[ROCKMAN]

Just saw this: The U.S. auto industry sold more cars and trucks in 2015 than ever before, with Detroit automakers reporting their best sales since the mid-2000s and several foreign manufacturers posting all-time records.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/busine ... /78295542/

[AdamB]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Newfie', 'L')ike Saudi Arabia having no farms?

I keep saying, collectively we are really pretty stupid.

[Shaved Monkey]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tanada', '
')It is just very strange to me that a country that built its own defense aircraft in WW II is willing to just let its entire manufacturing capacity go away without doing anything to change the trajectory. No manufacturing will make Australia totally dependent on other countries for manufactured goods, how hard is that to understand?

[JV153]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Shaved Monkey', '
')Its just ideological madness,allowing the free market to dictate as though the free market knows whats best.
The theory is we sell iron ore and coal to China and they make stuff for us cheaply.

[ennui2]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Shaved Monkey', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tanada', '
')It is just very strange to me that a country that built its own defense aircraft in WW II is willing to just let its entire manufacturing capacity go away without doing anything to change the trajectory. No manufacturing will make Australia totally dependent on other countries for manufactured goods, how hard is that to understand?

[dolanbaker]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tanada', '
')It is just very strange to me that a country that built its own defense aircraft in WW II is willing to just let its entire manufacturing capacity go away without doing anything to change the trajectory. No manufacturing will make Australia totally dependent on other countries for manufactured goods, how hard is that to understand?

[toolpush]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', ' ')I don't think you can even get a Tesla over there.

[ROCKMAN]

pusher - Did you see my comment about the enthusiasm over the $2 billion in future Tesla orders? In 2015 Ford alone sold $24 billion of F-150's. Yes indeed: Mr. T has saved our asses. LOL.

[toolpush]

Rockman,


I flew through LA and SF last year, and was surprised doing a little road side survey, while the wife polluted the air, to see so many CNG, hybrid and electric cars. The Californians certainly are making the incentives to move away Gas and diesel worthwhile. I fee the big incentive that gets the Tesla type cars selling over there is the access to the HOV lanes. People with money have always had there right to privilege.
On the other hand Europe, where most incentives were all to do with fuel price, and Europe has some really high fuels prices, electrics and hybrids had a real hard time gaining traction. Now the evils of diesel is the latest fashion, and governments getting into a heavy EV push, We will see how they go. But electricity is not cheap in Europe and fewer people live in detached houses, so even there it will not be so simple.
So Rockman, are you hanging off buying your F-Truck, until they coming out in the EV version? lol

[Outcast_Searcher]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('toolpush', '
') So Rockman, are you hanging off buying your F-Truck, until they coming out in the EV version? lol

[toolpush]

Searcher,

I agree totally with you on the point that most people don't need the capabilities of the F-Truck and its brothers. Most sales are driven by fashion and keeping up with the Jones. The Japanese, used to provide smaller versions of the pickup trucks for people that wanted the utility of the design, but didn't need the size and mass of the F-Trucks. Unfortunately, the Jap trucks are nearly up to the size of their America compatriots.

I can see a Hydrid Pick up making it to the market. Fully EV, I think will be a much bigger sell!

PS. The funny thing about a meaningful carbon tax to push changing habits, is when they introduced one in Australia, it distinctly left out transport fuels. And this was introduced by a left/green coalition. It was considered to be too politically sensitive to even mention transport fuels. Our carbon tax, could have just as easily called a coal tax, as that was all the effect it had. I agree on higher fuel taxes, but that ain't going to happen in the US, and unlikely here soon. Politicians are too busy counting votes!

[ROCKMAN]

pusher - They can by all the Teslas they want in CA and it won't change a thing nationally: the per capita gasoline consumption there is already the lowest in the nation. In fact it is only 10% of the national weighted average.

http://www.statemaster.com/graph/ene_ga ... per-capita

Notice how a number of New England states are 10X or more higher then CA. Even the NY consumption is 7X greater. And it of course Texas is more then 11X higher.

By the way just last week I bought my 16 yo daughter a used 4 door Silverado. A country girl that's been pulling horse and cattle trailers for a while. This summer if I can't get her hooked up as an intern with a civil engineer (as I so despately hope) she'll be working cattle for some neighbors. If I had thought about dealing with a teenager getting her driver's licence I might not have been as enthusiastic about adopting her 16 years ago. LOL.

[Outcast_Searcher]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ROCKMAN', 'p')usher - They can by all the Teslas they want in CA and it won't change a thing nationally: the per capita gasoline consumption there is already the lowest in the nation. In fact it is only 10% of the national weighted average.

http://www.statemaster.com/graph/ene_ga ... per-capita

Notice how a number of New England states are 10X or more higher then CA. Even the NY consumption is 7X greater. And it of course Texas is more then 11X higher.

[Shaved Monkey]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('toolpush', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', ' ')I don't think you can even get a Tesla over there.

[Tanada]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Outcast_Searcher', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ROCKMAN', 'p')usher - They can by all the Teslas they want in CA and it won't change a thing nationally: the per capita gasoline consumption there is already the lowest in the nation. In fact it is only 10% of the national weighted average.

http://www.statemaster.com/graph/ene_ga ... per-capita

Notice how a number of New England states are 10X or more higher then CA. Even the NY consumption is 7X greater. And it of course Texas is more then 11X higher.

[ROCKMAN]

T - Per capita is not a "trick" per se. Texas consumes mor the 7X times as much gasoline as CA. But if CA is "overpopulated" at 38 million wouldn't you say the same for Texas at 28 million? I also found the CA stat shocking. But I've yet to see anyone post contradictory data. So my statement stands until they do: no matter how many alt vehicles are bought in CA it won't produce a significant decrease in the average consumption because that number is already so very low. OTOH if there were a huge substitution of alt vehicles for ICE's in Texas there would be a significant impact on fuel consumption.

Don't hold you breath for that to happen. LOL. Texans bought more of those $24 BILLION worth of F-150's in 2015 then folks in any other state.

[vtsnowedin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Outcast_Searcher', '
')
If someone can explain what I'm missing here, I'm all ears.

[ROCKMAN]

A minor correction: 1 barrel = 42 gallons.

And for bonus points: why is it "bbl" and not "bl"?

[vtsnowedin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ROCKMAN', 'A') minor correction: 1 barrel = 42 gallons.

And for bonus points: why is it "bbl" and not "bl"?