Volkswagen under investigation over illegal software that masks pollution

[Ryeman]

California's Clean Air Act and the CARB effectively drive world car design and has for ~ 4 decades (the LA smog crisis of the 60s into the 70s) and by 2025 their clean air legislation will have made urban combustion engines untenable and that's what all manufacurers are fixated on.........the U.S. sales market is the carrot.
The BEV and fuel cell car are both powering an electric motor.
An electric motor is relatively simple and low maintenance and that will be a challenge to dealership profits I would imagine.

[Greg Roles]

-not at the price they charge for an electric car with how many moving parts??!!

[Ozsko]

If you can't afford one then you won't be driving a car, no different to today. This change over is really akin to when IC motors first appeared, expensive and ridiculously short range with nowhere to refuel, the same problems that electric car makers now face though Tesla has reasonable range now. I saw a report where Sydney to Melbourne is being done with one 30 minute stop.

[Ryeman]

-not at the price they charge for an electric car with how many moving parts??!!

A fridge on wheels.......white goods!
JB'll be selling them eventually

[Greg Roles]

At what point do people in their "clean" electric cars realise they are just passing their immediate emissions to some big arse coal fired powerstation? Don't get me wrong I'm all for max torque at 1 rpm, but emission free...well...

[Ryeman]

At what point do people in their "clean" electric cars realise they are just passing their immediate emissions to some big arse coal fired powerstation? Don't get me wrong I'm all for max torque at 1 rpm, but emission free...well...

The brown coal fired generator owners in the Latrobe Valley wish there was increasing demand instead of the replacement by the ever expanding solar infrastructure, plus wind of course.
The reduced profitability has probably delayed the conversion to natural gas which surely would have been well on the way by now I would have thought.
In any case the pollution is downwind (most times) from the major cities .....I wouldn't be a coal investor ......Peabody Energy (the world's largest private coal supplier) has filed for bankruptcy.
Oddly enough, selling our high quality coal to India would REDUCE their CO2 emissions.

[Greg Roles]

So long as the smog goes downwind eh mate?

https://youtu.be/0tNhw0Rio9s

[Ryeman]

So long as the smog goes downwind eh mate?

https://youtu.be/0tNhw0Rio9s

It's a problem to a certain extent in summer with E-SE winds but it's deflected by The Dandenongs so it end up crossing the Bay and by then its dissipated anyway.
The Hunter would have more of a problem I would think.

[Greg Roles]

Back on topic, took a full read of my Yeti ECU tonight, and it's due for a service, so will ask if they can apply the software fix asap.
Then I can read it again and try and work out exactly what the software fix has changed.
( Then I can change it all anyway and tune it at last! )

[stefcio007]

A lot of people talk about how the electricity you get is still "dirty".
Tesla is on the right track with their PowerWall idea and I think it will catch on quickly.
Electricity companies need to invest in solar and wind which is easier to supply than coal, in turn it should be cheaper too and reduce how much they rely on coal. Make the electricity the same price or cheaper and still turn a nice profit due to lower operating costs.
In the US, solar power generation is nearly becoming on par with coal power generation.


Although, if the technology for storing your own solar power matures faster, people will rely less and less on the grid and be able to power their homes on solar. Maybe in the future charge their cars overnight too.

Electricity companies that didn't adapt fast enough will disappear as there won't be enough subscribers once everybody starts to move off the grid.

When the GM Volt came out lithium ion batteries were around $600 per kwh. Now they are saying (not just GM) that they have been able to reduce costs to $100 per kwh. Those same batteries can be used for... you guessed it, storing power at home.


Tesla is building lots of their SuperChargers around the country. The plug is an open standard. Any car manufacturer can use it on their cars. Why not? You don't need to build your own SuperCharger network. Think of mobile phones from 10 years ago, everyone had their own plug. Now everybody uses micro-USB everyone has a micro-USB cable that you can charge your phone with if you forget yours. Same thing will happen with electric cars.

Once the plug becomes ubiquitous, Tesla can sell the electricity from the SuperCharger units to charge cars of any make. Think of it like a petrol station. Elon Musk is a smart man.


Diesel won't be going away soon since trucks use it and as far as I know there is not much electric truck development going on at the moment, that could change. If everyone uses less petrol, then guess what, next supply industry to start losing profits and go under.


Exciting times ahead.