And So It Begins

[JayTheCPA]

Virginia has big plans for electric school buses in 2020

The buses will store excess power and return it to the grid when needed.

arstechnica.com

Can see where it will not take long until somebody mods the body into a Class A RV or goes clean sheet and buids a RV body on this frame. Sure, the current range estimate of ~130 miles is underwhelming for the RV lifestyle, but it is likely that in time improvements will reduce this limitation.

While this is a good start toward limiting carbon production, we really need a guaranteed clean energy source as opposed to the somewhat roulette style of clean-to-dirty electricity sources currently available on the grid.

 

[Will L.]

Yeah, it is gonna happen. I don’t understand the idea that the busses will be used as a power reserve because the more you cycle a battery the shorter its life. I think that is just them trying to sell the idea to the public worried about an already stressed grid.

Talking to people that really study electric vehicles and reading up on this alot, the biggest issue is the grid not being able to currently handle the added load. One built up section at a time can be done, it’s just expensive.

And as demand for electricity increases the cost will rise until more power suppliers can be brought on. Out here in the west, there is a bazillion acres of virtual wasteland that can have solar added. But i think that will pale in comparison to the amount of natural gas power plants that will be built.

RV will be harder like you say, but that is because that manufacturer doesn’t build a good enough product. The obvious leader in electric is Tesla. (You all knew this was coming, settle in for the book...).

Take their class 8 semi, make it into a school bus or rv. Now, they are currently achieving 500 miles with 80,000 lbs. (For those not in the know- class 6 is 60,000 a class 7 is 70,000 a class 8 is 80,000) Less weight means more mileage way more in electric than gas or diesel. Detractors say that’s unrealistic, but they said that on every other vehicle Tesla made and was proved wrong every time.

People say the problem with the Tesla pickup (besides driving a DeLorean on steroids) is people want to go offroading and camping and can’t recharge. What if on your rv you want a generator. Instead of a tiny honda, get a monster 3 phase generator because you are still 60,000 lbs under the rigs real capacity. Simply leave it at home For trips when you dont neednit and don’t want the added weight. Build it as stand alone unit on wheels with its own 4 wheeler sized winch to lift it into place. It can be an upgrade to add on and when not there it is just more storage room for the rv. How much room for solar panels atop an rv? Not enough, but it wouldn’t hurt.

When not if -the first descent electric rv comes out, it won’t be long before the rv parking lots that are called camping spots where rv hook ups already are at, start getting electric chargers. Plugs in exactly the same, just higher amperage plug. Tesla hasn’t done it because they don’t build rvs. Yet.

You guys know I don’t believe man made global warming is killing us all, and only hug trees with my Hummer undercarriage protection as I go over them. But after driving a few different electric vehicles- it is clear they are the future.

Tesla Electric is cheaper to own - if you put on a ton of miles and replace the vehicle in a few years. No matter car or semi. The semi literally pays for itself in savings just like WarWagon proved a better turbo does on the 6.2/6.5. Tesla is like a Hummer though in overpriced parts- we call it a Hummer tax. The same 6.5 parts were often double of the pickup version until the majority of hummer owners learned to just buy the pickup part. Problem is there is no one making other Tesla parts and it is like an iPhone in needing the company for tech support and they just choose to not sell you a part if your vin number has been flagged.

As soon as enough Teslas get sold in China, the knock off parts will come and price will drop. Then the long term ownership will drop also. There is already one guy I know of on YouTube that could open a Tesla repair shop. Others will follow, and probably are- I just don’t look that often.

Imagine if you HAD to buy ALL your truck parts from the dealership, and all the dealerships were GM owned. That is Tesla parts. Joes garage and pepboys makes it affordable for many years of ownership. It will happen for Tesla soon.

Once Tesla looses that profit source, they may branch into more revenue streams like cab chassis semi for rv or school busses more readily. The semi charging systems will be more prevalent then. Everyone that says they are going out of business because look at their profit— No, they are reinventing all that profit into next vehicle development and building their charging infrastructure world wide. Look up how many chargers there were when only the 1st roadster and model S was for sale, and how many chargers there is now that there is 2 roadsters, S, 3, X, Y, Semi, pickup, and the quad.

Btw, how fast do you want your rv?
Watch the video, and that will explain why Musk has all the fan fair and why there is none on the Thomas Built/ Proterra/ Daimler Truck/ Dominion Energy 4 way partnership to put together something like the Ford Pinto that will be “competing” with a Bugatti Chiron.

And can’t mention Tesla and Bugatti without posting the second video just for fun. I would buy $225,000 for the roadster and use the extra $2,300,000 saved to build a nice garage and chargers including buying a Tesla semi for the two Teslas instead of the Bugatti- but thats just me...
Or maybe buy 12 Tesla roadsters instead of the one Bugatti... or maybe one of each Tesla ever made and the garage...
Oh yeah, this is the base model roadster breaking all these world records, not the upgraded SpaceX edition he won’t release the numbers on yet.

No one is going to compete head to head with Tesla, period.

 

[Big T]

Yeah, it is gonna happen. I don’t understand the idea that the busses will be used as a power reserve because the more you cycle a battery the shorter its life. I think that is just them trying to sell the idea to the public worried about an already stressed grid.

Talking to people that really study electric vehicles and reading up on this alot, the biggest issue is the grid not being able to currently handle the added load. One built up section at a time can be done, it’s just expensive.

And as demand for electricity increases the cost will rise until more power suppliers can be brought on. Out here in the west, there is a bazillion acres of virtual wasteland that can have solar added. But i think that will pale in comparison to the amount of natural gas power plants that will be built.

RV will be harder like you say, but that is because that manufacturer doesn’t build a good enough product. The obvious leader in electric is Tesla. (You all knew this was coming, settle in for the book...).

Take their class 8 semi, make it into a school bus or rv. Now, they are currently achieving 500 miles with 80,000 lbs. (For those not in the know- class 6 is 60,000 a class 7 is 70,000 a class 8 is 80,000) Less weight means more mileage way more in electric than gas or diesel. Detractors say that’s unrealistic, but they said that on every other vehicle Tesla made and was proved wrong every time.

People say the problem with the Tesla pickup (besides driving a DeLorean on steroids) is people want to go offroading and camping and can’t recharge. What if on your rv you want a generator. Instead of a tiny honda, get a monster 3 phase generator because you are still 60,000 lbs under the rigs real capacity. Simply leave it at home For trips when you dont neednit and don’t want the added weight. Build it as stand alone unit on wheels with its own 4 wheeler sized winch to lift it into place. It can be an upgrade to add on and when not there it is just more storage room for the rv. How much room for solar panels atop an rv? Not enough, but it wouldn’t hurt.

When not if -the first descent electric rv comes out, it won’t be long before the rv parking lots that are called camping spots where rv hook ups already are at, start getting electric chargers. Plugs in exactly the same, just higher amperage plug. Tesla hasn’t done it because they don’t build rvs. Yet.

You guys know I don’t believe man made global warming is killing us all, and only hug trees with my Hummer undercarriage protection as I go over them. But after driving a few different electric vehicles- it is clear they are the future.

Tesla Electric is cheaper to own - if you put on a ton of miles and replace the vehicle in a few years. No matter car or semi. The semi literally pays for itself in savings just like WarWagon proved a better turbo does on the 6.2/6.5. Tesla is like a Hummer though in overpriced parts- we call it a Hummer tax. The same 6.5 parts were often double of the pickup version until the majority of hummer owners learned to just buy the pickup part. Problem is there is no one making other Tesla parts and it is like an iPhone in needing the company for tech support and they just choose to not sell you a part if your vin number has been flagged.

As soon as enough Teslas get sold in China, the knock off parts will come and price will drop. Then the long term ownership will drop also. There is already one guy I know of on YouTube that could open a Tesla repair shop. Others will follow, and probably are- I just don’t look that often.

Imagine if you HAD to buy ALL your truck parts from the dealership, and all the dealerships were GM owned. That is Tesla parts. Joes garage and pepboys makes it affordable for many years of ownership. It will happen for Tesla soon.

Once Tesla looses that profit source, they may branch into more revenue streams like cab chassis semi for rv or school busses more readily. The semi charging systems will be more prevalent then. Everyone that says they are going out of business because look at their profit— No, they are reinventing all that profit into next vehicle development and building their charging infrastructure world wide. Look up how many chargers there were when only the 1st roadster and model S was for sale, and how many chargers there is now that there is 2 roadsters, S, 3, X, Y, Semi, pickup, and the quad.

Btw, how fast do you want your rv?
Watch the video, and that will explain why Musk has all the fan fair and why there is none on the Thomas Built/ Proterra/ Daimler Truck/ Dominion Energy 4 way partnership to put together something like the Ford Pinto that will be “competing” with a Bugatti Chiron.

And can’t mention Tesla and Bugatti without posting the second video just for fun. I would buy $225,000 for the roadster and use the extra $2,300,000 saved to build a nice garage and chargers including buying a Tesla semi for the two Teslas instead of the Bugatti- but thats just me...
Or maybe buy 12 Tesla roadsters instead of the one Bugatti... or maybe one of each Tesla ever made and the garage...
Oh yeah, this is the base model roadster breaking all these world records, not the upgraded SpaceX edition he won’t release the numbers on yet.

No one is going to compete head to head with Tesla, period.

Wil the old adage is that the 2nd or 3rd guy is the one that makes all the money. Since inception, Tesla has onmy had two profitable quarters and never a profitable year. Those profitable quarters were largely due to the subsidies on EVs. Bottom line, Tesla has been unable to make money. When the capital markets dry up for Tesla, someone will pick them up for cheap, like a fraction of its current market value.

I see EVs having a place as an urban commute, soccer mom, grocery hauler. Take them on long trips and the benefit disappears. There are those who like standing around at Tesla superchargers, sipping lates and bragging about how their $6 charge up was the equivalent of a $40 to $50 fuel up on an ICE vehicle. I’ve seen them and I’ve read their silly posts on message boards. Not one of them ever talks about the horrible depreciation rates on their vehicles, typically more than 50% in 5 years for a car that costs 50% to 100% than an equivalent ICE vehicle. They also never mention the time they waste while waiting to charge. Then again, when you get a look at the typical owner, you totally understand that they are not wasting time when fawning over their cars because that is how they identify.

 

[Will L.]

Could be once Elon is out that it finally shows profit. But everyone in the owners seat is also making cash from 2 other ventures of Elons- The Boring Company which is clearing 10 million a year, and that other little one- Space X who cleared 2 Billion last year from rocket sells alone, plus picked up some pocket change putting more satellites in space than the next 4 competing COUNTRIES combined including Nasa. And that money doesn’t get released because so much of it is classified as National Security.

Elon said years ago he didn’t want to show a single dollar profit from tesla in his pocket until the company was at least a decade old, if not two because it was all about building the infrastructure. It’s at 16 or 17 now, so... yeah.
Anyone jumping into buying stocks and looking for profit in the first 2 decades is dumb for not listening to the man at the wheel. Come 2025- me thinks a different story will be told.

A bunch of hoopla was made in the layoffs this year- but that was after the lawsuit that said their “stores” were classified as dealerships and therefore had to sell the tools and training like all dealerships. So before the second lawsuit went in, they killed the “stores” and all sales went online only so no dealerships exist. They still have the over forty thousand employees to build the rigs. That was all in his plan of all parts and repairs at tesla.

As to the people being “better than thou” YUP! I agree 99.999%. Only reservation is there are a few people that just want the cars and don’t care what others think.

Tons of folks that own Hummers are braggy about their hummer and the rest of their multimillion dollar car collection. Some are wealthy but never say word one about money and just like the truck for its capabilities. Some like me barely afford to keep it instead of having to sell it. Heck, I wish a million hmmwvs would flood the market making them all low cost and bringing innovation and parts to cheap levels- I hate the reputation of hummer ownership some have.

No way in heck I think my money knowledge even scratches the surface of what you forgot just this year alone. But I have watched everything go with spacex when every expert in the world shot it down. Now the experts finally caught on and admit what he said would happen did, and realize he will put 95% or more of everything into space that goes into space by 2030.

The folks that don’t watch what he said won’t believe his process. But he already showed the companies are tied together- remember the Tesla he used space x to send into space? Space x is partners with all his companies. He can invest $ from space x to save tesla if he ever needs to. And electric cars replacing ice cars has been his dream long before playing with rockets. He is just smart enough to know where to drag more money from, governments vs people. The technologies are being bounced between his companies. The semi glass came from the solar roof panels, The rocket landing back on launch pad AI came from the cars, on and on.

I get what your saying & Everything all the other experts say about the money. But that dude just has the midas touch when it comes to anything with technology. If he decided that tesla was really going to go under-and uncy sam says a he companies can’t share nickels- how many calls would he have to make before major manufacturers would parter with cash galore to get a portion of his tech?
Tesla has nothing to worry about.

 

[MrMarty51]

My son was set on buying a performance automobile, spending a pretty good chunk of money to do so. I sent Him the Tesla videos, He was mightily impressed but has since decided the car he wants is a Dodge Challenger with all performance options, during the mean time, he decided a truck would be the wiser choice so he bought a new 2019 Dodge Ram 3500 cummins. I asked him if it came with the red and black key fob. LOL

 

[schiker]

Somewhat related I think schools are a pretty neat idea for solar because they are mainly day-use facilities and during the summer months many schools sit idler with less need for electricity. If they were solar roofed/fielded then during the summer they could be feeding the grid with the same footprint. During summer when the buses don't run they could help stabilize the solar grid of the schools with more storage?

New solar farm to generate money for Edgefield County Schools

The Edgefield County school district is getting in on the solar energy bandwagon with a new 515kW solar farm on the edge of the Parker Elementary School campus.

www.wrdw.com

 

[Will L.]