A Roadside Scene Typical of a Drive Through the American South 70 Years Ago

 A World Long Gone By! When time stood largely still, and hurry was a foreign word.

A Trip Around the World in a Tesla

 

So much for range anxiety!

In 2012, Rafael de Mestre traveled around the world for the first time in his Tesla Roadster and won against a French team. In 2016 he drove around the world in 80 days.

On June 16, 2016, he made a second trip around the world^[which began at the Arc de Triomf in Barcelona and ended on September 4, 2016, with his Tesla Model S.^[ In this endeavor he was joined by 11 international teams. The race is designed to promote the role of electric cars globally as a sustainable means of transportation around the world in all types of terrain and climates.

The race is also aimed at fostering innovation and development of EV technology to increase the distances that electric cars can cover without needing to stop for charging.^[12]

September 6, 2022.he shipped his Tesla Roadster emission free with a sailing ship over the Atlantic Ocean to US and started by this the third around the world trip which he finished 2024 after a lot of delays because of the Fremantle Highway Fox News rumor that an EV could have caused the fire there. Even after it was proved an EV not being the cause of the fire, ship captains denied to transport EVs.

Just after arriving he started his 4th round-the-world trip for 2024. A family with 3 kids in a Model 3 followed him and again he broke a world record. This time the longest trip in a standard electric car 42.105 km. 

He is planning the 5th edition for 2030 and started recruiting teams who want to be one of the knights of the round table fighting against pollution.

The Straight Road

 Follow the son -- Jesus Christ! Many think they are on the straight road, but in fact are not!

Happy Valentine's Day

 

How is making an electric car different than that of making an ICE-powered vehicle?

 

You're hitting on a really interesting point about how cars are made! It's not just about what's in the car, but how we make it that's changing with the rise of electric vehicles (EVs). Here's a breakdown of the key differences in manufacturing between EVs and traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles:

1. The Engine Room: Powertrain Production

• ICE Vehicles: Think complex machinery churning out intricate engine parts like pistons, valves, crankshafts, and a whole exhaust system. It's a very precise, mechanically intensive process.
• EVs: The focus shifts to making electric motors, battery packs, and power electronics. This involves specialized electrical component manufacturing, particularly the complex process of producing and integrating battery cells.

2. Battery Production: A New Challenge

• EVs: Batteries are a huge deal, and unique to EVs. Making them is a complex process:
  • Sourcing and processing raw materials (lithium, cobalt, nickel, etc.)
  • Manufacturing the individual battery cells and modules
  • Assembling those into a big battery pack, with thermal management and safety systems built in
• ICE Vehicles: They have a small, simple lead-acid battery just for starting the engine and basic electrical systems.

3. Fewer Moving Parts, But Different Ones

• ICE Vehicles: A massive number of mechanical parts, from the engine and transmission to the exhaust system and fuel tank.
• EVs: Fewer moving parts overall, which simplifies assembly. BUT, they have specialized components like electric motors, inverters, and charging systems that ICE vehicles don't.

4. Materials: Similar, But with a Twist

• Both: Use common materials like steel, aluminum, plastics, and glass.
• EVs: May use more lightweight materials like aluminum and carbon fiber to offset the weight of the batteries and improve range.

5. Assembly: A Different Kind of Challenge

• ICE Vehicles: A complex assembly process with lots of steps and specialized tools for engine and transmission installation.
• EVs: Simpler assembly due to fewer parts. But, integrating that battery pack needs careful handling and special procedures.

6. Software: The Brains of the Operation

• EVs: Heavily reliant on sophisticated software to manage battery performance, motor control, charging, and more. This means seamless software and hardware integration during manufacturing.
• ICE Vehicles: Use software for engine management and other systems, but it's generally less complex than in EVs.

7. Factories Need a Makeover

• Transitioning from ICE to EV production means big changes to factories. Assembly lines need to be redesigned to handle battery pack assembly, electric motor installation, and the specific needs of EV components.

8. The Workforce is Evolving

• EV manufacturing needs a workforce with new skills. Workers need training in battery technology, electrical systems, and software integration.

In a nutshell:

Making an EV is simpler in some ways (fewer parts, less mechanical complexity). But it brings new challenges related to battery production, electrical systems, and software. The auto industry is in a major shift, with manufacturers investing heavily in new technologies and processes to make EVs efficiently and cost-effectively.

Production at Tesla and Space X: the so-called Algorithm: New Manufacturing Insights

 From Isaacson, Elon Musk, 2023, pp 284-286.

Given the historical development automobile  manufacturing from Henry Ford to Sloanism, Musks thoughts and implementation during the development of production at Fremont, CA is most remarkable.

Five commandments:

1. Question every requirement. Each should come with the name of the person who made it. You should never accept that a requirement came from a department, such as the "legal department" or "the safety department." You need to know the name of he real person who made that requirement. Then you should question it, no matter how smart that person is. Requirements from smart people are the most dangerous,  because people are less likely to question them. Always do so, even if the replacement came from me [Musk}. Then make the requitements less dumb. 

2. Delete any part of a process you csn. You may have to add them back again later. In fact, if you do not end up adding back at least 10% of them, then you did not delete enough.

3. Simplify and optimize. This should come after step 2. A common mistake is to simplify and optimize a part of a process that should not exist.

4. Accelerate cycle time. Every process can be speeded up. But only do this after you have followed the first three steps. In the Tesla factory, I [Musk] mistakenly spent a lot of time accelerating processes that I realize should have been deleted.

5. Automate. Taht comes last. The big mistake in Nevada and at Fremont was that I began by trying to automate every step. We should have waited until all the requitements had been questioned, parts and processes deleted, and he bugs were shaken out.

A few corollaries, among them:

All technical managers must have hands-on experience.... Otherwise, they are like a calvary leader who can't ride a horse or a general who can't use a sword.

Comradery is dangerous. It makes it hard for people to challenge each others work.

It is OK to be wrong Just don't be confident and wrong.

A maniacal sense of urgency is out operating principle.

The only rules are the ones dictated by the laws of physics. Everything else is a recommendation.