And are they actually building in metric, but just dumbing down the specs?
Carleton From: owner-u...@colostate.edu [mailto:owner-u...@colostate.edu] On Behalf Of John M. Steele Sent: Friday, January 28, 2011 17:55 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:49659] Re: auto manufacturing in SI Anybody can (and do) convert a few specs if it sells more cars. You'd have to see the engineering drawings for parts to know if they are customary or metric. However, if they buying parts from established auto. suppliers they are getting metric. Of course 20/day isn't manufacturing, it is prototyping. Typical volume for an automotive plant is 1200/day, built on 2 shifts. _____ From: Robert H. Bushnell <roberthb...@comcast.net> To: U.S. Metric Association <usma@colostate.edu> Sent: Fri, January 28, 2011 5:33:27 PM Subject: [USMA:49658] auto manufacturing in SI 2011 Jan 28 It has been said on this web site that automobile manufacturing changed away from inch-pound units many years ago. On Saturday Jan 22 the Denver Electric Vehicle Council visited Boulder Electric Vehicle Inc. to see their electric Delivery Van. Their specification is all inch-pound. They have no SI spec. They work in inches and thousandths of inches. www.boulderev.com <http://www.boulderev.com/> They make one a day. They are setting up to make 20 a day. They make the truck after the order is placed. They offer many models including a 15 passenger bus. The US Army is trying to get in line. They are mostly an assembly operation. They buy motors (80 kW), lights, steering parts, wheels, seats, everything. How can they do this if the auto industry is all SI? It looks to me like they have a good market in that users can work in a local market so they will not need a combustion engine. The range is 120 miles on one charge. This is plenty for plumbers, delivery and service people. Robert H. Bushnell
