Forum Overview :: American McGee's Honda Civic
 
China vs. America by Fussbett 12/18/2008, 11:20am PST
If you want to compare the differences between China and America and then throw up your hands and say "It can never be done here because of all the advantages for China," then I guess that's pretty much the end of American competitiveness in everything, starting now. Just give up. Or, extending a Chinese/American differences further, you could also say that GM had an R&D, money, manpower, and government advantage for fifty fucking years before squandering it.

Let's not lose sight of the fact that everyone could've built an electric car. That's the joke here. It's not insanely hard, not a crazy feat of engineering. BYD did it in five years of car manufacturing, Tesla Motors did it in less, and both GM and Toyota put electric vehicles in the hands of consumers ten years ago (when they were forced to) before killing the projects.

So this is why it's so crazy that here we are in almost 2009 and GM is saying that the Chevy Volt is almost ready. The hold up is that the batteries are still not quite up to snuff. Turns out that in 2000 maybe GM shouldn't have sold the battery company it acquired for the EV1, GM Ovonics, to... wait for it... Texaco/Chevron. Not that the Chevy Volt will do anything to help GM of course, but if the BYD F3DM beats the Volt to the American market too (BYD, GM and Toyota all plan a plug-in launch in 2010) it will be the final embarrassment. Assuming GM still exists, of course.


Entropy Stew wrote:

Another thing:

Fussbett wrote:

I love that unlike the elegant engineering of the Prius, the Chinese solution was to make two engines. One gas, one electric. Oh hey, it's nearly half the price of the Prius too! Imagine that.


What the fuck does that mean? The Prius works the same way.

From the Forbes article: "The Prius is designed "intelligently" because it automatically charges when energy discarded by the gas-powered engine during deceleration gets transferred to the electric battery. In the F3DM, the gas and electric engines are isolated from each other, so the battery has to be separately charged manually"
PREVIOUS NEXT REPLY QUOTE
 
Chinese car company builds first home-plug-in car. by Fussbett 12/18/2008, 2:23am PST NEW
    It's made by chinese babies, probably infringes tons of patents and copyrights, NT by and good luck with impact testing 12/18/2008, 7:49am PST NEW
        Those sound like insumountable obstacles! Now I understand. Naptime yet? by Fussbett 12/18/2008, 8:11am PST NEW
            Detroit brain damage has nothing to do with China's cost advantages in manufactu by Entropy Stew 12/18/2008, 8:18am PST NEW
                China vs. America by Fussbett 12/18/2008, 11:20am PST NEW
                    Not mentioned in that Wikipedia article: Tesla Motors is bankrupt. NT by Fortinbras 12/18/2008, 1:36pm PST NEW
                        Re: Not mentioned in that Wikipedia article: Tesla Motors is bankrupt. by I need clarification 12/18/2008, 1:48pm PST NEW
                            Re: Not mentioned in that Wikipedia article: Tesla Motors is bankrupt. by Fortinbras 12/18/2008, 2:02pm PST NEW
                                Who would have guessed something named after Tesla would end up penniless NT by Ice Cream Jonsey 12/18/2008, 2:08pm PST NEW
                                So you're saying a cheap (Chinese) plug-in hybrid just might sell? NT by I need clarification 12/18/2008, 3:33pm PST NEW
                                    Thanks to the Chinese Assault Rifle in FO3, I'm willing to buy Chinese again NT by Ice Cream Jonsey 12/18/2008, 5:39pm PST NEW
                                        This + Weyoun + serious car talk = front pageable thread NT by Zsenitan 12/18/2008, 5:42pm PST NEW
                                            I was pid=93446 Weyon, and I think I repeated that joke (sorry, Jsoh)(sorry ever NT by Ice Cream Jonsey 12/18/2008, 7:03pm PST NEW
                                            Weyoun from DS9? NT by Creexuls, a monster >:3 12/18/2008, 7:11pm PST NEW
                            Expensive, also brittle by McMoo 12/19/2008, 1:55pm PST NEW
                                Look I'm a HUGE FUCKING BORE by McMoo 12/19/2008, 2:27pm PST NEW
                                Who are these shoddy Tesla cars made by anyway? The Chinese?! NT by Fussbett 12/19/2008, 10:46pm PST NEW
                        A car company going bankrupt?! Whaaaaaaaa?! NT by Fussbett 12/19/2008, 11:02am PST NEW
                    I had a big reply and closed the browser by Entropy Stew 12/18/2008, 3:04pm PST NEW
                        Who are these shoddy browsers made by anyway? The Chinese?! NT by Fussbett 12/19/2008, 10:45pm PST NEW
                    So how are things doing in CURRENT YEAR anyway? NT by Tesla suspends Model 3 production 04/17/2018, 2:51pm PDT NEW
    I'm skeptical of Chinese automobile engineering by Rafiki 12/18/2008, 9:55am PST NEW
        Re: I'm skeptical of Chinese automobile engineering by Fussbett 12/18/2008, 10:01am PST NEW
            Well I'd like to be able to DRIVE it by Rafiki 12/18/2008, 6:46pm PST NEW
        All the best cars from the '70s and earlier are dangerously unsafe. by Jerry Whorebach 12/18/2008, 10:03am PST NEW
            "Dangerously unsafe." by motherfuckerfoodeater 12/18/2008, 10:18am PST NEW
            in this case, it will be a shoddy car with shit horsepower AND unsafe NT by Weyoun Voidbringer 12/18/2008, 10:24am PST NEW
        Re: I'm skeptical of Chinese automobile engineering by bombMexico 12/18/2008, 6:02pm PST NEW
            100% analog steering! by Entropy Stew 12/18/2008, 7:17pm PST NEW
        Wow that fourth video. by Creexuls, a monster >:3 12/18/2008, 7:16pm PST NEW
        there are sometimes when I actually enjoy reading youtube comments NT by Weyoun Voidbringer 12/19/2008, 1:30am PST NEW
            You learn well from them. NT by Youtube Comment Sensei 12/19/2008, 7:38am PST NEW
    I heard China wants to be the second country to put a car on The Moon. NT by Jerry Whorebach 12/18/2008, 2:03pm PST NEW
        I heard you were the second-cutest boy on this tiny website NT by Weyoun Voidbringer 12/18/2008, 5:37pm PST NEW
    Why don't they build a normal car someone wants first? NT by Horus Truthteller 05/16/2018, 6:42pm PDT NEW
 
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