AD #2858 – EV Charging Stations Blooming; Mahindra Loses Copyright Lawsuit; Ford Moves Just Bargaining Chips?
June 15th, 2020 at 11:42am
Listen to “AD #2858 – EV Charging Stations Blooming; Mahindra Loses Copyright Lawsuit; Ford Moves Just Bargaining Chips?” on Spreaker.
Follow us on social media:
Runtime: 9:26
0:07 U.K. to Unveil EV Buying Incentive
0:41 Worldwide EV Charging Stations Expanding
1:14 Lotus Going Upscale with EV Push
2:03 Nikola Hits Stock Exchange Thanks to Reverse Merger
4:02 Mahindra Loses Copyright Lawsuit with FCA
4:59 Mahindra Wants to Give Up SsangYong
5:19 Vehicle Teases from Ford & Nissan
5:46 Ford Production Moves Just Bargaining Chips?
7:02 Designing Vehicles for Virus Protection
Visit our sponsor to thank them for their support of Autoline Daily: Bridgestone.
This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
U.K. TO UNVIEL EV BUYING INCENTIVE
To help kickstart the economy after COVID lockdowns and give the auto industry a boost, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to unveil that car buyers will get up to 6,000 pound Sterling for buying an electric car. That’s $7,600. The Telegraph newspaper reports that the cash-for-clunker like program will be unveiled in a July speech by Johnson. The U.K. government also plans to spend one billion pounds to build more public EV chargers in the country.
WORLDWIDE EV CHARGING STATIONS SAW BIG JUMP IN 2019
And speaking of EV chargers, the number of stations around the world grew by 60% in 2019. According to the International Energy Agency, there are now over 860,000 charging points globally with 60% of them in China. And fast-chargers account for about a third of the total. This could help spur the adoption of EVs since one of the things holding back some car buyers from purchasing an EV is concerns over the lack of public charging locations.
LOTUS MOVING UPSCALE WITH SWITCH TO EVs
British sports car maker Lotus is going through one of the biggest transformations in its 72-year history with plans to become an all-electric brand. AutoExpress reports the company will introduce a new gasoline powered model next year but after that everything will be electric. It’s next-gen EVs are expected to arrive in 2022 and they’re going to cost a lot more. Lotus currently charges between 45,000 and 85,000 pounds for its cars, but the EVs will cost more to boost profits and move the brand more upscale. The company’s CEO also said that once its EV lineup is established, it could expand its product range to include crossovers.
NIKOLA HITS STOCK EXCHANGE THANKS TO REVERSE MERGER
Nikola went public a little over a week ago and now the company is worth $23 billion, even though it’s never made anything. It’s worth almost as much as the Ford Motor Company. So how do you get your company listed on a stock exchange even though you have no income? Nikola used a neat financial and legal trick called a reverse merger. Listen to what Trevor Milton, the founder of Nikola, said on Autoline After Hours last week.
Trevor Milton, Founder, Nikola
“So we decided ‘you know what,’ everyone’s going to know about it anyway. We need the capital, we need the money, let’s make sure people know we’re not a glass house. And VectorIq let us go public in about five months.
John McElroy
“So Vector was already public?”
Milton
“Yes they were.”
McElroy
“And they were already on the NASDAQ?”
Milton
“Yes.”
McElroy
“So you were able to get on the NASDAQ even though you haven’t built or sold anything yet?”
Milton
“Yes, it’s called a reverse merger.”
A reverse merger, ever hear of that? Here’s how it works. A company that is already listed on a stock exchange goes bankrupt. So it sells off all its assets but keeps its legal standing, its legal shell. Then another company that wants to go public, in this case Nikola, merges with that shell and bada boom bada bing, it’s publicly traded. And investors who hope that Nikola is the next Tesla, drove up the share prices to the point that Nikola has a market cap of $23 billion, even though it’s never made anything. There’s a ton of great information about Nikola in that show and you can watch the entire thing on our website or YouTube channel.
MAHINDRA LOSES COPYRIGHT LAWSUIT WITH FCA
Mahindra lost its fight against FCA but it’s going down swinging. The International Trade Commission ruled that Mahindra’s Roxor looks too much like a Jeep Wrangler and issued the company a cease and desist order. Mahindra must stop importing, building and selling any infringing vehicles or parts. There’s a short review period during which Mahindra plans to appeal and it says that the violating vehicles are no longer in production. It refreshed the Roxor for 2020, so it looks less like a Wrangler. While it did significantly change the front end design, the problem for Mahindra is that the ITC ruled it infringed upon the Wrangler’s “trade dress,” or the things that make a Wrangler look like a Wrangler. That includes the overall boxy shape and flat front fenders, and not just the grille.
MAHINDRA WANTS TO GIVE UP SSANGYONG
In more Mahindra news, it wants to give up control of South Korean automaker SsangYong Motor. Mahindra says it’s looking to exit operations that are losing money and hopes to find another company to lessen its stake or buy it out completely. Mahindra owns 75% of SsangYong, which it bought in 2010.
VEHICLE TEASES FROM FORD & NISSAN
Ford finally put an official reveal date on the all-new Bronco. The SUV will make its debut on July 9th, according to a post on its Instagram page. Nissan also teased the new Rogue, which will be unveiled today and is said to be “more than a redesign.”
FORD PRODUCTION MOVES JUST BARGAINING CHIPS?
The Covid-19 pandemic has really hurt the auto industry and automakers are looking for areas to cut cost, in some cases by delaying redesigning vehicles. AutoForecast Solutions is reporting that Ford just cancelled the next generation Edge, code named CDX777, which is made at Ford’s plant in Oakville in Canada. Moreover, AutoForecast says that production of the Lincoln Nautilus, code named U540, will move from Oakville to China in early 2022. Oakville also used to make the Lincoln MKT and Ford Flex, and all these moves put the future of that plant in peril. But here’s our Autoline Insight. Ford is about to start labor negotiations with Unifor, the Canadian union. And all these announcements really give the company some great bargaining chips. So the timing of this information could not be better for Ford, and we have to wonder if that was part of its negotiating strategy. It seems unlikely that Ford would walk away from that plant. Last year it made 200,000 SUVs and that’s not the kind of operation you walk away from.
DESIGNING CARS FOR VIRUS PROTECTION
The coronavirus pandemic is changing the way humans around the world think about transportation. More people are turning away from mass transit and into personal mobility. But they still want to be safe there too. We’ve already seen several solutions that use ultraviolet light, which kills germs, but Mark Phelan, the car critic for the Detroit Free Press, found out that automakers and suppliers are working on much more.
Mark Phelan, Car Critic, Detroit Free Press
“Yes, another thing you would want to do when the vehicle is empty (like using UV-C light). But there was some talk about having a mist of hydrogen peroxide that just gets wafted throughout the car. And these are all things you would need to leave accessories running for power and stuff like that. But these are all things that could be programmed into a car so that if the vehicle is empty and locked and the motion detector says that there are no living creatures in it, that the fan just kicks up and there’s a little reservoir of hydrogen peroxide, you know maybe in the glovebox, that gets squirted into the HVAC system and you refill it every once and awhile. It’s a twist on what some luxury companies do with the designer scents in their cars now.”
John McElroy
“Yeah, both you and I have driven those luxury cars that have got, they look like little printer cartridges, in the glovebox and you can choose the smell you want in your car. And you’re right, why not choose something that kills all the bacteria as well?”
Mark Phelan
“Right. There definitely seems to be interest in that and one of the things that the suppliers all said they’re studying right now because they want to figure out, is this a concern that people will still have a couple of years from now or is it short-lived? And that is the un-answerable question right now. But there’s a lot of interest and investigation going into all these things.”
And with that we wrap up today’s report, thanks for watching.
Thanks to our partner for embedding Autoline Daily on its website: WardsAuto.com
Share
Permalink
Comments (48)
June 15th, 2020 at 12:33 pm
Reverse Merger is starting to sound a lot like a “shell game” (only legal), which maybe it shouldn’t be.
H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) is fairly innocuous, at least at the 3% that is sold over the counter (it can even be used as a mouth rinse; perhaps, the use specified would use a more potent (higher percent) solution. And, as one of our Autoline viewers mentioned in an earlier show, the use of ultra violet light as a sterilizer may do well in killing germs but it is a major contributor to degradation of interior materials through fading and actual material breakdown.
June 15th, 2020 at 1:24 pm
Reverse Merger; Hey if people want to invest in a company that hasn’t produced anything, I say let a fool and their money soon be parted. So is the stock Vector? Or were they able to change the name?
Mahindra settlement seems a bit of a reach. I mean there are many vehicles with that boxy style. Mercedes G class, Suzuki Jimny, and with a sweeping broad statement of boxy styling then certainly Bollinger can also expect a lawsuit.
Ford announcements; absolutely! a pre-bargaining move.
Maybe mass transit can install the peroxide sprayers?
June 15th, 2020 at 1:24 pm
@1: First time I heard about Reverse Merger was when I lived in Europe, thirty years ago. This makes Nikola a publicly listed company. Because of it Nikola will have to comply with all laws and regulations of publicly held companies, and non-compliance is very expensive, as we have seen. Therefore I do not know why this is called a shell game, suggesting that this is shady. Just not knowing it does not make it shady.
You can do this with a limited liability company as well. In the Netherlands, where my sister and I have family businesses together, the process to set up an LLC takes longer than a new business of ours could wait for. So we bought an existing LLC which was in compliance with all laws and regulations but otherwise inactive, through one of the Big 4 auditing firms. You pay a small premium, put your assets and business in it, get the business going and you have to continue to be compliant with laws and regulations. Not shady, just a pragmatic way to get business done.
June 15th, 2020 at 1:27 pm
If the Ford Police Interceptors are going to heat up their interiors to 133.4 degrees to kill the fungus, you can simply leave your windows rolled up in the sun for a 150+ degree kill off. Consumers Report said it should work just fine.
June 15th, 2020 at 1:33 pm
My experience with Hydrogen Peroxide when in comes in contact with our bodies enzymes it foams. So who is going to sit in that uber with the foamy white seats?
Not to mention its a antibacterial and Corona is a virus not bacterial. Not sure I would count on that to sterilize an interior. They’ll probably just end up making car interiors out of molded fiberglass and vinyl with everything waterproof so the interior can just be hosed off with a bleach water mixture. Like the back seat of a police car. (so I’ve been told)
June 15th, 2020 at 2:05 pm
Going all electric will be the death kneel for Lotus. [Are you listening Jaguar?]
June 15th, 2020 at 2:05 pm
5. NIH; “The effect of H2O2 on adenovirus types 3 and 6, adenoassociated virus type 4, rhinoviruses 1A, 1B, and type 7, myxoviruses, influenza A and B, respiratory syncytial virus, strain Long, and coronavirus strain 229E was studied in vitro, using different H2O2 concentration and timec of exposure. H2O2 in a 3 percent concentration inactivated all the viruses under study within 1–30 min. Coronavirus and influenza viruses were found to be most sensitive. Reoviruses, adenoviruses and adenoassociated virus were relatively stable. H2O2 is a convenient means for virus inactivation.”
June 15th, 2020 at 2:15 pm
So is FCA going to go after Suzuki for Jimny/Samurai or Toyota for the Land Cruiser or the Land Rover? As they all had the boxy shape and flat fenders look to them when they were out. To go after Roxor which isn’t a road going vehicle seems a bit stiff.
June 15th, 2020 at 2:17 pm
Lotus, I have a idea let’s sell even more expensive cars that no one will buy. In the last 10 years I’ve seen 3 Lotus on the road.
June 15th, 2020 at 2:18 pm
So if Nikola and Tesla merge will they call it Nikola Tesla?
June 15th, 2020 at 2:22 pm
Two things of interest with Lotus going up market. The first one is funny to me, in that, when a former CEO wanted to make that move (and introduced a line of concepts to support that move [making it a mini Porsche]), many booed and hissed at the idea (the thought of making that move with little to no capital to support it, can get that reaction) and he was eventual let go! Now, under Geely stewardship, up market we head once again! The other thing, and thus is what has me scratching my head, while Lotus, Volvo and Polstar are suppose to work together, supporting synergies between each other and, most importantly, benefiting from economies of scale, Polstar was suppose to be the luxury, EV, sports car specialist of the three brands! Lotus moves up market would seem to be all over the space that Polstar was to had in the Geely Group. Maybe Polstar is to be the Bentley to Lotus Ferrari (exotic EV supercar?), but it seems like there could possibly be some serious overlap in the two brands line up, potentially.
June 15th, 2020 at 2:33 pm
In response to Mark Phelan’s point, “…because ‘suppliers’ want to figure out, is this a concern that people will still have a couple of years from now or is it short-lived?”
I can answer that now. It is short-lived. COVID-19 will not be a threat of any magnitude as we enter 2021.
June 15th, 2020 at 3:21 pm
@12: we will take your word for it
I personally do not know since I am not knowledgeable about public healthcare and infectious diseases. What are your credentials? Please share with us where you graduated as an infectious disease doctor or where you graduated in Public Healthcare, and what degrees were in. Your long term working experience developing tests and vaccines will also be interesting. That way we can all direct our COVID-19 questions to you. Please let us know.
June 15th, 2020 at 3:30 pm
Is the UK going to allow the incentives only on UK produced vehicles that are BEV or Plug in? Otherwise they are just transferring UK tax payer dollars to other countries.
It would be the same question I would ask of any country instituting a CFC type of program. For instance in the USA, I would allow rebates on vehicles which have a minimum of 75% USA content(Not North America Content). We need to stop the practice of using our tax payer dollars to incentive the off shoring of tax payer jobs.
June 15th, 2020 at 3:42 pm
@14: that would be great. Which vehicles have a 75% U.S.A. content?
June 15th, 2020 at 3:44 pm
Regarding Ford’s announcement related to the Edge and Nautilus, you said “Last year it made 200,000 SUVs and that’s not the kind of operation you walk away from.” Yet, the leader of desk furniture did just that… walked away from well-over 200,000 units of Fusion/MKZ. WCF-II needs to wake up quickly…. or learn to speak German.
June 15th, 2020 at 3:56 pm
Seems like it will be more challenging to “add lightness” to Lotus vehicles that now will have to carry around heavy battery packs. Mr Chapman’s engineering dictate sounds like its fading into the history books.
Nikola Corp currently makes electrically powered wave runners and side by sides, though I don’t know how many they have sold so far. Definitely niche products.
In Nikola’s case, I’m not sure that Vecto IQ, the company they merged with, was bankrupt. I think it was already public, so they merged and then changed the name to Nikola Corporation and changed their Nasdaq symbol to NKLA.
June 15th, 2020 at 4:34 pm
14,15. Exactly zero vehicles even have 75% US/Canada content. I’m not sure if this link works, but Dodge Caravan had the highest for 2020 model year, at 74%.
https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/documents/2020_aala_percentage_05132020.pdf
June 15th, 2020 at 4:38 pm
17. I agree on Lotus. They were able to maintain their niche of very light, but rough around the edges street legal track toys, even after they switched to Toyota engines, but going electric? I don’t see it for Lotus.
June 15th, 2020 at 5:07 pm
@18, 14: The links works for me, that is great intel, Kit.
June 15th, 2020 at 5:21 pm
The NHTSA domestic % content data is incomplete. It reflects the value of parts, not labor, not test & development, not tooling & facilities. It does identify the country for assembly, engine, and transmission. Thus, dyed-in-the-wool Americans need to make their own adjustments for the country of assembly, engineering, etc.
June 15th, 2020 at 5:35 pm
21. Yeah, I know it’s not perfect, but do you know of anything better? I’ve looked, but more comprehensive data is hard to find.
I suspect many, or many “buy American” fanatics don’t have a clue about any of this, and consider a Mexican assembled Ford Fusion with 26% US/Canada content, to be more “American” than a US assembled Honda Odyssey with 70% US/Canada content.
June 15th, 2020 at 5:43 pm
22 – That Fusion may be more American than the Odyssey when you factor the source of R&D and which economy reaps the profit.
June 15th, 2020 at 5:53 pm
@23: due to the low profit margins of all automakers, the profits are the smallest element of the value added. Part of the total profit made of say Honda will be made by Honda U.S.A., but again, the overall profit is the least important component of the value chain. That is one of main reasons for the very low market caps of OEM’s, as well as one of the explanations for new OEMs like TESLA and Nikola having much higher or similar market caps, respectively, as OEMs which actually produce vehicles in large volumes. So, the traditional OEMs have a relatively low value for investors, but a huge value for society (labor, suppliers, service providers, auxiliary services (the doctors, dentists, handymen, hairdressers of those employed by OEMs and suppliers)).
June 15th, 2020 at 5:58 pm
3 In the US (and in MI) the process of starting an LLC is a matter of an hour or so of paperwork, a $150 fee, and a $25 annual renewal fee thereafter. In short, it’s a breeze.
I had to start my “…Transport Research” LLC in 2018, ready for the new allegedly “tax cut” law that prohibited us to deduct ANY “employee business expenses” as U profs, so the LLC was some solution to that. Previously, the same high-level consulting big and small I do in my LLC, I’d do as a consultant, since we were allowed to consult a full day per week, and most did not even come close to that volume.
The 2018 law did considerably simplify my taxes and almost halved the fee I pay annually to HRB premium, from $700+ to $400, but my taxes sure went UP, as major deductions were totally or mostly eliminated. (even the state and local tax deduction has a cap of only $10k, utterly and ludicrously low, since those taxes add up many TIMES that for me and my colleagues.
June 15th, 2020 at 6:00 pm
In BEVs, China is WAY ahead of the rest of the world, and EUrope is falling way behind and should get a grip. I did see a ton of charging stations when i was last there for the full November 2019, BUT today’s stat that 60% of the PLANET’S new BEV Chargers were installed there was still astounding.
June 15th, 2020 at 6:02 pm
Ford may axe the next Gen Edge, today’s Autonews PM claims. One Ford product deletion I agree with.Too damned many SUVs and crossovers cannibalizing each other.
June 15th, 2020 at 6:09 pm
23 What profit? The Fusion looks great from some angles (not all), and sold a lot of copies. Do your really think Hackett would take the hatchet to it years ago, if it made a profit?
June 15th, 2020 at 6:16 pm
This morning the CNBC webpage claimed stocks were supposed to open 500 pts down, but now that I took 1 minute to do my daily porftolio check, they actually were up again! And despite all the gloom and doom of the media, the unemployment rates and the reduced GDP growth for this and the next quarter, some of my most important funds, such as the stellar Biotech, is at a 52 week high!
Earlier I attributed this to cash that burned idiots pockets, who, in a normal economy, would have blown it in Casinos, Srip Clubs, Dog races, horse races, and the like, but I think there must ALSO be an influx of OVERSEAS billions (if not trillions), as the US $ is ALSO not only the currency of record in the world, but also the SAFE HAVEN when things are not ordinary, as they sure are not currently.
PS my Biotech fund also heavily invests in Big pharma companies.
June 15th, 2020 at 6:21 pm
The crooks at Mahindra lost the FCA suit.
Serves them right.
June 15th, 2020 at 6:24 pm
10 right… the biggest BEDV company, who made more than 1,000,000 high-priced high-tech high-performance BEVs, TESLA, will “merge” with these ridiculous CLOWNS of Nikola who made NONE??? LOL.
If I were Musk, I’d offer Nikola ONE US DOLLAR (a worthless 2020 dollar at that) to buy it, and if not, I’d sue their a$$ off for their copycat name, and, like MAHINDRA, they will LOSE.
June 15th, 2020 at 6:33 pm
28 – All modern vehicles make an economic profit. The bottom feeders start to sink when corporate overhead is allocated on a per unit basis. If the allocation is based on volume, then high volume, low price vehicles bear more than their fair share of the burden. It’s a slippery slope to discontinue such vehicles, because that corporate overhead will grow on a per unit basis.
Fundamentally, there is not a lot of overhead in building office furniture. If Hackett can get his face out of “theory” books, he might better see the path to oblivion before it’s too late. And the solution is to attack the overhead… needing to cut spending on overlapping products and cut one or two particular “suits” on the 12 floor. JMHO
June 15th, 2020 at 6:51 pm
With the Edge gone, Ford will only have 5 SUV/CUVs. Actually, that is fewer than some other companies. Chevy and Toyota have 6, or will for the 2021 model year. Still, I’d think 5 should be plenty.
29. Will US currency remain “safe” with the ballooning debt, which started ballooning even during the “best economy in history,” before Covid?
June 15th, 2020 at 6:53 pm
FCA and Mahindra should have taken that to People’s Court and saved all the legal fees.
Anyone with half a brain saw the Roxor as a blatant ripoff of a CJ5/7. That thing was more of a copy than the Chinese Land Rovers.
June 15th, 2020 at 7:03 pm
@33 – Ecosport, Escape, Escape-based Brocoette, Bronco, Edge, Explorer, Expedition. Presently 5… going to 7… and I agree 5 is enough for a mass brand. 3-4 is enough for a lux/premium brand.
June 15th, 2020 at 7:12 pm
All the attention to anti-virus a vehicle is a total joke. And I still wear a mask what little i go out. Hydrogen peroxide will dry out a car’s interior, esp. leather!
Top strategists cautioned today their investors from investing in retail strategies in bankrupt companies and things like the reverse mergers with hopes that stock rallies prior to liquidation. They included companies having over valued stock prices and little or no profits to show for it. These complex strategies do not behave as expected long term and do not have a favorable history.
June 15th, 2020 at 7:21 pm
Larry, the only reason the market reversed itself in a positive direction is because the Feds move to expand the stimulus program through buying corporate bonds. Corporations may again just share it with the top dogs rather than using it with purpose. Still, the DG was up only 158 points… ppppft!!
Your investments in health related areas should remain on solid grounds.
June 15th, 2020 at 7:44 pm
35. Yeah, the Bronco and Broncoette will probably overlap Edge a year or two, before it goes away. I just read some more about the Bronco, which is going to be officially revealed in July, to go on sale in the fall. It looks like it will truly go after the Wrangler, with removable doors and roof, a trucky body on frame setup, and probably available manual transmission.
June 15th, 2020 at 9:26 pm
@13.
I expected as much. Which is fine. I won’t reveal anything. And no one need take my word for it. Just wait and see…
June 15th, 2020 at 10:49 pm
@39: “you won’t reveal anything” ahhhh, cute.
June 15th, 2020 at 10:58 pm
12,13,39. Covid case are spiking in Florida, and a number of other states.
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/new-cases-50-states/florida
Yes, we shall see what happens.
June 16th, 2020 at 7:38 am
33 I am not a currency expert, but my common sense and observation of the world does not show me any challenger to the US Dollar as a safe currency. The Yuan is nowhere close, and as for the Euro, the Yen and the Pound, they are far inferior.
I share your concern about the National Debt and the budget deficits (many confuse the two), it is your Corrupt CONGRESS that has the right to spend, and has done so most irresponsibly.
Essentially the parents (the corrupt Congress persons) saddle their grandchildren with it, a most immoral act too.
As with most previous so-called tax cuts (where only the tax RATES, NOT the tax REVENUES) are cut, the US GOvernment invariably had much HIGHER Tax receipts than under the higher rates, for many and mostly obvious reasons. The same happened with the 2018 tax ‘cut’. BUT the irresponsible and corrupt (legal corruption, lobbying etc) Congress spent EVEN MORE than these increased receipts, and THEN the CV-`9 hit, where we HAD to spend trillions to deal with our voluntary shutdown.
PS I would like to see a serious statistical estimate, as to how many of the 120,000 or so US deaths ATTRIBUTED to CV-19 would not have happened anyway due to the three or more underlying conditions the usually elderly victims had in their health file. MY guess is at least 100,000 of the 120,000 would have happened soon even if the CV never existed.
June 16th, 2020 at 7:41 am
37 It certainly is NOT the “only” reason, but it sure is one reason. Once in 1,000 “Debbie Downer” posts, you have cited a valid reason.
June 16th, 2020 at 7:44 am
42, 33 con’d Eventually, as a consequence of huge Government deficit spending, the US dollar will lose more of its value, compared to the US dollar today or 30 years ago, when it had serious byuing power. BUT the other currencies will drop the same, if not more, amount, so relatively to them it will still be strong (which is actually not good for US exports).
June 16th, 2020 at 7:52 am
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2020/06/now-might-be-a-good-time-to-sell-your-car/
I don’t expect this opp to last very long, so if you own 12 cars and have not much use for one or two of them, now is the time to get rid of them, as parts shortages hamper production and inventory bottlenecks make new cars unavailable for sale, raising the prices of used ones.
June 16th, 2020 at 8:04 am
A college friend just replaced a Prius V with a Tesla Model S. Here is the start of an email report he sent to some of us. It’s kind of interesting. He lives in the Seattle area.
“Got the Tesla S yesterday. Made it home alive, but should have had several hours of simulator training first.
It’s no more luxurious than a Prius, and not much quieter. Cabin storage is less than that of the Prius. Rearview mirror visibility is poor.
Headrest is fixed. It’s OK, I guess, but I’d prefer to be able to turn it around as I did on the Prius V.
Paint is fancy, but clearcoat application is amateurish and appears to have been done in a dusty environment. I have done much better in my garage.
Tesla systems are better integrated and much more sophisticated than the Prius’s. Cruise control follows the person ahead down to zero speed, as at a stoplight, then resumes going forward when he does. That should be nice in traffic. Cruise control has other modes which seem wonderful, but which I have not yet mastered. For example, the car knows the speed limit, and can track it (with user-set offset). Autosteer is, curiously, only a minor convenience compared to the cruise control.
Steering wheel controls are right where I hold the steering wheel. Consequently, I am often awakened by the radio coming on.
There should be no range anxiety. We got the long range version, about 375 miles. I passed four Tesla fast charging stations on the way home from Portland. There are now plenty of these stations on any road we travel except I-94 across Montana and No. Dakota, and a string of stations is coming there. Stations near here had plenty of vacant stalls yesterday. I’ve heard they often are at capacity in South California. The machine is currently being charged by the charger that came with the house.”
June 16th, 2020 at 9:35 am
39, 40 I’m not in the medical field and have no experience in global healthcare. I do (like many) hope that CV will disappear much like each seasonal flu virus does. Sadly it will probably be replaced with another one about the time this one goes away. We all have forgotten about the Rotavirus back in 2008 that the WHO estimates killed 453,000 children under the age of 5. No one knows for sure not even the experts but I would be reluctant to invest in a vehicle sterilizing feature.
June 18th, 2020 at 2:22 pm
One can only imagine the damage done to FCA’s good name because of all those thousands of customers that bought a Roxor thinking it was a Jeep.
(sarcasm off)