AAH 622 - From EV-1 to VIA Motors Bob Purcell Talks All Things Electric

[@sjvtesla]

This needs more views... So underrated

[@chipspaulding1371]

Wow! great presentation. These guys really know their stuff. I could listen to Bob all day. Great questions too! The future is bright

[@robertnicholls9917]

Great catch for an interview. I love this channel.

[@GantryG]

Re: Hub motors: Light Year is using those, and Aptera plans to, as well, besides Lordstown…

[@GantryG]

Elaphe Motors powers all three…

[@davidlemieux615]

Someone remind me but wasn’t Bob Lutz the guy who said that GM has to get its act together as a small California company (Tesla) had produced a truly exiting BEV. This is not rumour, it was in a movie and several interviews. Shortly after the Volt appeared and then the Bolt which to this day still uses largely Korean technology (LG and others). It is the still mysterious Ultium platform which SHOULD be a real GM solution … All this to say, I have a hard time believing GM was so far ahead. It appears that if what he says is true, the modern GM didn’t think much of the earlier EV tech.

[@toronado455]

Ultium is in the Hummer EV. (low volume production for now)

[@cassidybb10]

Great insights again. Class act interview.

[@by9917]

Having Lutz might not provide any positives. GM from from profitable to bankrupt while Lutz was there.

[@tedg1609]

Sad to hear how GM could have been a world leader in EVs, but fumbled the ball in the red zone. Hundreds of thousands of GM workers will curse the days discussed here, when their company goes bankrupt in just a few years.

[@robertnicholls9917]

Here, here....

[@jcferg3370]

That skateboard platform looks like a perfect solution for UPS, who historically had vehicles that did not look like it came from a standard OEM. Also looks to be a perfect RV platform.

[@perryreasch1209]

GREAT VIDEO

[@davidlemieux615]

Re many delivery truck being ICE, many of the startups do it using a true skateboard design which can ONLY apply to a BEV… no space for motors, gas tanks, transmission, etc. These guys are good old boys from the good old car industry. Thinking like them will drive the old guys into oblivion.

[@howebrad4601]

I agree. We should throw out over a century of engineering and manufacturing experience because we have the hubris to think the newest kids on the block are somehow much more genius than decades of experience? Guess that's why you end up with evs with terrible build quality like some we are seeing. You can get away with that when you're the only ev game in town but looking at the latest upcoming gm ev designs they look pretty doggone good

[@QuietStormX]

Great conversation on EV Tech and future too.. ;-D

[@gerrybaker7155]

Intrigued to hear Bob Lutz is on the board at Via, as he showed some resistance to the electrification of the industry a decade ago. Also, I wanted to mention the opportunities in the RV sector for this chassis. Great episode today!

[@frankcoffey]

Who will make electric firetrucks, ambulance, garbage trucks, street sweepers, cement mixers, etc.? Firefights have an alarming cancer rate and one factor is the fumes from the trucks that are often left running inside a building or at close proximity to the worksite. Electric is really needed for these applications not just because of costs but safety and capability.

[@albertbradfield1945]

It makes one wonder what would have happened if a different manager staff had been in place other than the old boys club.

[@davidlemieux615]

As for Sam, ain’t he the one who kept rating Tesla as last in class for automation?! A follower and yet he had Argo near the very top. Yet they just gave up as has other FSD competitors. Gotta pick better guests.

[@hoffinger]

Sam doesn't believe camera technology is enough for FSD. He is not alone with that thinking.

[@toronado455]

One, perhaps idealistic, solution to "charge time anxiety" would simply be to have a second EV plugged in and charging at home while you drive the first one. It's simpler than swapable battery packs. And a second EV can function as a backup in case the first EV needs service, and vice versa. If you alternate driving both vehicles, the lifetime of each would be increased, so the cost would be somewhat mitigated. Also, it would allow for "slow charging" the EVs which would extend the battery life vs fast charging. And might save on the cost of installing fast charging at home.

[@howebrad4601]

So needing 2 vehicles to do the job of 1 is somehow an improvement?

[@toronado455]

@@howebrad4601 In this case, I think two is better than one. One car can never do the job of two cars though, no matter how perfect it is.

[@howebrad4601]

@@toronado455 so how exactly is that better for the environment? Not to mention financially? Wouldn't be better and cheaper just to have one ice vehicle that will cover 99 percent of what a person needs? That's why full size pickups are so popular

[@wildcat64100]

The best solution is to not own a vehicle at all. Our cars spend 95% of their time just parked. A vehicle you can summon, use, then the car goes on to serve other people all day long, making efficient use of the car.

[@wildcat64100]

@@toronado455 That’s wasteful of materials but also space. Where are these double cars supposed to park? Not everyone lives in the suburbs with a two car garage. Worldwide, almost no one has that luxury of space.

[@tomdewey9690]

Look it’s the Aztec EV!

[@hoffinger]

That was the Azcrack if I remember well.

[@sjvtesla]

This just proves how much GM was ahead... And decided...naw fam

[@marknelson463]

Thinking about a hybrid motor home a class A with a on board gen could charge the batteries in a motor home Just need to start making them which could come soon. With lithium batteries and diesel generators the need for diesel motors to power a motor home is less and less.

[@phileasler5401]

Drive electric ⚡️ and say bye bye to the pumps

[@davidlemieux615]

A skateboard design which includes full ICE?!? Even a HEV or PHEV do NOT qualify as a skateboard… skateboards are basically FLAT permitting anything to go above.

[@kevtheobald]

The battery swap systems are just not making sense. Commercial space is about to get a true test with the Tesla Semi. I hope Autoline can get someone from the Tesla Semi program about six months after PepsiCo puts their trucks into service. Would love to have someone from the Modesto plant talk about how the Tesla Semi worked for them and have Tesla rep talk about how they addressinh issues and future changes. Tesla claims they will be shooting for 50,000 units a year early on. Back to the swap thing, it requires extra management and tooling. Everything becomes more complex at manufacturing and ownership. It seems like charging speeds are dropping quickly. Fast enough to compare with a swap or petrol vehicle refueling. Keep things simple is what seems better to me. No extra batteries to deal with and simpler to produce.

[@cyumadbrosummit3534]

Boomer Bob and his merry band of outdated auto executives still at it.

[@howebrad4601]

Bob is not a boomer. He is from what is referred to as "the greatest generation " before you slam someone have your ducks in a row. Boomers were born from 1946 to 1964

[@salvadorcoling8403]

Bob Purcell was fantastic but the GM Board of Directors and CEO where a bunch of rootless people during that time. Bob Lutz was a failure with his Chevrolet Volt.

[@gandmemoney]

The volt has been a wonderful car , 8 years no problems and still 30 miles electric. 115 mpg average

[@salvadorcoling8403]

It’s not comparable to Toyota Prius in sale volume.

[@gmv0553]

@@salvadorcoling8403 sale volume is only part of the equation! The Chevy Volt is the number one used car sought today!

[@howebrad4601]

The volts series hybrid is absolutely the way to go in terms of efficiency and lowered complexity compared to ice or even parallel hybrids. Volts suffered badly because it was fashionable to slam gm, the volt, and evs in general before evs became the cool thing to have. Evs were being mocked back then. Now they're a status symbol. Gm was too far ahead of its time with the volt. Just watch. Over the next 5 years you will see a number of evs that offer an additional ice range extender, Ala gm voltec style. Ram is about to announce their new ram ev with range/towing extender

[@johndonaldson5126]

@@salvadorcoling8403 But Prius is basically an ICE with a battery assist.

[@advandermeer740]

I am sorry, but if you have to buy all your hardware, you are not making a great EV.