Rumorpile: Volkswagen I.D. Buzz Concept Appears To Be Given The Go Ahead

^^^ I havent really read any technical data about the BYD battery system. I was going off on the sensationalist headlines and youtube thumbnails to base my quick opinion of it.    I said this and left it on the table because I had a suspicion that there was some sort of catch. Thanx @Drew Dowdell for the info.  Ill look more into it.  Intriguing BYD is at this moment.  Im not trusting of BYD just yet.  I will not make the mistake in praising BYD as quickly as I did with Tesla a decade ago.  I regret being naive about Tesla. And although the Model S was a huge leap forward and was quite the impressive machine when it debuted, I feel like even though the Model S was thst good, I feel I was duped just the same.   

Well..... no. BYD's battery tech has limitations with distribution.  Getting 1000kWh charging is difficult anywhere, especially here in North America where we are built out for 110v service.  Functionally, the BYD batteries don't change the equation because most people don't charge at public chargers AND because getting 1000kWh chargers is going to be a big lift.  Heck, getting 350kWh chargers is often asking a lot.  That said, if BYD comes to the US, they will be right on par with Porsche / Hyundai / Kia / Genesis for having the fastest charging cars on the fastest chargers we have available. The real breakthrough will be if Toyota can make their solid-state batteries work because they accept a charge faster than the existing technology while using the same existing charging infrastructure. Where an EValanche might have a peak charge rate of 350kWh, the charge curve starts and ends much lower than that, which lengthens total charge time.  With solid state batteries, the charge curve is more like a flat line.  You start at 350kw (or whatever the rating) and you end at 350kw.  That's what makes charging solid-state batteries so much faster even if you're using the same DC fast charger.  If Toyota can really make it work, they can 1-Up BYD by simply saying, "Well ours don't need special chargers to get that charging speed"  

A Canadian tariff  story: https://www.ctvnews.ca/winnipeg/article/its-just-surreal-winnipeg-man-brings-dream-car-home-after-tariff-border-battle/#:~:text=A Winnipeg man's tariff nightmare may have all been caused,“I feel just great.   It started out as a nightmare experience when the 77 year old man from Winnipeg tried to bring his recently bought 1968 dream car Charger from the US somewheres across the Canada/US border.  He paid $98 000 US for it. Only for the Canadian border guards to tell him that his car will cost him an additional $46 000 CDN because of these new tariffs that the US and Canada are flinging at each other.  (Lets NOT forget that it was Trump that  declared war on Canada first. Canada is just responding to protect themselves from Trump's declaration of economic warfare)  (I have to always repeat this as it seems US news outlets and media personalities like to down play it mis and dis informing Americans) (Many Americans ARE aware, but not enough of them in my honest opinion)  Through a couple of days of looking at the laws and the tariffs of what those tariffs contain about what years of cars would it affect and when all those details would actually come into effect a  happy ending actually did take place.  He didnt have to pay the additional $46 000 CDN in tariffs.  Details as to why are explained in the article. But it is a warning to ALL involved. Both Americans and Canadians alike.   Like Drew has stated: Canadians and Americans have been brothers and sisters since the  1800s.    Earlier than that actually.  Press secretary Leavitt scolded France last week telling France that if it werent for the US during WW2, France would be talking German.  Her ignoring the fact (mis information) that the US was Johnny come lately and in actual fact, it was Canada and Australia that loosened the grip of Germany in the West. (just plain ol' American arrogance as that was always the popular narrative) the  D Day was a success LARGELY because of Canadian troops (but the truth is that).  But even BEFORE that.  The US BECAME a country BECAUSE of France...  And the French settlers in what would be Quebec, Vermont and upstate New York after 1776 and 1812...   (Just plain ol dis-information to keep Americans dumb. Americans do not realize that France bankrupted herself to stick it to England for America to become its own country away from England.  And many King loyalists fled the new American colonies to join NOT the French colonies in Lower Canada, but for the Brits in Upper Canada.  The French colonies fought alongside the Americans in 1776.... THAT is how close ties the US and Canada have.  But mis information at its best. And plain ole uneducated talk from Trumps administration!   

Yes, I do as I feel that this Tariff war is about to take 1/3rd of America and say, your cast into never owning an auto again. We have Idiot47 waging a cast war on who can and cannot buy an auto based on incompetence of business knowledge. He did FAIL 6 times in his goal to build a billion-dollar net worth on paper, but his knowledge and business is a house of cards. While Driving is a privilege earned as is owning an auto, who decides who has that right? Tariffs have their place when you truly have a segment that is being abused by a specific country or person, but in the approach being taken, this added taxation on society on all things is an incompetent way to approach life. The Tariff war with our closest trading partners is going to hurt all more than help anything. I do not blame Canada or Mexico for removing American products from their shelves. A few of the company products removed have been very supportive of Idiot47 and his lemming brigade and as such, the horse with blinders approach in DC is hurts more Americans, Canadians, and Mexicans than it does to help America.  One can call DC Fascist, Socialist, Nazi, Communist, etc. end result is the leadership in DC is hurting what a free market and democracy is all about. This also is going to have major impact on other market segments as Autos tend to incorporate so many pieces from other segments. The blow back is going to be huge to the North American buyers that this country is going to feel the pain for many years to come. Is a 25% Tariff really worth is on autos produced outside the U.S. border when it comes to jobs, incomes, sales, etc. The tariff war is going to hurt the Used Auto market as well as the limits on available auto options are going to push up prices on used as well.

But on the topic of politics. I have a tariff story I want to work on that is bound to get hyper political about how the tariffs are about to kill off one whole segment of cars.  Do we think we can handle it without getting nasty with each other?