The New E-Kawi
Kawasaki recently wowed us with the unveiling of its electric motorcycle prototype at INTERMOT in Cologne, Germany. The new e-Motorcycle is clearly inspired by the company’s stripped down Z400 naked bike. However, further details are still under wraps.
Meet the Electrified Factory Five Racing Cobra
What would you get if you combined a Factory Five Racing Cobra and a Tesla powertrain? The result would be the new Scorpion EV, a limited-production electric roadster that will be on display at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas next month. Born in Temecula, CA, this exquisite EV is made from a Factory Five Racing Cobra, a Tesla powertrain, and some proprietary software and controllers. Packed with unrivaled power, the Scorpion EV is available in 600-hp or 1,000-hp, all-wheel-drive versions.
Tesla to Deliver ‘Semi’ Trucks to Pepsi in December
Earlier this week, Elon Musk announced on Twitter that his company would be starting production for its all-electric ‘Semi’ delivery trucks. The first 100 EVs will be delivered to Pepsi on December 1. Thanks to their advanced autopilot technology, the electric trucks will be able to avoid collisions and position the driver at the center of the vehicle for optimal control and visibility. Tesla’s ‘Semi’ trucks promise ranges between 300 and 500 miles and will consume less than 2kWK/mile energy, saving over $200,000 in fuel.
Sustainable Sailboat Concept Made from Algae
More companies than ever before are prioritizing sustainable, eco-conscious practices. A prime example of this is the recent collaboration between designer Cesar Pieri and Furf Design Studio to create a unique sailboat concept called the Second Sun. The sustainable sailboat will be made from ocean plastic and algae-based biopolymer. The result is a minimalist design with an even smaller carbon footprint.
All-Electric Flying Car Flies the Dubai Skies
A new electric flying car made its first global appearance this week when it successfully took flight over Dubaii. After being granted a special flying permit from the Dubai Civil Aviation. Authority, the X2 eVTOL completed a demonstration flight during the opening day of the GITEX global technology show. Built by Xpeng Aeroht, the eVTOL seats two people, can reach up to 3,200 feet above the ground, and has top speeds of 130km/h for 35 minutes.
Honda to Produce Battery Modules in Ohio
Big Red just announced that it would be joining forces with LG Energy Solution to develop battery modules in Ohio. The joint venture will involve retooling several of Honda’s Ohio plants so that they will be able to produce EVs based on the e:Architecture platform, which is slated for arrival after 2025.
Let GM Power Your Home Electrically
GM has plans to become the Tesla Power Wall’s biggest rival with its new Ultium Home energy system. The automaker will soon be offering systems for home energy storage for bi-directional charging, vehicle-to-grid charging, and vehicle-to-home charging. The systems are scheduled to start rolling out in 2024.
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Stephanie and Paul,
Yes, the big deal in Ohio is the chip plant northeast of Columbus, and Honda working on battery tech and manufacture. If Honda says we are going electric, I guess we are. I was at the 1980 opening on the very first Honda factory in Ohio, the U.S., when I had my new black 1980 CB750F. They made the all red CR250, the Gold Wing and black or silver 1980 CBXs. Auto manufacturer came much later. 42 years later, I still have that F and Honda makes no motorcycles in the U.S..
Thanks for your good works on the Vintagent.
Honda’s only doing it to ” Keep Up With the Jones’s ” [ and to meet government regulations [ Left to their own device as would BMW Toyota Mercedes Benz etc ( talk to any of their top level engineers .. I have .. and they’ll tell you what a pile of Green Washing Pretense EV’s are … and especially … what POS batteries are ) they’d be focusing on more efficient and smaller ICE’s … and Hybrid City Cars … not to mention dumping ALL full and mid size P/U’s and SUV’s until hydrogen production costs can be lowered
EVs per se are far more efficient that ICE’s and have the potential to drop carbon from vehicles significantly, like 50%. But I wholly agree our battery situation is abysmal, and the fact that they are still not recyclable borders on criminal. New extraction sites, new geopolitical and local problems, and they can’t even pull the lithium, cobalt, tungsten etc back out of them efficiently. It’s the #1 problem with EVs for sure.
If hydrogen could be produced and distributed economically and with significantly less CO2, the world would shift to them. But that’s not a reality at the moment. So, what we have are the equivalent of 100mpg EV cars, that also produce less carbon in their whole life cycle. That’s a significant improvement, but not the end goal…
Reality Check Paul ( as per DW etc et al )
I1) It takes five years minimum assuming you have a clean source of energy to charge your EV with … for an EV to Equal … never mind better the amount of carbon footprint created
2) Ask ANY engineer …. EV’s are less efficient by 45% or more in comparison to an ICE .e.g. Electricity is not an efficient source of energy … for anything !
3) Please READ what I said before commenting … I was quite clear that the COST of hydrogen production is the only stumbling block to it becoming the norm
4) And then there’s the whole problem of both the availability and mining of the minerals etc needed to create EV’s ( same geopolitical problems … worse impact on the planet )
READ all the facts Paul [ especially those coming out of Germany who are years ahead of us )… not just the BS being fed to you by those profiting from this green washing sham we’re in .
FYI ;
In regards to the five year EV syndrome ..
Average projected lifespan of an EV ?
Five years or less
Average EV ownership ?
Three years or less ( the majority are leased )
So do the math … EV’s crash and burn faster than the Li batteries that power them ( ever watched an Li burn test ? I have … frightening sums it up quite nicely )
Damn … the facts ! Or as my ole philosophy professor in Grad School used to say ;
” Theory and delusions are wonderful things until crushed under the hard weight of facts ”
And yes … I know .. in the current zeitgeist facts don’t matter … problem is … they do .. whether one believes they d or not ..
Sigh
Actually, that’s not factually accurate. Toyota just released a study of its Prius batteries over the past 10 years, and said on average they are lasting 3x longer than they expected. And, people are keeping their cars a lot longer than 3 years. While not currently recyclable, those batteries are perfectly suited for household use, as per Tesla’s Powerwall. Home demands require significant storage, but not instant demand. A car battery is considered past its sell-by when at 80% of capacity, but for home use, access to full power instantly is never needed, just constant supply with occasional blips as appliances are turned on. Thus, used LiOn batteries from EVs/hybrids are awesome, inexpensive, and will last many years. I’m looking into doing exactly this at my house in Mexico…solar panels, car battery storage. No gov’t rebates there (they actually discourage solar energy as it competes with Pemex), so its all cash. I’ll be pulling the solar panel/charging system off my van, which doesn’t need it, and using it on my house. Voilå, off the grid.
One can embrace technology with open eyes.
Thanks Mark.
I guess Honda motorcycle sales in the US no longer justified the savings of domestic assembly? Much like Harley-Davidson pulling out of its assembly plants in India last year… but BMW and Triumph are still there big time.
FYI … H-D didn’t just pull out of India … they discounted many models and laid off a boatload of workers across all their plants … all but shutting down their KCMO plant … so err …
M/C sales across the board are waning ? Why yes good sir … they are … unfortunately
Sigh
OK .. so here’s the reality of all this Green Washing garbage .
First … to be clear … Climate Change IS real .. and WE are contributing to it massively
Problem is .. all these so called solutions are the very epitome of a delusional Potemkin Village / Catch 22 / Kafkaesque Gordian Knot .
In other words … damned if we don’t .. but equally ( if not more so ) damned if we do ..
… because all these so called ‘ solutions ‘ are nothing more than pacifiers who’s sole intent is to drag more $$$$$$$$$ out of consumers back pocket in order to continue ‘ feeding ‘ the upper 1% while destroying everything that should matter
Which brings us to the simple fact … that the only REAL solution … is LESS … as in less travel … smaller homes … less recreational vehicles .. less food consumption ( face it the US and the UK have become the lands of the fat ***es ) .. LESS LESS LESS .
And since greed and avarice rules the roost across the planet … LESS aint a gonna happen …. which means I’m sad to say …. we’re ****ed .. five ways sideways
Sigh …. oh …. we’ve got the capability to do right … problem is … we do not have the WILL
[ Read .. ” Behave ! ” by Robert Sapolsky ]
So sorry children of the planet … your future is a living hell … created by us and all those before us … and no doubt continued by … YOU !
Yours .. GuitarSlinger … aka Kafka on the High Plains ( and that aint no joke baby )
PS; In contradiction to the delusions of the likes of Elon Musk etc … Mars and the Moon ain’t an option .. and creating an island in the middle of the ocean .. is a sinking ship just waiting to go down …e.g. … rich as god or not … y’alls just as ****ed as we is .. unless y’all pull yer heads out .. drop the micro dosing … face reality … and start using your billions for something genuinely constructive … rather than the selfish destruction you’re up to your self aggrandizing ears in
I think you are absolutely right. And as for the ones that really care and wish to fight the tide, most are probably already immersed in an ocean of crap up to their chins, afraid to make waves and drowning in the substance. I do believe there are pockets of hope worldwide, but they’ll probably go down under the pressure of the horde(*) controlled by the unnamable few that ultimately command our fates.
(*) most of us, arrested by law in our prison-loops of production-consumption