AD #2783 – Lincoln Navigator Impressions; Geneva Auto Show Cancelled; Corvette Design Critique
February 28th, 2020 at 12:00pm
Listen to “AD #2783 – Lincoln Navigator Impressions; Geneva Auto Show Cancelled; Corvette Design Critique” on Spreaker.
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Runtime: 10:26
0:08 Geneva Auto Show Cancelled
0:48 Hyundai Halts Production at Korean Plant
1:12 Cruise Approved to Carry Passengers in CA
1:47 Indianapolis Cancels BYD Bus Order
2:44 Audi Developing Performance E-Tron Models
3:30 Citroen Unveils Tiny Ami EV
4:41 New Tech from Ford Protects 2-Wheel Riders
5:31 Corvette Design Critique
7:56 Lincoln Navigator Impressions
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This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
GENEVA AUTO SHOW CANCELLED
The coronavirus has caused several automotive related events in China to be cancelled, including the Beijing Auto Show and the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix. And now the first big auto event outside of China has been called off. Switzerland has banned gatherings that will attract more than 1,000 people, so that means there won’t be a Geneva auto show. The ban is effective immediately and runs at least until March 15th, but Geneva organizers have told automakers that the show won’t happen. And we wouldn’t be surprised to see more events cancelled as the coronavirus spreads across the globe.
HYUNDAI HALTS PRODUCTION AT KOREAN PLANT
And in related news, Hyundai has shut down a factory in South Korea after one of its workers tested positive for the virus. The plant, which builds the Palisade, Tucson, Santa Fe and Genesis GV80, is being disinfected. Hyundai did not reveal when production would resume but hopefully it won’t be too long because those are important SUVs in its lineup.
CRUISE APPROVED TO CARRY PASSENGERS IN CA
Good news for GM’s self-driving unit Cruise, as it just took another step towards launching its autonomous ride-hailing service. The Detroit News reports, California okayed the company to carry passengers in its vehicles during tests on public roads in the state. A human still needs to be on board to take over if necessary. GM is the sixth company to get this approval but it’s the first traditional automaker to receive the go ahead. The automaker is also waiting for permission from NHTSA to operate its fleet of driverless taxis.
INDIANAPOLIS CANCELS BYD BUS ORDER
Talk about range anxiety. The city of Indianapolis is cancelling an order for electric buses from Chinese automaker BYD because they don’t deliver the range that was promised. Indygo, the bus transit company in Indianapolis, bought 13 electric buses with the stipulation that they had to travel 275 miles on a single charge even at zero degrees Fahrenheit. But the buses couldn’t do it, they fell short of their range once the temp dropped below 50 degrees. So Indygo cancelled its contract to buy 5 more electric buses and is going to buy diesel buses instead.
AUDI DEVELOPING PERFORMANCE E-TRON MODELS
Audi is developing performance S versions of its e-tron electric SUV. It features three electric motors, two are located on the rear axle, and combined all three provide 370 kW of power and 717 lb.-ft. of torque. That setup helps it move from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds. The standard e-tron will do it in 5.5 seconds. In normal driving, only the rear motors work. The front will switch on by itself if more power is needed, and if it detects grip is slipping. The e-tron S model is still in the prototype phase but Audi says It will be the first EV worldwide with three electric motors in mass production.
CITROEN UNVEILS TINY AMI EV
Citroen is going to offer a unique urban mobility solution. The Ami is an all-electric vehicle that can be used for short car sharing trips, rented long-term or purchased and will seat two people. For short trips the Ami can be had for .26 euro a minute, long-term rentals cost 20 euro a month for two years or it can be purchased for 6,000 euro. It has a top speed of 45 km/h or about 28 MPH and its 5.5 kWh battery returns up to 70 km or nearly 43.5 miles. The battery can be charged in 3 hours on 220-volts. The Ami is technically a light quadricycle so someone as young as 14 in France or 16 in other European countries can operate the vehicle without a license. You may remember the Ami One Concept shown last year, which is the styling inspiration for this vehicle. But I’m sure many of you also remember the equally goofy-looking, but loved Ami that was sold in the 60’s and 70’s.
NEW TECH FROM FORD PROTECTS 2-WHEEL RIDERS
Ford is trying to make the road safer for motorcyclists, bike and e-scooter riders. It developed a system, called Exit Warning, that uses existing sensors and technology to warn that someone is approaching or that the vehicle door is about to open. If the system thinks opening the door is not a good idea, it will sound an alarm to warn the vehicle occupants. It will also flash LEDs mounted on the mirror and additional ones on the inner door trim to warn anyone on the outside. Ford is even testing a feature that will prevent the door from opening fully if the system detects someone is there. But it can still be opened fully in an emergency. Ford says it will continue to test Exit Warning and conduct customer clinics in the coming months.
CORVETTE DESIGN CRITIQUE
I’ve seen a lot of comments about the styling of the new C8 Corvette and how it looks goofy from some angles. I’m not going to say I love the styling but I understand it. The Corvette’s DNA has always been about being a very good sports car that still has room to carry your golf clubs or groceries. And when stretching the body over that extra space I can see how some people would think it looks goofy. That being said, there’s is one styling aspect that I’m critical of and that’s the exhaust tips. Let me explain. There’s angular, almost triangular, elements all over the car, from the headlamp assemblies, to the side vents and even the rear taillights and not just the lights themselves but also the housings. To my eye, the square exhaust tips don’t fit into this design theme. But there is a reason for the shape. Here’s Kirk Bennion, the exterior design manager of the Corvette with the explanation.
Kirk Bennion, Exterior Design Manager, Corvette
“So the exhaust tip it is square in nature. In this particular instance, we sided with the side angle of this attitude to go with the tip, that was kind of our balance. Now the same tip, it’s the same part in each location. Where we we’re having, I would say the debate was, you can turn these, clock them 90 degrees and they’ll go in plain view and then you give up the side view. So they’re square in side view, So in this particular instance we decided to keep the angle in the side view and let them be staggered…And when you do a tip and it has to fit in four locations, you know across the back of the car, you end up trying a lot of different things to see what fits best there.”
It is nice to know there was thought behind the shape and placement of the exhaust tips. But I would have preferred if they did clock the exhaust tips because I think it fit in better with the overall design theme. What do you think?
And stay tuned because John will be up next with his impression of the new Lincoln Navigator.
LINCOLN NAVIGATOR IMPRESSIONS
We get a lot of test cars coming through the Autoline Garage and this week I’ve been spending time in a couple of Lincoln Navigators. Lincoln is going through an impressive renaissance and the Navigator epitomizes that turn around with an imposing presence both inside and out. Climbing aboard is like strolling into the lobby of a 5-star hotel. Not only is it cavernous, everything is opulently appointed, and it’s good to see that Lincoln’s designers were given a budget to show what they can really do. Even though the dashboard is jam packed with switches and buttons, I found everything pretty easy to figure out. And I was pleased to see that the touch screen reacted quickly with one light touch. This is a gargantuan vehicle and if you’re not used to driving something this large, it’s kind of like driving around in an apartment building. Even so, its twin turbo V6 kicks out 450 horsepower and the Navigator is surprisingly responsive. The EPA rates the four-wheel-drive version at 18 miles per gallon, and that’s about what I got. But if you only do city driving, or have a heavy foot, that will drop down to about 14 or 15 MPGs. Lincoln is not shy about trying to get as much pricing as it can with the Navigator. The Reserve model I drove tipped the scales at $91,000, while the beautiful Black Label model was over $103,000. Now before you choke on those numbers, keep in mind that Lincoln is selling them as fast as it can build them. And if customers are that eager to buy them, that means they’re not overpriced.
But that wraps up today’s report, thanks for watching, have a great weekend and we’ll see you again on Monday.
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Comments (55)
February 28th, 2020 at 12:16 pm
Goofy? The new Corvette is beautiful, stop nitpicking. You couldn’t do better!!!
February 28th, 2020 at 12:21 pm
I’ve also got no issue with the new C8; just envy.
February 28th, 2020 at 12:22 pm
A lot of cars have silly exhaust tips, including fake ones on some Mercedes and others. Maybe they should all be round, since they are mostly connected to round pipes in front of them.
February 28th, 2020 at 12:23 pm
2 Maybe my investments will recover somewhat, by the time I’ll be able to buy a C8 using my retiree discount.
February 28th, 2020 at 12:29 pm
That “Ami” (which means “friend” in French) is really underwhelming, as is the Navigator.
6000 Euros is $7,000 and is unacceptably high for this POS.
The Lincoln is NOT gargantuan, in fact it is MUCH smaller than the New Escalade, espcially in the interior, but also in exterior, if you get the LX Escalade (or XLT or whatever) which is truly gigantic.
And I hate the unpolished wood. They should take a Lexus LS460 and see how bright polished wood should look like
February 28th, 2020 at 12:30 pm
Looks like the Citroen Ami with its diminutive speed is an enclosed golf cart.
Nice ideas from Ford to protect the 2 wheel riders but is this really that big of a problem? Do people not know how to use a rearview mirror? The lighting I could see being helpful for night street parking but not sure I would pay any extra for this feature. Maybe cause I don’t park on city streets that often.
Corvette tail tips. Uhhh I cant think of a design that would look much better maybe a parallelogram would have been appropriate but I do believe that’s nitpicking.
Congrats to Lincoln for developing what looks to be a true contender in that large luxury SUV market. I would like to have heard Johns opinion on how it compares to the new Escalade. since that is its main competition.
February 28th, 2020 at 12:31 pm
Oh, and PS a six figure hippopotamus and a lousy 6? It should have AT LEAST a 400-500 HP V8. But apparently those with enough bad taste to buy this breadvan do not care.
February 28th, 2020 at 12:34 pm
If they fix that broken-line spoiler in the c8 it would look fine.
February 28th, 2020 at 12:38 pm
5 The new Escalade with be about 3 inches wider than the Navigator, 84 vs 81 inches. Otherwise, they are about the same size on the outside.
February 28th, 2020 at 12:39 pm
That really sucks the Geneva Auto Show will be canceled. It was looking to be the premier for a lot of new vehicles. So any word on what the manufacturers will do that had plans for their big unveilings? Will they just wait or just go public using the WWW.
The Geneva promoters should establish a web site and have a virtual auto show.
February 28th, 2020 at 12:41 pm
The C8 is one of the first Corvettes in the past decade or so that didn’t–to me–look like it was designed by someone that was molested with a Hotwheels toy as a child. They were caricatures.
GM stylists seem to have trouble knowing when to put down their pencils.
The C8 is more authentically styled because of the awkward shapes of some of the masses in some viewing angles. They are concessions to the engineering requirements of the suspension, powertrain, aerodynamics, etc. Still contemporary, yet faithful to the brand’s styling language.
Regarding the Navigator: “Like driving around in an apartment building.” I heartily concur.
Running the backroads around Johnson City, TN with my grandson-in-law at the wheel of his RAM 2500 pickup, I asked him “How the Hell do you know where your tires are in relationship to the shoulder or the centerline??”
All you can see is this massive hood and the road disappearing under it, off yonder in the distance. Faith-based driving, so to speak.
Just my two cents.
February 28th, 2020 at 12:41 pm
9 NO. I SPECIFICALLY mentioned the truly Huge Escalade XLT or whatever. AND trhe interior room int he EScalade is MIND BOGGLINGLY bigger than EVEN the Old escalade.
February 28th, 2020 at 12:43 pm
Don’t they need cab marker clearance lights if their over 80″ wide?
February 28th, 2020 at 12:44 pm
12 When I saw the numbers, they were unbelievable, up 50% vs even the Old Escalade, the interior room /dimensions
AND the Escalade comes with a Decent 6.2 lt V8 as it should. NOT with the wimpy 6 turbo.
February 28th, 2020 at 12:44 pm
From photos I’ve seen, the new Corvette looks good. I haven’t seen one “in person” yet, but should be able to soon. The exhaust tips? Who cares? My C7 has four round pipes, all connected to the engine, but they are “fakey” in that it is not 4 pipes that feed them. They look ok to me, though.
February 28th, 2020 at 12:46 pm
The Ford bike warning is a good idea. Hyundai just lock the door I think until the bike is past.
Best solution is to learn to drive in the Netherlands. They are taught to always open the left door with their right hands. Turns your body to face back along the road so you can see any approaching bikes.
We all know that’s a non-starter for us.
February 28th, 2020 at 12:50 pm
7 Larry the 4 cyl produce as much power as the 6s used too, just as the 6s produce as much as the V8s did. That Navigator has 450 HP which is more than sufficient power and because of the smaller engine it can achieve better fuel economy and less emissions.
I understand what your saying as I personally would prefer a naturally asperated V8 over a turbo V6 if the power is equal too. But that’s Fords “ecoboost” direction and they put as small of an engine they can with a turbo on everything. They probably figure with all the insulation and quiet exhaust most folks only know what they feel when they press down on the pedal. Most Navigator owners will probably never lift the hood.
February 28th, 2020 at 1:00 pm
12 No WHAT? The “short” Escalade is about the same length as the “short” Navigator. The long version of the Escalade is about the same length as the long Navigator. The 2021 “long” Escalade grew about 3 inches in length, no big deal for something already ~220 inches long.
February 28th, 2020 at 1:02 pm
14 – 50%? Really Larry? If the Escalade grew 50% bigger, UPS would be using it to deliver packages. And its Escalade ESV, as a quick fact check visit to their website would tell you.
February 28th, 2020 at 1:04 pm
17 The outgoing Escalade with the 6.2 V8 and the Navigator with the 3.5 turbo V6 got very similar acceleration, and gas mileage in CR’s test.
February 28th, 2020 at 1:08 pm
As popular as SUVs have gotten, and all this talk about the new Navigator and Escalade, it makes me wonder about the Chrysler Aspen. I don’t have any experience with one myself, but from what I’ve read, it was a good alternative; a little smaller than the others but with class leading towing and even a hybrid HEMI available. Essentially an upscale 2nd gen Durango, it was only made 2007-2009. Chrysler said at that time (with the recession ramping up), “full size SUV sales are down” so they scrapped the Aspen after only 2 years. They brought back the Durango for a third gen, and it is selling well, but still no Aspen. Do any of you with automotive insight have any idea if/when we might see an Aspen or that new Jeep Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer?
February 28th, 2020 at 1:12 pm
Some comparison stats from The Motor Authority:
The 2021 Escalade comes with either a 420-horsepower 6.2-liter V-8 making 460 pound-feet of torque or a 277-hp 3.0-liter turbodiesel inline-6.
The 2020 Navigator ditches the V-8 in favor of a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 paired with a 10-speed automatic that makes 450 hp and 510 lb-ft. That’s more potent than the Escalade’s V8.
Seven inches longer with a longer wheelbase than the outgoing model, the 2021 Escalade is a full inch longer than the Navigator.
The extra length in the 2021 Cadillac Escalade translates to 10 inches more leg room in the third row and 25.5 cubic feet of cargo room behind it. That’s an improvement of 68 percent, and resolves one of our biggest gripes. The ESV model is even roomier, but the standard Escalade still comes up about six inches short on third-row leg room than the Navigator.
Maybe the improvement in cargo capacity is what you were thinking of, Larry.
February 28th, 2020 at 1:13 pm
As the stock market collapses, the sales of those ridiculous SUVs will do the same. Look for far more sensible cars to make a comeback.
February 28th, 2020 at 1:16 pm
21 – I doubt there will be another Chrysler Aspen. The Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer will be shown sometime this year with production starting in early 2021. They will be based on the Ram pickup platform, which could mean two different size vehicles.
February 28th, 2020 at 1:19 pm
I got to see the new NSX oops I mean Corvette at the Philly show. My feelings were meh , maybe it was just the color (white) but to me They took away EVERYTHING that made it a Corvette except the name. Again just my opinion ,but it looked like most every other mid engine sports car out there. Now I know they argument, oh but it’s only going to cost this much. Okay fine , but I doubt very much that any car will ever be sold anywhere close to that price unless special ordered as a base stripper model.t as GM promised the Solstice for 20K you’ll be unable to find one on a dealer lot with in 5-10K of that price and that’s if the dealer mark up isn’t present. If I had the choice I’d take my Dad’s 67 convertible every time. Even though the new car is better in every measurable category . Like almost every new car they have no soul .
February 28th, 2020 at 1:21 pm
19 Your own GM people said how the New Escalade had 50% more interior space / room than even the OLD ESCALADE.
Their words, not mine.
At first I did not believe it but I saw it repeated.
February 28th, 2020 at 1:23 pm
https://media.cadillac.com/media/us/en/cadillac/home.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2020/feb/0204-escalade.html
Here! 10 INCHES more legroom, a HUGE increase by ANY standard!!
February 28th, 2020 at 1:24 pm
Here! YOu think I made it up, really?>?>??
“…The 2021 Escalade offers more room for passengers and their cargo. A new architecture and new chassis technologies have significantly expanded interior space, offering 40 percent more third-row legroom (34.9 inches / 886 mm) and a 68 percent increase in maximum cargo space behind the third row (25.5 cubic feet / 722 liters) in the standard-length model.
The dramatic increases in passenger and cargo space are due primarily to a longer wheelbase and longer overall vehicle length, compared to the previous model..”
Do keep up with your own company’s offerings, GM Vet!
February 28th, 2020 at 1:25 pm
Someone spending 90-100K on a gussied up Ford SUV doesn’t prove much except that people have more money than brains.
Gee whiz a EV doesn’t make it’s target numbers , who would have guessed . The brain trusts around the world have thrown their full weight behind these things with little thought to do they actually do what they say or if everyone were to drop fossil fuel vehicles which some European countries are pushing towards how and if the electrical grids would be able to keep up. Think about it America’s biggest market for EVs is California which routinely has brown outs especially in summer just due to normal electrical usage , exactly how would it hold up to 15 million vehicles being plugged in every day?
February 28th, 2020 at 1:38 pm
https://www.autoweek.com/news/luxury/a30810728/bench-racing-2021-cadillac-escalade-vs-2020-lincoln-navigator/
And an “Autoweek” comparison. Escalade wins.
February 28th, 2020 at 1:42 pm
29
Just another manifestation of the inequity of income in America today. For some people that’s pocket change.
I’m pretty sure that I saw on Autoline This Week once that someone said that widespread adoption of BEVs would not tax the national electrical grid anywhere nearly as much as the widespread adoption of air conditioning did.
February 28th, 2020 at 1:50 pm
28 – Nice of you to repeat what I already included in my last post. I direct your attention to the conclusion that even with the ten inch increase, the Escalade still comes up six inches short in third row leg room compared to the Navigator. So, with that shortcoming and the fact that it is only 1 inch longer overall than the Navigator, I guess its not really true that the Navigator “is much smaller” as you state.
It would be great if you read things as closely as you ask others to. And, I don’t have any “people” at GM. And, its not my company. You make a lot of assumptions for a guy that supposedly deals in facts.
February 28th, 2020 at 2:00 pm
25 Almost form the start, you could factory order a zero option Solstice, and get it in about 6 weeks. It may be a while, depending on things, but at some point, it will be possible to do likewise with the new Corvette.
I ordered my minimally optioned 2016 in August 2015, and get it in about 6 weeks. I was able to use the retiree discount, which is, basically, invoice price, and the dealers aren’t allowed to charge absurd “documentation and handling” charges. The most they can add on is, as I remember, $100.
February 28th, 2020 at 2:12 pm
33 Hey how about ordering me one of those C8s using your discount.
The BYD EV bus order makes me wonder if cities will just go back to cable cars to just provide the busses with juice and then they wouldn’t even need a battery. Or they could have a much smaller battery and be able to reach outside the power cable areas.
Seems like that would be more efficient at least in a major city.
February 28th, 2020 at 2:19 pm
34 I don’t think I can do that. The discount isn’t worth that much anyway, except that it greatly simplifies the buying process, by taking negotiation out of the picture.
I’m surprised that the range of the buses is that big of deal. To my knowledge, the Indy bus company has very minimal service overnight, so I’d think they could charge and get a days worth of use, even if the range is substantially less than 275 miles. They should get some money back, though, if the buses don’t have the promised range.
February 28th, 2020 at 2:25 pm
From the Cadillac press release:
“A new architecture and new chassis technologies have significantly expanded interior space, offering 40 percent more third-row legroom (34.9 inches / 886 mm) and a 68 percent increase in maximum cargo space behind the third row (25.5 cubic feet / 722 liters) in the standard-length model.”
Interesting wording, especially the mention of “maximum cargo space behind the 3rd row.” That seems to indicate that the 3rd seat moves fore and aft, so you can trade 3rd row leg room for cargo space, and vice versa. Of course, that makes sense, as does a 2nd row seat that can move for and after, to trade between 2nd and 3rd row leg room.
February 28th, 2020 at 2:37 pm
Larry D.
You need to use your grey matter before attacking others. Claiming that the overall interior is 50% larger borders on stupidity.
February 28th, 2020 at 2:51 pm
I suggest one comment per person per day. There seem to be a few guys out there with nothing else to do but chat among themselves. Remember, it’s OK to just shut up.
February 28th, 2020 at 3:23 pm
Kit at 33 that is my point unless you special order these cars you will never find one that way on the lot. So to advertise them as such is a bit of a bait and switch. When they came out I went to 4 different dealerships and the lowest on the lot price was 23.5K .
February 28th, 2020 at 3:26 pm
Pam this ” IS ” a discussion forum . commenting back and forth is what it is here for.
February 28th, 2020 at 3:36 pm
39 The Indiana dealer where I bought my Corvette stocked a few low option, 1LT Corvettes the last couple years of the C7, but early on in 2014 model year, I don’t think they could even order low option ones. I’ll see what the early C8s are, but I suspect they will all be “optioned up.”
I don’t remember what Solstices were at the dealer near me, but if I’d wanted one, I would have just ordered it. I suspect most of them in dealer stock were automatic, and had a few other options.
As far as “bait and switch,” if a dealer advertises “Corvettes for $55,995, they should have them, or at least one in stock that for that price. If a manufacturer states a base MSRP of $55,995, I wouldn’t expect most dealers to have one at that price, and don’t see a problem.
February 28th, 2020 at 3:38 pm
I love the corvette,exhaust tips and all. I think GM hit this one “out of the ball park”.
February 28th, 2020 at 5:03 pm
Overall I think the new Corvette is good looking, and living in the Detroit area I have seen many in person, my only observation is that the roof looks like an elephant sat on it and crushed it down too far when it drives by me on the highway, no mid-engine Ferrari I ever saw on the highway gave me that impression. Maybe it is to give better aero numbers, but it looks weird from that perspective.
February 29th, 2020 at 7:57 am
Put the name of an exotic European car on the Corvette and the reviewers would rave about the styling. You can always find someone who will criticize a masterpiece.
February 29th, 2020 at 8:59 am
Even “masterpieces” have flaws since nothing is perfect, it just takes a sharp eye to find them, not everyone is qualified or experienced enough to see them, and some see them but refuse to acknowledge them because of built in biases toward certain brands or categories. Here’s to those who can tell the difference.
February 29th, 2020 at 9:19 am
43 What do you mean by “the roof looks like an elephant sat on it and crushed it down too far”? Does the roof slope down from the sides of the car toward the middle?
February 29th, 2020 at 9:30 am
On Monday I will have to rent a truck, the items to move are mostly books and papers, very heavy boxes that don’t take too much space. I first reserved a Budget truck but had a cargo limit of 4,300 lbs (16′) and then a UHaul 20′ with 5,700 lbs, both gas with tiny 35 gallon fuel tanks and LOUSY mileage (6-7 mpg loaded and 8-10 empty).
However, my worksheet with the 200 or so heavy boxes and their weights showed that the total weight would be well over 7,000 lbs so I canceled that too, and found a much taller, bigger truck at Penske, 22′, twice the daily rate, same high per mile rate of 79c a mile, but FAR more fuel efficient with the DIESEL, it gets “up to 13 MPG” so I assume 12 MPG empty and 9 loaded, or maybe 10. and it has an allowable cargo weight of 10,000 lbs, should be more than enough to carry all my stuff, and probably half the truck will be empty.
I have not driven as big a truck ever, in 1982 I drove a shorter Ryder (probably diesel) manual truck from the Boston area to MI, one way, and in 1987 a smaller truck to relocate from my rental to the townhouse I had bought then. THis is also taller than the other trucks, 13+’ or so.
February 29th, 2020 at 10:20 am
In 2003 I rented a U-Haul truck, probably 20 feet at most, and it was diesel. I don’t remember the rental cost, but fuel a very small portion of the cost for the 70-80 mile trip. At that time, fuel cost might have been about the same for diesel and gas, because diesel was about 30% more at the time. The diesel VW I had didn’t save me much money on fuel, but it was neat only having to refuel every 600-700 miles.
February 29th, 2020 at 11:52 am
#29
Actually, several renewable energy projects had to be slowed down in the recent past. Texas, which is the number one generator utilizing wind power had to slow up the development and installation of more wind generators because there’s a problem: Over production. It’s hard to build the infrastructure to get all that energy to people. There’s a serious possibility that turbines will have to be turned off at times to keep from overloading the system at their current level. And that is just from wind power. There hasn’t been much done on solar generation yet in Texas.
They aren’t too far off being able to produce more power than is necessary for Texas usage and storage of that much power hasn’t really been developed yet.
Calif had a similar problem a while back. So the infrastructure – in Texas’ case – building power lines to New Mexico is one answer – but that needs to be done first and then they can “export”/sell the excess to NM.
Solar generation has been the big grower in Fla and FPL is in the process of converting an oil burner gen plant (built in the late 70′s) to solar as we speak. They bought it just a year or so ago and have a plan for ’30 by 30′ – 30 million solar panels by 2030. FPL is one of 4 major power gen companies in Fla.
It’s going to take some oversight and planning to develop the best overall grid – but that has needed to be done for a long time. As long as the massive sale of EV’s doesn’t happen overnight (due to manufacturer capability / availability it won’t anyway), it shouldn’t be too difficult to coordinate. But we need intelligent leadership in Washington.
February 29th, 2020 at 4:28 pm
It looks like photovoltaic solar produces about 90 MW/square mile. The listing I saw must be “average,” including night time, cloudy days, etc., since the output calculates out to only about 3-4 watts/square foot, while most of what I’ve read is that solar cells produce about 20 watts/square foot in bright sunlight. It would seem that a big part of using solar and wind efficiently, would be to store power, and until there is a good way to do that, have reasonably efficient gas turbine plants that can be quickly started up, and shut down as needed.
March 1st, 2020 at 10:45 am
48 Uhaul did not have diesels or trucks with more than 5,700 lbs cargo weight. This morning I got a Freightliner, very noisy and big, air brakes, tires at 105 PSI, does not have a ramp but a hydraulic lift in the back, quite convenient. The tank is only 50 gallons but I should be able to fuel it in MI and never in Canada. But the fuel cost is nothing compared to their per mile 0.79 charge, for 550 miles. I will be reimbursed. The total bill would be over $810, but because they did not open their office this morning at 7:30 or 8 AM but a sub came in at 9 AM, they gave me a 25% discount (I already had 12% AAA discount, they made it 25 for my trouble, but the employer will benefit, and me only as far as my travel expenses do not exceed the $8000 (before withholdings, if any) I was given.
March 1st, 2020 at 10:47 am
the truck is 22′ and quite tall, with a limit of 10,000 lbs. My stuff will be between 7 and 8,000 lbs. I wish I rented a smaller truck, but was worried about a tire blowout if I overloaded it. IF I got a trailer, many much smaller trucks have a 7,500 lb towing limit, which might do the trick too, but I doubt it’s any better or convenient.
This truck makes very wide turns and is 10 times noisier than my diesel sedan. Too many rattles too. Has less than 70k miles.
March 1st, 2020 at 12:21 pm
46 It looks like the roof is too low in comparison to the rest of the body, as if something large pushed down on the roof and they left it that way. Whenever one of them passes me on the highway the impression I get is that the roof should have more of an arch to it to make it look like it is in harmony with the rest of the body, but all I can think of as it goes by it that it is too low. It doesn’t give me this impression when I see it from ground level or in pictures, but when I am in my vehicle, a 2012 Jeep Liberty that sits a little higher than an average sedan, that is the impression I get. It just looks weird to me. Maybe it’s just me….
March 1st, 2020 at 2:40 pm
53 Most of the time, I’ll be seeing them from a little lower than you will, since I still drive cars. I should be seeing the Covettes soon. I recently read that customer deliveries will begin in late February.
March 2nd, 2020 at 11:48 am
What the designer of the corvette exhaust was stating is that…When you isolate your view to just this one single area it makes sense to have square tips. And that sums up the Corvette and GM design overall. When you isolate to specific areas the design makes sense….Overall the design is not cohesive because they are too fussy with the details. Your nit pick is spot on Sean. I would still buy a new Corvette though, even with the non-cohesive fussy details.