New Report Says Apple Was in Talks to Use BMW i3 as Basis for Electric Car Project

[Sill]

In 2014 wind power produced the equivalent of 39% of Denmarks total electricity consumption ,from offshore wind farms like the Middelgrunden wind farm just outside Copenhagen
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power_in_Denmark

I think thats wonderful, really. But it would be very hard to make it happen here. In a statist society such as the US, the government would get in the way of just about every non-connected attempt at alternative energy, via permitting and other regulations, while awarding contracts and subsidies to crony operations. We also have a lot of coal, oil and gas available, and those industries don't like to get messed with. If I'm remembering correctly, Denmark had very little if any petrochemical resources. ANY alternative power would get embraced if it meant furthering the Danish independence streak. While I'm not a fan of labor unions, and interventionist economics of any kind, I respect how seriously property rights and free trade are protected in your country. It doesn't work that way here.

Another thing to consider: Denmark has a tiny population compared to other developed nations, equivalent in the US to the state of Wisconsin. There are more people living in NYC here, and I doubt that wind power could take care of the needs of that whole city, much less the nation. Again, I think it would be better to have small installations of wind power in remote locations, rural areas and such, to eliminate the losses from transmission and keep control of the power in local hands. There are still better ways -like the nuclear methods I mentioned - but it makes a great supplementary system.

 

[apolloa]

Sure - The waste still exists. But there are other ways of dealing with that these days...

http://www.the-weinberg-foundation....clear-waste-problem-in-conventional-reactors/

We need more innovation... Wind turbines wear too easily and require too much maintenance.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...tricity-by-shaking-not-spinning-10257275.html

Interesting stuff for sure, recycling the nuclear waste. Wind turbines are a good source of energy at the present, but I agree their needs to be massive investment and development in technology that is essentially saving the planet and environment.
I think hydrogen is a good fuel for cars, so long as it's no more dangerous than petrol / gasoline is in an accident. I'm still waiting for these hydrogen fuel cells we were promised in our gadgets years ago.

 

[Sill]

Interesting. We know that combustibles cause health problems also. Environmental regulation has reduced the effects of people burning coal to heat their homes, or industries burning coal to run factories, or operate railroads. Automobiles' exhaust is far less troublesome than it once was. Fifty years ago, many cities were virtually unlivable. Gasoline no longer contains heavy metals that they had when I was younger. Every change has met with resistance, but I doubt anyone really wants to go back to smoggy cities or leaded gasoline.

To be fair, TEL wasn't naturally present in gasoline - it was added as an octane booster and as a lubricant for every friction surface that was touched by fuel, notably valve guides and seats. We now have 300hp four cylinder motors with hardened valve seats that run on 87 octane unleaded gas, and get 30mpg while doing so. Your point that exhaust is "far less troublesome" is an understatement. Vehicle emissions are far, far lower than they were even twenty years ago. Fuel injection tech, cylinder head design, and so many other things have come so far that combustion byproducts are ridiculously clean. I think the last score I heard was 97 percent. Most of what comes out is water vapor.

Health problems from renewable energy sources will be addressed. Maybe not as quickly as activists like you would prefer, but they will be addressed, and the idea of breathing in gasoline vapors while fueling your car will seem as unthinkable as getting weekly deliveries of coal to your coal cellar..

I really don't know how they could be addressed, as far as turbines go. There are several factors at work there, and they are all acoustical, based on the design and placement of the turbine. There are several orders of harmonics happening, and they interplay with other turbines, nearby structures, and resonant cavities underground. Someplace like Florida, with its honeycombed foundation of limestone strata would be a horrible place to be if wind harvesting goes large scale there.

In order to combat sound you can only do one of three things to make a dent: prevent the source, absorb the first response wave, or cancel it by broadcasting a reversed polarity wave in perfect response. I doubt there is much they could do in the first respect. Absorption will take some pretty creative thinking. About the only other thing that could work is to create standing wave structures via 3d sound projectors pointed around each turbine. Talk about expense...

 

[Benjamin Frost]

I live in the countryside and would be more than happy to have a wind farm near me, without renewable energy the countryside is going to be in a far worse state than a few graceful wind turbines.

I'm afraid you're in the minority.

There's nothing graceful about wind turbines.

 

[Benjamin Frost]

Do you have an Apple Watch? What do you not like about it?

I would be very happy to have a car that was thoughtfully designed as my Apple Watch.

I take it the engine will cut out when driving unless you wiggle the steering wheel hard.

 

[edvj]

I'm afraid you're in the minority.

There's nothing graceful about wind turbines.

Then you would not like to live on Samsø ,a 100% wind powered danish island..
http://cleantechnica.com/2013/10/29/introducing-samso-100-wind-powered-island/
I actually think wind turbines looks graceful

 

[flat five]

geothermal energy:

 

[flat five]

I'm afraid you're in the minority.

There's nothing graceful about wind turbines.

v that's pretty cool though



The above photograph shows the turbulence field behind the Horns Rev 1 offshore wind turbines. Unique meteorological conditions on 12 February 2008 at 1300 hours resulted in the wind turbines creating condensation (i.e. clouds) of the very humid air, thus making it possible to see the turbulence pattern behind the wind turbines.
Photo: Christian Steiness.

 

[LukasValine]

I always thought Apple should team up with Tesla. They seem to have a similar design language.

 

[McGiord]

I always thought Apple should team up with Tesla. They seem to have a similar design language.

They had been poaching each other's employees. The earlier rumors were that Apple's car project was simply to keep the talent and piss off Musk...

 

[McGiord]

Hercule Poirot.

NATO headquarters as well as the European Union headquarters are located in Belgium.

 

[Glideslope]

Where is the problem? German cars at least work reliable - not like the junk american car companies sell.

The problem is Apple being able to interface with German goals. Germany still focuses on quality and ingenuity (i3 aside.) Hardly Apple strengths these days.

 

[Glideslope]

No one here can confirm anything about Apple making a car, let alone what accessories it comes with. What is your beef with "the German's", anyway? It seems a bit knee-jerk.

No beef with Germany. Actually, my grandfather immigrated to Buffalo, NY in 1930 from Dortmund. I also have my Code of Arms mounted in our family room.

The problem is Apple being able to interface with German goals. Germany still focuses on quality and ingenuity (i3 aside.) Hardly Apple strengths these days.

 

[McGiord]

No beef with Germany. Actually, my grandfather immigrated to Buffalo, NY in 1930. I also have my Code of Arms mounted in our family room.

The problem is Apple being able to interface with German goals. Germany still focuses on quality and ingenuity (i3 aside.) Hardly Apple strengths these days.

None of the German autos have a simple HMI for their infotainment. CarPlay and Google car implementations are helping but the German way that mainly works for German minds isn't as intuitive as the Apple products. This is my opinion and perception, please provide examples of recent vehicles and I will gladly change my opinion on them.
The other main difference is the product lifecycle.

 

[McGiord]

Mercedes E-mobility​

 

[McGiord]

http://www.volkswagengroupamerica.com/technology.html

 

[Harmonious Zen]

The problem is Apple being able to interface with German goals. Germany still focuses on quality and ingenuity (i3 aside.) Hardly Apple strengths these days.

Classic example of someone who really doesn't understand the full picture, but likes to voice opinions. I'd say Apple makes some of the finest consumer electronics. And considering their ubiquity, including in the PC world, they're pretty darn ingenious.

 

[KPOM]

In 2014 wind power produced the equivalent of 39% of Denmarks total electricity consumption ,from offshore wind farms like the Middelgrunden wind farm just outside Copenhagen
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power_in_Denmark

View attachment 571342

Denmark is a tiny country of about 5 million people. Germany still gets most of its power from plants powered by natural gas from Russia.

 

[KPOM]

I had one. Sold it before it crashed on eBay. It's a gadget. A toy. Something that your phone is better suited to use. I have made my opinions clear on that board. The Watch lacks the power of a smartphone, is inelegant when compared to a real timepiece, and is too expensive.

I fully expect whatever car Apple comes out with to completely miss the point of what makes people love their cars.

Prices more likely "crashed" on eBay because supply has caught up with demand. The Apple Watch is fine. It isn't supposed to have the power of a smartphone, and I've found it to be quite elegant as a timepiece. It is priced comparably to watches like Movado that just tell time.

 

[Sill]

Denmark is a tiny country of about 5 million people. Germany still gets most of its power from plants powered by natural gas from Russia.

To this we can add France, a nation of 66 million people, gets around 80 percent of its energy from nuclear plants. Its also a net exporter of power to other euro bloc nations.

 

[Glideslope]

None of the German autos have a simple HMI for their infotainment. CarPlay and Google car implementations are helping but the German way that mainly works for German minds isn't as intuitive as the Apple products. This is my opinion and perception, please provide examples of recent vehicles and I will gladly change my opinion on them.
The other main difference is the product lifecycle.

2016 Accord EX

 

[Glideslope]

Classic example of someone who really doesn't understand the full picture, but likes to voice opinions. I'd say Apple makes some of the finest consumer electronics. And considering their ubiquity, including in the PC world, they're pretty darn ingenious.

Sure. Apple Watch, Apple Music, 63% of revenue/81% of overall profit from one device (iPhone.) Some great things. Apple's Soul Died with Steve. Tim is still the COO. The promotion of Jony to Chief of Design is an attempt to put a "SJ" back in a position of CEO. When you listen to the conference calls (which I'm sure you do being so knowledgeable of my lack of knowledge) Tim talks about the same things he did in 2010. The only words he knows are, 6-7 Day Inventory, Channel Flow, Market Forecast, Dividend Increase, and Magical.

Apple Music is a page write out of a Windows Programing Textbook. The Apple Watch is a useless accessory that does nothing except place your iPhone on your wrist.

So, I have seen nothing ingenious since 2011. I'm glad you enjoy paying for products with average margins of 37%. Then again, you understand the full picture, eh?

 

[AustinIllini]

Classic example of someone who really doesn't understand the full picture, but likes to voice opinions. I'd say Apple makes some of the finest consumer electronics. And considering their ubiquity, including in the PC world, they're pretty darn ingenious.

Apple is a Lexus or an Acura. Not always the best, but built last.

 

[AustinIllini]

Sure. Apple Watch, Apple Music, 63% of revenue/81% of overall profit from one device (iPhone.) Some great things. Apple's Soul Died with Steve. Tim is still the COO. The promotion of Jony to Chief of Design is an attempt to put a "SJ" back in a position of CEO. When you listen to the conference calls (which I'm sure you do being so knowledgeable of my lack of knowledge) Tim talks about the same things he did in 2010. The only words he knows are, 6-7 Day Inventory, Channel Flow, Market Forecast, Dividend Increase, and Magical.

Apple Music is a page write out of a Windows Programing Textbook. The Apple Watch is a useless accessory that does nothing except place your iPhone on your wrist.

So, I have seen nothing ingenious since 2011. I'm glad you enjoy paying for products with average margins of 37%. Then again, you understand the full picture, eh?

Can you please make the "not since Steve" comment at the beginning of your argument so we know not to take you seriously?

 

[SgtPepper12]

I really don't know how they could be addressed, as far as turbines go. There are several factors at work there, and they are all acoustical, based on the design and placement of the turbine. There are several orders of harmonics happening, and they interplay with other turbines, nearby structures, and resonant cavities underground. Someplace like Florida, with its honeycombed foundation of limestone strata would be a horrible place to be if wind harvesting goes large scale there.

Anybody who knows enough physics to know the terms harmonic and resonance should see that the whole idea of turbines causing illnesses via infrasound is utter BS. Sorry, but even living next to a somewhat busy street causes orders of magnitude more infrasound than turbines. There even are a lot of natural phenomena producing way more infrasound (rivers, rain, waterfalls, wind). It's easy to say what makes those people sick: The fear of the invisible. It's the same story over and over: Tell a group of people of some invisible "threat", and I guarantee you that someone will show up who's feeling it. What they are feeling are not symptoms of radiation, radio waves, air pollution or infrasound, but rather symptoms of stress caused by the constant fear.