If he came out as trans he could join the military!

They will issue the bill having given me nothing. And if I did get the credit, I would have been given nothing.
What does nothing from nothing leave?
(this sound like a song....)

Sorry dude, I'm not your type, and spoke for.

Someone will come along for you - just keep the faith.
And the hair...

You know....I'm starting to think that you don't like me....

Pleeeeeeease, do not go Billy Preston on us. Even I have limits to my egalitarianism.

Took the EV out for a spin this afternoon. Fun for short trips.

I was told that Europe was balls deep on EV's...what happened?







Ten years ago this week, we posted one of out most viral stories, highlighting the over-capacity in the auto industry: "Where the World's Unsold Cars Go To Die," which highlighted the 'endgame' of automakers' 'channel stuffing' efforts to disguise the sudden lack of demand for all the exciting new models that they had forecast would boom to the moon...

And now, as MishTalk's Mike Shedlock reports, we are seeing similar pictures across Europe...

"Some are parked here for a year, sometimes more."

Le Monde reports Belgium’s ports drowning under glut of Chinese electric cars: ‘Some are parked here for a year, sometimes more’

Due to China’s overcapacity in production – as it aims to capture a quarter of the European electric vehicle market – the ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge are inundated.

You probably need to see it to appreciate the challenges the automobile industry faces in transitioning to electricity. You also need to come here to understand how the Chinese industry’s overcapacity has flooded the European market. That morning, as the sun unexpectedly lit up the maze of highways leading to this remote arm of the port of Antwerp, Belgium, a huge cargo ship from the Norwegian company Höegh Autoliners unloaded thousands of cars at one of the terminals of International Car Operators (ICO), a subsidiary of the Japanese group Nippon Yusen Kaisha.

Alongside Swedish-Norwegian Wallenius Wilhelmsen, it is one of the main operators of the now merged port of Antwerp-Bruges, the world’s largest automotive terminal, through which the production of some 40 brands used to transit. But that was before the emergence of their Chinese competitors.

Car Parks

Quartz reports Cars are piling up at European ports at an alarming rate

Imported vehicles are seriously piling up at European ports, turning them into “car parks.” Automakers are distributors are struggling with a slowdown in car sales as well as logistical bottlenecks that make it hard to alleviate the buildup of new, unsold vehicles.

Some Chinese brand EVs had been sitting in European ports for up to 18 months, while some ports had asked importers to provide proof of onward transport, according to industry executives. One car logistics expert said many of the unloaded vehicles were simply staying in the ports until they were sold to distributors or end users.

“It’s chaos,” said another person who had been briefed on the situation.

This is another part of the escalating trade war between China and the rest of the world.

Yesterday, I commented China Produces 55 Percent of All Steel, Biden and Trump Eye Tariffs

On April 22, I cautioned A Big Deflationary Push From China But Will Biden or Trump Allow That?

China keeps returning to a well that has run dry, using exports as a means for growth. China is about to hit a brick wall, with global consequences.

My #1 issue looking ahead to 2025 is a global trade war with serious repercussions.

https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/where-unsold-evs-go-die-belgiums-ports-drowning-under-glut-chinese-imports


But hey, it's all my fault the whole EV thing isn't selling.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has threatened Tesla with "civil penalties" if it does not comply with handing over data in connection with its December recall of Autopilot. Since then, the automaker has pushed out an over-the-air software update to prevent Autopilot misuse. However, last month, the federal agency launched a query into whether the update was sufficient.

According to Bloomberg, NHTSA published a letter on its website - addressed to Tesla Director of Field Quality Eddie Gates.

The letter demanded data on drivers, including mileage and cabin camera data racked up by drivers while using Autopilot, and the number of times drivers were warned to pay attention while using the software after the company's December recall.

NHTSA said all the data must be handed over by July 1. Tesla can submit an extension no later than five business days before the response due date. If Tesla cannot provide the requested information, the federal government will fine the company.

According to the letter, if Tesla fails to comply, it could face a fine of up to $135 million, or $27,168 per violation per day.

In December, Tesla announced its largest-ever recall covering 2 million vehicles in the US over its advanced driver assistance system. Shortly after, the automaker offered a five-part software remedy. However, after the update, the Feds were still concerned about 20 crashes.

Last month, NHTSA said, "Tesla's weak driver engagement system was not appropriate for Autopilot's permissive operating capabilities" and that this results in a "critical safety gap."

https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/nhtsa-threatens-tesla-135-million-fine-if-it-fails-hand-over-autopilot-data-july-1

Couple this with:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tesla-lays-off-charging-car-013911289.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/is-the-affordable-new-tesla-model-2-happening-after-all-its-all-up-in-the-air-at-this-point/ar-AA1nC33x

https://electrek.co/2024/03/14/tesla-offering-lfp-battery-retrofits-earlier-model-3-under-warranty/

What a time to be alive!*









*your expectations may vary.

https://youtu.be/G2y8Sx4B2Sk?si=LNefLoBOSUqHeXBv

My ice needs a good Speyside Scotch.

Ford needs Bob Iger to come aboard to make things right.

Now, where have I heard that old "We bailed them out before" posts?

^ That’s a start, but there are many other problems not addressed by this article. A glaring omission is the additional downtime as a result of extended charging time. Also, many more trucks and drivers would be needed to move the same amount of freight in the same amount of time as compared to today’s state of the system.

All things considered I’m willing to bet the actual cost to move freight would increase by at least 400% or greater.

Another problem is diminished charge capacity in cold weather. I guess anyone living north of I-20 can look forward to food shortages form at least the beginning of November through the end of February.

Here’s another gotcha. On average Tesla batteries make up 35% of the over weight of the vehicle and are good for say 300 miles between charges. A big rig needs to go 500 miles between charges to meet current capabilities of a diesel rig. So theoretically it would need 2000 pounds of batteries vs the current 1200 pounds for a model S that weights about 3500 pounds. So in reality to get the needed capacity the batteries would make up 57% of the total Gross vehicle weight.

Interesting considering the weight of a class 8 tractor is about 32,000 pounds. If capacity scales linearly then that truck would need 18,250 pounds of batteries based on ZERO reduced cold weather capacity. The diesel used to power it only weighs about 1300 pounds. Obviously there is a difference in weight of the diesel engine vs the electric engine, but 17000 pounds. I doubt it. So freight capacity would be reduced which means more trucks on the road to move the same amount of freight.

The idea of electric powered class 8 trucks replacing diesel powered ones are little more than pie in the sky at the present.

They should pass a law requiring mandatory diesel powered generators to be installed and a 2 battery banks. That way they can charge 1 bank while the other bank is in use. To do this, they’ll have another trailer added to accommodate the extra load.

😂

Carbon dioxide is at 0.04% of our atmosphere. That's a FACT. If it goes much lower, plant life will start to die off. That is also a FACT. You can look these facts up for yourself.

The government is telling us that CO2 is too high and we're making it worse. That's a LIE.

We’ve been preaching that the Earth is past its carrying capacity since the mid-80s and we are all going to die off from famine but we are all still here and doubled the population.

The entire first world is now facing a declining population crisis. We are actually self-exterminating. It is finally working but it will collapse all pension schemes.

If we can convince half the population of the USA to not breed, abort, or commit euthanasia, can you imagine how awesome the traffic would be getting to places like Lake Tahoe and Yosemite?!