leapingcat

Volkswagen: ‘No’ to Battery Swapping, ‘Yes’ to Electrics in U.S.

Governments can take a role here. They should only provide funding and subsidies for EVs that use standard battery packs. This will encourage the development of better and more efficient batteries as the technology improves, and the economies of scale should make batteries cheaper, whether bought outright or under a battery swapping scheme. For once the needs of consumers, the environment and the overall development of the EV industry must be put first, regardless of the effect on individual companies.

Should We Really Bail Out the Big Three Automakers with $73.20 Per Hour Labor?

May I be allowed to make a comment or two from across the pond! The British experience has been that sometimes the cost to the economy of allowing an industry to go to the wall can be greater than that of subsidising it to give it the breathing space to reorganise and become more efficient. I'm of course not qualified to know whether or not alleged greedy unions or management are really the cause, but any industry hit by such a sudden downturn in demand would be in trouble in any case. Unfortunately, US cars are regarded as irelevant in Europe, eg in spite of a weak dollar and strong marketing, Cadillac have sold an average of about 200 cars a year in the UK per year, yes that's two hundred in a market of over two million, perhaps if the industry had been more outward looking then it would not have been in such trouble.
We have always admired your economy's ability to fight back, and I'm sure that in time it will recover, I just hope that it doesn't repeat the mistakes of the past. When you sneeze, the rest of the world catches a cold!