johnvrahnos-blog

[johnvrahnos-blog]

COVID-induced Pollution?

As if the COVID pandemic hasn’t caused enough health, financial, social, and political turmoil in our lives, we now have hints of additional negative impacts on our planet.

According to an article by Dave Ford in the Scientific American website on August 17, 2020 ( https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/covid-19-has-worsened-the-ocean-plastic-pollution-problem/), it seems we now have…

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COVID Induced Blackout?

There seem to be many factors that would induce California’s recent blackouts. I just don’t understand how COVID can be added to that list as well. COVID-19 has definitely thrown our life (as we knew it) out of control over the last few months. But causing a blackout? Hmmm…

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-16/covid-19-restrictions-help-push-california-power-grid-to-breaking-point-…

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New Consumer Priorities

As if the Y2020 hasn’t been a wild one already, the automotive industry seems to be struggling mightily. Product Development teams are trying to determine what consumers interests and priorities will be in the near and far future. Obvious ones seem to be an inclination towards electric vehicles (EVs) versus internal combustion engines (ICE).  Extended range then becomes an apparent priority.…

[johnvrahnos-blog]

Another Migration?

Interesting to see how COVID-19 will shape our nation’s perspective about living and working in big cities. Just like after 9-11, an internal household cost/ benefit ‘re-evaluation’ seems to be taking place. Is there a major migration back into suburbs or smaller cities about to get underway? #covid-19

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/news/remote-work-reshapes-san-francisco-4897756/

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Auto Shows a Thing of the Past?

Auto Shows a Thing of the Past?

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused us all worldwide to go reeling as we attempt to deal with the ‘new reality’. In life-saving fashion, many crowd gatherings at concerts, sporting events, and so many others we’ve been accustomed to for the last few decades – just went away overnight. So, I ran across this article pertaining to the cancelation of the Geneva Auto Show for this year – AND NEXT (2021)!…

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Reviving a Relic?

It was noted recently in Forbes (https://www.forbes.com/sites/sebastianblanco/2019/11/16/electric-hummers-sierras-and-escalades-may-be-built-in-hamtramck/#42a35a944433 ) in an article by  Sebastian Blanco that GM is considering reviving the Hummer brand – but in its electric form.

While the electrified platform I’m sure will be welcomed, does reviving a defunct brand such as Hummer make sense?…

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New Site - New Skills

New Site – New Skills

There’s been much made recently (especially with the UAW strike at GM) about the skill level of the domestic automotive industry and the risk it faces in converting to electrified powertrains. The fear is that thousands of jobs may be lost due to the commitment of the Big 3 (albeit relatively slow in comparison to their international counterparts) to move away from internal combustion engines and…

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Who's Next

Who’s Next

According to Justine Coleman from TheHill.com, GM and the UAW are close to a deal that could be announced as early as Wednesday (10/16) (for full article: https://thehill.com/policy/finance/economy/466032-gm-uaw-near-deal-sources). This is great news for the auto workers and GM as everyone plans to get back to work. The workers will be happier as they are handsomely compensated for their work and…

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Leaving Behind a Legacy

Leaving Behind a Legacy

This morning I found out that the legendary T. Boone Pickens passed away. This well-known energy executive and respected entrepreneur from Texas, of course, made his original fortune in oil decades ago. Despite his age and his upbringing, this executive earned my respect as he saw the need to adapt in order to meet the energy needs of the 21st century.

Unlike others, Pickens caught my attention…

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Premium or not (so) premium EV?

Premium or not (so) premium EV?

I’m sure many of you have seen all the hoopla the last few days surrounding the introduction of the Porsche Taycan EV.  A beautiful product (of course) offered by Porsche. It was inevitable that immediate comparisons to top selling Tesla’s S and 3 models were made. If you missed them, a great analysis was conducted by Gustavo Henrique Ruffo (and can be seen here: https://insideevs.com/reviews/368…

[johnvrahnos-blog]

Dumb about smart cities?

Dumb about smart cities?

An interesting article by Eric Volkman from TU Automotive about the premise of ‘Smart Cities’ caught my attention: https://www.tu-auto.com/are-we-being-dumb-about-smart-cities/

According to some, the premise of ‘Smart Cities” is based on the simple concept of Big Brother’s ability to collect more data on us. Examples such as that of Rio de Janeiro are cited in the article. While Big Data and…

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What is the 'appropriate' price per oil barrel

What is the ‘appropriate’ price per oil barrel

Recently, David Hunt (@DavidHsearch ) posted another great piece this time pertaining to the price of oil in the market as it struggles to compete with alternative fuels ( https://insights.hyperionsearch.co.uk/post/102fq8l/why-oil-needs-to-plummet-in-price-if-its-to-remain-competitive-in-the-mobility-s). He points out that the resistance to switching from fossil fuels to clean fuels lies in the…

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How fast is fast enough?

How fast is fast enough?

Bugatti just announced that it broke the long coveted 300 mph barrier (as seen here: https://www.thedrive.com/news/29657/bugatti-retires-from-chasing-top-speed-records-after-chiron-shatters-300-mph-barrier ) with its modified Chiron!

Funny thing is, at the same time Bugatti officials announced they will step back from attempting to break (any more) top-speed records. I suppose I should have…

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That's great as long as...

That’s great as long as…

On 9/26/17 I wrote about EV adoption and whether making giant leaps or small steps in innovation is most suitable for general consumer acceptance and adoption. Jillian Ambrose, Energy Editor at The Telegraph (@telebusiness), on January 6, 2018 wrote an interesting article titled: Energy networks prepare to blend hydrogen into the gas grid for the first time(Read more…

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Will New Incentives Be Necessary?

An article on Mashable dated 11/30/17 by Mark Kaufman ( http://mashable.com/2017/11/30/gm-says-self-driving-cars-to-be-ready-by-2019/#xYYwhGEBEmq3 ) Mark points out the fact that GM is aiming to introduce its fully driverless cars as early as 2019. It seems like much of the current testing is taking place on the all-electric Chevy Bolt. Electric cars already receive incentives to promote early…

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Extremes or Necessary?

The whole world by now has seen or at least heard of Tesla’s introduction of the new semi and the fascinating ultra fast roadster ( https://twitter.com/twitter/statuses/932821392176726016) by Elon Musk. A semi with extended range, impressive pulling capability, and superb safety features. A roadster with a 0-60 acceleration under 2 seconds (!!) and a top speed over 250 mph.  Impressive to say the…

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Independence for the Elderly

Independence for the Elderly

I read an interesting article written by James Salmon dated November 5th, 2017 for the Daily Mail titled ‘Self-driving cars ‘will transform the lives of the elderly’: Transport Secretary says new vehicles will allow old people to retain their freedom’ (Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5052809/Self-driving-cars-set-transform-lives-elderly.html#ixzz4xltB6cpD )

The article hones in…