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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    You mean pricing the car higher because of the implied savings at the pump? At the moment I think only Tesla can sort of get away with that, but it's more of a Tesla prestige price rather than an EV savings price. Tesla does some pretty deceptive lease pricing by factoring "gasoline savings" into the lease price they present. Volt, Bolt, Leaf all seem to be priced a bit on the high side, but in the case of the Bolt at least... GM seems to be losing money on every one they sell. And yes, once EVs hit mainstream, they won't be able to price gasoline savings into them, however, I do think they will be more profitable for the manufacturers to build, so in essence, gasoline drivers will start to pay more for their cars than EV drivers do. Again, this is 10 - 20 years in the future by my toss of a dart. Once EVs reach price parity with ICEs, the ICE is toast.
  2. Drew Dowdell
    I mean if the policy being discussed is industry related.... it doesn't mean that we should get into the weeds on the healthcare debate just because the auto manufacturers issue health insurance. In the case above, it was the head of the Dept of Energy talking about how fossil fuels are needed to prevent sexual assault... which is simply ludicrous.... yet that same department has information for EVs on its website.
  3. Drew Dowdell
    Sure, why not. Highly informative threads like this make C&G fun! I re-learned a bunch of stuff today re-reading this thread.
  4. Drew Dowdell
    It's scary when Albert goes from the Buick to the Honda and backs up without the rear-view camera and no parking sensors......
  5. Drew Dowdell
    We don't have a free market. I disagree with the idea that EVs won't be priced like a comparable ICE. Eventually, competition will start to heat up and someone will try and sell on price. For the moment, EVs are still a novelty item, but as soon as someone gears up to crank them out like Accords, the price wars will start. This won't happen for at least a decade or more, but it will happen eventually. The reason it will happen is that aside from the cost of the batteries, EVs are inherently less complicated vehicles to assemble. They don't have 10-speed transmissions, they don't have exhaust or emissions equipment, they don't need to get EPA emissions certification, they don't have fancy AWD system with multiple clutches. Build electric motor powertrains in 3 sizes and the performance can be tuned completely by software..... GM could build every single model in their lineup with just 3 motor powertrains and some software instead of however many different engine designs they have today. Just look at the 2.0T alone... they have 8 different tuning variants and FWD/RWD/FAWD/RAWD orientations coupled with multiple transmissions (6-speed FWD, 6-speed manual RWD, 8-Speed RWD, 8-Speed FWD, 9-speed FWD, probably 10-speed RWD in future). Imagine if all of those could be cut down to EVPU Medium FWD and EVPU Medium RWD with just software changes for power output. Once battery costs come down, that will become a huge savings for manufacturers. AWD will most likely be handled in the Tesla fashion of adding a smaller motor at the other end of the car rather than a driveshaft and transmission. That smaller motor would be pilfered from some compact vehicle like the Bolt. The eventual cost savings to manufacturers is why I see EVs as inevitable.... not any government mandate.
  6. Drew Dowdell
    As I stated, if it involves the automotive industry in some way.....
  7. Drew Dowdell
    Oh jesus tapdancing christ, we can't be mature and not pedantic on this? There is going to be some crossover of policy, political figures, and automotive. There were automotive execs on government advisory councils. Trump just asked the PM of Japan to build more cars in the US instead of Japan, which only goes to show how badly read Trump is on the industry. These are things we should be able to post articles about and discuss, but for those who can't handle it in a mature fashion, I'll just mod them into oblivion in those threads. And don't think it has anything to do with disagreeing on politics. There are plenty here who I disagree with on those terms who do handle themselves in a mature fashion and debates with those people are fun and interesting.
  8. Drew Dowdell
    The credit is used to reduce the cost of the lease substantially. With exceptions for local dealership shenanigans, the credits usually act as a dollar for dollar down payment on the lease.
  9. Drew Dowdell
    GM didn't give up on it. They make a Lacrosse eAssist, Impala eAssist, Silverado eAssist (only for CA) still today. The CT6 PHEV has the most advanced hybrid system on the market today. The fact remains is that the 48 volt system that the Germans are going for is still them catching up to GM. It may enable other technology in the future, but GM still got there a decade before them.
  10. Drew Dowdell
    Again trying to move the goal posts. Mercedes Pre-scan Active body control has been available since 2013, which means it clearly does not require 48 volt electronics in order to run. But if you insist on not taking my word for it that Benz is just a decade late to GM's eAssist party. Read Jalopnik https://jalopnik.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-upcoming-48-volt-1790364465
  11. Drew Dowdell
    GM already uses electric power steering, electric oil and water pumps, electric A/C for the Volt and CT6 PHEV, and they've had the fastest reacting electronic suspension for more than 25 years. The germans are playing catch up here.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    Not at all confirmed. We've had a great spirited and fun debate in the tax credit thread. It's the kind of civil discourse I wish we could have here without the need for anyone to police the threads. If you want to have the same civil debate over Perry's statement that "fossil fuels prevent sexual assault", we can have one, but I promise you it will be short.
  13. Drew Dowdell
    I still have another year to go before I join the big 4-oh thank you very much... and I still get mistaken for younger, especially by youngins who don't know any better.
  14. Drew Dowdell
    I like black cars, but I want color in my interior. I like Cadillac's red, Jeep's blue or white, and the blue of the Chrysler 300c Platinum.
  15. Drew Dowdell
    It's a job title. The man recently said something incredibly idiotic regardless of one's political leaning, and in his particular case, that isn't a new thing. US/Global Energy and Transportation policy as it relates to cars has always been allowed here. Nuance, complexity, and context are not vices.
  16. Drew Dowdell
    It was late and I had already taken my Ambien. The only way to be guaranteed the credit is to lease, which I agree is a dumb way to set up the program.
  17. Drew Dowdell
    The man said the Fossil fuels prevent sexual assault. That's not political.....that's just idiotic.
  18. Drew Dowdell
    With so few miles it is likely best to buy it out.
  19. Drew Dowdell
    The lease would have to be exceptionally cheap for me to consider it these days. I don't want to have permanent car payments. I just want something I can buy and keep for a long while.
  20. Drew Dowdell
    That's the very definition of moving the goal posts.
  21. Drew Dowdell
    Clearly they're aiming for Chinese volume. Buicks average buyer age in the US has been falling for years. Cadillac will get EVs also.
  22. Drew Dowdell
    The levels of autonomous car describe how capable a vehicle is in self driving. Level 5 (I believe) is fully automatic.
  23. Drew Dowdell
    Someone would crash it while watching The Hobbit.
  24. Drew Dowdell
    Yeah, I think they were directed to China first. Because we need the change to happen sooner rather than later.
  25. Drew Dowdell
    Then I would ask if you've read the article William posted that we're commenting on.... 100 years ago, those roads didn't exist. It took federal subsidies to create them. Eventually, possibly in your and my lifetime, everyone will be driving EVs except for a few old dotards who keep a gas powered Toronado in the garage.
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