#Ford (F) is Winning the Electric Pickup Wars | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

newstfionline · 3 years

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Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Biden’s Infrastructure Push Spurs a Flurry of Lobbying in Congress (NYT) Members of Congress have begun a frenzy of lobbying to ensure that their pet projects and policy priorities are included in President Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure and jobs plan, eager to shape what could be one of the most substantial public works investments in a generation. Officials across the country are dusting off lists of construction projects and social programs, hoping to secure their piece of a plan aimed at addressing what the administration estimates is at least $1 trillion worth of backlogged infrastructure improvements, as well as economic and racial inequities that have existed for decades. “My phone is blowing up,” Pete Buttigieg, the transportation secretary, said in an interview. Nearly every lawmaker “can point to a road or a bridge or an airport” in his or her district that is in dire need of repair.

Truck seized over ‘munitions of war,’ 5 forgotten bullets (AP) Gerardo Serrano ticked off the border crossing agents by taking some photos on his phone. So they took his pickup truck and held onto it for more than two years. Only after Serrano filed a federal lawsuit did he get back his Ford F-250. Now he wants the Supreme Court to step in and require a prompt court hearing as a matter of constitutional fairness whenever federal officials take someone’s property under civil forfeiture law. The justices could consider his case when they meet privately on Friday. It’s a corner of the larger forfeiture issue, when federal, state or local officials take someone’s property, without ever having to prove that it has been used for illicit purposes. Since 2000, governments have acquired at least $68.8 billion in forfeited property, according to the Institute for Justice, a libertarian public interest law firm that represents Serrano and tracks seizures. The group says the number “drastically underestimates forfeiture’s true scope” because not all states provide data. Serrano’s troubles stemmed from some pictures he took along the way of a long trip from his home in Tyner, Kentucky, to visit relatives, including a dying aunt, in Zaragosa, Mexico. The photo-taking attracted the attention of U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in Eagle Pass, Texas. When Serrano refused to hand over the password to his phone, the agents went through the 2014 silver pickup truck in great detail. They justified its seizure by saying they found “munitions of war” inside—five forgotten bullets, though no gun. Told to park the truck, he said, he complained a bit before one agent reached into the pickup, opened the door, unfastened Serrano’s seat belt and yanked him out of the vehicle. “I got rights, I got constitutional rights and he snaps back at me, ‘You don’t have no rights here. I’m sick and tired of hearing about your rights.’ That took me aback,” Serrano said.

Should the U.S. boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in China? (Washington Post) As if there aren’t enough sources of Sino-U.S. friction already, an emerging new irritant may soon outpace the rest: the growing calls for a boycott of Beijing’s 2022 Winter Olympics. The games are still 10 months away. But it’s not too early for the event to turn into a flash point. Critics of China’s ruling Communist Party—including a coalition of more than 180 human rights organizations—argue that the regime’s record of human rights abuses and geopolitical malfeasance ought to deprive it of the right to burnish its image with a spectacle like the Olympics. “Beijing won the right to host the 2022 Olympics in 2015, the same year it cracked down on lawyers and activists across China,” Chinese human rights lawyer Teng Biao wrote earlier this year. “Since then, it has detained journalists; harassed and attacked activists and dissidents even outside China’s borders; shut down nongovernmental organizations; demolished Christian churches, Tibetan temples and Muslim mosques; persecuted, sometimes to death, believers in Falun Gong; and sharply increased its control of media, the Internet, universities and publishers.” An Olympic boycott has become a popular cause among Republicans. Major sporting events—and especially international spectacles like the Olympics—always bear a political dimension.

‘Huge’ explosion rocks St. Vincent as volcano keeps erupting (AP) La Soufriere volcano fired an enormous amount of ash and hot gas early Monday in the biggest explosive eruption yet since volcanic activity began on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent late last week, with officials worried about the lives of those who have refused to evacuate. Experts called it a “huge explosion” that generated pyroclastic flows down the volcano’s south and southwest flanks. “It’s destroying everything in its path,” Erouscilla Joseph, director of the University of the West Indies’ Seismic Research Center, told The Associated Press. “Anybody who would have not heeded the evacuation, they need to get out immediately.” The ongoing volcanic activity has threatened water and food supplies, with the government forced to drill for fresh water and distribute it via trucks. “We cannot put tarpaulin over a river,” said Garth Saunders, minister of the island’s water and sewer authority, referring to the impossibility of trying to protect current water sources from ongoing falling ash.

Colombia’s cartels target Europe (The Guardian) At 5 am on a chilly Tuesday morning last month, 1,600 police officers and balaclava-wearing special forces, bristling with arms and battering rams, were ordered into action around the Belgian port city of Antwerp. More than 200 addresses were raided in what was the largest police operation ever conducted in the country and potentially one of the most significant moves yet against the increasingly powerful narco-gangs of western Europe. An incredible 27 tonnes of cocaine have been seized on Antwerp’s quays, in container ships and safe houses, with an estimated value of €1.4bn (£1.2bn), and many arrests have been made. It has been hailed as a mighty blow against what Belgian federal prosecutor Frédéric Van Leeuw calls “a world where morality has totally disappeared”, but Operation Sky has also highlighted a chilling development. Europe has eclipsed the US as the Colombian cartels’ favoured market, because of higher prices and much lower risks posed by European governments in terms of interdiction, extradition and seizure of assets. Jeremy McDermott, a former British army officer who is now executive director of the thinktank InSight Crime, said a kilogram of cocaine in the US is worth up to $28,000 wholesale but that rises to $40,000 on average in Europe, and nearly $80,000 in some parts of Europe. “It is more money for less risk. I see a deliberate decision by some of the top-level Colombian traffickers, based on sources who sat in a series of meetings in 2005-6, where the business decisions were made,” McDermott said. “It is a business no-brainer.”

Conservative Ex-Banker Headed to Victory in Presidential Election in Ecuador (NYT) Guillermo Lasso, a 66-year-old conservative former banker, was set to win Ecuador’s presidential election and beat out Andrés Arauz, a 36-year-old leftist handpicked by former President Rafael Correa. With more than 94 percent of the votes counted after 10 p.m., Mr. Lasso had 52 percent compared with Mr. Arauz’s 47.32 percent, according to the Electoral Council official counting system in Ecuador. Mr. Arauz conceded defeat. The vote signaled a desire, at least among some, to shift right following years in which Mr. Correa has held sway over the country.

England reopens with pints pulled, shopping sprees and hair cuts (Reuters) People queued up outside retailers across England on Monday to release their pent-up shopping fever and some grabbed a midnight pint or even an early haircut as England’s shops, pubs, gyms and hairdressers reopened after three months of lockdown. After imposing the most onerous restrictions in Britain’s peacetime history, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the reopening was a “major step” towards freedom but urged people to behave responsibly as the coronavirus was still a threat. Getting people spending again is crucial for Britain’s recovery after official data showed that 2020 was the worst year for its economy in more than three centuries with a 9.8% decline in gross domestic product.

Tropical Cyclone Seroja flattens Australian town (Washington Post) A tropical cyclone battered Australia’s west coast Sunday night and into Monday, destroying homes and leaving thousands without electricity. Severe wind gusts of up to 105 miles per hour tore houses apart and sent debris flying all over Kalbarri, a coastal tourist town of 1,350 people in Western Australia. Authorities estimated some 70 percent of the town’s buildings were damaged. Drone footage from the scene showed dozens of homes with their roofs ripped off. Power lines were down and roads were littered with shards of metal and other debris. Cyclone Seroja made landfall as a category three storm at about 8 p.m. local time on Sunday between the towns of Kalbarri and Gregory. Cyclones of such intensity rarely travel this far south in Australia, and towns outside the cyclone belt are not usually built to withstand the devastating conditions.

Muslims navigate restrictions in the second pandemic Ramadan (AP) For Ramadan this year, Magdy Hafez has been longing to reclaim a cherished ritual: performing the nighttime group prayers called taraweeh at the mosque once again. Last year, the coronavirus upended the 68-year-old Egyptian’s routine of going to the mosque to perform those prayers, traditional during Islam’s holiest month. The pandemic had disrupted Islamic worship the world over, including in Egypt where mosques were closed to worshippers last Ramadan. Ramadan, which begins this week, comes as much of the world has been hit by an intense new coronavirus wave. For many Muslims navigating restrictions, that means hopes of a better Ramadan than last year have been dashed with the surge in infection rates though regulations vary in different countries. A time for fasting, worship and charity, Ramadan is also when people typically congregate for prayers, gather around festive meals to break their daylong fast, throng cafes and exchange visits. Once again, some countries are imposing new restrictions.

Iran blames Israel for sabotage at Natanz nuclear site (AP) Iran on Monday blamed Israel for a sabotage attack on its underground Natanz nuclear facility that damaged the centrifuges it uses to enrich uranium there, warning that it would take revenge for the assault. The comments by Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh represent the first official accusation leveled against Israel for the incident Sunday that cut power across the facility. Israel has not directly claimed responsibility for the attack. However, suspicion fell immediately on it as Israeli media widely reported that a devastating cyberattack orchestrated by Israel caused the blackout. If Israel was responsible, it would further heighten tensions between the two nations, already engaged in a shadow conflict across the wider Middle East. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who met Sunday with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, has vowed to do everything in his power to stop the nuclear deal. According to US intelligence officials, it could take more than nine months to resume enrichment in the nuclear facility.

Abductions and Torture Rattle Uganda (NYT) Armed men in white minivans without license plates picked up people off the streets or from their homes. Those snatched were taken to prisons, police stations and military barracks where they say they were hooded, drugged and beaten—some left to stand in cellars filled with water up to their chests. The fear is still so palpable in the capital, Kampala, that many others have gone into hiding or left the country. Three months after Uganda’s president, Yoweri Museveni, won a sixth five-year term in office in the most fiercely contested election in years, his government appears to be intent on breaking the back of the political opposition. His principal challenger, Bobi Wine, a magnetic musician-turned-lawmaker who galvanized youthful crowds of supporters, is now largely confined to his house in Kampala. Mr. Wine’s party said on Friday that 623 members, supporters and elected officials have been seized from the streets and arrested in recent weeks, many of them tortured.

Prince Philip’s mourners in the South Pacific (Foreign Policy) The death of Prince Philip, the husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, triggered mourning rituals across the country over the weekend. The mourning is not only reserved for the United Kingdom—on one of Vanuatu’s islands, Tanna, hundreds of members of a local tribe have long venerated Prince Philip as akin to a god, and are preparing to mourn his passing. Although it’s unclear how the Prince Philip Movement began, it is believed to have taken root in the 1970s—given life by the royal couple’s visit in 1974. Key to the movement is the belief that Prince Philip is one with the tribe, and fulfilled a prophecy of a tribesman who had found a powerful wife overseas and “would return some day, either in person or in spiritual form,” Kirk Huffman, an anthropologist, told the BBC.

#headlines #news

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thesevillereport · 3 years

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In Focus: EV Wars Update

It's been a busy couple of weeks in the EV space. We've had delivery reports, delivery date announcements,official test drives, factories bought and sold, as well as manufacturing rights bought and sold.

In my piece on the Rivian IPO a few weeks ago, I spoke on the electric vehicle wars heating up, and over the past few weeks, the moves made by some major players have turned the heat up even more. Here is of some news that occurred over the past several days involving some of the major players in the EV wars.

Tesla

Tesla ($TSLA) recently released its delivery numbers for Q3 2021. The company reported that it delivered 241,300 vehicles during the quarter, topping analyst estimates of 220,900. Deliveries in Q3 also topped Q2 2021 deliveries by 20%.

Tesla's Model 3 and Model Y accounted for close to 229,000 of the total deliveries for the quarter, and nearly 9,000 Model S and X vehicles were delivered during the quarter.

Lucid

Last week a lucky few got the chance to visit the Lucid Group ($LCID) plant in Arizona for a tour and test drive of the Lucid Air Dream. From everything I've read, the car is spacious, and has a luxurious fit and finish to it. The Range edition of the car offers 520 miles of range, which is more than any Tesla, and the Performance edition of the Air comes with 1,111 horsepower.

Lucid expects deliveries to start in October, but if you haven't already reserved your Lucid Air Dream, you'll have to wait a little longer. The Air Dream Edition has already sold out and Lucid has closed reservations.

Though I've talked about holding off on an investment in Lucid, what I've read about the car from people who have taken it for a test drive has made me rethink my original position. Specifically the part about the car's fit and finish. I've seen too many Tesla's with uneven spacing between the hood and fender, and a number of other build quality concerns. Elon's personality, and the cult that is Tesla owners has caused many people to overlook these issues, but for how long? If Lucid can keep its delivery date of October, I'll definitely have to revisit the stock.

Rivian

It's been a busy few weeks for Rivian. In September the company started deliveries of its R1T pickup truck. A feat that has been severely down played, likely because the company isn't a public company yet. Rivian was able to beat Tesla, Lordstown Motors ($RIDE), Ford ($F), and GM ($GM) to market with a functional electrical pickup truck. It's a kick to the gut of Ford and GM, whose F150 and Chevy Silverado, respectively, are among those companies' best selling vehicles.

Rivian won't be private for long. The company has filed its paperwork to go public, and it released its S1 last week. The company's filing has everything I expected. Big losses, big spends, big cash reserves, and big plans. The company lost over $1 billion in 2020, spent $1 billion in research and development over the last two years, has over $3 billion in cash, and has plans to sell vehicles in the U.S. and Canada, and then expand to Western Europe and then Asia.

Foxconn and Fisker and Lordstown Motors

Earlier in the year Fisker ($FSR) completed a manufacturing deal with iPhone manufacturer Foxconn (2354.TW). The deal would allow Foxconn to manufacture a car for Fisker. Last year, Foxconn stated it wanted to be the Android of electric vehicles by creating a platform to help automobile companies make electric vehicles.

For months, the question has been where will Foxconn manufacture Fisker's vehicle, and this week we got our answer. Lordstown, Ohio is where Foxconn will manufacture vehicles. Foxconn purchased the Lordstown Motors manufacturing facility for $230 million.

Does that mean Lordstown Motors is done? Not really. Foxconn, purchased the building, made an equity investment inLordstown Motors, and also secured the right to manufacture Lordstown's electric pickup truck, the Endurance.

As for Fisker, Project PEAR (Personal Electric Automotive Revolution) is expected to start production in 2023. Fisker's SUV, Ocean, will be manufactured in Europe by manufacturer Magna Steyr. The production of the Ocean is scheduled to begin in late 2022.

Winners and Losers

In this update of the EV wars, I would call Tesla, Lucid, Rivian, and Lordstown winners and Foxconn the big winner.

Tesla's deliveries in Q3 show that people are still all in on the Tesla brand. Tesla continues to lead the EV charge and build upon its lead in the EV space.

The Lucid test-drive reviews have been good so far, a spacious car with a luxury fit and finish. I keep harping on the fit and finish, and it's because I've seen enough Teslas with a terrible fit and finish. Lucid could be the competitor to Tesla That the markets have been waiting/hoping for.

Rivian, they did it, they produced and delivered an electric pickup truck before Tesla, Lordstown Motors, Nikola ($NKLA) (who scraped their pickup truck plans), GM, and Ford. As I alluded to earlier, the Ford F150 is the top selling vehicle in the U.S. followed by the Chevy Silverado, why Ford and GM didn't make producing an electric version of these trucks a priority will always confuse me. Rivian has set itself up nicely to take some of Ford and Chevy's share of the pickup truck market.

Lordstown is another company that won this week. Since May of this year the company has been open about its cash problems and delays, especially after word got out that it wasn't close to producing the truck it promised, and it appears the expected delivery date for the Endurance is being pushed back again. In August the company's plans were to start production of the Endurance in September of this year and begin deliveries in Q1 2022, now it appears deliveries won't take place until mid to late 2022. The $230 million received for the plant and the $50 million equity investment from Foxconn should go a long way in helping to stabilize Lordstown. The company has had a tough go of it alone, this partnership with Foxconn could be what the company needs to get it back on track.

Foxconn is the big winner in this round of EV news and updates. Securing the rights to manufacture vehicles for Fisker and Lordstown, while also picking up a factory that Lordstown has already spent big money outfitting to produce electric vehicles is a very nice win. Foxconn also has a deal in place with Chinese automaker Geely to manufacture its vehicles.The company's plan of becoming the Android of electric vehicles is starting to take shape.

In this round Fisker wasn't a winner, but I wouldn't call it a loser either. The production date for the Ocean is just too far out to put it in the mix.

The losers in this round are Ford and GM for the reasons I've stated above. Ford's electric F150 is expected in spring 2022, but I have very little faith in that delivery date. The electric Chevy Silverado isn't expected until 2023.

The EV wars are heating up and getting more exciting by the week.

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orbemnews · 3 years

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Three Electric S.U.V.s With Tesla in Their Sights An electric trickle is turning into a flood: As many as 100 new E.V. models are coming to showrooms by 2025. Heavyweights including Volkswagen, General Motors and Ford are floating promises of all-electric lineups within a decade. The end times of gasoline can almost seem a fait accompli, except for one pesky issue: Even given Tesla’s strides, we’re still waiting for the first genuine E.V. sales hit, let alone a mass exodus from unleaded. In 2014, Nissan sold a mere 30,200 Leafs, and that’s still the American record for any non-Tesla model. Ford routinely sells more than 800,000 F-Series pickups. A single gasoline sport utility vehicle, the Toyota RAV4, finds well over 400,000 annual buyers, compared with roughly 250,000 sales last year for all E.V.s combined — 200,000 of which were Teslas. Automakers insist we’re “this close” to a tipping point. E.V. market share is expected to grow to as much as 50 percent by 2032, from just 1.7 percent last year, said Scott Keogh, president and chief executive of Volkswagen of America. While Tesla captured 80 percent of the U.S. market for electric vehicles in 2020, VW and other global giants — with war chests built on internal-combustion engines and unmatched scale and manufacturing know-how — are well positioned to take a piece of Tesla’s pie. “There’s never been a competitive consumer product that sits at 80 percent market share” for long, Mr. Keogh said. Globally, Volkswagen is poised to pass Tesla as the world’s biggest electric vehicle seller as early as next year, according to Deutsche Bank, with Europe and China its key markets. In America, where the brand remains an underdog, VW and other legacy automakers are concentrating fire on the sales fortress of compact S.U.V.s: Models like the RAV4, which deliver roughly four million annual segment sales. The idea, as ever, is to drive down prices and charging times of E.V.s, while bolstering driving range, until consumers see no reason to stick with polluting gasoline models whose energy-and-operating costs exceed the plug-in alternatives. Like the Rolling Stones pushing the Beatles, Mr. Keogh said, healthy competition will ultimately benefit all E.V. fans and creators. And when consumers sees E.V.s proliferate in their neighbors’ driveways, and take their first test drive, there will be no going back. “When you drive one, you’re driving the future, and that’s what people are going to want, no debate,” Mr. Keogh said. The latest electric-S.U.V. hopefuls to reach showrooms are the VW ID.4, Ford Mustang Mach-E and Volvo XC40 Recharge. The Nissan Ariya, BMW iX and Cadillac Lyriq are set to arrive between late 2021 and next March. I drove the VW, Ford and Volvo to see which might knock Tesla’s Model Y S.U.V. down a peg — or at least outsell the 2014 Leaf. Ford Mustang Mach-E Ford has branded its fabled Mustang name on an electric S.U.V., inflaming some boomers in the process. But the Mach-E seems the most straight-up rival yet to Tesla’s Model Y, in not only price and performance but also the Ford’s maximum 300-mile driving range. Consumers have noticed: Ford sold 3,729 Mach-Es in February, the first full month of sales, almost single-handedly chopping Tesla’s dominant E.V. share to 69 percent, from 80 percent. If Ford could maintain that pace for a full year, the Mach-E would easily set a sales record for an E.V. not built by Tesla. Tesla’s 326-mile Model Y Long Range still squeezes a few more miles from each onboard kilowatt-hour, owing to the carmaker’s expertise in aerodynamics, motor and battery efficiency, and to “simple” stuff that’s anything but: Its 4,416-pound curb weight undercuts the Ford by about 400 pounds. And Tesla rules the public charging space, with its Supercharger network that has rivals — now with a potential infrastructure lift from the Biden administration — racing to catch up. The Ford fires back with a sculpted exterior versus the dad-bod Model Y, a tech-savvy interior with superior materials and craftsmanship, and winning performance of its own. With 346 horsepower from dual motors, the Mach-E Premium A.W.D. that I drove shot to 60 miles an hour in 4.8 seconds. Even the new Shelby GT500 — history’s mightiest Mustang, with 760 horsepower — won’t equal the 3.5-second 0-to-60 m.p.h. blast of this summer’s Mach-E GT Performance version. The Shelby would shame the Mach-E or Tesla on any winding road, of course. Yet the Mach-E is reasonably fun through the curvy stuff, and glides with addictive thrust and confidence. A cinema-scale, 15.5-inch touch screen sneaks past the Tesla’s 15-inch unit. Like other E.V.s, the Ford broadcasts its presence below 20 m.p.h., a throat-clearing hum to alert pedestrians. Inside, in its driver-selectable “Whisper” mode, the Ford would please the most persnickety librarian. Dial up “Unbridled” mode and the Mach-E trades glorious silence for an overwrought, faux-engine sound: Think a V-8, remixed by Kraftwerk. The soundtrack is apparently for people who need to be weaned off gasoline’s combustive beat, but it can be shut off with a screen switch. E.V. shoppers can whistle over the Ford’s price, as little as $36,495, or $48,300 for the extended-range A.W.D. model. Those prices include a $7,500 federal tax credit that’s denied to buyers of Tesla (or General Motors) E.V.s, because those automakers have sold too many to qualify. So despite Tesla’s major, defensive price cuts for 2021, the most-affordable, 230-mile-range Mach-E undercuts Tesla’s 244-mile Standard Range by $6,700. A Mach-E Premium A.W.D. saves $2,900 versus a Model Y Long Range. In a surprisingly taut, compelling matchup with the Tesla, credit the government for what may be the Ford’s most alluring advantage: a $7,500 discount. Volkswagen ID.4 No, Volkswagen is not changing its name to Voltswagen, as the company briefly convinced some media and car fans in a marketing stunt gone bad. Regarding historic names, VW calls the ID.4 its most significant model since the original Beetle. But where the Beetle was a revolutionary leader, the ID.4 feels like a follower. Based on my drive, the VW can easily top its 250-mile range rating, with 275 miles within reach. A rear-drive, 201-horsepower model rolls to 60 m.p.h. in 7.6 seconds. That’s on a par with gasoline sport utilities like the Honda CR-V, but pokey by E.V. standards. Dual-motor, all-wheel-drive models arrive later this year, promising 60 m.p.h. in under six seconds. From a company famed for fun-to-drive German cars, the ID.4’s generic performance and styling are letdowns. Its infotainment system is even more disappointing: The clunky, vexing touch screen can’t touch the onscreen wizardry of the Ford, Volvo or Tesla. The VW’s snappiest performance came during a fast-charging session at a Target in New Jersey, replenishing its 77 kilowatt-hour battery from 20 to 80 percent in an impressive 31 minutes. That growing network of Electrify America chargers is funded by VW’s $2 billion, court-ordered penance for its diesel emissions scandal. And VW is offering indulgences to ID.4 buyers, with three years of free public charging. Thrifty virtues include a $41,190 base price, or $33,690 after the $7,500 federal tax break. That’s $2,800 less than the most-affordable Mach-E. It’s also less money, after credits, than a smaller Chevrolet Bolt. The more powerful ID.4 with all-wheel drive will start at $37,370, postcredit. Still, as Tesla’s triumph and Chevy’s lukewarm Bolt have proved, there’s more to electric success than an attractive price. VW is aggressively investing $80 billion to develop E.V.s, but the ID.4 feels less like a market splash and more like a toe in the water. We’ll see if VW erred by not kicking off with a recognizable design that truly connects its nostalgic, weed-hazed past to today’s green virtues: the electric ID.Buzz Microbus, due in 2023. Volvo XC40 Recharge Volvo seems such a natural fit for E.V.s. And the progressive-minded brand brings us the XC40 Recharge, an electrified take on its gasoline XC40. The Recharge is like that perfect dining table in a shelter magazine: You’re not sure why it costs so much, but you want it anyway. The Recharge’s wedgy Scandinavian styling tops every S.U.V. in this group, as does its lovely interior. That includes soft Nappa leather, versus the ascetic “vegan” materials of many E.V.s. The drive is similarly breezy, with 402 horses and a quicksilver, 4.7-second flight to 60 m.p.h. The biggest tech talking point may be Android Automotive OS: The Recharge (and Volvo’s electric Polestar 2) introduces a cloud-based Google operating system that works like a dream, with Google Maps, search, an ultra-capable voice assistant and more. (Don’t confuse this with the ubiquitous Android Auto, which simply mirrors phone apps on a car’s screen.) Several major automakers, including G.M. and Ford, plan to make Android Automotive the nerve centers of coming cars. If only the Volvo itself were as efficient. The Recharge is an electron guzzler, with a 208-mile range that seems optimistic in real-world use. I drove the Recharge in frigid New York weather, which explained some but not all of its hunger for power: No matter how I babied the throttle, the Volvo stayed on a pace for 190 miles, at best, covering about 2.4 miles for each kilowatt-hour in the batteries. I can achieve 3.6 miles per kilowatt-hour with little effort in the Tesla Model Y and above 3.2 in the Ford. Environmental Protection Agency numbers bear that out: Despite having virtually the same-size battery, the Tesla brings 326 miles of maximum range, 118 more than the Volvo. The Recharge is also expensive for its intimate size: $54,985 to start, and nearly $60,000 for the model I drove. That $7,500 federal tax break softens the blow. Yet if the Volvo indulges bourgeois buyers, they’ll also need to indulge its profligate ways. Source link Orbem News #Electric #Sights #SUVs #Tesla

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onlineindus1 · 4 years

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New York: 23, November, 2019: Tesla Inc’s launch of its futuristic Cybertruck pickup suffered a setback when its “armoured glass” windows shattered but it was the overall look of the car that worried Wall Street, sending the company’s shares down more than 6%.

In the much-anticipated unveiling to cheering fans late on Thursday, Tesla boss Elon Musk had taken aim at the design, power and durability of mainstream trucks, only to be shaken when his boast about his new vehicle’s windows backfired.

“Oh my fucking God, well, maybe that was a little too hard,” Musk said, when his head of design, Franz von Holzhausen, cracked the driver’s side window with a metal ball in a series of pre-planned tests for the crowd.

He allowed von Holzhausen another throw to the rear passenger window, only to see that crack as well.

“It didn’t go through, so that’s a plus side,” Musk said, adding: “Room for improvement”.

The truck is the first foray by Tesla, whose Model 3 sedan is the world’s top-selling battery electric car, into pickup trucks, America’s most popular vehicles and a potentially huge new market as it strives to generate sustainable profits.

Musk singled out Ford’s top-selling F-150 for comparison to highlight the capabilities of the Cybertruck, showing an edited video of the two vehicles in a back-to-back “tug-of-war” in which the Tesla truck wins.

Some Wall Street analysts praised the launch on Friday but others doubted the futuristic design’s mass appeal and shares in the electric car-maker were last down 6.5% at $331.98.

Ford shares rose around 1%. “Musk has been enthusiastic about his Blade Runner inspired design for months, but we were still surprised how futuristic he went with this one and believe it may shatter his dreams,” Cowen analysts wrote in a note.

“While we are pleased to see Tesla enter the most profitable segment of the North American passenger car market, we do not see this vehicle in its current form being a success.”

“UGLY”

Critics online also made fun of the space-craft style look.

“I wish Elon Musk hadn’t blocked me on Twitter after I said his Mars colonization idea was dumb, so I could tell him how ugly his new #Cybertruck is,” author @MarkDice, who has 1.5 million YouTube followers, tweeted.

“Just make a normal truck,” added another user. With a starting price of $39,900, the Cybertruck takes aim at the heart of Detroit automakers’ profits, while drawing familiar support from Tesla watchers online.

“Yes, it looks like a retro version of the future. It’s supposed to.

The incredibly simple body lines will lead to incredibly simple manufacturing, while keeping the focus on its performance,” said @AElchamaa “Electric powertrains are not cheap, but this truck is giving you a lot of it for its money.”

To show off the robust design of the new pickup, Musk asked von Holzhausen to take a sledgehammer to the side of the vehicle, whose exterior will be made from the same stainless steel used in the Starship rocket developed by Musk’s SpaceX aerospace company.

The crowd cheered when the hammer bounced off the surface without leaving a mark.

But the supposedly tough windows shattered with just one hit.

“Never demonstrate something in a live audience, that you haven’t tried repeatedly backstage,” wrote another Twitter user. 002

#OnlineindusPakistan English newsPakistan Breaking newsPakistan Latest newsPakistan Update news World newsToday World newsToday Pakistan news

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savetopnow · 6 years

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2018-04-05 23 CAR now

CAR

Auto Spies

Next Gen FT-86/BRZ Should Have New More Powerful Engine

If The New Jeep Scrambler Looks Like THIS Would You Trade In That F-150 In The Driveway?

Fisker Wants To Take On The Model S With A $40,000 EV Of Their Own

Alfa Romeo To SPANK The Germans With 641HP Giulia Quadrifoglio Coupe

Jaguar Land Rover Considering US Assembly Plant

Autoblog

Alfa Romeo reportedly developing a Giulia-based coupe

Motorcyclist rides underside of SUV out of T-bone crash

As it did with Ferrari, Fiat Chrysler spinning off Magneti Marelli

German carmakers caught in crossfire of U.S.-China trade tensions

Biggest losers among automakers if trade war really happens

Car Throttle

BMW Has Started A $3700/Month Subscription Service In Nashville

TVR Is Finally Back In Motorsport, And With An LMP1 Racer

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Watch This Semi Trailer Full Of Corn Slam Into A Highway Overpass

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Tesla accelerates hiring effort at Gigafactory 2 as more solar roof installations emerge

Tesla registers a record 4,793 new Model 3 VINs after ramping up production

A look inside Tesla’s new ‘Urban Supercharger’

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New drone flyover of Tesla’s massive Fremont factory

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Car And Driver Posts Tesla Model 3 Instrumented Test

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Trump's Trade War Is Going To Screw Over All Of Our Cars

Student Driver Crashes Through DMV Window Which May Affect Driving Test Score

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Add Discounted PowerBlock Adjustable Weights To Your Home Gym, Today Only

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2018 Lincoln Navigator First Test: Mojo Retrieved

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The Jeremy Clarkson Review: 2018 Kia Stinger GT S

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Car sales drop 16 per cent amid diesel confusion and continued uncertainty over Brexit

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BMW's new subscription program will let drivers swap between vehicles for flat monthly fee

2018 Lexus RX

Report: Chevy Sonic, Ford Taurus and Fiesta days numbered in US

Passenger-side safety concerns, Jaguar I-Pace driven, Tesla Model 3 production: What’s New @ The Car Connection

Self-driving "drone" cars should be on California roads, except that they're not

The CarGurus Blog

Recap: Here’s What We Saw at the New York Auto Show

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#car

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jeffrey2garner · 5 years

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The Startup Electric Truck Wars Start at LA Auto Show

It seems that when it comes to EVs, electric trucks are the last frontier. While Ford and Chevrolet have introduced one-off models or prototypes of electric pickups, a few newer automakers have beaten them to the punch with production-ready—or near-ready—models. We take a closer look at the entrants in the startup truck wars.

The Electric Truck Contenders

Three startup automakers are looking to win the hearts and wallets of consumers: Bollinger Motors, a Detroit-based company showing its B2; Rivian, which created a buzz last year with a prototype of its R1T; and Tesla, which will debut its Cybertruck on November 21.

Bollinger Motors

Bollinger’s B2 is likely to be the most exclusive of the bunch. Only 1,500 will be made in the first year with a price tag of $125,000. It’s got an all-aluminum body and electric powertrain that can deliver 614 horsepower and 668 pound-feet of torque. Bollinger says this engine can tow 7,500 pounds and has a payload of 5,000 pounds—but several outlets have noted that its primary use will be for off-roading, so its speed is capped at 100 mph and range is limited to 200 miles.

One cool feature is a pass-through that extends from the front grille through the cabin into the bed. But look inside and you’ll notice it lacks an infotainment system, which many shoppers have come to expect in new cars.

Rivian

The R1T, with its rounded corners, elongated headlights, and futuristic tech, is a stylistic polar opposite of the B2. Rivian says the R1T will be able to make 754 horsepower and travel 400 miles. Its storage cubby—found behind the cabin—is best for snowboards or skis. Inside, it features a digital dashboard behind the steering wheel and a large, horizontal infotainment screen.

The R1T is set to go on sale in 2021. Its starting price will be just over half the price of a B2, at $69,000.

Tesla

Details are sparse right now about Tesla’s electric truck. Musk has said the truck will have 400-500 miles of range, can seat six, and will start at $49,000. If Tesla is able to accomplish this, the Cybertruck will be the most affordable option for an electric pickup.

These startups face big challenges in getting their vehicles in front of consumers: Tesla has previously had problems sticking with deadlines, and neither Bollinger nor Rivian have established dealer networks.

Established Automakers Make EV Truck Plans

It’s not just startups that are developing electric trucks. Earlier this year, Ford debuted an all-electric pickup that can tow 1,000,000 pounds. While the automaker admits the production version of this vehicle won’t have that capability, it showcases how Ford is thinking about electric trucks. We could see an electric version of the F-150 as soon as 2021.

And recently at SEMA, Chevrolet introduced the all-electric E-10. The company’s press release suggests it can make 450 horsepower. And unlike the newcomers, the E-10 uses the entire bed for the truck’s battery. It also offers a 0-60 mph time of 5 seconds. However, it’s worth noting that we may never see a production-ready model of this vehicle.

For more news from the LA Auto Show, check out these articles:

2019 LA Auto Show: Six Star Cars

More Shoppers Consider Owning EVs, CarGurus Survey Finds

CarGurus’ Top LA Auto Show Cars for Every Lifestyle

The post The Startup Electric Truck Wars Start at LA Auto Show appeared first on The CarGurus Blog.

from The CarGurus Blog https://blog.cargurus.com/2019/11/21/the-startup-electric-truck-wars-start-at-la-auto-show via Car Gurus from Blogger http://jeffrey2garner.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-startup-electric-truck-wars-start.html via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Blogger

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preciousmetals0 · 5 years

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Aurora-Coke Rumors: All Smoke and No Toke

Aurora-Coke Rumors: All Smoke and No Toke:

Share a Coke With Aurora Cannabis?

Are you well rested from the holiday break?

I hope so, because I have a doozy of a conspiracy theory in the cannabis sector for you today. It involves the most widely held stock on Robinhood and the world’s largest soft drink maker.

Before we get to the speculation, let’s start with the facts.

On Monday, Aurora Cannabis Inc. (NYSE: ACB) announced that Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Cam Battley was leaving the company. Battley was considered the face of Aurora, so his leaving hit investor sentiment hard.

What’s more, analysts at Jefferies downgraded Aurora to hold from buy on the news. “It is clear to us that the market is lacking conviction in Aurora, and this update will do little to help that,” the ratings firm said in a note to clients.

ACB plunged 8% on Monday as a result.

Now for the speculation. A gentleman by the name of “Gabor the Blind Guy” posted a video to YouTube earlier this week where he tries to open a new childproof lid his father designed for Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO). According to Gabor, this childproof lid is for a new cannabidiol (CBD) drink that Coke is releasing in Canada.

Coke childproof lids? Coke CBD drinks?

There’s nothing in the news about any of this … save for one article over at TheCannabisStock.com.

Anyone else remember the last company Coke was talking with to produce CBD drinks?

That’s right: Aurora Cannabis.

The Takeaway:

Don’t go looking on YouTube for the video — it’s gone.

In fact, Gabor’s entire YouTube account is gone. So are his Facebook and Twitter accounts. I’m thinking someone accidentally broke a nondisclosure agreement here. Oops.

But this is the digital information age. Nothing is ever truly gone. In fact, you can find a mirror of the video here (while it lasts).

Now, I don’t need to tell you that Aurora could really use a boost … and a deal with Coke would be a major coup for the cannabis company. Aurora just rolled out its Cannabis 2.0 products in Canada, including a long list of edibles, vapes and drinks. A Coke-backed Cannabis 2.0 drink could send ACB to the moon.

What’s more, what if CCO Battley only moved out of Aurora (and into an Aurora subsidiary) to make way for a Coke representative ahead of a CBD drink deal?

The possibilities are tantalizing, aren’t they?

For an expert’s take on the situation, I reached out to Banyan Hill’s resident pot stocks guru, Anthony Planas. Here’s what he had to say:

I saw it on Reddit. I think it’s BS.

Clearly not the take we anticipated, but it’s a stark reminder that any potential tie-up between Aurora and Coke is purely speculation at this point.

Thank you, Anthony, for bringing us all back to earth on this one.

As it turns out, Anthony was right. Just before Great Stuff hit the presses, Coke issued a statement: “As we have stated many times, we have no plans to enter the CBD market.” Bummer.

Remember, the cannabis sector is quite volatile right at the moment. You need an expert to help guide you through the rumors and speculation. To that end, Anthony and Real Wealth Strategist editor Matt Badiali have come up with five pot stocks you “must own” right now … before more states legalize.

Click here to find out more!

Good: Tesla Smokes $420

It was bound to happen … and when it did, CEO Elon Musk was just itching to make a joke.

On Monday, Tesla Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA) hit $420 per share. The milestone prompted Musk to tweet out: “Whoa … the stock is so high lol.”

All jokes aside, Tesla is smoking right now. The shares are up a whopping 1,600% since their initial public offering, with optimism over the new Chinese Gigafactory driving bullish sentiment right through that burning Walmart roof.

Analysts are even jumping on board, albeit reluctantly. Today, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives lifted his price target on TSLA to $370 from $270, citing strong demand for the Model 3. While Ives gave a nod to “massive short covering” for Tesla’s recent resurgence, he also pointed out “underlying fundamental improvement” at the company. After all, Tesla turned a surprise profit last quarter.

But the short squeeze story can’t be ignored. Tesla shorts have … well … lost their shorts by betting against the company. And there’s more to come. ShortSqueeze.com reports that 27.5 million TSLA shares remain sold short after a 4% decline in the latest reporting period.

Those remaining 27.5 million shares still account for about 20.5% of Tesla’s total float (or shares available for public trading). With TSLA still climbing, how much longer can these remaining bears hold out before they’re forced to buy as well?

Better: Riveting Competition

When Tesla unveiled its new Cybertruck, the internet had a field day making fun of the “truck’s” odd design features. Not since the Pontiac Aztek have we seen a vehicle so, well … ugly.

With so few true competitors, it looked like energy-conscious truck enthusiasts (yes, they do exist) were stuck driving a truck designed by a six-year-old. That is, until Rivian secured a massive amount of funding.

Rivian is an electric vehicle startup that’s drawn considerable interest from backers as of late, especially after Tesla’s Cybertruck made its debut. Rivian’s trucks and SUVs look more like traditional vehicles than anything Tesla makes, providing a level of confidence to key backers.

So much so that the company announced it raked in $1.3 billion in funding in its latest investment drive — its largest to date. Big names are lining up behind Rivian, including Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) and Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN).

Rivian is expected to start delivering trucks and SUVs next year. Are we witnessing the emergence of a true competitor in the electric vehicle market?

Best: Breaking Records

I honestly don’t know why more people don’t shop online during the holiday season … or at any point during the year, for that matter. It’s like y’all didn’t get the memo: You don’t have to fight hordes of people to buy things anymore.

This year, online shopping saw more converts than ever. According to data from Mastercard, e-commerce sales surged to a record high, rising 18.8% from 2018 to account for 14.6% of total retail sales in the U.S.

Naturally, the big winner here is Amazon. The e-commerce giant said this past holiday shopping season was “record-breaking.” The company reported 5 million new Prime subscriptions (free trial and paid). What’s more, traffic at Amazon pickup points was up 60% year over year.

Here’s the surprising thing: Amazon stock is actually down more than 6% in the past six months. The shares lag the S&P 500 Index by about 8% for the past 12 months.

So, what gives? Amazon’s spending spree, that’s what. After the company posted its first profit drop in two years back in October, investors have been reluctant to push AMZN higher.

That’s a mistake. Amazon has proven time and time again that it knows how to invest in itself. This latest spending round was on one-day shipping and content for Prime TV. These investments will pay for themselves. We’ll see proof of that in Amazon’s holiday quarter earnings report.

Before I sign off and try to steal another Hawaiian roll — the King’s Hawaiian ones are OK, but homemade rolls help me feast like an emperor — it’s time for a helping of Reader Feedback.

But Great Stuff, you didn’t even ask us for any feedback this week!

No, but “readers gonna read” … and write in.

And I’m grateful for all the feedback and comments you send in.

This week, y’all got personal with the questions. The holidays bring out all kinds of folks. (Especially out on the roads by me … jeez, how many of you really went last-minute with the shopping?)

So, I thought it’d be a wholesome, festive Kodak moment to respond to some of your questions about the great stuff behind Great Stuff.

Brian E. asked:

When and why did you get into trading? I’m trying to convince my son to turn off Counter-Strike and start investing. Any advice?

Well, Brian, at least it’s Counter-Strike and not Fortnite. I don’t have the … umm … poetic license here at Great Stuff to tell you how I truly feel about Fortnite.

As a lifelong video game fan, I initially saw trading as yet another type of “game” to master. It was a challenge. With the right knowledge, I too could win this game played by billionaires.

Yes, I was young and naïve, but I never shrank from that challenge. To this day, I continue to search for that edge — that “cheat code,” if you will — that will help me (and now you) make it big.

Gwenn M. wanted to know:

Your movie references are all over the place (in the best way)! Any one favorite?

As you know, Gwenn, I have an affinity for ’80s movies — everything from Top Gun and E.T. to Indiana Jones and anything made by the great John Hughes. I also have a big weak spot for Monty Python and dry British humor.

But my real favorite, the pièce de résistance, is Star Wars. The Empire Strikes Back was the first movie I ever saw in a theater. It was a masterpiece. So, for better or for worse, Great Stuff readers get more Star Wars memes than any other.

I have spoken.

Short and sweet, Suze said:

Do you have a quote you live by?

Suze, there are, in fact, three quotes that I live by … one for investing in the market and two for life.

For the market, I live by the words of John Maynard Keynes: “Markets can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent.”

For life, my favorite is by Robin William’s character, John Keating, in Dead Poets Society: “But only in their dreams can men be truly free. ‘Twas always thus, and always thus will be.”

But equally important is one my grandfather told me jokingly decades ago: “Don’t sweat the petty things, and don’t pet the sweaty things.”

I don’t think you can go wrong with any of those quotes.

And on that note, you can look forward to more meme-fueled festivities tomorrow.

Until next time, good trading!

Regards,

Joseph Hargett

Great Stuff Managing Editor, Banyan Hill Publishing

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goldira01 · 5 years

Link

Share a Coke With Aurora Cannabis?

Are you well rested from the holiday break?

I hope so, because I have a doozy of a conspiracy theory in the cannabis sector for you today. It involves the most widely held stock on Robinhood and the world’s largest soft drink maker.

Before we get to the speculation, let’s start with the facts.

ACB plunged 8% on Monday as a result.

Coke childproof lids? Coke CBD drinks?

There’s nothing in the news about any of this … save for one article over at TheCannabisStock.com.

Anyone else remember the last company Coke was talking with to produce CBD drinks?

That’s right: Aurora Cannabis.

The Takeaway:

Don’t go looking on YouTube for the video — it’s gone.

In fact, Gabor’s entire YouTube account is gone. So are his Facebook and Twitter accounts. I’m thinking someone accidentally broke a nondisclosure agreement here. Oops.

But this is the digital information age. Nothing is ever truly gone. In fact, you can find a mirror of the video here (while it lasts).

What’s more, what if CCO Battley only moved out of Aurora (and into an Aurora subsidiary) to make way for a Coke representative ahead of a CBD drink deal?

The possibilities are tantalizing, aren’t they?

For an expert’s take on the situation, I reached out to Banyan Hill’s resident pot stocks guru, Anthony Planas. Here’s what he had to say:

I saw it on Reddit. I think it’s BS.

Clearly not the take we anticipated, but it’s a stark reminder that any potential tie-up between Aurora and Coke is purely speculation at this point.

Thank you, Anthony, for bringing us all back to earth on this one.

As it turns out, Anthony was right. Just before Great Stuff hit the presses, Coke issued a statement: “As we have stated many times, we have no plans to enter the CBD market.” Bummer.

Click here to find out more!

Good: Tesla Smokes $420

It was bound to happen … and when it did, CEO Elon Musk was just itching to make a joke.

On Monday, Tesla Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA) hit $420 per share. The milestone prompted Musk to tweet out: “Whoa … the stock is so high lol.”

Better: Riveting Competition

When Tesla unveiled its new Cybertruck, the internet had a field day making fun of the “truck’s” odd design features. Not since the Pontiac Aztek have we seen a vehicle so, well … ugly.

Rivian is expected to start delivering trucks and SUVs next year. Are we witnessing the emergence of a true competitor in the electric vehicle market?

Best: Breaking Records

Here’s the surprising thing: Amazon stock is actually down more than 6% in the past six months. The shares lag the S&P 500 Index by about 8% for the past 12 months.

So, what gives? Amazon’s spending spree, that’s what. After the company posted its first profit drop in two years back in October, investors have been reluctant to push AMZN higher.

Before I sign off and try to steal another Hawaiian roll — the King’s Hawaiian ones are OK, but homemade rolls help me feast like an emperor — it’s time for a helping of Reader Feedback.

But Great Stuff, you didn’t even ask us for any feedback this week!

No, but “readers gonna read” … and write in.

And I’m grateful for all the feedback and comments you send in.

This week, y’all got personal with the questions. The holidays bring out all kinds of folks. (Especially out on the roads by me … jeez, how many of you really went last-minute with the shopping?)

So, I thought it’d be a wholesome, festive Kodak moment to respond to some of your questions about the great stuff behind Great Stuff.

Brian E. asked:

When and why did you get into trading? I’m trying to convince my son to turn off Counter-Strike and start investing. Any advice?

Well, Brian, at least it’s Counter-Strike and not Fortnite. I don’t have the … umm … poetic license here at Great Stuff to tell you how I truly feel about Fortnite.

As a lifelong video game fan, I initially saw trading as yet another type of “game” to master. It was a challenge. With the right knowledge, I too could win this game played by billionaires.

Gwenn M. wanted to know:

Your movie references are all over the place (in the best way)! Any one favorite?

I have spoken.

Short and sweet, Suze said:

Do you have a quote you live by?

Suze, there are, in fact, three quotes that I live by … one for investing in the market and two for life.

For the market, I live by the words of John Maynard Keynes: “Markets can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent.”

For life, my favorite is by Robin William’s character, John Keating, in Dead Poets Society: “But only in their dreams can men be truly free. ‘Twas always thus, and always thus will be.”

But equally important is one my grandfather told me jokingly decades ago: “Don’t sweat the petty things, and don’t pet the sweaty things.”

I don’t think you can go wrong with any of those quotes.

And on that note, you can look forward to more meme-fueled festivities tomorrow.

Until next time, good trading!

Regards,

Joseph Hargett

Great Stuff Managing Editor, Banyan Hill Publishing

#Timor Invest

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knowinng · 5 years

Text

Elon Musk tells Ford 'bring it on' in Cybertruck vs. F-150 challenge

When Elon Musk unveiled Tesla's much anticipated Cybertruck Thursday, he showed a video of the all-electric truck winning a tug-of-war against a Ford F-150 in spectacular fashion. As Ford's bestselling pickup was dragged backwards, its wheels spinning, Musk pointed out that the Cybertruck was pulling the Ford uphill. from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8204427 https://ift.tt/2OmvCQV via IFTTT

#IFTTT #RSSMix.com Mix ID 8204427

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ittroubleshooters · 5 years

Text

Elon Musk tells Ford VP 'bring it on' in F-150 vs. Cybertruck battle

Elon Musk tells Ford VP ‘bring it on’ in F-150 vs. Cybertruck battle

When Elon Musk unveiled Tesla’s much anticipated Cybertruck Thursday, he showed a video of the all-electric truck winning a tug-of-war against a Ford F-150 in spectacular fashion. As Ford’s bestselling pickup was dragged backwards, its wheels spinning, Musk pointed out that the Cybertruck was pulling the Ford uphill.

Musk tweeted out that same video Monday and a Ford executive responded by…

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#Cybertruck battle #Elon Musk #Ford

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dizzedcom · 5 years

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Tesla's Cybertruck vs. Ford's F-150: Bring it on

Tesla’s Cybertruck vs. Ford’s F-150: Bring it on

View On WordPress

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ramialkarmi · 6 years

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Ford, GM, and FCA put their faith in Trump and now they are trapped in a political fight they can't win (F, GM, FCAU)

Detroit automakers thought they had crafted a sweet deal with Donald Trump.

But GM, Ford, and FCA didn't count on Trump making fuel-economy regulations into a battle against California.

California is the biggest car market in the country, with $2 million in annual sales.

Shortly after Donald Trump was elected President, the Detroit big three automakers — General Motors, Ford, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles — saw an opportunity.

Under the Obama administration, fuel economy standards for automakers' fleets were set to rise to 50 mpg, which would have crimped Detroit's desire to sell highly profitable pickup trucks and SUVs, compelling them to invest instead in slow-selling hybrids and electric vehicles.

Trump wanted headlines about his reversals of what his supporters considered anti-business Obama policies, as well as hiring in the Midwestern states that he unexpectedly won in the general election. The automaker could do that. Presto! A Trump deal was quickly sealed, with the automakers getting exactly what they wanted.

They forgot about one important wildcard, however: California.

Since the election, the Golden State and final-term Governor Jerry Brown have established themselves as a mega-resister to all things Trump. It's often noted that if California were a country, it would have the world's fifth largest economy. As it happens, that economy is supportive of immigration, has been a hotbed of innovation, and for decades has led both the nation and the globe in environmental regulations.

The bottom line is that although California is far from environmentally pristine, citizens of the state love their much cleaner air and aren't in any mood to have Washington mess with it.

The automakers are trapped in a political confrontation

The automakers, having sold many millions of vehicles in the country's biggest car market, are abundantly aware of this and assumed that their deal with Trump would not have led to a war with California. But they underestimated the President's enthusiasm for confronting his political enemies, a large number of whom have a view of the Pacific Ocean.

EPA head Scott Pruitt, no fan of California's tougher fuel-economy and emissions rules, is bristling for the fight. He argues that California should set the tone for the nation. But California disagrees, and it has the historic firepower to be confident in a battle: 12 additional states follow California's lead.

According to Bloomberg, California Air Resources Board chief Mary Nichols' aim "is to continue to link California’s clean-air rules with Washington’s, as the state has done since 2009."

But the publication quotes Nichols insisting that if Washington pushes for a change that deviates from what California wants, the state won't go along with it.

For the automakers, this is a nightmare: a $17-million annual sales market with two fuel-economy standards. GM, Ford, and FCA would have to build California versions of popular vehicles — and possibly versions for any state that adopts California's standards.

Now they want a compromise that eases the implicit California requirements without pitting the state and its followers against the rest of the country.

Trump and Pruitt don't have any chance of winning this war. The big three can exert considerable influence over the economies of Michigan and Ohio, and Californians will punish Detroit if the carmakers overplay their hand. The state's residents buy two million vehicles a year — and Detroit has for decades been forced to fight hard for its share against Japanese, German, and South Korean competitors.

The freak-out in Motown is getting palpable. The automakers were initially gleeful about Trump, but they neglected to inform the administration that California has been calling its own shots for years. Executives perhaps assumed Trump knew this. They were wrong, and now they're having to broker a new deal from a position of considerable weakness.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Ford has built a plug-in hybrid cop car

#Tech Insider #Arab #Entrepreneurship #sillicon alley insider

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