11627 replies to this topic

[DavidSchell]

Stop by Nissan today and the New Nissan Leaf looks great in person. Could be a half decent seller with gas prices persist at $1.50+.

Bought my leaf in 2015 and just love it.

[LeoVictoria]

So how does it work legally speaking if I was in the drivers seat on a full self driving car, but lets say I was drunk. I don't drive drunk but I am curious because am I legally driving the car or not? I could be a passenger technically

If you get into one of Waymos vehicles in Phoenix, I imagine you can be drunk given you are in the back seat and there is no driver. Once you can buy an autonomous vehicle there will likely be autonomous lock modes where you can force the car to go into auto mode and have it take on liability

[jonny]

Stop by Nissan today and the New Nissan Leaf looks great in person. Could be a half decent seller with gas prices persist at $1.50+.

 

Victoria is essentially the perfect market for vehicles like the Leaf, what with our short driving distances, moderate temperatures and the second highest gasoline prices in North America. Los Angeles or Houston? Not so much. 

[LeoVictoria]

Hydrogen might be viable once we have so much renewable energy we can afford to throw three quarters of it away for the sake of storage.   

 

[jonny]

So when do we run out of enough raw materials to make conventional batteries? At some point, cobalt, zinc and nickel become so expensive and/or so scarce that the economics fall apart. 

[LeoVictoria]

So when do we run out of enough raw materials to make conventional batteries? At some point, cobalt, zinc and nickel become so expensive and/or so scarce that the economics fall apart.

Never

[Rob Randall]

Science has a way of figuring this out. We got over the cost/scarcity of isinglass windows.

[Mattjvd]

So when do we run out of enough raw materials to make conventional batteries? At some point, cobalt, zinc and nickel become so expensive and/or so scarce that the economics fall apart.

There are a few links on previous pages about functioning carbon-proton batteries. Given the abundance of carbon on Earth, I think we'll manage.

[VicHockeyFan]

Victoria is essentially the perfect market for vehicles like the Leaf, what with our short driving distances, moderate temperatures and the second highest gasoline prices in North America. Los Angeles or Houston? Not so much. 

 

Why is there no uptake for small slow vehicles.  Or whatever they are called, like golf carts.

 

Hey, look at this one from a Vancouver company:

 

https://www.theglobe...rticle37665289/

Edited by VicHockeyFan, 26 March 2018 - 03:50 PM.

[LJ]

Phoenix has suspended Uber's license to operate autonomous vehicles.

 

Experts are saying it was definitely a failure of electronics in this accident.

[Rob Randall]

^That makes sense. I bet the computer crashed, froze or was in the process of rebooting. Then again, wouldn't a computer failure of any kind create an alarm?

[LJ]

^They are supposed to slow to a stop and pull off the road in the event of any system failure.

[LeoVictoria]

Why is there no uptake for small slow vehicles.  Or whatever they are called, like golf carts.

 

Hey, look at this one from a Vancouver company:

 

https://www.theglobe...rticle37665289/

 

It's a neat idea but likely won't take off.  So it costs $15,000 after rebate in BC.   For the same price you can get a low mileage used leaf with approximately the same range, but it seats 5 people + gear and you may actually survive in the event of a crash.    Just doesn't make sense although I do with the company all the best.

[On the Level]

Phoenix has suspended Uber's license to operate autonomous vehicles.

 

Interesting...from 2016

 

 

 

One week after launching its self-driving pilot program in its home town of San Francisco, Uber is packing up its failed trial and taking its fleet of autonomous vehicles to Phoenix, Arizona.  “Part of what makes Arizona an ideal place for Uber and other companies to test autonomous vehicle technology is that there are no special permits or licensing required." In August 2015, Ducey signed an executive order supporting the development and testing of autonomous vehicles in the state. 

Twitter -  Doug Ducey December, 20 2016 - This is what OVER-regulation looks like! #ditchcalifornia https://t.co/RMbUkQY9ek

 

https://www.theguard...ancisco-arizona

 

Fast forward to 2018....deregulation is great!....till it's not.

 

 

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has suspended Uber from testing its self-driving cars in Arizona following a fatal accident in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe earlier this month. “As governor, my top priority is public safety. Improving public safety has always been an emphasis of Arizona’s approach to autonomous vehicle testing, and my expectation is that public safety is also the top priority for all who operate this technology in the state of Arizona,” Ducey wrote in a letter to Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. “The incident that took place on March 18 is an unquestionable failure to comply with this expectation.” 

 

http://fortune.com/2...pended-arizona/

[jonny]

Why is there no uptake for small slow vehicles.  Or whatever they are called, like golf carts.

 

Hey, look at this one from a Vancouver company:

 

https://www.theglobe...rticle37665289/

 

Believe it or not, people like cars. Strange, I know.

 

That thing ain't a car.

[thaicobb]

Why is there no uptake for small slow vehicles.  Or whatever they are called, like golf carts.

 

Hey, look at this one from a Vancouver company:

 

https://www.theglobe...rticle37665289/

Have experience with City of Avalon on Catalina Island, where such carts are extremely popular.  This is largely due to the fact that permits for "real cars" have about a twenty year waitlist.  However permits for carts (limited to one per residence) are had for the asking (mine is an electric model).  BTW, Smart Cars and Toyota iQ's qualify as "carts"

[Mike K.]

You mean Smart Carts.

[rjag]

And fuel cell is going nowhere. The chance of replacing all of our fueling infrastructure with hydrogen is zero. Meanwhile we already have electricity everywhere and costs/charge time are dropping rapidly.

Hydrogen may have some small applications in boats and heavy trucking. Not in the consumer transportation market though.

So glad that you are more knowledgeable than the engineers and visionaries who work in R&D with massive budgets in new engine technology. Perhaps you can write to them and explain the error of their ways in exchange for a % of the savings? Of course I’d want to bird-dog some of that! 🤣

[spanky123]

So glad that you are more knowledgeable than the engineers and visionaries who work in R&D with massive budgets in new engine technology. Perhaps you can write to them and explain the error of their ways in exchange for a % of the savings? Of course I’d want to bird-dog some of that!

 

In fairness, Government subsidies and your tax dollars are what keep this industry alive. Ballard and others have had 40 years to prove their model and have not. Has Ballard ever turned a profit?

[Mike K.]

Ballard!

 

Now there's a throwback to the 90's.