Randy E.
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- First Name
- Bobby
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- Dec 20, 2020
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- 2021 KIA Telluride EX 2018 KIA Stinger GT AWD
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Three photos (renderings) were teased today from Hyundai (https://www.motor1.com/news/465808/2022-hyundai-ioniq-5-teaser/), with the new cross-over coming to market on Hyundai's new E-GMP floor-based battery pack. Rumors suggest it could provide up to 342 miles, with it's long-range version. How large a battery stack will Hyundai need to achieve that range, and at what price? That's an unanswered question
I'm very interested to see what Ford will be able to do with the Mustang Mach-E over the next two-years, and other EV vehicles regarding efficiency.
The big game right now seems to be range: How far can - insert EV name here - go on a single charge? While the mileage figure is a simple answer, how each company gets to that number is quite complex, and the true name of the game is EFFICIENCY. Companies may be able to get 500+ mile range per charge, but it if takes a 400kWh battery stack, that car is going to be massively expensive.
Tesla leads everyone in efficiency due to their inverter technology, while sipping power for other functions (heat pumps anyone - a big whoops for cold weather folks!)... Converting all that DC battery power into to AC for the motors to operate is a big task, and how well that inversion process is managed is a big deal. The second area regarding efficiency is weight. The Mustang Mach-E weighs, what, 500lbs more than an apples-to-apple's equipped Model Y?
Weight and inversion efficiency go hand-in-hand.
Take two same-class cars: If car A can achieve 300 mile range on a single charge with a 75kWh battery stack, but it takes car B using a 100kWh battery stack to achieve the same distance, unless car B is using plastic and balsa-wood everywhere, it's just gonna weigh more. The manufacturer is also going to suffer a higher price, lower margin, or both as a result. This is Ford's position right now with the Mach-E.
For the Mach-E's sake, this all begs the question: How long will it take for Ford to achieve efficiencies (mostly leading back to the inverter and power management for the rest of the vehicle) to gain xyz range per kWh of battery, in order to stay competitive in overall vehicle range and price?
Go beyond the Tesla "fan-boys" and most people like the look and design of the Mach-E over the Model Y. Ford's interior design, quieter cabin, build and overall drive quality are thus far, outpacing the Model Y. However, after the dust has settled and all the Mach-E enthusiasts have put in their orders, and Ford begins running out of Federal tax credits, where will they be with their EV lineup and will it be competitive in price and range (all roads lead back to efficiency)?
It is a very, very, difficult ask for any company. The culture of Detroit is quite different from that of Silicon Valley. SV is a phonetic, hyper-work culture, where people forego having families or even getting married for years on end to achieve a program or stated target at record speed. Detroit? This isn't how it's done. Not even close. "Hey, I put in my time. I even work some weekends on Saturdays and I'm doing good work - our team is. But I'm going to my son's baseball game and my daughters recital, and I've accrued six-weeks of vacation per year and I'm using every - single - day of it." That's good. That can be a very healthy culture, but that's now how SV works. That's now how Tesla engineering lives, nor Rivian's, Apple's, China's or even the Korea's auto makers. Many working the SV culture can't even related to what the Detroit engineer was even talking about.
I've owned many Ford's, they've been great, but as Saruman said "A new day is rising... " Have the horse people to the north been asleep for too long in Rohan? It will be difficult for those coming out of the traditional auto industry to keep pace. Here's to hoping Ford is able to do so, using the Mach-E to lead the way.
I'm very interested to see what Ford will be able to do with the Mustang Mach-E over the next two-years, and other EV vehicles regarding efficiency.
The big game right now seems to be range: How far can - insert EV name here - go on a single charge? While the mileage figure is a simple answer, how each company gets to that number is quite complex, and the true name of the game is EFFICIENCY. Companies may be able to get 500+ mile range per charge, but it if takes a 400kWh battery stack, that car is going to be massively expensive.
Tesla leads everyone in efficiency due to their inverter technology, while sipping power for other functions (heat pumps anyone - a big whoops for cold weather folks!)... Converting all that DC battery power into to AC for the motors to operate is a big task, and how well that inversion process is managed is a big deal. The second area regarding efficiency is weight. The Mustang Mach-E weighs, what, 500lbs more than an apples-to-apple's equipped Model Y?
Weight and inversion efficiency go hand-in-hand.
Take two same-class cars: If car A can achieve 300 mile range on a single charge with a 75kWh battery stack, but it takes car B using a 100kWh battery stack to achieve the same distance, unless car B is using plastic and balsa-wood everywhere, it's just gonna weigh more. The manufacturer is also going to suffer a higher price, lower margin, or both as a result. This is Ford's position right now with the Mach-E.
For the Mach-E's sake, this all begs the question: How long will it take for Ford to achieve efficiencies (mostly leading back to the inverter and power management for the rest of the vehicle) to gain xyz range per kWh of battery, in order to stay competitive in overall vehicle range and price?
Go beyond the Tesla "fan-boys" and most people like the look and design of the Mach-E over the Model Y. Ford's interior design, quieter cabin, build and overall drive quality are thus far, outpacing the Model Y. However, after the dust has settled and all the Mach-E enthusiasts have put in their orders, and Ford begins running out of Federal tax credits, where will they be with their EV lineup and will it be competitive in price and range (all roads lead back to efficiency)?
It is a very, very, difficult ask for any company. The culture of Detroit is quite different from that of Silicon Valley. SV is a phonetic, hyper-work culture, where people forego having families or even getting married for years on end to achieve a program or stated target at record speed. Detroit? This isn't how it's done. Not even close. "Hey, I put in my time. I even work some weekends on Saturdays and I'm doing good work - our team is. But I'm going to my son's baseball game and my daughters recital, and I've accrued six-weeks of vacation per year and I'm using every - single - day of it." That's good. That can be a very healthy culture, but that's now how SV works. That's now how Tesla engineering lives, nor Rivian's, Apple's, China's or even the Korea's auto makers. Many working the SV culture can't even related to what the Detroit engineer was even talking about.
I've owned many Ford's, they've been great, but as Saruman said "A new day is rising... " Have the horse people to the north been asleep for too long in Rohan? It will be difficult for those coming out of the traditional auto industry to keep pace. Here's to hoping Ford is able to do so, using the Mach-E to lead the way.
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