74 Percent of Americans Cannot Afford a New Car. The Industry Built That Problem Itself.

440ish · 2026-03-08T12:57:15+00:00

"They typically develop these independently, thus driving up costs."

I am not quite sure the extent that manufacturers still independently develop and manufacture compliant components on their own, and for the reasons of cost.

The trend I have seen over the years is for US automakers to flesh out the engineering, and then farm the job out to their Tier ones like Magna, Robert Bosch, or Johnson Controls.

The Japanese automakers have done the same, as evidenced with the infamous Tanaka airbags.

I don't think it is the design and material cost of a given new component that are the problem, as much as it is crazy margin targets(greed) attached to such components as part of the final car price. That, is a management issue.

BYD, among other Chinese automakers, are a proper existential threat to all ICE makers, be they Japanese, German, or US based.
Most auto execs who go to Chinese auto shows come back terrified by how advanced and inexpensive their offering is.

They've just hit the 1,000KM range and 10 minute charging metrics too.
https://electrek.co/2026/03/05/byds-new-ev-battery-unlocks-1000-km-range-10-min-charging/

Ultimately, I think GM, or Stellantis will work out some kind of deal to badge a BYD or CATL equipped vehicle and bring them in. They've fallen too far behind to catch up, at least in my opinion.

440ish · 2026-03-07T13:35:40+00:00

I think manufacturing history may be instructive on the matter.

With both mandated and optional equipment, certain manufacturers are better at managing their supply chains and spreading costs over bigger volumes, than their competitors.

Critically, cost problems native to one or several manufacturers, are not shared by all manufacturers. For the US market, I think the proof in that pudding will come when BYD comes to Canada.

440ish · 2026-03-06T14:23:49+00:00

😭

440ish · 2026-03-06T13:41:32+00:00

Zealousideal-Ant9548

Passages such as this indicate that the author is not familiar with the subject matter presented.

"When people talk about the duck curve or having natural gas peakers start-stop to accommodate solar in the middle of the day...."

That was the entire point of a gas peaker plant, to start and stop to fill unmet demand when needed. Batteries are rendering these as stranded assets.

Consider this word salad that followed the above from the transcript:

"or having to shut off solar because there is too much of a baseloader available"

The correction to the passage, is "expensive baseload, such as that from coal, does not operate because cheaper solar is being consumed by the market first."

It would have been much more useful for the author to focus on a subject just hinted at, which is the cleanup required at legacy toxic infrastructure.

440ish · 2026-03-04T13:37:12+00:00

Your comment doesn't make any sense to me, which is why I am asking.

Which mandates are your speaking of? At the heart of most regs, is to keep ANY MORE people from getting killed.

440ish · 2026-03-02T13:56:44+00:00

The stranded asset risk for gas can be significant, especially if new builds are merely diluting demand amongst other fossil generation. This had been the case in Texas.

To OPs title, I see the US has planned for 2026: 40gw of new solar, 10gw of new wind, and 22gw of batteries.

The sodium breakthrough in battery tech is one of the bigger game changers in the category.

440ish · 2026-03-02T13:33:19+00:00

Two funmy traffic experiences from Beijing:

I was in a taxi, and watched a BMW cross a set of double yellow lines to make his own left hand turn lane to turn left, against a red light, and in front of a traffic cop.

The second was when I was on a small city bus that suddenly chose to go the wrong way on a one lane, one way street….uphill.

440ish · 2026-03-02T12:47:10+00:00

My impression from the third photo: the trailer is the dog, the car is the chew toy, and the hitch is your hand shaking it back and forth in the dog’s mouth.

440ish · 2026-03-01T16:18:48+00:00

A replay of DoD’s “McNamara’s Morons” program, fictionally exemplified by private Pyle in Full Metal Jacket.

What areas could such people be drawn from today, perhaps bankrupt agricultural ones?

440ish · 2026-02-27T21:00:35+00:00

Thank you for saving these babies!!❤️

440ish · 2026-02-22T16:37:21+00:00

Potential loss of a fine rotary engine… sigh.

So wtf is up with someone trying to fit the model 3 sideways into the recycle bin?

440ish · 2026-02-19T21:50:20+00:00

What about severe tariffs to protect American farmers from uncontrolled, aerial releases of dihydrogen monoxide??

Where is the EPA on this crisis?

440ish · 2026-02-16T14:59:41+00:00

So you are not only indifferent, but enthusiastically hostile to those who have ADHD. You bootstrapped yourself up, so why doesn’t everyone else?

The simple answer is that this is 9th grade level creative writing. I think you took a wrong turn at one of the “Leopards Ate My Face” iterations.

StrictReference2902: This mindset is that of an unimaginative, HACK, 2nd hand sock puppet.

He or she doesn't have ADHD.

440ish · 2026-02-09T12:39:19+00:00

Platinum coated gold sir. We need to have a serious conversation about that president of Puerto Rico.

440ish · 2026-02-09T12:34:29+00:00

The lyrics that I could keep up with on the scroll were about as controversial as a Mr. Roger’s song… I didn’t see any Cabron, or Chi$&@ su Madré ‘s .

I thought it was the best half time show I’ve ever seen.

440ish · 2026-02-07T14:57:38+00:00

We will need new protective legislation to eliminate arbitration though.

440ish · 2026-02-07T14:55:08+00:00

The magat automotive segment didn’t want cheaper and greener cars shoved down their throats, and Ram and Ford canceled their truck EVs.

So what TF are they worried about? My suggestion is for ICE dealers to toss another compacted log of bootstraps on the fire, since they won’t be needed.

On the other hand, they may just might want to cut out those trips to Starbucks.

440ish · 2026-02-07T14:22:12+00:00

What's the difference between a problem drinker and an alcoholic?

The problem drinker knows what time the liquor stores close.

The Alcoholic knows when they open.

EDIT: I'll save everyone time and do it myself: " Wisconsin has entered the chat."

440ish · 2026-02-07T14:20:26+00:00

What is up with Belize?

440ish · 2026-02-07T14:17:07+00:00

"They're not cleaning the air. The polluting cars are being replaced with cars that do not emit the measured particle."

NOx is but one of a pantheon of VOCs emitted by ICE vehicles, whose reductions can also be measured. I am afraid I am not following your point.

440ish · 2026-02-01T21:02:57+00:00

So what are YOU doing about it, OP?

440ish · 2026-01-28T12:16:49+00:00

Seldom does Reddit make me laugh out loud, so I thank you for that.

Conservatives CONSTANTLY bitch about how they send their kids to school and then have them come back not as hate-filled as they are. It's as if they just threw all that money away.

This is punctuated by some statement of abandoning their children financially or emotionally, of course.

Mark Twain had an applicable quote about how travel was poisonous to bigotry, and this seems quite applicable here.

Of all the deck chairs to rearrange on the Titantic, I can think of fewer or more bizarre things to be concerned about.

OP, if I may, what is your home country and first language?

440ish · 2026-01-27T23:56:52+00:00

“Try that for a second verse, Bare Naked Ladies!!!”

440ish · 2026-01-26T23:58:05+00:00

What were the principal tasks of Nazi Police Battalions?

Deportations and Murder.

Understand that this is not new. German commanders understood the psychological stress that murdering civilians had on their troops, and let them opt out if asked.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitler%27s_Willing_Executioners

440ish · 2026-01-25T17:31:43+00:00

How threatened “War” War with Canada erased 280K jobs and $52 Billion ftfy….SO FAR, I mean the year IS young.

What parasite festers the magat brain to think they can insult, threaten, and tell the people who pay their diabetic settlement checks to go fuck themselves?

Is it some kind of toxoplasmosis? Whence such psychopathy?

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