G. David Felt

Many dealerships use the additional markup on BS add on to keep the sales price at MSRP or above if possible. In fact more and more people hate the dealership experience and the facts bear out that more and more are willing to buy without a test drive, online and from a trusted source like Costco for a set price than deal with the dealership where the bulk of people feel ripped off. The numbers are I think pretty real on why dealerships are hated more just about than any other purchase process. This is one of the most detailed showing how consumers hate dealerships and buying of an auto and why the set price at Saturn Dealerships made their satisfaction ratings one of the highest. Sadly gm SCREWED that up. The money invested in Saturn should have been put into Chevrolet and a change of how Chevy sold auto's would have made them that much stronger. 25 Amazing Statistics on How Consumers Shop for Cars | V12 (v12data.com) gm never learned from the Saturn experience. Auto companies need to change to a better way to sell auto's. When It Comes to Customer Experience, Saturn Runs Circles Around the Competition | CustomerThink

Yup posted about this in the EV6 thread. Thank you for posting it here. I really think Kia has a home run on their hands once it is available at their dealerships. Kie EV6 Revealed ahead of the World's Premiere for their first BEV! - Kia - Cheers and Gears

I disagree with you, Rivian already has a couple dozen delivery van in the greater LA area and will have another dozen or so in the San Francisco area. The plan is to have over 30,000 by the end of the year being used on top of the R1T (June Deliveries) and R1S (July Deliveries) to start, I honestly think they will ramp faster with far better quality than Tesla and on a product far more people want. Tesla, aka Musk is stretching himself far too thin for more look at me narcassistic life than building and delivering quality profitable products. I expect Rivian to out do Tesla in the US at a faster pace than Tesla has been growing in a shorter time frame.

Yet we see Franchises over charge over MSRP all the time, AKA Mach1 example we discussed lately. I see no reason a company if they do not have franchise, should not be allowed to sell direct. If anything this scares the franchise dealers as they fear competition. Since Tesla, Rivian, Lucid, Lordstown have no franchises, they are not breaking the law and as such could have their own studio stores to sell. They already lost to Tesla, I expect them to loose to Rivian, Lucid, Lordstown and everyone else who comes to this model of business. Times are a changing and better for it.

Tesla has gone from arrogant to paranoid. Very common in tech to hire away skilled people and I suspect Rivian will win in the long run. Tesla is scared as they are falling behind as every OEM starts to join the EV race. Rivian has superior product based on what we know so far compared to Tesla and their Truck and SUV sales should really do well once they start shipping product in June.

UPDATE per Green Car Reports 2022 Kia EV6: With Tesla Model Y-beating acceleration and charging, the Stinger of EVs (greencarreports.com) Per the Reveal Tuesday from South Korea covered by Green Car Reports, Global Brand Boss Artur Martins states the Kia EV6 is the Stinger equal of their EV line. Just like the Kia Stinger that flaunts it Gasoline power, the Kia EV6 will do the same. Kia has announced that the EV6 will have quicker acceleration times for it's top EV6 trim than the Ford Mach-E GT Performance Edition or Tesla Model Y Performance and will charge faster than either of those two. EV6 is a 5 seat hatchback with a wheelbase of 114 inches and will come in RWD or AWD for all trims. The differences end there for the Stinger and EV6 as the EV6 is built on the E-GMP modular electric platform which is about short hood and long cabin length. The EV6 is 2.3 inches longer than the Hyundai Ioniq 5 that was revealed in February, but has a wheelbase that is 3.9 inches shorter than the Ioniq 5. EV 6 details: Six different variants 58 kWh or 77.4 kWh battery pack RWD or AWD choice 167 hp / 258 lb-ft of torque, RWD with 58 kWh battery pack as entry level 321 hp / 446 lb-ft of torque, AWD with 77.4 kWh battery pack entry level 577 hp / 546 lb-ft of torque, 0-62mph 3.5 seconds with 77.4 kWh battery pack for top performance level. Charging from 10% to 80% battery capacity in 18 min via 800V fast charging Estimated 317 miles of battery pack range on par with Tesla Model Y 303 miles of range V2L or Vehicle to Load output up to 3.6 kW to power large tools, appliances or charge another EV to get it going Compatible for home use, just like the F-150 Hybrid was used in Texas to power homes While this is a Hatchback, it is cross-over inspired. Dash will have two 12 inch displays side by side. Interior is sustainable as it uses 111 recycled plastic water bottles for the interior fabrics. 14 speaker surround sound.

Sauce

VW ID.4 reviews are hitting the net.

NEWS BREAK Nissan releases pictures, details and web site for the official 2022 Nissan Ariya Electric SUV. This auto will come in 4 configurations: Ariya 2WD Standard Range Ariya e-4orce Standard Range Ariya 2WD Long Range Ariya e-4orce Long Range - Maximum performance (389 hp) and range (details not released yet) Nissan ARIYA | All-New Electric Crossover | Nissan USA

I get your point and agree that Scion tried this initially with the first push, but then FAILED as the Scion Stores did not deliver the true customization that people expected. When you went into a store, there was nothing about adding stickers, easy add on's other than wheel caps as everything else was a dealer install option with a labor charge and while low income and families looking for a new auto for their teen bought initially, the add on / customization thing failed due to it not being as cheap as the initial marketing message implied. This was the original auto show messaging: We ended up with this. The show rooms had expensive rims, radios and nothing of a clothing like inexpensive buy, add on yourself and go. Toyota FAILED to deliver on their initial marketing message. If GM can learn from the success in China and bring a cheap customizable auto to the US, I do believe even in EV form that something like this could ignite passion in driving among the youth.

As this consortium moves forward in building these bikes which are mostly used locally over road trips, the existing battery tech of about 90 to 110 miles depending on electric motor efficiency or more if truly just in the city will be efficient for commuting to and from a job and local errands. Yet as I have stated and posted, battery tech is changing fast and getting better and better and as I posted above, we now have battery tech not using rare earth elements and yet has double the capacity of previous battery tech going into production so that 90 miles becomes 180 as these new cells become available and are built into battery packs. This makes it very easy for owners of these bikes to buy with a current 90 mile battery pack for this discussion and easily upgrade probably for a fee to a 180 mile battery pack. I expect the next 10 years to be very interesting as we go into a battery war of who can build the most efficient motors and squeeze out the longest range of juice. This makes places that support this bike consortium be them dealers or charging stations in a great position for future growth as people stop by, get some food or a drink and like Propane tanks you exchange locally, you exchange battery pack depleted for fully charged for a fee. Seems engineering logical to me that this is a smart way to move forward in the EV race.

Juice

I figure it would be about a 10 to 12K auto here.

Spotted my first e-Golf in the wild even though that was a compliance EV today running to Home Depot. If not for the name on the back of the auto, looks just like any other golf.

Numbers do not lie and without major stimulus from the local government, it will not happen. But the desire is still there and who knows, maybe the government will give 20% of the city population EV's. Course they also could end up selling Wuling Mini EVs which are hot hot hot in China in Belgrade and the cheap price could be what does it. Who knows., will be interesting to see what happens.

According to China Daily Wuling Motors, a joint venture of GM, Shanghai Automotive and Wuling Motors sold 36,000 mini EVs in January 2021 toppling Tesla's Model 3 as the worlds best-selling electric car and to add insult even if you combine Tesla Model 3 and Y combined they still did not sell as many EVs as Wuling Motors. Wuling Motor's Mini EV, has no connection with BMW Mini and it comes in two configurations, two or four seater, range of 106 miles and top speed of 62 mph and depending on options sells starting at $4,500 and $6,300. Four months before it went on sale, auto reporters were invited to share their views in March 2020. They over all said it would not sell in big cities where international brands were preferred and chances would be slim in small towns or rural areas where people were constantly choosing gasoline auto's. These views have proved wrong and with it the facts that EVs at an attractive price point would sell in large numbers to the general population. The Mini EV has safety front and center with 57% of the auto made of High Strength Steel. It also has anti-lock braking system (ABS), electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS), and reversing radar. The back seats are equipped with two ISOFIX child safety seat restraint interfaces to cater to young families. The auto has 13 kW of Power (17.5 hp) and 85 Nm of torque (115.3 ft-lbs) to go along with a smart battery management system that uses pre-heating and battery insulation to deal with cold or heat as well as IP68 water proofing and dustproofing of the battery system. The mini EV is 2,917 mm long (115 inches), 1,493 mm wide (59 inches) and 1,621 mm high (64 inches) on a 1,940 mm (76 inches) wheelbase. Ultimate inner city or urban commuting auto. Wuling Motors now has requests from 150 counties / regions in China asking when will the Mini EVs go on sale. As production ramps, so will new outlet offering the Mini EV. Statistics are currently showing that the majority of buyers are in small cities / towns with 72% of these buyers born in the 90's and 60% of them are female. Where Tesla is considered a toy for the Rich, Wuling has gone after the Companion to the young independent Woman / Man. Selling points have been easier to park and maneuver especially for new drivers. The range while short in comparison to Tesla is more than enough for commuting to work, easy to charge at home over night as well as cute, customizable and affordable. Wuling motors has been showing GM how to build profitable small auto's and market them for success. Wuling says you sell them like designer clothes, not like traditional auto's. Wuling has achieved this by partnering with Pantone, the global authority on Color and Design. In addition, Wuling / GM / Shanghai automotive are working on partner deals of co-branding with Disney and Nike for the regional markets. The focus has been rather than copy everyone one else on making auto's that look like Tesla and sell much higher, Wuling has focused on the last mile of mobility and looking good while arriving. Wuling is also launching e-bikes and scooters as it has branded itself as a Lifestyle Brand not an auto company. View full article

Looks very Bahama or Caribbean style to me for the 60's or 70's.

Good question, have no idea, but found the following from Wiki: Serbia As of September 2019, 148 EVs were registered. Serbia has a network of over 30 charging stations (including 5 that are solar powered & 2 Tesla Super Chargers) with more planned for construction. In 2020, Serbia introduced new purchase & tax incentives for EVs & Hybrids offering up to 5000 euros to help accelerate electrification. Serbia is also home to about 10% of global Lithium reserves, the mining & processing of which will be done in partnership with Rio Tinto who have committed $1.5 billion of investment in the country. The government is currently looking to utilize this resource to produce a major EV battery plant & Rio Tinto is helping locate a strategic partner for this venture. Electric car use by country - Wikipedia Sadly this is based on 2016, 2017 & 2019 info. Will be interesting to see if Belgrade can do this, get 20% of their private citizens to change to EVs.

Serbia's capital of Belgrade has announced a 5.2 billion Euro measure to reduce city green house gas and air pollution with an aggressive program to increase use of renewable energy which includes a new 111 MW wind farm and removing diesel from the city as Belgrade implements their 2030 plan. This Plan is to electrify the whole municipal vehicle fleet, convert 40% of the city buses and 80% of the city taxis to EV's by 2030. The City has also made it clear to businesses and private owners of the changes which is 80% of all commercial vehicles will have to be electric by 2030 and 20% of private cars have to be EV. Belgrade has not forgotten the pedestrian as they will invest 6.5 million Euros to build 493 km of new pedestrian and bike paths across the city and purchase 1,000 e-bikes with rental locations spread through out the city. Charged EVs | Belgrade’s 5.2-billion-euro climate plan includes converting buses and taxis to EVs - Charged EVs

The battery race has never slowed down, but the announcement of new battery designs going into production seems to be heating up. The race to remove the need for rare earth elements is heating up and results are bigger better battery cells that can recharge fast, faster power delivery, longer cycle life and safer. Sion Power has announced their 17 Ah Lithium-metal rechargeable pouch cell. These new lithium-metal pouch cells contain twice the energy in the same size and weight batteries that competitors are building in traditional lithium-ion battery packs. Sion Power has multiple third-party validation tests on going with auto and commercial vehicle OEMs. With production ramping up in Tucson Arisona home and headquarters for Sion Power, consumers both private and business will start to see new EV options using Sion Power battery packs soon. Targeting Electric Vehicles with a Large Format 17 Ah, 400 Wh/kg Cell (sionpower.com)

2022 Bolt EUV is a Winner based on auto journalist reviews. Seems the Bolt EUV is the pick by auto journalist if you want a spirited ride with room for passengers and cargo in a sub-compact size. The Bolt EUV is only 2.9 inches longer between the wheels and 6.3 inches longer over all compared to the standard Bolt. Yet this gets you 3.1 inches of additional leg room in the back seat from 36 inches to 39.1 inches giving the Bolt EUV class leading interior room for the sub-compact class and challenging many compacts as well for rear seat room. While some journalist nitpick over thigh support, additional air vents, etc. over all everyone seems to be in agreement that the backseat is the rare seat of comfort for full size adults on long road trips. The Bolt and Bolt EUV use the existing power train which has 200 HP and 266 lb-ft of Torque from a 65 kWh Lithium-ion battery pack of 288 cells in a FWD configuration. Yes almost every one of these reviews wishes that an AWD option was available and some even wonder if it might not come due to the amount of space available between the rear wheels. Bolt EV gets 259 miles of range, Bolt EUV EV gets 250 miles of range. Best thing is for the 9 miles of less range, the interior comfort of the Bolt EUV is well liked by all. 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV Review (jdpower.com) 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV First Drive Review: Larger, Better, Faster, Stronger | News | Cars.com 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV Test Drive And Review: Newer, Bigger, Better? (forbes.com) 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV Review - Autotrader 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV Is a Better Bolt: Review (roadandtrack.com) 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV Review, Pricing, and Specs (caranddriver.com) 2022 Chevy Bolt EUV first drive review: Bigger, smarter and more affordable, too - Roadshow (cnet.com) First drive review: 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV is a better Bolt (greencarreports.com)

New Flyer public electrical buses have logged over 4.5 million miles to date on Generation 1 and 2 buses. New Flyer announced Generation 3 that are lighter, more efficient and longer range electric buses over previous generations. The key updates are as follows: New Generation battery packs extend range 13% Electric drive system is capable of 90% energy recovery New 90% fewer parts compared to previous generation on battery packaging Generation 3 powertrain is 69% less weight than previous gen 1 & 2 Charged EVs | New Flyer unveils lighter, more efficient, longer-range electric bus - Charged EVs

Jeep has announced that this spring they will start a build out of Jeep charging stations at or near off road trail heads for free use by Jeep owners of their plug-in Hybrids and EV wranglers, Gladiators, and future product. While the charging stations will be connected to the electrical grid, they will also have solar roofs to help be as green as possible. The first two places that are already identified and to quote the article: Moab (UT), the Rubicon Trail in Pollock Pines (CA), and Big Bear (CA) will be the first off-road sites to get the charging stations this Spring. More locations are planned to be operational by the end of the year, Jeep will announce those locations at a later date. Jeep Is Building A Charging Network For The Wrangler 4xe At Off-Road Trails (optional title) (insideevs.com) EV Lifestyle is the future.

Last week the UK changed their government incentive to buy EV's from allowing any EV to qualify to any EV priced at £35,000 and below. Tesla imediatly saw the loss of what was a £3,000 incentive which is now £2,500 incentive with the new lower auto price. Government scraps Plug-In Car Grant for EVs costing more than £35k (motor1.com) As such while Tesla has refused to change pricing, seems Vauxhall and Citroen have decided selling more EVs is more important than a higher price and cut prices so that their product line of EVs now is eligible for the incentives. Mokka-e line of EVs. Vivaro-e line of EV vans. To quote Vaushall Director of sales Paul Wilcox : “At Vauxhall, we believe in making sure our vehicles are as accessible as possible to the greatest number of people, and especially so when it comes to zero emissions-in-use motoring,” said Vauxhall’s managing director, Paul Wilcox. “So I am pleased to confirm that all Corsa-e, all Mokka-e and the new Vivaro-e Life Combi are eligible for the government Plug-In Car Grant.” Vauxhall Tweaks Pricing To Remain Eligible For UK's Plug In Car Grant (insideevs.com) Is it me, ? Or does the Mokka-e look like an AMC Eagle? I guess you can say that BMW has also copied what AMC Eagle did.