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486 messages,  Last post on May 02, 2013 at 5:50 AM

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What is this discussion about? Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKZ, Mercury Milan, Automotive News

    

Messages Page 37 of 49

#358 of 486 Re: The Everyman Electric [steve_] by xwesx

Apr 16, 2012 (6:35 pm)

Replying to: steve_ (Apr 16, 2012 5:18 pm)
I was reading about the Focus Electric last week, and it's an interesting car.... but not $40K interesting!

#359 of 486 Re: The Everyman Electric [xwesx] by steve_ HOST

Apr 17, 2012 (2:43 pm)

Replying to: xwesx (Apr 16, 2012 6:35 pm)
Mulally says that $12,000 to $15,000 of that is the battery pack.
 
High Cost of Electric Car Batteries Spills (WSJ)

#360 of 486 Re: The Everyman Electric [xwesx] by dieselone

Apr 17, 2012 (3:49 pm)

Replying to: xwesx (Apr 16, 2012 6:35 pm)
While I like the idea of an electric Focus, $40k is way to much. Either gas has to get more expensive or electric cars need to come down in price and yield better range.

#361 of 486 Re: The Everyman Electric [steve_] by bpizzuti

Apr 17, 2012 (5:03 pm)

Replying to: steve_ (Apr 17, 2012 2:43 pm)
Maybe but I'm sure at least $5000 of it is the "We know the government will give it to you so we want it" markup.

#362 of 486 Re: The Everyman Electric [bpizzuti] by steve_ HOST

Apr 17, 2012 (5:09 pm)

Replying to: bpizzuti (Apr 17, 2012 5:03 pm)
I thought it was more like $7,500.
 
Surely battery prices will fall like the price of computers. Except that they've been working on battery technology for 100 years now.

#363 of 486 Re: The Everyman Electric [bpizzuti] by xwesx

Apr 17, 2012 (6:13 pm)

Replying to: bpizzuti (Apr 17, 2012 5:03 pm)
Yes, I'm positive that is the mentality. Much like the "cash for clunkers" mentality of dealers during that fiasco.
 
For me, that credit would result in about $1,500 back. So, if I was looking at purchasing a Focus E, I wouldn't even sit down at the table until we were at $35K. But, since I'm completely outside the target demographic anyway, the point is moot.

#364 of 486 Re: The Everyman Electric [xwesx] by steve_ HOST

Apr 17, 2012 (6:22 pm)

Replying to: xwesx (Apr 17, 2012 6:13 pm)
I read in the comments to the WSJ version of this story that the batteries don't work below 14 degrees anyway. That would put you out of commission for weeks months.
 
(I won't mention the 1/2" of snow that was on the ground here this morning, lol).

#365 of 486 Re: The Everyman Electric [steve_] by xwesx

Apr 18, 2012 (8:57 am)

Replying to: steve_ (Apr 17, 2012 6:22 pm)
(I won't mention the 1/2" of snow that was on the ground here this morning, lol)
 
Hah! The weather here is gorgeous! Sunny and getting near sixty the last few days. It barely froze last night. Pretty nice for mid-April in Fairbanks....
 
That said, I would be shocked if the batteries "didn't work" below that temperature. They likely lose capacity, but they will not fail to operate. What's more, ambient temperature means little if you keep it in a heated garage, and one could simply put a heating pad on the battery pack while it is plugged in during the day (assuming the vehicle is outside).
 
I ran some numbers on it, though, and with electricity at twenty-two cents per kilowatt-hour, gasoline would need to be at ~$7/gal for it to become a cost-effective option. In other words, it should hit stride in another year or two.

#366 of 486 The road ahead is getting smoother by steve_ HOST

Apr 24, 2012 (7:11 pm)

"Fitch Ratings upgraded its rating for Ford from BB+, which denotes high-yield junk status, to BBB-, which is just over the threshold into investment-grade status. If Ford gets a similar boost from Standard & Poor's or Moody's, its credit rating will officially be considered restored to investment-grade -- and that would be a draw for investors interested in lower-risk bonds."
 
Ford On Road Back to Investment-Grade Credit Rating (Straightline)

#367 of 486 boring shareholder meeting by steve_ HOST

May 09, 2012 (5:35 am)

"With his disheveled shock of long gray hair and brightly painted wooden clogs, Karpen has had no trouble getting noticed.
 
At the Ford meetings, whenever the floor opened up for general comment, the engineer from Long Island, New York, would dart to the podium, hold up a light bulb, and in a high nasal voice launch into the virtues of neodymium oxide technology, for which he holds several patents.
 
There's always basically been these guys who think they have a great idea, but they can't bust through the bureaucracy of the car business"
 
Ford's gearhead gadfly may skip the annual meeting (Reuters)

Messages Page 37 of 49

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