Gas Engines, and the People Behind Them, Are Cast Aside for Electric Vehicles

WSJ ^ | 23 July 2021 | Mike Colias

[DUMBGRUNT]

He developed gasoline engines for family sedans as well as thunderous Nascar racing machines.

By last year, though, the excitement was gone. His projects were no longer about advancing the engine, just nursing along existing technology. All the buzz had shifted to electric vehicles. In December, Mr. Penkevich took early retirement at age 59.

“It’s been a fun ride,” said engineer Dave Lancaster, who spent 40 years working in engine development at General Motors Co. “But I think we’re coming into the homestretch for the conventional engine.”

Over the past several decades, auto makers in most years rolled out between 20 and 70 new engines globally, according to research firm IHS Markit. That number will fall below 10 this year, and then essentially go to zero, the research firm said.

“We don’t want to be left making the best buggy whips,”

For the UAW to prevail, workers would have to vote yes, and wages likely would be far lower than at a car factory. Other battery plants typically pay $15 to $18 an hour, compared with a top hourly wage of around $30 for a UAW-represented worker at an assembly plant.

[DUMBGRUNT]

__”Yes, pollution in China stays in China.”

And Mr Fresh Wind clearly understands the topic and agrees!!!

Thanks for your support!

[nascarnation]

In my lifetime, auto parts manufacture has followed this economic path

US >> Mexico >> China

Now that China is moving up the ladder I see a lot of stuff coming from India, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

[Texas resident]

Your the man.

You will be rich.

congrats.

[PUGACHEV]

Your comments are interesting, but have you considered that the routine charging of an electric vehicle is fundamentally different from filling a gas tank? The latter can only be done at a gas station, and you would usually do that only once a week when the tank is nearing empty, whereas you would typically top off your EV battery at home every night. Each morning, you leave home with the equivalent of a full tank in your EV, without the need to stop at a gas station at work or when shopping. Of course, long distance trips are an exception, but I would guess that most people travel between 30 and 60 miles a day on average, and they could bring their batteries to full overnight.

[butlerweave]

Ignorant Politicians are the ones that will destroy everything thinking they can predict the future

[Fresh Wind]

Subsurface micro-maglev delivery systems would be interesting.

By some coincidence, yesterday this video popped up in my YouTube feed...

Forgotten Tunnels Under Chicago - EXPLORING The History of Chicago Tunnels

This was a turn-of-the-20th century effort to put delivery systems into more than 60 miles of tunnels beneath Chicago. It was in use for about 60 years and was eventually abandoned and more or less forgotten. Inevitably, something went wrong.

GREAT CHICAGO FLOOD 1992.

I wonder what would have happened if this had happened 30 years later, given the incompetence of the current city government.

[heavy metal]

actually the twin cam design changed the sound of a harley davidson engine...

not the ignition...

[Dr. Sivana]

The majority of production steam cars ran on gasoline or kerosene.

Yes, but not all. I imagine anything that can boil water efficiently could do the trick in some of the models. (I also remember seeing a photo of a wood burning steam-powered car). My point was that the early days of cars had a lot of different kinds of power, and that we didn't need the government to pick a winner.

[Fresh Wind]

Liberals support offshoring. I think you outed yourself.

[MrLucky1966]

They will be making electric cars with engine sound speakers on the outside...

Here ya go......



You can be sure it's Mattel, it's swell! (Don't forget the 2 D batteries)

[from occupied ga]

If not sarcasm then you’re seriously FOS

[right way right]

Oh boy!
Hey, did you ever put playing cards in your spokes?
The more the better by my experience.

[crz]

Tell that to those running the Hoover dam where it is now below 60% capacity. Or those at the Oroville dam where they have just about shut down the turbines.
All that and now they have scheduled the Joseph City coal plant for shutdown by 2025. They have already shut down the one up north of there.
Also, they are starting to talk about the Natural Gas plant shut down here at Kingman AZ

[gitmo]

I thought several states were outlawing charging these vehicles overnight.

[Tolk2112]

I stand corrected.
In any case, I will take a points fired pushrod motor over any new HD, at least I know that motor will get me home unless it literally explodes.

[beef]

“The way things are going, only the wealthy will be able to drive which is what I think they want.”

I think so too. I retired from a company that makes smart electric meters. They all have a feature where the current draw is monitored and if it exceeds a set amount the meter will cut your power for a set time. You will have to let the power company manage the power in your home and it will be up to them to decide if your car gets charged or not.

[MrLucky1966]

There ya, use a clothes pin to put that old Mickey Mantle card in place and off ya go. B-)

[Alberta's Child]

You raise an important point. I've said this for a long time since EVs first began appearing in large numbers in our car fleets:

I think the auto manufacturers have this whole thing wrong. Building sedans, SUVs and light trucks as EVs never made any sense to me. There are a whole bunch of practical reasons why this doesn't make sense, and the driving range/charging time dilemma is a big one.

An EV is ideal for an application where the vehicle never travels more than a few miles from home, doesn't spend a lot of time on congested roads, and parks frequently for long periods of time in places where a reliable source of electricity is available.

In other words, an EV is best suited to meet transportation needs that might otherwise be addressed using golf carts.

I believe there is tremendous potential in a whole new motorized transportation paradigm where small, local street networks are designed to accommodate bicycles and small EVs ... while national highways and regional road networks remain for larger vehicles.

One other thing I've said is that we have a cultural/sociological phenomenon that is a relatively new thing in the history of human civilization, and has probably done more harm to us than good -- and that's this idea that it is normal for people to get in a car and travel to a place of employment 20-50 (or more) miles away from home. If this regular demand on our highway system was reduced considerably as people and employers became smarter about how they do business, the whole paradigm of auto travel would change dramatically and EVs would become more feasible for local, short-distance applications.

[rockrr]

Agreed.

My neighbor came over to look when I dragged home another project - this time a ‘68 Chevy pickup (small block) with headers, resonators and very rotted exhaust pipes. A few days later I saw him again as I was leaving for a test drive.

“You got it running already? Man she really sounds sweet!”

I may just leave it this way ;’}

[melancholy]

I know you’re right!

This is what I call drive-by posts a troll! He’s not an engineer because if he is, he should be thrown out of the profession!

His answers to inquiring posts will be… crickets!