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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    The ownership structure set up between Porsche, VW, and Audi is so confusing, I'd have to whiteboard it out to fully understand it. There are no less than three companies in Germany named Porsche. Porsche SE owns 52% of VW AG... Porsche SE is a holding company. VW AG owns 100% of Porsche AG... Porsche AG is a company that builds cars. Porsche AG owns 100% of Porsche Consulting GmbH..... not sure what Porsche Consulting GmbH does. Audi AG (which trades under the stock ticker NSU, an old company Auto Union acquired) is 100% owned by VW AG, but is legally a separate company from VW. Audi AG also owns Ducati, Lamborghini, and... curiously... Audi Sport GmbH (formerly Quattro GmbH). Never heard of that last one? They build cars, but they don't sell to the public. Audi Sport GmbH builds all of the RS models, sells them to Audi AG who then distributes and sells the vehicles. They also make the S-Line parts for the Audi AG cars. Why they need this super confusing structure, I don't know..... So... when the article says Porsche is demanding money from Audi.... it still doesn't narrow down enough who is demanding money from whom. I wonder if VAG could shave a bunch more costs by simplifying their corporate structure(s) substantially.
  2. Drew Dowdell
    Little did you know how right you were! We did get a Pacifica, and as far as minivans go, it ended up being really handsome!
  3. Drew Dowdell
    That's absolutely true... my grandmother had her first one lemoned out. They put her in a new one for a discounted lease. The second one had a lot of trouble, but not enough to lemon. After the second one, she went back to Buick and is on her third one since.
  4. Drew Dowdell
    That's the generation side of the bill. There should be a delivery side also. For most electric customers in the US, the electric bill is actually two bills in one. Even if the generation side and delivery side have the same name, they are often legally different companies. And since you're charged taxes, you should include that in your price per kWh.... you don't not-count gas taxes do you? Take your total bill and divide by the number of kWh to find your true rate. There is no way your final cost at the plug is 6 cent per kWh. That would barely cover the lines to your house.
  5. Drew Dowdell
    What will change: Manufacturers will have platforms dedicated to BEVs rather than compromised and modified ICE platforms. At the moment, only GM and Tesla have dedicated platforms on the market. (Nissan Leaf shares its platform with other Nissan / Renault / Datsun small cars) Battery technology continues to improve. With more investment pouring in, expect the improvements to accelerate. With more manufacturers entering the market, common components will start to fall in price as economies of scale ramp up. EVs have fewer parts than ICE engines... once EV makers hit their stride with the new designs, costs will drop. New charging stations come online every day.
  6. Drew Dowdell
    6 cents / kWh? That's impossibly low.... that doesn't include delivery? Delivery alone is usually that much. Typical commodity + delivery across the US is 12 cents / kWh (the reason I know this is because I've been researching cryptocurrency mining for a client). At that price, 20 c/kWh isn't terrible for an on the road charge... even at 35 c/kWh it's a deal compared to buying bottled water v. bringing water from your tap at home.
  7. Drew Dowdell
    FCA is the supplier. They've owned VMMotori for a few years now. I imagine a recall is in order for the vehicles already sold.
  8. Drew Dowdell
    Imagine the lag. That would be annoying while off roading
  9. Drew Dowdell
    And we know how well stubby hatches sell... Fiesta, Mazda 2, Accent hatchback, Yaris hatch, all cancelled or in danger of being so. iM, Sonic 5 door both on life support. Only the Fit and Versa seem to move any real numbers, and those are still a small fraction of the sedan counterparts.
  10. Drew Dowdell
    Ew.. So you really think a normal looking car with the same performance as the bolt won't sell as well as the bolt?
  11. Drew Dowdell
    Oh, no. I meant for you to lease a new truck. You couldn't deduct a Cruze lease for your son legally.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    It's a limited production vehicle that has better options out there now. 100 miles isn't enough range. If it had 200+ mile range, it would sell substantially better. The Bolt is already beating sales expectations. Are you trying to say that a much more conventional looking Focus with similar range, performance, and price to the Bolt wouldn't sell better? Because that's what it sounds like you're saying. Few of the plug-in hybrid sedans have an EV range worth mentioning. Volt is the best at 50, followed by Pacifica Hybrid and CT6 PHEV at 30ish. The Euros except Volvo are in the mid-teens, Volvo gets barely over 20.
  13. Drew Dowdell
    In your case @balthazar it might be a fairly substantial tax deduction for you to lease, depending on how your business is structured. I'm not an accountant, but you may want to talk to one.
  14. Drew Dowdell
    Yes, all of the Northstars were oil burners. That, among other reasons, were why they were 8 quart engines. The other reason was they could run without coolant in limp home mode, but needed the extra oil reserve to do so. Is anything else on your radar @balthazar? It does seem like you're steering towards the lower end of the budget for this one... an $8999 Cruze? You're almost better off getting one of those $99 down $99 a month 36 month leases for a brand new one. Even if he did go over the mileage by 21k miles (so, 51k miles in 3 years), you'd still be under the $8999 total cost.
  15. Drew Dowdell
    All of the recently released Benzes are like this.
  16. Drew Dowdell
    I would think not. GM will be looking to reuse as much of the existing technology into other vehicles as possible. They won't be doing in-wheel motors if the battery and other running gear for Bolt, Volt, CT6, and Malibu Hybrid are all using stuff tuned for a more traditional electric motor. At most, you'll see a larger electric motor for heavier / more premium applications... and a dual motor setup for AWD applications if using a pure EV platform.
  17. Drew Dowdell
    It's fad... just like fender vents were a fad 10 years ago.
  18. Drew Dowdell
    +1.... how are the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango on different lists when they both use the same uConnect system?
  19. Drew Dowdell
    That'd be cause they're not prohibited. I think only the TPK prohibits them through side regulations... 601.15 Vehicles excluded from the Turnpike (a) During adverse weather conditions, recreational vehicles, motorcycles, vehicles towing trailers, tandem trailers, buses and Class 9 vehicles may be excluded from parts or all of the Turnpike System. Vehicles may be excluded from the Turnpike System to effect proper snow removal or to remedy hazardous situations. Unsafe vehicles may be excluded at any time. (b) Class 9 vehicles are prohibited from using the Turnpike System except by special permit from the Commission, as indicated in § 601.1 and § 601.14 (Class 9 Vehicles). (c) Vehicles which are not capable of maintaining a speed of at least 15 miles per hour below the posted speed limit on level roadway are prohibited from using the Turnpike system. (d) No non-motorized vehicles are permitted to be operated on the Turnpike System.
  20. Drew Dowdell
    E-Golf - Range 112 miles, starting price $30k, $11k more than a base Golf Focus Electric - Range 118 miles city / 96 miles highway, starting price $29k, however, Ford is giving them away with $10k worth of incentives right now Fiat 500E - Range 87 miles, starting price $32,600 and only sold in California All of those fit in classification #2 of "usable range", "Normal looking", "substantially more expensive than platform mates". Range is still a factor. Anything between 40 miles and 100 miles I consider usable, but not great. Anything over 200 will be able to suit most typical drivers, even if they don't realize it yet. The Volt gets around the range issue by having the regenerator, it looks like a fancy Cruze, but it is still rather pricey compared to a Cruze. The three you mentioned still have range anxiety issues being lower than the 200 mile mark. The Bolt is the first in this price class to get over 200 miles to a charge.... my argument is that it would sell even better if it looked more like a normal car instead of an egg. I personally don't think it looks bad, but I don't think it has visual appeal to the mass market. Bolt powertrain in a Malibu at only a slight premium over an LT model (say something around like the price premium of buying a diesel), and you'd start to see some real movement in sales. In my own case, I'd like a plug-in, but there are none yet that meet the requirements within our budget. The closest I can get right now is the new XC60 PHEV. SMART is just dumb anyway, the sales there have been tanking for years and dealers who saw the opportunity to exit, did so. If I were a Benz dealer, I wouldn't have kept SMART around absent any announcement that they were going to expand the brand into a family car brand. There are no statistics to back up either claim since the vehicles I am referring to do not exist on the market.
  21. Drew Dowdell
    Me too... but only if the avalanche was a relatively exclusive vehicle.... no LS trims... LT or High Country only.
  22. Drew Dowdell
    I do want a Cadillac truck, but only if it is something like the EXT which can't be found anywhere else in the GM lineup. I would not want a rebadged Denali in the Cadillac lineup.
  23. Drew Dowdell
    Not just a stop-gap. They are the stepping stone. They help create demand for the plug-in infrastructure that is currently lacking.
  24. Drew Dowdell
    I just realized, I forgot the BMW i3... but it's okay, so did everyone else on the planet.
  25. Drew Dowdell
    The earlier Escalades were likely more capable than the later ones as they were more closely related to the Tahoe and such. The recent one is much more of a soft-roader unless you start making modifications via wheels and removing air-dams and such.
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