It’s a shame the government has banned practical, affordable electric cars. This may come as a surprise to people who think government is pushing electric cars. Both statements are true – even though it may sound as though they contradict.
The key to understanding the apparent incongruity is understanding that, when it comes to the government, one size fits all.
The government says – the government decrees – that there shall be no alternatives to electric cars, via regulations that serve as a de facto compliance requirement for the car companies to make (and try to sell, at their own peril) electric cars only. Because only electric cars qualify (per the government’s regs) as “zero emissions” cars. That their manufacture and use does result in a great deal of “emissions” is an immaterial fact, insofar as the regulations (and compliance with them) are concerned.
A subject for another time.
The government also decrees – this time, via laws – that no car company may sell vehicles that can’t keep up with traffic on the highway. Or – rather – that such vehicles are not legal for use on the highway. It is why it’s illegal to ride a moped that can’t go any faster than 35 MPH or thereabouts on the highway. And it means the same as regards a car that can’t go any faster than that (or thereabouts) too.
And that’s how the government has outlawed practical, affordable electric cars.
Because in order to be capable of doing what all cars are required to be capable of doing (in order to be considered “cars” under the law) they must be capable of keeping up with high speed highway traffic and (as a practical matter) be able to maintain such speeds for at least 100 or more miles of steady driving, even if they are never actually driven on the highway.
They must have the capability.
And in order to have it, they must have the massive battery packs and the powerful, energy-sucking motors necessary to do it. These two things are the most expensive things in an electric vehicle. They are why the average cost an EV approaches $50,000.
But they don’t have to be that expensive – if the EV isn’t expected to be both a city car and a highway car.
If it were allowable for a company to manufacture a city-only EV, it would be possible to manufacture one and it would probably sell – to people who don’t need a highway car – because it would be an inexpensive car. An EV that didn’t need to be able to reach (and hold) at least 70-75 MPH in order to be capable of keeping up with highway traffic would not need a massive (and massively expensive) battery pack nor massively powerful electric motors – just as a moped with a top speed of 35-40 MPH does not need a motorcycle-sized engine.
It would also not need as much energy and its manufacture and use would not result in massive elsewhere emissions, either.
But never mind that.
It could get by with a much smaller, much less expensive battery pack and motor – just enough of both to be able to keep up with traffic in the city – which rarely gets moving faster than 35-40 MPH. A person who lives in the city doesn’t need a vehicle that can go faster. But the government says he must pay for one anyhow.
That everyone must.
Via regs and laws that say one size fits all. You are not allowed to choose the size that fits you – and the car companies are not allowed to offer it, either. This goes beyond city/highway capability, too. Our not-allowed city-only EV would also have to have all the “safety” equipment that must be built into every vehicle, including air bags that are irrelevant expenses (or would be) in city-only car since such a car would not get going fast enough for an air bag to offer much if any meaningful benefit. Air bags are designed to deploy (that is, to explode) in high-impact situations, which generally require faster-than-moped speeds. An impact at 15 MPH in bumper-to-bumper city traffic won’t trigger an air bag. A seatbelt is sufficient. So why have the air bag?
The airbags – plural?
Because the government says (the government decrees) one-size-fits-all.
The government also says all vehicles must meet certain bumper impact/crash standards, irrespective of the real-world need for them to do so. Leaving aside this obnoxious business of the government deciding what we need – and are going to pay for – whether we need it or not, according to our own judgment.
The result of all this one-size-all’ing is the $50,000 average priced EV the government thinks everyone can afford to buy. That the government insists everyone will buy – by eliminating not only engine-powered alternatives to them via the regs but also affordable electric alternatives to them via the law.
This is something not even the government of China insist on. Over there – in the People’s Republic of China – one can buy a “city” EV. Here’s just one example. These cost as little as $5,000 and are just enough to get around, in the city – for people who need no more than that.
The government of the People’s Republic of China allows its people that freedom, at least.
But not the government of this country. Which says a great deal about what’s become of this country.
. . .
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WA looks at speed cameras for state highways, Sparkey shakes his head at the moronic comments towards the end of the report:
https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/proposed-law-looks-to-add-speed-cams-to-washington-state-highways
Also this session they’re taking another swing at BAC reduction to .05.
Rinse and repeat every session – “do something!” they clamor as the death toll rises. What is obvious now is the Gov will never address the root cause, out of control lawless behavior by certain “folks” that if rounded up and punished would fly in the face of “equity justice”. I’ve mentioned before the neighbors niece killed by a hit & run DUI, third DUI and the animal got about 3 1/2 years for KILLING someone. .05 saves no one but sure makes a headline for the state reps and Governor on the evening news signing ceremony report.
All any of these disgusting “laws” accomplish is further pad the bureaucracy, generate money, and hassle otherwise law abiding citizens.
PS: (I’m surprised they even still publish this)
Washington State Patrol most wanted list:
https://www.wsp.wa.gov/crime/wsp-most-wanted/
Those darn Amish out of control, I tell ya! Rumspringa gone bad?
Stopping slave mobility….
London is now making EV ownership even more expensive…leading to zero mobility….walls closing in….
EV SHOCK! London councils to raise EV parking price by 1800% due to HIGH lifetime emissions status!…..
now they admit EV’s pollute more then ice….next step ban them too….EV’s were a tool to get rid of ice cars…..then walking only in the 15 min city/prison/camp….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI4cEqW0YPQ
I lived in China for a while, and they got their problems, but for the most part, a lot freer and very pragmatic.
No income tax, the population isn’t terrified of the government or messing up their taxes, no withholding, get paid 100% for your paycheck, people let you do your thing. Yeah they “have a lot of rules,” but with only about 1% are enforced.
One example. I worked and worked and worked for 5 years on a 60-day multiple entry tourist visa. I left for Hong Kong or Macao for the day and came back in the evening. Never once was questioned, interrogated or whatever. Just line up, they stamp it, on you go.
I’m just so sick of China being compared to here unfavorably. Here is way less free! Way poorer! Way shittier in a lot of ways (0 homeless junkies and their property damage). They’re the most capitalistic people in the world. They just want to make money and don’t give a fuck about “social causes.” Only thing better here is you’re not asked EVERY DAY which country you’re from and if you can use chopsticks, and way fewer people.
Hi Michael,
Very interesting stuff – and also sad stuff. I’ve heard from people I know that Russia is also a lot freer on a day-to-day basis for the average person than it is here, for the average person – where people are micromanaged almost constantly and not free to do anything, really. We have a few conditional privileges remaining.
Russia is a lot more entertaining as well – Russian dashcam videos make my day!
I have been interested in Russia as well, since our media has been hammering him/them for a while now. So I wanted to ‘see for myself’, and started reading the transcripts of Putin (and other figureheads there) speeches the past couple years (and listened to some), from their en.kremlin.ru website. I was taken aback by what I was reading. To me, he sounded very similar to our founding fathers vision(s).
Who knows.
China income tax rates….
Annual taxable income band CNY National income tax rates
1 to 36,000
3%
36,001 to 144,000
10%
144,001 to 300,000
20%
300,001 to 420,000
25%
420,001 to 660,000
30%
660,001 to 960,000
35%
960,001 +
45%
Effective from 1 January 2019, employment income is accumulated for purposes of calculating monthly tax liabilities for China residents. Income tax for individuals is computed on a monthly basis by applying the above progressive annual tax rates to employment income.
Rental or leasing income is subject to tax at a flat rate of 20%.
For China residents, labour services income, royalties and copyright income can have a deduction of 20% of income, and copyright income can have a further 30% deduction of income.
Employment income, labour services income and royalties must be aggregated as consolidated income and the above progressive annual tax rates are applied to compute the annual tax liability.
A Chinese individual is allowed a flat CNY 60,000 deduction each year in computing their net taxable income and expatriate employees are allowed a deduction of CNY 5,000 per month. Approved charitable donations are also deductible.
CNY exchange…1 CNY = 0.14 US dollar
U.S. tax rates….
Tax rate on taxable income from . . . up to . . .
10% $0 $10,275
12% $10,276 $41,775
22% $41,776 $89,075
24% $89,076 $170,050
32% $171,051 $215,590
35% $215,591 $539,900
37% $539,901 And up
Here’s how that works for a single person earning $58,000 per year:
2023 tax brackets and rates for single individual earning $58,000: Income $0 to $10,275 is taxed at 10%. Income $10,276 to 41,775 is taxed at 12%. Income $41,776 to $58,000 is taxed at 22%.
Taxable income isn’t gross income. Every taxpayer gets a standard deduction to arrive at taxable income.
Guess what, nobody pays, nobody files, nobody cares. They probably “do have an income tax” just like they have “very strict rules on foreigners working there. See, here is an internet article that says you NEED a WORK VISA to work in China, which are VERY hard to get” lolol
Another couple stories I wanna share. The ALL CAPS are “THE RULES” that Americans WILL CITE to PROVE THAT CHINA is VERY VERY NOT FREE lol.
1. All foreigners are REQUIRED, within 24 hours of entering China, to register their location with the nearest POLICE STATION. Did it 1 time in 5 years, only cuz my friend was so scared so I went with him lol.
2. All travelers are REQUIRED, when staying in a “sensitive area,” to register their presence with the local police station. We were staying with friends who for some reason thought this was REALLY IMPORTANT. We said f that, but they insisted. You NEED to have your passports. We hadn’t brought them. So we had some beers and roll into the police station (speaking Chinese) saying
-“what’s up! Yeah so we’re hanging out here tonight, our friends said we have to come see you and say we’re here.
-Ok we need to see your passports.
– We didn’t bring them
– Uhhhh, then you can’t sleep here.
– No problem, we’re not gonna sleep tonight.
– Uhhhh, yeah, you can’t sleep here tonight.
– No worries, cuz we’re not gonna sleep.
– Uhhhh…ok you can’t sleep
– Ok.
– Ok. Lolol it’s so ridiculous.
THEN, we got out of our friend’s car at the nearest toll booth because this hotel resort thing had A LIT UP CASTLE on the top of the hill and we had to see it. We JAYWALKED in front of THE CAMERAS multiple times, sneaked into the place on a hillside while the guard was talking to an arriving car, made our way to the roof of a building, found an unlocked roof door that took us down stairs to a huge room full of covered billiards tables (no joke), took the elevator down to the lobby, said good evening to the staff who looked super confused, walked all the way up the hillside (big wide streets with broadleaf trees and American style houses, it was really really pretty), MADE IT TO THE CASTLE, but it was just a facade not a real building really (so we think), then a security guard had been following us and was like “hey uhh there’s snakes up here, it’s too dangerous, you gotta go”, then we chatted, and took selfies, then he escorted us down trying to figure out who we were, we said we were partying there, couldn’t remember the place and were on our way out and our friends were gonna pick us up at the gate. Go to the gate, say goodbye, and then by DIVINE PROVIDENCE, one of our friends actually WAS driving by on his way home lolol, and he picked us up. The guard was probably so confused lolol
In the G7 you can still speed sometimes in your car if you feel it is safe….in China there is so many cameras….they will catch you and fine you almost instantly….
Pedestrians walking on the don’t walk, when unsafe…in G7 no enforcement…in China they are fined….cameras and AI…..
I once said to anyone within earshot around 25-30 years ago that there will be a time when the average person in China will have more personal freedom than someone living in the United States. This is the first time I have had that “confirmed” in a conversation. Pretty interesting stuff.
If you have a Chevy Camaro that identifies as a Pontiac Firebird, does that make it a Trans Am?
(Retired guys get to drink on Tuesday night)
You are ‘asking for a friend,’ yes?
made me laugh. thanks..
Eric,
Here’s another EV from Wuling, who makes the car you posted: https://www.chinapev.com/sgmw/wuling/wuling-air-ev-to-launch-soon-in-china-with-range-of-300km/
It’s the Wuling Air EV. It has a 300km range, or 186 miles. Its max speed is 100 kph, or 62 mph. It starts at $9700, and its high price (i.e. long range battery and more powerful motor) is $11,860. THIS car would make sense for a lot of people! While optimized for city travel, it can travel on anything short of a freeway or Interstate. It can travel on secondary, state, and US highways; it can travel on major arterials. For me, a retiree living in a small city, this car would cover 95% of my needs. Ah, but thanks to Uncle, I can’t make that choice…
A deposit of nickel ore was discovered in Canada in 1956. Thompson, Manitoba has nickel mines and some copper.
The nickel and copper can be used to manufacture Nickel metal hydride batteries and copper for windings in the motors, purdy much how it should be done.
Northeastern Canada way up north has diamonds and anthracite coal.
In the far north of British Columbia while traveling that distance, there was another large building that had to be a mining operation. Canada has vast wilderness and natural resources that are untouched. Whitehorse to Edmonton is 1235 miles.
Plenty of wood all across the Canadian landscape.
Forget Russia, just drive north with equipment, start hauling away Canada’s natural resources and make it all go that way. Athabasca tar sands and all of the rest of everything Canada has.
Can’t say it is yours if you’re not working it, belongs to those who find what is there.
Canada’s armed forces might think otherwise and balk, stop the invasion. You’ll need a special military operation along with the harvesting of minerals and hydrocarbons.
Well, Canada does provide half of all hydrocarbons imported by the US corporate interests. Might as well march in and take all you can get. Seems to be the thing to do by the world’s greatest powers.
The British East India had an army of 250,000 in India. All your opium to us belong, the market in China needs a steady supply. Ship loads of the stuff.
Until it wasn’t back in 1839. Some Chinaman put a stop to it and it was all over by 1899 in Hong Kong. I digress.
NiMH, nickel metal hydride batteries are safe and can last 35 miles, be perfect for city driving. Won’t have to weigh a ton and a half. Probably more miles per charge if you don’t make it a heavy beast to haul your lazy bones 3.5 miles and 5 miles back after stopping for a favorite beverage.
Don’t need no stinkin’ lithium ion battery that can’t do much at all. EVs are the laziest vehicles evah. They just sit there for hours charging, useless as they are.
Canada is right there, go there and forget about Russia.
Still your fault, if you drink coffee, shame on you.
The Communist Government of China either owns via subsidiaries or by influence, massive chunks of Canadian media…
china has bought Canada’s oil fields, mines, real estate….
Saudi Arabia controls Canadian wheat,….the U.S. controls Canadian water.
Canada has spiralled to a $1.2 Trillion dollar debt – owned by, Communist China.
…….a significant portion of that $1.2T debt was sent to China under the guise of “climate change” or “women’s health”, and now Canada still also owes China that money, plus interest, within their debt.
there are chinese troops blackface lets train in canada……..He has Canadian special forces training CCP MIL in extreme cold weather tactics.
The government refuses to denounce China’s police stations located in Canada….why are they in canada?….
Whenever I hear “one size fits all” I KNOW it won’t fit me.
My experience with “one size fits all” is that such don’t really “fit” anything.
So true John. A good example in the motorcycle world is the Kawasaki KLR650.
Some call it the swiss army knife of dual-purpose bikes. But, it does no category well.
However, tech is changing this a little lately to blur the lines.
For a little optimism, it makes me happy to see side-x-sides, UTV’s, ATV’s driving on the road in smaller rural places. None of this BS. We’ll some, I think they do have to meet some emission std., I’m just not sure what it is. While I see Cats on street motorcycles these days, I do not see them on ATV’s/UTV’s.
In my rural town/state, they are legal on 40mph or less roads. And lots of people use them.
Waiting for gov to try and do something about it, but it won’t work. Even the local fuzz drives them.
Yes! I’ve been seeing them more where I live (WV). I’ve been predicting and saying for a while that the automotive landscape in the U.S. will become both Cubanized (i.e. keeping old vehicles running for many decades) and, in less authoritarian areas of the U.S., having more “non-roadworthy” vehicles being used on the road as regular vehicles
The big thing would be to make these types of vehicles capable of attaining higher and higher speeds to exceed freeway posted speed limits
Some already can. And on high end units, you can get enclosed cabs, heat, but not sure about AC. BUT, they are $25K on up, so there’s that. They have become the size of the WW2 army jeep, but way more capable too. The cheaper utilitarian units start at $10K.
Yes, you can get AC.
One of my customers is Polaris- you can also get a diesel.
They will set you back a good 25 grand as you noted.
They may be the size and weight of a real Jeep, but they are far more complicated and less repairable. But for most people they are well liked and quite capable. The resale value is quite high so for now I make do with a primeval Kawasaki Mule which IS much like the rugged and simple GI Jeep.
hmmmmm re: diesel.
have they made them go Tier 4? I think the break is 25HP and down are exempt, and why I recently bought a 25HP tractor and not the 30HP.
Agree on the less repairable for sure. But still way better than cars/trucks today.
Have a ’12 Polaris Ranger, the fuel-injection is the only newer tech that I can think of.
Not sure, I know they’re doing diesels in both quads and sxs for big uncle. I was led to believe that they were releasing them for real people too. Unfortunately they are a big woke company and I kind of dropped them as a client due to their mask nazis about 2021.
I just looked it up, they do offer a diesel engine model now but it’s 24.5HP so doesn’t trigger Tier 4. Smart of them.
Yes, and also, from what I understand from my neighbor who owns one of these side-by-sides, there might have to be some alterations to the wheel hubs to prevent the wheel bearings from burning out after driving long distances
Me too dood. Good and bad. Good for people that need them to do something vs a car/truck. Bad for the minority of yahoo-assholes that disregard everything and rip them around damaging many things and people too. One almost hit me on a remote fire-road. Came buy sideways around a blind corner at 25-30mph, me going the other way on a motorcycle, but I was ready for it, just missed them on the inside. Would have been ugly (for me).
Side By Sides are legal to drive on all County Highways (mostly rural highways) here in Wisconsin. At least here up north, you see them all over the place when it’s warmer out.
Government went “One size fits all” happy during the COVID hysteria as well. First it was “EVERYONE had to wear face diapers everywhere no matter what!”, and then after the rollout of the mRNA COVID jabs, the government attempted “EVERYONE had to be vaccinated no matter what!” The Supreme Court has had some bone headed rulings throughout its history (Obamacare ruled constitutional, Roe v Wade, the Biden regime could remove barbed wire barriers along the Southern border in Texas, etc.), but fortunately they did rule against Biden’s attempted jab mandates for employers with 100+ employees 2 years ago.
And now, unelected bureaucrats at the WHO are attempting to take this “One size fits all” mentality to the GLOBAL level via their global pandemic treaty and whatever else they’re trying to cook up.
OK now take that to its logical extreme, a “transportation service.” Oh, we all moan about it here, but what if someone were to start up a business that tried to compete with ownership? Without resorting to government force. What might that look like?
Imagine having a selection of vehicles located near population centers. The majority might be commuter vehicles, tiny two passenger cars, not much more than covered motorcycles really, that will get you to work 5 days a week with a minimum of fuss. Then maybe a kid hauler/grocery getter for the weekends. For road trips, a nice conversion van or RV. Moving the kid to college? drop off the commuter and leave with a cargo truck or van. Doing some home improvements? Grab a pickup and stake trailer for supplies.
As for how these vehicles are powered… who cares? A minimalist two seater is by design going to be incredibly efficient. Yea, the RV is going to be a gas hog, but you’re not driving it every day, maybe a few times a year at most.
A tough sell? Absolutely. But as long as you always have something in your driveway and it’s trivial to swap around I think there’d be a good case to at least try it. Problem is finding enough real estate (maybe buy up all those empty malls) and the insurance would be ridiculously expensive for the company, especially with the larger vehicles, and some people would treat the vehicles like The Who treated hotel rooms.
So instead, the “transportation services” will try to make a single one-size-fits-none autonomous car that won’t work quite right for anyone, and we’ll all spend more time waiting in our driveway for the thing to show up than we will actually spend on the road. And worse, I’ll bet that they’ll quickly become jitney buses, with many passengers picked up and dropped off along the way, not only adding more time to the trip, but allowing us all to spend some “quality time” with everyone’s odors and annoying noises.
Hey, RK.
>“transportation services”
I think those are also known as “car rental companies.” And, in fact, they do respond to consumer preferences, to the extent they are allowed to do so. My daily driver is a single cab, 8′ bed F150, because that is what I need most of the time. I paid cash for it long ago, so it is also the cheapest option, even with maintenance expected with an older vehicle.
Since it is an oldie, though, I doubt I would take it on a long trip. Better off to rent the passenger car of my choice. These days, most rental companies have a selection, depending how much you want to spend. Maybe a new Corvette, who knows? Guaranteed I do not have the means to buy, or even lease, a new ‘vette, but might like the experience of driving one for a vacation road trip.
By contrast, a Corvette owner might not need a pickup very often, but can rent one should the need arise. I have done that also, back in the day when my daily driver was a two seat sports car.
RE: “City cars.” Ideally, these should have 4 wheel steering with two steering modes, one of which is “crab mode,” (all 4 wheels turned same direction) for ease of parking. In fact, I have seen a sketch for such a vehicle, drawn by a “city planner.” My guess is all it will take to become “trendy” is to be promoted by one of the “right sort” of people (soyboys, not rednecks).
This video of a rough terrain forklift:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CVB99X1G8g
demonstrates the two possible 4 wheel steering modes.
The operator switches to crab steering mode @ 2:40 of the video.
A highway car would not need this capability, or mechanical complexity. Horses for courses, as the saying goes.
Arent those aka rental cars?
Yes, but I’m thinking a subscription service were you could pull into a lot on Saturday morning with your commuter, leave with an F150 and head to the home center to pick up a load of manure.
Hi RK,
I personally would loathe this subscription business. I like my car being my car. No one farts in the seat but me. I don’t have to wipe the surfaces down to get rid of some random stranger’s leavings. If I spill coffee, well, it’s my car – and I’ll deal with it later. Etc.
I don’t want to live in a group home, either.
Oh I agree, I’m just playing devil’s advocate. For sure the reality would have all the allure of a U-Haul combined with a city bus. And Sunday morning vomit, graffiti and scratched plastic everywhere.
Oh, and ads. Ads on every display. Because the investors think the founders are leaving money on the table if they don’t overwhelm the subscribers with ads.
Amen, Eric. It is bad enough that some of these new cars make you have a subscription to have the heated seats (which should come with the car automatically if they are equipped), or subscribe extra for things that once were included. Hmm, crap with Microsoft computers come to mind, as well. Like you, if I accidentally spill something in the car, it is mine, not XQ Corporations that I suddenly have to answer to for the spill. Or anything else I might do in there.
It once was (and still may be) common knowledge that Intel would block out functionality of certain processors if they didn’t quite pass tests. The first generation Celeron was a good example, where they would slow down the clock speed on products that didn’t pass whatever tests they used. Users quickly realized what was going on and motherboard bios code was written to override the default settings. People would overclock 2, 3 or 4x and still get good performance, even though Intel said they shouldn’t.
Someone will hack that stuff.
So now Computer and electronic devices magazines are now aptly reviewing EVs.
https://me.pcmag.com/en/cars-auto/21656/2024-mercedes-benz-eqe-suv
In other news, it seems the bureaucracy is so hellbent on killing diesels (and ICEs in general), Toyota has been forced to halt selling 3 of its diesel engines, due to ’emmissions non-compliance’.
https://www.motor1.com/news/706440/toyota-stops-sales-several-diesel-cars/
>Toyota has been forced to halt selling 3 of its diesel engines
One “problem” with diesels (from Govco POV) is that the owner can make their own fuel (biodiesel) from waste products (used cooking oil). Can’t have the peasants getting too independent. I can attest that diesel powered VW “New Beetles” run very well on home made biodiesel. Good for the owner, bad for oil companies. Sacrilege for control freaks in government.
Not only do they run well on almost any hydrocarbon, but diesel fuels store very well allowing a resourceful individual to keep some around for emergencies.
‘Unreliable Apple CarPlay connection,’ grouses PCMag about Mercedes Benz’s self-propelled EQE cell phone.
On the plus side, ‘Zero Layer UI uses artificial intelligence to surface relevant information and settings.’ SHA-ZAY-UM! I went through my whole wretched life, not realizing I needed a Smart Clownscreen.
But then PCMag’s hammer cruelly drops: ‘Common driver saaaaafety assists cost extra.’ Arrrgh! If I’m spending $80K, I want the full digital nanny experience, including an artificial breast to suck on when feeling needy.
Oh well, there’s always next year’s model! 🙂
Wheres “Toyotas” human will to ignore this nonsense and continue BAU ?
Or,
The shareholders stay invested in losing money? Really.
So what would happen ?
Local military comes by and jails humans for non compliance?
Local MIC racket carpet bombs Toyota factory for “terrist emissions”?
Cmon dudes, step it up and lets get this show back on the road.
‘the government decrees – that there shall be no alternatives to electric cars’ — eric
Another brick in the wall of General Motors’ mausoleum:
‘Dealers who serve on advisory committees to GM have urged executives in several recent meetings to add hybrids to GM’s lineup.
‘Dealers said they expressed concern that more customers are looking for a middle ground between conventional gas-engine cars and EVs.
‘The dealers’ pleas for hybrid models show another dimension of the pressure facing GM Chief Executive Mary Barra as aspects of her EV push stall.
‘Making such a move would mark a major strategic reversal for GM, which unlike many of its rivals, went all-in on EVs and largely sat out the hybrid market, which executives viewed as an unnecessary interim step.’
“I still believe in the endgame, that you want to move to EVs as quickly as you can,” Barra said. “But we have the technology, and we’ll continue to look at where the market is.” — WSJ
https://archive.ph/txeal#selection-5809.0-5809.177
Mary Barra reminds one of Marxist theoreticians who argued for an instant conversion to full communism, rather than struggling through a socialist transition stage.
How’s that ‘full communism / EeeVees only’ plan workin’ out for ya, Mary?
Do you expect to be still employed when this year ends?
I doubt she really cares. I imagine she’s already stashed enough wealth she no longer needs to have a job.
I agree, John.
Barra doesn’t have to care is I think the point here. She receives about $29 million annually. In just one year. She has been receiving that kind of money for years but even if it were only one year, she’d have “fuck you” money for the rest of her life, the life of her children and their children’s children. And that’s why people like her don’t give a fuck about us.
Hi Eric,
Here’s someone else who doesn’t seem to care about automotive workers. The UAW has endorsed Joe Biden for a 2nd term as (P)resident, even though they admit most of their members will vote for someone else (probably Orange Man, er, Trump). The Biden Thing has endangered who knows how many jobs in the automobile industry via its EV mandates, but the UAW ignores it and essentially says they’re “Ridin’ with Biden all the way to a 2nd term”.
Hi John,
“Ridin’ with Biden”?
I suppose they mean like the way the hillbilly in Deliverance rode Ned Beatty…
That’s a good one, Eric! But there was actually a slogan that Biden voters used in 2020, which was “Ridin’ with Biden!” However, after 3 horrible years of the Biden Thing, people who are still “Ridin’ with Biden” are some of the biggest chumps ever.
Up n down brokeback ridge?
The thing about unions is that they run on coerced money from their members as well as a slew of “for the people” bullshit campaign slogans they will use in their “endorsements” They also don’t seem to care whether their membership is 5,000 or 50 million. The union bosses have all the money they need regardless
As we have discussed here before. This is entirely consistent with the governments controllers real goal: the elimination of private transportation. For us that is not them of course.
I don’t know how, once they have driven the auto makers out of business where they expect to get their armored SUVs from. But a problem for another time I guess.
They live by the marxist axiom “we have no compassion and we ask no compassion from you. When our turn comes, we shall not make excuses for the terror.”
Cost is no object to the government. There’s no pricing model for anything government does. So that armored SUV is literally priceless. And because it is priceless the fact that GM charges $1.5 million for The Beast is actually a bargain.
Joe “knows some guyz” in Austin to build it one.
‘The result of all this one-size-all’ing is the $50,000 average-priced EV the government thinks everyone can afford to buy.’ — eric
It’s enough to drive one nuts; to make one start grasping for conspiracy theories to make sense of the insanity. Such as this one:
‘During a NATO meeting, the idea for Taylor Swift to be used as a PSYOP for the Pentagon was brought up. It looks like they decided to go this route. She BLEW UP out of nowhere, and has been plastered EVERYWHERE.
‘I SAID IT FROM THE BEGINNING …
‘Not only is Taylor ADMITTEDLY a satanic witch, but she’s also being used as a PENTAGON PSYOP ASSET to swing MANY THOUSANDS of youth votes over to the Democrats & “combat misinformation” online.’ — The Patriot Voice on X
‘Has been plastered everywhere’ — just as EeeVees were, during the high tide of Eeevee Fever.
Is it all a conspiracy? We’ll know for sure if Taylor Swift turns up driving an EeeVee. Or if this happens:
http://tinyurl.com/pf6anfy2
Great link Jim,
Fortunately most of Tay Tay’s fans are too young to vote.
Universal suffrage was a bad idea from the beginning.
Anyone who can’t do algebra shouldn’t be able to vote, period.
Anyone who can’t recognize that freedom lets everyone have security (and government steals security from everyone) should never have any voice in anything.
This means that 99.9% of women can never vote for anything and can never tell anyone what to do other than enslaving the stupid wimp that worships her god given ‘talent’ in bed.
OTOH, if anyone can prove they has the ability to think rationally and understand math and actual science, and have used that ability to create and produce, then they have earned a vote in what is done with assets that government has stolen from producers- including the vote to cut that theft to NOTHING.
Mary, cut your own throat NOW, and go straight to hell.
Taylor, same message.
Apologies for my grammatical typos.
A literacy and numeracy test and/or a property ownership requirement are vital safeguards in a constitutional republic with a democratic voting system. This should be part and parcel to any voter registration system. The sex or race of the voter is completely irrelevant if the voter is truly qualified.
Unfortunately the sufragettes and the abolitionists crapped on everybody’s actual liberties to create a god damned democracy where every voice no matter how incompetent gets a vote.
And no checks from the State. You don’t get to vote yourself a raise.
Democracy for the slave owning nobility control group….not the slaves….
“ Universal suffrage was a bad idea from the beginning “
Well, marriage corrects that mistake. “You don’t want suffrage do you sweetie?” “Oh no Sparkey that sounds awful!” “Well I’ll fill this out and you just sign here & I’ll even put the stamp on for you, can’t be chipping a nail now, eh?”
Or, I didn’t get married to risk having my vote nullified!
Oh man. You have to be a lot more subtle and manipulative than that. You have to sleep sometime…
Yeah, I noticed Taylor Swift is suddenly everywhere-ugh. You cannot go to any news website without her face being plastered somewhere. My first thought is that she working for the dark side. Grief, if I have to look at her mug everywhere I go on-line, the least she could do is get a decent rack on her so you have something more to look at. If one is a boob man, that is. For the chick has nothing to look at, as her face is pure evil.
She’s an ugly fucking harlot who writes (or used to write) shitty songs. And dating a football fag with earrings who loves vaccines
Hi Shadow,
She’s not even a “chick,” She’s a 35-year-old woman. No kids, of course. And – soon – no eggs, either.
True, womanhood aside, I think that she is a trigger for some people. Either to keep them in line, or what have you. It happens all the time on the dark side, and it works very well when they use famous people as triggers. Whenever someone’s face is constantly plastered all over the media like Swift’s is, I get a bit suspicious. The sad thing is, she is probably so screwed up in the head herself, she may not even be consciously aware of what she is doing until she “wakes up” herself, and figures out what a lie her life was.