BMW against short-term measures by the German government

[edyvw]

This is very interesting and telling.
Obviously BMW knows very well where things are going and think they are ready to play the game.
It also shows frustration by one of the most important German companies and the most important one in richest part of Germany, about failures of German energy strategy of last 20 years. The current German foreign policy can be summarized under: "we hope war in Ukraine stops, and we get cheap gas again, and everything will be fine." It seems that business leaders are trying to talk some sense in German politicians.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/bmw-scep...S-boRSivW3P8XTYhqjCCR1RB_fA9lAzoDdheblWYtia1X

 

[SC Maintenance]

The article doesn't mention where all the electricity will come from?

 

[JeffKeryk]

The article doesn't mention where all the electricity will come from?

Good point; important point. Perhaps an EV driven cattle prod will move energy production forward.
Necessity is the Mother, as they say.

 

[edyvw]

The article doesn't mention where all the electricity will come from?

Of course. I don't think German politicians know too. However, I would argue that the nuclear power plants they disassembled had a lot of potential to help with what BMW proposes.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Of course. I don't think German politicians know too. However, I would argue that the nuclear power plants they disassembled had a lot of potential to help with what BMW proposes.

Well, yes spinning those back up would seem to make sense, to everyone outside Germany.

 

[edyvw]

Well, yes spinning those back up would seem to make sense, to everyone outside Germany.

Well, I think they left only 3 for emergencies. They are importing A LOT from Poland, the Balkans etc. and secretly hoping Russians will start selling cheap gas again.
On my Bingo card, I am giving the current German chancellor 6 more months.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Well, I think they left only 3 for emergencies. They are importing A LOT from Poland, the Balkans etc. and secretly hoping Russians will start selling cheap gas again.
On my Bingo card, I am giving the current German chancellor 6 more months.

Sort of like cash for clunkers. "Hey, here is some good stuff. Lets throw it away".

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

BMW is "All In" on EVs and I suspect their survival depends on it. I suspect the Green Party and a huge segment of the population have no interest in restarting nuclear.

Here's an interesting piece.

https://theconversation.com/why-germany-ditched-nuclear-before-coal-and-why-it-wont-go-back-228212

https://oilprice.com/Alternative-En...0-of-Electricity-With-Renewables-by-2030.html

 

[dubber09]

War in Ukraine affected Germany only since Germany was forced and willing to join sanctions against Russia and is spending money on that war. If they stayed out of it business would be as usual.

 

[Trav]

Good point; important point. Perhaps an EV driven cattle prod will move energy production forward.
Necessity is the Mother, as they say.

Perhaps some of these politicians should put the EV cattle prod up their backside sideways. There is nothing wrong with letting people decide what to buy not by some mandate.

 

[SC Maintenance]

War in Ukraine affected Germany only since Germany was forced and willing to join sanctions against Russia and is spending money on that war. If they stayed out of it business would be as usual.

They still get gas via pipelines through Ukraine. If they "stay out of it" Ukraine puts small bomb under said pipe, and they are worse off than now.

 

[dubber09]

I know Europe gets both gas and oil from Russia, still, but they don't like to talk about it thou.

 

[Trav]

I was on the phone with a good friend just yesterday who owns a SEAT/Skoda dealership, he was telling me the price of heat and electric is so high now he is considering shutting the doors. He is 63 and was hoping his kids would take the business over but they see the bills and do not want it.
Other friends that live in the city both own apartments, very nice and large ones but no charging in the underground garages and they too are disgusted at the price of energy yet they keep pushing EV's and other high demand electric items like heating and appliances on people either through taxation or regulation of ICE vehicles and energy taxes.

 

[demarpaint]

Perhaps some of these politicians should put the EV cattle prod up their backside sideways. There is nothing wrong with letting people decide what to buy not by some mandate.

That would be great, but sales would dive, and hurt the agenda. So unfortunately I don't see it happening anytime soon.

 

[Bailes1992]

I was on the phone with a good friend just yesterday who owns a SEAT/Skoda dealership, he was telling me the price of heat and electric is so high now he is considering shutting the doors. He is 63 and was hoping his kids would take the business over but they see the bills and do not want it.
Other friends that live in the city both own apartments, very nice and large ones but no charging in the underground garages and they too are disgusted at the price of energy yet they keep pushing EV's and other high demand electric items like heating and appliances on people either through taxation or regulation of ICE vehicles and energy taxes.

I still think we are on for a huge backlash in Europe. We are all being forced down this 'green' road that doesn't suit or work for the majority of people.

Our Government here in Wales throws millions every year at 'active travel' projects which often involve taking away roads and replacing them with cycle paths to benefit a minority. Wales is wet and hilly, people aren't going to willingly travel on a bike unless you're into that sort of thing.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

Perhaps some of these politicians should put the EV cattle prod up their backside sideways. There is nothing wrong with letting people decide what to buy not by some mandate.

Don’t forget to duct tape the switch to “on” before the insertion process

 

[jeepman3071]

BMW is "All In" on EVs and I suspect their survival depends on it. I suspect the Green Party and a huge segment of the population have no interest in restarting nuclear.

Here's an interesting piece.

https://theconversation.com/why-germany-ditched-nuclear-before-coal-and-why-it-wont-go-back-228212

https://oilprice.com/Alternative-En...0-of-Electricity-With-Renewables-by-2030.html

Going "all in" on something is rarely a good business strategy.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Going "all in" on something is rarely a good business strategy.

It is unless you understand the reasoning behind it. The German govt and a portion of the German people have determined that they must fulfill their responsibility in reducing global fossil fuel emissions in order to stave of catastrophic climate change at some point in the distant future. EV's must be part of the strategy and the German govt has directed automakers to get on board and provided hundreds of millions in subsidies.

The problem is that it's expensive. Kinda like how it was expensive when automobiles first came out and began to replace horses. Cities like NYC were dealing with 500 tons of horse manure a day. Using a horse in the city was cheap because you didn't have to clean up its manure and take it with you. Cities just dumped it in the river or landfill and the owners of said horses didn't really bare the full cost of the manure because it floated downstream for someone else to worry about. Ban horses in NYC and the cost of everything goes up because people must now use the more expensive ICE/steam engine. NYC is comparatively cleaner but it now costs more to live there.

ICE today is the horse of yesterday. It's comparatively cheap because there's no immediate* cost of the emissions. Like horse manure dumped in the river ICE emissions are blown downwind and out of the minds of the user for someone a couple of generations to deal with.

Some people care about these things and others do not. I'm rather ambivalent.


*Other than localized air pollution like Ozone.

 

[Brons2]

Germany freaked the (redacted) out after Fukushima about nuclear. But if they had placed the backup generators 200 feet above sea level, Fukushima would probably still be running today.

 

[Bailes1992]

Germany freaked the (redacted) out after Fukushima about nuclear. But if they had placed the backup generators 200 feet above sea level, Fukushima would probably still be running today.

What makes things worse, they were warned way before the event that the generators needed to be moved but it fell on deaf ears!

I work in the nuclear design industry and I'm told by people I work with who are far smarter than I that it is nigh on impossible for a modern power station to ever suffer a thermal runaway. Apparently the rate of reaction reduces as the temperature increases and they are designed in such a way that should the cooling system fail, that the reaction will all but cease long before dangerous temperatures are reached.