Thank you, Peri, for that interesting insight. I'm sure Mr Musk is thinking along these lines already. MW
On 14 Sep 2014, at 16:11, Peri Hartman via EV <ev@lists.evdl.org> wrote: > Well, Martin, I see it a little differently - and no offense :) I don't know > how aware the typical buyer of an SUV or truck is about general cost of > petroleum and its effects on terrorist groups and corruption, etc. Surely > some are, some aren't. I think the real issue, however, is the choice of > vehicles. The auto manufactures simply don't produce a good alternative > (yet). So, if you feel you need or want a large vehicle, you can choose the > brand, looks, and features but not so much the fuel economy. > > The NHTSA (national highway transpo safety admin) rules make it uneconomical > for foreign manufactures to sell vehicles in the US so, with the exception of > a few manufactures (i.e. Honda, Toyota) that have decided to produce > specifically for the US market (and largely produce *in* the US), the rest of > the imports mostly fall into high premium vehicles. These rules are partly > for safety but, I think, have quirks added to on behalf of industry lobbying > to protect themselves. > > The net result is there isn't any significant foreign competition and the US > auto makers can continue to build status quo - which is more profitable for > them in the short run. > > I think with the relatively recent CAFE (fuel economy) rules adopted by the > EPA we will see a gradual change. I'm hoping that change will accelerate if > Tesla and others can produce a 200+ mile range SUV or light truck at a cost > (including long term fuel costs) comparable to ICE versions. > > Peri > > ------ Original Message ------ > From: "Martin WINLOW via EV" <ev@lists.evdl.org> > To: "brucedp5" <bruce...@operamail.com>; "EVDL Post Message" > <ev@lists.evdl.org> > Sent: 14-Sep-14 4:10:01 AM > Subject: Re: [EVDL] Electrifying Large Vehicles> converting buyers to a > higher mpge design > >> (Um, Bruce, I don't want to appear rude, here, but singling out one section >> of the population on a racial basis for criticism - certainly in this >> context - is at best rather non-PC and at worst, a bit, well, ... >> offensive...? I'm trying to be delicate, here! I think I know you well >> enough to say I am sure you do not mean to be such but I suspect anyone from >> the Latin American community would be a bit surprised at the reference. >> Sorry if this is upsetting for you.... and moving swiftly on...) >> >> The overriding impression that I get as a non-US resident (and one who has >> not yet visited the USA) is that in very general terms, the average US >> citizen has virtually no idea of how dire the fuel economy of their vehicle >> is compared to the rest of the world, particularly those parts of the world >> where diesel and petrol is considerably more expensive than the USA, and not >> do they care. (I expect some US-based EVDL readers will find this a bit >> offensive too. Again... sorry!) >> >> Furthermore s/he has no knowledge nor interest in how significant this fact >> is on the workings of the rest of the world especially how much oil revenue >> is responsible for funding of various terrorist groups and the misery they >> cause, let alone furthering the (generally) evil machinations of Big Oil. >> >> I may be wrong. >> >> I'm not a parent but think if I were I would want to do what I could, when >> driving, to protect my children from the idiots and drunkards out there - >> I'm sure this is a problem the world over. To that end I would almost >> certainly consider a 'bigger' vehicle which does, of course, also make it >> more practical to haul children as well as all the necessary clobber about >> the place. The downside is a/ the extra cost of vehicle + fuel and b/ the >> associated guilt (see paragraph 2). >> >> The plus side is that if car designers really wanted to, they could bring >> the best of all worlds together and design a car/SUV that is not only fuel >> efficient but also safe and roomy (in the UK such vehicles are called >> 'people carriers') but will anyone in the US actually buy them? As things >> stand, the auto-makers can sell the same old same old and that's pretty much >> all they care about... Then, along came Tesla... >> >> MW _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)