This factory is ground zero for VAG's massive EV bet....
Discussion
IMHO:
All the money they are spending they'll want back over the next 10?20? years by flogging cars to finance companies.
That means cars will end up being mroe fragile than they are now because the bean counters will want to screw production costs to the floor.
lease/PCP is a great model for the manufacturers, because once you're "in the system" it gives them recurring sales. It'll end up cuasing massive depreciation because going new will be a better option than buying used and taking the risk on big bills, few will want the 3 year old cars. That'll push lease prices up as finance companies cover their risk. Government happy because VAT receipts go up. Meantime we're be scrapping 5 year old cars because no-one wants them, eventually we'll be told this is naughty and eventually car "ownership" will be phased out.
For joe public who doesn't care about cars and just uses them as transport - yeah, sure go buy an EV if it floats your boat. Personally I don't really understand the fawning over them.
All the money they are spending they'll want back over the next 10?20? years by flogging cars to finance companies.
That means cars will end up being mroe fragile than they are now because the bean counters will want to screw production costs to the floor.
lease/PCP is a great model for the manufacturers, because once you're "in the system" it gives them recurring sales. It'll end up cuasing massive depreciation because going new will be a better option than buying used and taking the risk on big bills, few will want the 3 year old cars. That'll push lease prices up as finance companies cover their risk. Government happy because VAT receipts go up. Meantime we're be scrapping 5 year old cars because no-one wants them, eventually we'll be told this is naughty and eventually car "ownership" will be phased out.
For joe public who doesn't care about cars and just uses them as transport - yeah, sure go buy an EV if it floats your boat. Personally I don't really understand the fawning over them.
Dave Hedgehog said:
cardigankid said:
If I'm uptight its because there is a major crisis in Britain, but it's not too much CO2, which does not represent any threat to the planet whatsoever, it's Eco Fascists who intend to destroy our economy and our standard of living, for political, not scientific reasons. The science of MMGW is a joke.
I'll grant you that EV's in town centres make sense, however, to the extent that it has to do with private cars that relates to the politically driven push to diesel, now proven nonsense. And it has to be matched by buses, trucks and taxis. Elsewhere, they make little sense, and to make cars heavier rather than lighter is perverse from every perspective.
damn right, i wish trump would shut them all down including the fake moon landers at NASA who continue to publish rubbish like this...I'll grant you that EV's in town centres make sense, however, to the extent that it has to do with private cars that relates to the politically driven push to diesel, now proven nonsense. And it has to be matched by buses, trucks and taxis. Elsewhere, they make little sense, and to make cars heavier rather than lighter is perverse from every perspective.
It happens to cover the last 800,000 years, which gives the shape of graph the climate change proponents need. The average CO2 concentration over the prior 600 million years is believed to have been more than 2,600ppm. Our current geologic period (Quaternary) has the lowest average CO2 levels in the known history of the planet. Are you aware that below 150ppm of CO2 most terrestrial plant life cannot exist? During the last Ice Age it fell to 182ppm, believed to have been the lowest in Earth's history. We are 11,000 years into an interglacial period which is estimated to last 10,000 - 15,000 years. The greatest risk we face is not global warming, but global cooling. Indeed recent weather has been cooling not warming. The next Ice Age, which will come at some point, will last more like 100,000 years.
CO2 is not a major Greenhouse Gas. Water vapour contributes 60 to 95% of the Greenhouse Effect. Are we going to condemn water vapour as a pollutant? Furthermore, we are dependent on the Greenhouse Effect for our survival. It is not a bad thing. Planetary temperature fluctuation is a result of naturally occurring climate drivers that our politicians can do no more to influence than could King Canute. This is a political witch hunt which will divert enormous sums of money from its rightful owners (the taxpayers) to unknown and wasteful purposes, and when it becomes obvious that this whole thing is nonsensical we will be in an even worse position to try to deal with it. Britain, for example received more Marshall Aid after WW2 than Germany, but it chose to use it in remaining a military 'world power'. Norway used its oil bonanza to build up a huge Sovereign Wealth Fund. Britain squandered its bonanza on various asinine political agendas. This is the same thing happening again, but it is somehow made fashionable by greenwash.
CO2 is an entirely beneficial gas which results in more stable weather, more plant growth and as a direct result more food. There are no 'tipping points' and there is no 'Climate Emergency'. These are announced arbitrarily as part of a systematic programme of propaganda designed to give politicians greater control over our lives and money.
Courtesy of Barack Obama, NASA, instead of exploring space, which was kind of the original idea, has been funded, like many other bodies, to produce climate propaganda. You get the research you pay for. Meanwhile, the real problems, specifically pollution, degradation of the natural environment, failure to maintain biodiversity, march on, politicians do NOTHING about them, and dear little Greta doesn't even notice.
So, to get back on topic, why should I want an electric car whose manufacture involves more pollution than the equivalent ICE vehicle, the generation of whose fuel production involves the same, whose disposal has grave environmental consequences, which is heavier, which handles less well, which is more expensive, which lacks the range I need on a daily basis, and which I have no means of charging? Please tell me.
If there is no reason, other than the great and the good tell me I had better, then VW are placing themselves in financial jeopardy for no reason, and when the gamble fails, they will suffer the consequences, just like JLR. However, while the British Government will let JLR go (it's not even a British company and we are all going to be video game designers don't you know), VW, along with many others are too big to fail, and once again, there will need to be a massive, ultimately publicly funded bailout. That is moral hazard, and it is the inevitable result of politicians becoming involved in business decisions.
Edited by cardigankid on Wednesday 27th November 19:46
RDMcG said:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-06...
Interesting article...and a massive commitment.
Audacious bet as I will never buy an EV so for them I'm out. Demand for EV seems sInteresting article...and a massive commitment.
te to me so perhaps a big risk anyway?TX.
Dave Hedgehog said:
cardigankid said:
If I'm uptight its because there is a major crisis in Britain, but it's not too much CO2, which does not represent any threat to the planet whatsoever, it's Eco Fascists who intend to destroy our economy and our standard of living, for political, not scientific reasons. The science of MMGW is a joke.
I'll grant you that EV's in town centres make sense, however, to the extent that it has to do with private cars that relates to the politically driven push to diesel, now proven nonsense. And it has to be matched by buses, trucks and taxis. Elsewhere, they make little sense, and to make cars heavier rather than lighter is perverse from every perspective.
damn right, i wish trump would shut them all down including the fake moon landers at NASA who continue to publish rubbish like this...I'll grant you that EV's in town centres make sense, however, to the extent that it has to do with private cars that relates to the politically driven push to diesel, now proven nonsense. And it has to be matched by buses, trucks and taxis. Elsewhere, they make little sense, and to make cars heavier rather than lighter is perverse from every perspective.
TX.
I noticed last night when renewing my road tax that the DVLA is pushing EV cars this is the same lot that had us believing diesel was the way to go some years back then looked what happened.
Unfortunately a lot of people will never be able to afford an EV car who is looking out for their needs a time will come when ICE cars will be so heavily taxed people will not be able to run them and the values will plummet leaving to poorest out of pocket once again.
Unfortunately a lot of people will never be able to afford an EV car who is looking out for their needs a time will come when ICE cars will be so heavily taxed people will not be able to run them and the values will plummet leaving to poorest out of pocket once again.
I’m really excited by the Seat e-scooter and hoping when VAG announce prices its a realistic proposition. 7.5kw, roughly equivalent to a 125cc apparently, 70 mile range and removable, battery pack. I could really see it being a game changer. 2 strokes may well be economical but that noise drives everyone bar 16 year old boys mad!
snapdragon69 said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBwcwnKHVJA
Electric JCBs too, watch until the end.
Oh no! Electric JCBs too, watch until the end.
I’ll have to get rid of my 3CX! I’ll loose all that character from its Diesel engine, loose the noise of it chugging away
Gassing Station | Motoring News | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff