Douglas Korthof

Customer Is the Winner in the Electric Vehicle Market

It's all a sham!
at least so far.

There are 8-year-old Toyota RAV4-EV plug-ins, using cheaper, proven NiMH batteries, that have over 100 miles all-electric range on the same battery pack.

GM is not serious, it's just jiving. If it were not lying, GM would stop suppressing the fully restored EV1 at WWU, which GM has threatened to confiscate and crush. Even though it's operating on gummint munny, GM is still killing the Electric car.

As for Toyota, they are apparently forbidden from using superior NiMH batteries for plug-ins, due to their shameful surrender to Chevron's lawsuit that prohibited them from making plug-in cars and stopped production of the NiMH batteries needed for all plug-in cars with more than 100,000 miles life and up to 200 miles range.

15 Cars Fueling the Auto Industry Recovery

Muscle cars and phony "hybrids" that still can't plug in.

Just proves that auto companies are con-jobbers, and people are stupid. How soon they forget, and how little they care.

As expected; the "green" fad will fade, and the oil-auto companies will be back to business as usual, pimping oil, where the profit is, and oil-fired cars -- which is just the "needle" for the oil drug.

GM: What Its Progress Report Doesn't Say

General Motors is a proven liar and perverter of the truth, about everything from the EV1 to the VOLT. The same nincompoops leading GM now are the ones who fatuously and arrogantly led it into the toilet over the last few decades. Ironically, GM just RAISED salaries to "retain talent"!! With talent like that, there is NO HOPE.

GM's only hope is to flush out bad management, from top to bottom; but they are living in a dream world, still blaming the line worker for GM's management failures.

I can see it now. Fritz thinks "it was all the UAW's fault! What they should have done was design better cars, and cut management fat!!".

Unfortunately, Obama has just funded the same crew of bozos to continue blowing money down the toilet for another couple years. They will need more, of course.

Is the Auto Industry Stuck in Reverse?

They are stuck in reverse because despite all the PROMISE, the actual CARS are all boring and obsolete. Auto makers can, and should be forced to, separate themselves from the interests of the major oil companies, and start making oil-free cars (which they could do now, with existing off-the-shelf batteries such as PSB 1260 lead-acid battery).
As far as China goes, they can SEND money into China, but never get anything back except cheap cars; perhaps they can sell them out side of China for actual cash, but they can never take hard currency out of China. So, really, all those "China operations" are purely an illusion, nothing of value at all unless they are planning to flood the market outside China (which would hurt them even worse).

Ford Plans Both Electric Vehicles and Plug-In Hybrids

Good news. If Mulally says it, it might really get done.

Unlike failed GM manglers, Ford intends to stay in business.

The only difference: Ford voting stock is controlled by the Ford family, and they didn't want the company to go under. GM and Chrysler didn't care, they were just tools of the oil industry.

However, leased batteries are no good. Leasing is ALWAYS more expensive then buying.

The 1999 EV1 had over 100 miles range with cheap PSB 1260 lead-acid batteries; and the Toyota RAV4-EV, last sold in Nov., 2002 (and the ONLY electric car offered to the public for sale by an Auto Alliance member) is still over 100 miles on NiMH batteries.

NiMH is the standard EV battery; Lithium is much more expensive.

Ford should look to NiMH or lead-acid, and forget about high-cost short-lived Lithium.

One more thing: it's a vapid FANTASY to think that spent batteries have ANY value as peak-shaving or battery backup solar system use. New lead-acid deep-cycle batteries are FAR superior to spent EV batteries.

Ford's Public Offering Is a Smart Move

"Dilution" is a loaded term, and inaccurate. Ford already has a lot of shares; it's not a "dilution" unless the new shares are sold below the current share price (informally), or below book value (technically).

A fair stock offering should not undercut current shareholders at all.

No doubt, Ford may decline a bit in the short run, due to hysteria and misinformation; I am short Ford Puts, so will expect that I will receive a number of shares. But IMO in the long run, the additional capital will make Ford a stronger company.

And if profits ever come back, then Ford might return to its traditional price range in the 20's, Ford could easily make $1 per share profit.

Ford survived, despite the specter of GM's self-destruction, and thanks to good management. We appreciated Bill Ford's stopping the crushing of RangerEV.

GM was controlled by funds more highly invested in Big Oil, while Ford is controlled by the Ford family, which evidently wants Ford to survive and isn't as beholden to Big Oil.

Why Obama Was Right to Demand Wagoner's Head

Getting rid of Wagoner is IMPORTANT and VITAL.

Wagoner did not have the gumption to fire White Collar execs who made critical mistakes, such as the "Fiat Fiasco", the crushing of the EV1, GM arresting its own customers, and betting on the wrong cars.

It's not the line workers fault, even the engineers are innocent: Wagoner (and his corps of yes-men, bimbos and buddies) was the problem. Good riddance; now perhaps GM can be forced to produce an Electric car, which we drive every day -- the Toyota RAV4-EV.

Surely, GM can make this EV using proven Nickel Metal Hydride batteries, it has a 120 mile range as an EV (add a small genset, it's an instant super-VOLT).

We don't need research, we need PRODUCTION.

How to Deal with the Automakers' Crisis in Confidence

GM is on its way to DESTRUCTION, not "profitability"
GM profit has nothing to do with union wages, which are only 4.5% of gross revenues. That is, if UAW came to work for 10 cents an hour, GM would still be losing money!

<b>WHAT I'D DO:</B> FIRE FAILED GM MANAGERS, AND PUT IN COMPETENT EXEC WHO WOULD DEMAND DESIGN OF CARS THAT PEOPLE WANT TO BUY!

It's no mistake why people are not buying their junker: they are boring, not exciting, no reason to buy yet another junky gas-guzzler.

People want exciting cars, ELECTRIC drive cars, and many have pledged not to buy a new car until it plugs in.

On Mar 01 09:56 AM lazaris wrote:

> General Motors was well on its way to becoming one of the "most profitable"
> car companies in the world as a result of the 2007 agreement with
> the U.A.W. Seeking Alpha finally has someone on there staff that
> gets it. That this mess has been beyond EVERY carmakers control.
> My only question to you is: What would you do?
> Just take away the retirees pensions?

How to Deal with the Automakers' Crisis in Confidence

About Ford, you are WRONG. Ford has more debt because FMCC is still viable, whereas GM was forced to disgorge GMAC, and its debt is no longer carried on GM's books.

FMCC is still healthy, so its DEBT is matched with ASSETS.

Guddam, does no one know how to think, anymore??


On Mar 01 10:40 AM Miken wrote:

> Please consider the following re: Ford
>
> 1. Ford total debt is $156B vs $97B for GM
> 2. Ford has $13.4B cash plus credit lines of $10.6B. They burned
> thru $21.2B in 2008.
> 3. Ford total liabilities are $234B vs $169B at GM
> 4. Of Fords total debt, $63B is due in 2009.
> 5. Ford's pension funds are underfunded by $11.9B. They contributed
> $1.7B in 2008.
>
> If I were Ford, items 2&amp;4 would greatly concern me. Based on

How to Deal with the Automakers' Crisis in Confidence

Any money given to GM must be on condition that ALL current management be FIRED and replaced with competent execs.

It's not the union that brought GM down, it's stupid management that thinks it needs to shrink.

Incompetent bozos like Wagoner and Lutz.

How to Deal with the Automakers' Crisis in Confidence

Premise is WRONG. It's not unions that are the problem, it's management failures.

Instead of shrinking workforce, they should make the cars that people want to buy, and hire more people.

Battery Wars

GM could make an Electric car right now, and could have made one at any time in the last 30 years.

Sure, GM colluded with Standard Oil of California (Chevron) to suppress Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries; but if GM were FORCED to produce a plug-in car, it would find a way to do so.

GM and the ghost of Chrysler will submit a "survival plan" to the gummint which is supposed to convince somebody.

But GM, and the gummint, is going about it ALL WRONG.

They are not only doomed to failure, they will miss a great opportunity.

Cost-cutting by closing plants and firing line workers has the BAD effect of destroying our manufacturing base. Instead of continuing the process of dismantling itself, GM should be doing a GENUINE restucturing and reorganization, to RETAIN and EXPAND that base, which contains the best workers in the world (contrary to GM's attempt to slander and blame their own workers).

What would that be like?

Well, GM has
too many of the WRONG dealers,
too many of the WRONG white-collar workers,
too many of the WRONG engineers, and
too little accountability.

Because GM has no effective oversight it is running wild (the Board of Directors is dominated by Wagoner, don't care if the stock goes to zero).

GM, and the gummint, must recognize the main problem:

GM IS MAKING THE WRONG CARS.

The solution is obvious, once you recognize the problem: remove the management that committed to making the wrong cars, remove the
engineers who can't build better cars, and start from scratch with new management which has a real interest in making cars that people
can't wait to buy.

Instead of FIRING, GM should be HIRING!!

GM should be retooling for world-class cars, cars that get more than 50 mpg, that are well-engineered, and that last longer than 10 years, cars that have features such as electric motor drivetrain, climate-controlled cabin, a goal of no emissions, and real efforts to PRODUCE such cars.

Instead of what GM's whining, simpering and pouting about all the things that it CAN'T do, it should start doing some of the things that need to be done! Get rid of failures and disgraces like Wagoner, Lutz and the rest of the overpaid, failed execs and bonehead, arrogant managers.

Don't fall into the trap of letting GM continue its "Wagoner-Lutz road to failure".

Require that GM STOP making gas-guzzlers.

STOP paying for for production of the WRONG CARS.

GM must be FORCED to make cars that are in the public interest; they would find out, if they did, that they could make money doing so.

Auto makers should not receive our money unless they make cars that are in the public interest. GM has produced a plug-in car in the
past, but now is stalling and refusing to make plug-in EVs.

Toyota's RAV4-EV is still on the road, last sold in Nov., 2002, and running fine on the same set of batteries for the last 7 years.

GM, and the rest of the Auto Alliance, must be required to make and SELL a plug-in car if they want to do business in America.

Obama and Higher Fuel Efficiency Standards

What we're doing now is using federal Taxpayer money to pay for rebates on gas-guzzlers just to keep workers making the wrong cars.
Subsidies to GMAC pay for bad loans to poor credit risks secured by the declining value of junk-bound gas-guzzlers.

They say EVs are too expensive to make; but we spend billions and trillions subsidizing the oil industry and subsidizing the building of gas-guzzling junkers.

Li-ion Batteries: A Speculative Field of Dreams

You're right. No Lithium Electric car has, so far, gone more than 50,000 miles without significant battery degradation.
The fact that NO manufacturer is looking at the proven success of Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH), which are cheaper and longer-lasting than Lithium, shows that they are all shamming. They are just plain lying about their intentions; GM itself admitted that it's all about P.R.

Ironically, the reason no one can use NiMH is that GM bought exclusive worldwide patent licensing rights to NiMH in 1994, and sold the rights, on Oct. 10, 2000, to Texaco; six days later, Texaco announced that it was merging into Chevron, taking control of NiMH with it.

The next year, Chevron funded a lawsuit aginst Toyota, after which Toyota paid $30 million to Chevron and its allies, and production of the NiMH battery and the Toyota RAV4-EV that it powered ceased. No more new EV-95 batteries can be made or sold at any price, even for replacement of the few RAV4-EV that need new batteries (3 so far, out of about 328 that were sold to the public up to Nov., 2002).

Patent right should not be used to suppress technology that works; and an OIL COMPANY SHOULD NOT CONTROL PATENTS TO THE ELECTRIC CAR.

The next time you see Lutz pattering on about batteries, ask why they aren't using NiMH or even PSB 1260 lead-acid, which gave the EV1 over 100 miles range.

Impact of GM Destroying the EV1

GM is still lying about the VOLT. If GM were serious, it would just build the VOLT, or at least allow volunteers to restore the gutted museum-donated EV1 that it's now suppressing.

GM lies about needing Lithium batteries; Lutz is either ignorant, or just a liar about the batteries.

In reality, the EV1 had over 100 miles all-electric range using LEAD batteries (after Delco was superceded by PSB 1260 batteries). GM could release a version of the VOLT using lead batteries RIGHT NOW, instead, they are postponing until, they hope, the price of gas comes down and people forget about the EV.

GM could use NiMH: GM once owned the patent rights to NiMH!! But sold them to Chevron, which then sued Toyota to stop the Toyota RAV4-EV being sold to the publc. Instead of being crushed, the Toyota RAV4-EV are still running, over 100 miles range using NiMH.

So why are GM and Standard Oil (Chevron) lying? You figure it out, it's obvious. The money is in OIL, and GM is just the supplier of the "needle", the big money is made by Chevron selling its "drug".