09-06-2020, 01:36 AM
Filliam H. Muffman wrote:
GM had the premiere electric vehicle 24 years ago but decided it was too much of a challenge to corner the world market on battery materials. GM is partnering with Honda, but Honda is dragging their ass on making an electric vehicles. For the Odyssey, they are forcing people that want a hybrid minivan to buy the more expensive Acura version.
BMW doesn't make pickup trucks. They already have one full electric, and PHEV versions of most vehicles they make.
Toyota has hybrid versions of nearly every model (Lexus too) except the pickup trucks.
Infrastructure isn't too critical if EV owners have high power chargers that only run at night. Consumers can help solve the grid problem by investing in community solar projects if their homes are not a good match for solar.
The problem with next generation EVs is that the drive trains should be able to last 1 million miles, and the main new tech is all the self-driving and user features.
Anyone used the M$ version of Android Auto or Car Play? Ford sold them for sure. How terrible that was?
Well, it's what most car manufacturers think owners want. Uh - no.
There is a REASON Car Play and Android Auto are now on the market. But those are really intermediate solutions to be add-ons.
Drive a Tesla, you will see where future cars will be. Not drive train, just how the software works. I think google will get there - if nothing else thanks to their great voice recognition. Apple? No way.
I can see a world where google is the software partner to up to 10 car manufacturers, all competing with Tesla and a few others that make decent DIY software. Have not used BMW, but I think Tesla is years ahead of most everyone (a lead I expect then to lose in the next decade).