G. David Felt

Pool Pee Pool

I am going to have to disagree with you. As growing up around blast cells on fishing ships to canneries all over Alaska and Canada and seeing heat pumps all over, their ability to manage and maintain the comfort zone of a 15% humidity level so things do not dry out and having them buried in snow and still work would tell me otherwise. Yet with that, I can also say I have seen my fair share of poorly installed heat pumps with no overhead cover for those areas that do get heavy snow fall fail. Like they say, your mileage will vary depending on installation and maintenance.

I am hearing in conversations more and more folks going to US or Asian brands over the Germans. Seems to be having an affect as every model MB sells is on sale with cash back, cheap interest, cheap leases plus conquest bucks. Seems crazy just how big of a discount MB is willing to give to move metal. Seems to be more of a Kmart Blue Light Special on MB Auto's around here.

I am seeing less and less of the Chrysler, Toyota, Honda and Kia minivans. They truly seem to be a dying breed.

Growing up in a household where my dad worked in the commercial AC / freezing business, sadly while all these portable or window based units could be recharged, it is cost prohibitive. Yes they ice up and go through iced / thaw cycles when low. Most units are built cheap and compact to minimize cost and so the tubing usually also is part of the condenser tray which causes the tubes to corrode and leak. Best to just recycle the unit and buy a new one. Better yet get a Heat pump for your house and you will love it.

Agreed, BMW drivers are assholes but at least for the most part they drive fast to keep going. Prius drivers get on the freeway, move to the far left and go 20 under the speed limit and then do stupid shit while on the freeway and just about hit everyone. Worst drivers ever!

Back seat is so tight, anyone 6' tall or taller in your household will find it hard to get into and out of.

Gruel

Mazdas are piling up all over in chained in lots. 20190708_163940.mp4

Heat Pump for the whole house is a better way to go than AC. Just saying you get a much more consistent comfortable zone with a Heat Pump.

Negative over all, but some of the models that were selling thousands a month are now hundreds, seems to reinforce the cars are not where the money is at.

That is a whole lot of negative downward seals percentage.

Respectable numbers, what I would expect for the down turn in auto sales. Over all not bad Ford.

Sponge Bob

Exciting to see that they will have the German plant up to 800 MWh of battery packs by Q1 2020. Building their dense battery packs for on and off road auto's to commercial equipment is great news for moving to an exhaust free product that most of us use and sit in idle traffic at times. I get the points balthazar is making, but I truly believe we will flip from an ICE to EV auto centric world much faster than many believe right now. Just at the start of squirting out auto options.

Premium battery manufacture of Germany, AKASOL has announced that they will open a battery system production plant in Detroit Michigan USA. This dedicated operations in North America will ensure that AKASOL's customers comply with the Buy America Act Regulations and is in response to demand for their high energy battery modules from various OEM manufacturer of Trucks, Buses and auto's. This considerable investment will create over 200 jobs within the next 5 years. State of Michigan awarded AKASOL a Michigan Business Development Program Grant for the construction of the production facility. Barry Matherly, President and CEO of Detroit Regional Partnership added: " The Detroit Region is thrilled to have been selected by AKASOL for its first battery production facility for the commercial vehicle market. The company is a global leader in the design and build of e-mobility solutions and our team is pleased we were able to demonstrate a highly compelling business case around the strengths of the region." AKASOL's new Michigan production facility will have similar capacity to the company's current plant in Langen, Germany. Production is due to begin in 2020, with a focus on the 2nd generation AKASystem OEM PRC battery system. By early 2021, AKASOL expects production to increase to 400 MWh in a three-shift operation. These high performance lithium-ion battery systems will be developed, tested and produced locally here in Detroit Michigan. AKASOL's commitment to quality, performance and flexibility is reflected in their European Top Tier customers. Daimler and French railway giant Alstom to name a few. View full article

I think to finance the EV push, putting money on the hood to move metal is a smart move to keep things going in the short term.

Seems California and Canada have signed a memorandum to agree on strict emissions from Auto's bypassing the EPA. https://www.autoblog.com/2019/06/26/california-canada-sidestep-trump-emissions-standards/ https://www.reuters.com/article/us-canada-california/california-canada-sign-memorandum-to-advance-cleaner-vehicles-fuels-idUSKCN1TR2IN I would say if California gets Mexico on board with Emissions, the DC EPA folks are gonna be between a rock and a hard spot.

The laws about auto's for the European Union are consistent so I expect this to stay consistent but at least by this time next year we will have the 2019 results and can tell if a trend is happening.

Yes, I would take a Ram over the Butt Ugly Silverados.

@trinacriabob The tunnel become functional and in use this past January 2019. Demolition of the Viaduct began in May. All next week they will destroy the section next to my work at First and King Street. The Lite Rail planners wanted to increase use by the Rainer Beach area, but sadly it was clearly a mistake as the folks living there do not use it as much as expected and so it increased the cost and time to get from the airport to Downtown seattle. Lite Rail from Seattle to the East side along with to the north end being Lynnwood will go live in 2024.

Glad to hear they are doing well, hopefully they can get to sustained profitability. Need to get those X, S model updates out and the CUV off the 3. Style still leaves much to be desired for me.

Awesome Radio Flyer!

Interesting the mix for Norway according to their latest June Report. https://ofv.no/bilsalget/bilsalget-i-juni-2019-1 As of June here is the official mix of new auto's: 13% of new auto's were Diesel 16% of new auto's were gas 22.2% of new auto's were Hybrid 48.4% of new auto's were Zero Emission Electric Of the Vehicles sold, 56.3% were 4wd. Interesting numbers.