Audi has become the latest auto manufacturer to perform a dramatic U-turn on its electric vehicle commitments, writing off its promised to stop developing internal combustion engines (ICE) in 2033.
Instead, the Bavarian-based marque will continue to make both ICE cars and plug-in hybrids into the next decade, as part of a ‘completely new’ fuel-powered line-up.
CEO Gernot Döllner confirmed the brand’s revised plans, explaining that ‘flexibility’ is the new direction Audi will take so it can see how ‘markets develop’.
The German car giant had originally planned to build its last ICE-only car next year with the new-generation Q7. However, it suggested earlier this year that petrol and diesel models could run for longer.
Stupid assholes thought they could buy credibility with the wokerati Greens by putting a deadline on the eeeevil fuel-powered engines, despite all the writing on the wall indicating that EVs are not popular in the mass market, that there are serious concerns about the “green-ness” of the EV when the total energy cost of their manufacture is taken into account and not just their eco-friendliness on the road.
And speaking of “on the road”, there’s always this little EV problem:
…and the fact that the EV fires are almost inextinguishable (and can re-ignite even after they are extinguished), and give off toxic smoke.
Yeah… I can’t imagine why a company might want to rethink their position, either.
The fact of the matter is that the auto companies should never have drawn that line in the sand in the first place.
In the meantime, here are a few pics to make us all feel better about this.
There; I told you it would make you feel better.
Ferrari’s probably catch fire as frequently as EV’s.
All supercars do, it seems.
Supercars aren’t really vehicular transportation. They are mobile sculpture with strong overtones of bird-pulling.
EVs are unwanted and certainly not needed. Good riddance.
The cars and models below the EV fire are quite fetching and look fun
I like the pic with the two cougars.
Ditto!
I would like to see Audi bring back their turbo diesel. I have a cousin that has over 500k on her small station wagon. She has had to restore the interior but has had no major issues. It also gets 45 mpg.
Someone failed chemistry again but not Kim’s fault.
1) Water is a poor choice for lithium or other metal hydride fires. A class D fire extinguisher or sand/dirt work well. CO2 will work as long as you get too it before you reach autoignition temperature.
2) Burning anything generates lots of nasty chemicals far worse than carbon monoxide. Burn any organic and you will trace amounts of benzene. Burn plastics and you will make phosgene, that was what got responders sick at the World Trade Center on 9/11.
3) Plastics are usually the issue with autoignition. Get them hot enough they decompose and their byproducts typically have much lower ignition temps.
My first job out of college was at a chemical company the made pyrophorics, things that catch fire when exposed to air. We used even nastier chemicals to make them including lithium and sodium. I got really good at putting out fires.
+1 on the Audi turbo diesel and the babe on the Pontiac.
We use triethyl-aluminum at our site, nice pyrophoric for our pyromaniac techs to play with. One time I toured the vendor production site and remarked to our guide that the facility was extremely clean. He dryly remarked that yeah, pretty easy to keep it clean when any spills burn up before they even hit the ground. Also the facility was forever around 5 years old, since that was the average length of time between accidents that burn it to the ground, necessitating a complete rebuild. Fun stuff.
Also, our general philosophy with those types of fires is to not even bother fighting the fire. Just let it burn itself out and only spray water on the surrounding equipment to keep it cool. And try to stay upwind.
Yup, there’s nothing like an electric carbeque.
Why does a good idea get crushed immediately, but a bad idea takes YEARS to fall apart.
Good Fecking Riddance to EV’s
Cloud Computing, Socialism, Communism & Gun Control, sadly are still with us.
The first production EV was produced in 1886. It’s a mature technology with little expectation of leapfrog development. It was superseded by the internal combustion engine for a variety of sound reasons. None of those reasons have really changed.
The Electric cars are emblematic of the generality of ‘solutions’ proffered by the environmental movement. They seldom even come close to working, most of them are worse then no ‘solution’ at all, and a lot of them are to address ‘problems’ that may not exist in the first place.
…kinda like Socialism.
As I read the article this AM I casually mentioned to my wife that a lot of auto companies are backing off of their commitments to electric. She being the good little demoparrot that she is, said “yeh, because Trumps getting rid of them”. At this point in life I should know better. I think I’m going to go explain physics to my dog, it probably wont be as frustrating.