requiring any license or training, anyone can carry a concealed gun. Talk about a scary place to live. Seems they are embracing the shoot first, ask questions later cause your scared, and possibly ignorant about what is going on. Reminds me of the idiot white trash lawyers that pulled their guns on a peaceful protest going down their street.

I would not bet on this as while badge snobs will take it due to the MB logo, customers are showing they are not willing to be as loyal as some people think they are. Example is that Hardcore Apple Fans have lined up for the less than inspiring Apple 13 phone, but it is not selling like past phones and Samsung has clearly surpassed phone sales compared to Apple. Every Dog has their day and then the Flees bite. The style could turn off many as other Luxury options in this class surpass in exterior style alone.

I am with you, I have no desire to go to the smelly dirty theaters especially with this Pandemic so will have to wait for it to stream and I watch it on my own big screen and surround sound.

Funny that Toyota is killing off the V8 when Lexus seems to be embracing it. Auto Enthusiasts Take to the Track for the Ultimate Bragging Rights - Lexus USA Newsroom Here they brag about the 472 HP Naturally aspirated V8 in the all new IS 500F performance car. "License to Thrill" as they seem to have taken a page from James Bond 007! Honestly, not impressed with this performance sedan that is to compete with the V series from Cadillac, AMG from Mercedes, M series from BMW. http://www.lexus.com/IS500