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Well VW is due to release cars based on their new electric platform this year Finally after years and years of saying it was around the corner. Lets see the pr

Well VW is due to release cars based on their new electric platform this year Finally after years and years of saying it was around the corner. Lets see the price and specs. I think they still havent released those details? BMW and Mercedes have made similar investments in all electric platforms. What you mean is, BMW and Mercedes have made similar noises about getting really good at EVs in a few years time but so far have produced nothing of much relevance. The BMW i3 was pretty good for its time but then they disbanded the team, goodness knows what boardroom nonsense was going on there.

turbinerneiter 7y ago
Luckily, we had the emissions fraud scandal. Gave a big push to the EV people in all those companies. The combusters still have a lot to say, since they are the ones earning the profits. It's not meant as an excuse for the old guard, but making billions per year by selling ICEs doesn't make it easier to launch good EVs. Without Tesla, it would never happen.
bluGill 7y ago
It takes years to design a car. They need to run for thousands of miles across rough roads. There are thousands of moving parts. There are thousands more parts that don't move but are still complex.
- silversconfused 7y ago
  An EV drivetrain is extremely simple and reliable. They are dragging their feet on purpose to extend their returns on ICE investment, not because it's "too hard".
  - bluGill 7y ago
    A Drive train is just a small part of a car. While it is simpler than an ICE, it is not simple to make millions of them reliable for 10 years.
    - silversconfused 7y ago
      Unless EV door handles and airbags are that much more complicated, I must be missing something. The problems with EVs are support infrastructure and profitability, NOT reliability and complexity.
      - clouddrover 7y ago
        Tesla has the third lowest reliability rating of any car manufacturer. If you want reliability you want to buy Toyota: https://www.consumerreports.org/media-room/press-releases/2018/10/consumer_reports_annual_reliability_survey_tesla_and_other_domestic_brands_take_big_steps_backwards_in_rankings11/ https://www.consumerreports.org/media-room/press-releases/20... Reliability isn't as simple as "it's an EV".
  - orbifold 7y ago
    They think in terms of platforms, their next gen platform has all kinds of other requirements (think >100 processors, sensors etc.). The good news is that their next gen platform will be electric and that they hiring >5000 new software engineers to build out the user experience.
  - perl4ever 7y ago
    "An EV drivetrain is extremely simple and reliable" I don't know why it is so popular to repeat this over and over because it seems palpably ridiculous to me. Everybody has plenty of experience with electrically powered appliances, and many if not most of them only last a few years. I'm not suggesting this is inherent, just that there is no reason to consider them simpler or necessarily more reliable. If there were washing machines or smartphones that you could expect to last decades, then I would find the idea of EVs being super reliable more plausible.
- codeulike 7y ago
  I know that. But Tesla, Hyundai, Kia and Nissan and others have managed it. Why give VW a pass for talking the talk for six years and still having not much to show for it.
  - clouddrover 7y ago
    Volkswagen is showing it now. They'll release multiple models across multiple brands every year from now on. Here are some upcoming EVs from Volkswagen. Some available now, some available soon, some available in future: Audi e-Tron: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uHlohyKLlQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uHlohyKLlQ Audi e-Tron GT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvNw15W_EK8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvNw15W_EK8 Audi Q4 e-Tron: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiwevzHsCbU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiwevzHsCbU Porsche Taycan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrVkOQojN4Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrVkOQojN4Y Porsche Macan: https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/26/18240862/porsche-macan-electric-ev-production-taycan https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/26/18240862/porsche-macan-el... VW ID.3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2Tqw9LX3QE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2Tqw9LX3QE SEAT el-Born: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ShA3l0BHGs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ShA3l0BHGs Skoda Vision iV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f1g9xl6W_E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f1g9xl6W_E VW ID Crozz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8zbuvzEA5A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8zbuvzEA5A VW ID Buzz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQut6ks3nSY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQut6ks3nSY VW ID Roomzz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzP6NOGNIWo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzP6NOGNIWo
    - codeulike 7y ago
      Don't get me wrong, if they pull this off I'll be cheering them on. The ones actually launched (e-tron only I think?) have been disappointing. The e-tron has a huge 90kwh battery and only 205 miles of range. People can make excuses for it but the reality is that is an engineering failure. All the other MEB models that are supposed to be coming soon - all we've got is jazzy names and concept car mock ups. Yet to see production car, price or specs on any of those. Perhaps they have some technical advance up their sleeves. But imho the chances are this big new MEB platform is 75% pr puff. There's a good chance that the things their going to actually launch will be on par with the 2016 Nissan Leaf. That's what just happened with BMWs electric Mini. So let's talk when they announce actual dates, prices and specs. For now I'm skeptical.

turbinerneiter 7y ago

Luckily, we had the emissions fraud scandal. Gave a big push to the EV people in all those companies. The combusters still have a lot to say, since they are the ones earning the profits. It's not meant as an excuse for the old guard, but making billions per year by selling ICEs doesn't make it easier to launch good EVs. Without Tesla, it would never happen.

bluGill 7y ago

It takes years to design a car. They need to run for thousands of miles across rough roads. There are thousands of moving parts. There are thousands more parts that don't move but are still complex.

silversconfused 7y ago
An EV drivetrain is extremely simple and reliable. They are dragging their feet on purpose to extend their returns on ICE investment, not because it's "too hard".
- bluGill 7y ago
  A Drive train is just a small part of a car. While it is simpler than an ICE, it is not simple to make millions of them reliable for 10 years.
  - silversconfused 7y ago
    Unless EV door handles and airbags are that much more complicated, I must be missing something. The problems with EVs are support infrastructure and profitability, NOT reliability and complexity.
    - clouddrover 7y ago
      Tesla has the third lowest reliability rating of any car manufacturer. If you want reliability you want to buy Toyota: https://www.consumerreports.org/media-room/press-releases/2018/10/consumer_reports_annual_reliability_survey_tesla_and_other_domestic_brands_take_big_steps_backwards_in_rankings11/ https://www.consumerreports.org/media-room/press-releases/20... Reliability isn't as simple as "it's an EV".
- orbifold 7y ago
  They think in terms of platforms, their next gen platform has all kinds of other requirements (think >100 processors, sensors etc.). The good news is that their next gen platform will be electric and that they hiring >5000 new software engineers to build out the user experience.
- perl4ever 7y ago
  "An EV drivetrain is extremely simple and reliable" I don't know why it is so popular to repeat this over and over because it seems palpably ridiculous to me. Everybody has plenty of experience with electrically powered appliances, and many if not most of them only last a few years. I'm not suggesting this is inherent, just that there is no reason to consider them simpler or necessarily more reliable. If there were washing machines or smartphones that you could expect to last decades, then I would find the idea of EVs being super reliable more plausible.
codeulike 7y ago
I know that. But Tesla, Hyundai, Kia and Nissan and others have managed it. Why give VW a pass for talking the talk for six years and still having not much to show for it.
- clouddrover 7y ago
  Volkswagen is showing it now. They'll release multiple models across multiple brands every year from now on. Here are some upcoming EVs from Volkswagen. Some available now, some available soon, some available in future: Audi e-Tron: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uHlohyKLlQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uHlohyKLlQ Audi e-Tron GT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvNw15W_EK8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvNw15W_EK8 Audi Q4 e-Tron: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiwevzHsCbU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiwevzHsCbU Porsche Taycan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrVkOQojN4Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrVkOQojN4Y Porsche Macan: https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/26/18240862/porsche-macan-electric-ev-production-taycan https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/26/18240862/porsche-macan-el... VW ID.3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2Tqw9LX3QE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2Tqw9LX3QE SEAT el-Born: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ShA3l0BHGs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ShA3l0BHGs Skoda Vision iV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f1g9xl6W_E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f1g9xl6W_E VW ID Crozz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8zbuvzEA5A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8zbuvzEA5A VW ID Buzz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQut6ks3nSY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQut6ks3nSY VW ID Roomzz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzP6NOGNIWo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzP6NOGNIWo
  - codeulike 7y ago
    Don't get me wrong, if they pull this off I'll be cheering them on. The ones actually launched (e-tron only I think?) have been disappointing. The e-tron has a huge 90kwh battery and only 205 miles of range. People can make excuses for it but the reality is that is an engineering failure. All the other MEB models that are supposed to be coming soon - all we've got is jazzy names and concept car mock ups. Yet to see production car, price or specs on any of those. Perhaps they have some technical advance up their sleeves. But imho the chances are this big new MEB platform is 75% pr puff. There's a good chance that the things their going to actually launch will be on par with the 2016 Nissan Leaf. That's what just happened with BMWs electric Mini. So let's talk when they announce actual dates, prices and specs. For now I'm skeptical.