So when there are claims of misleading about climate, it's difficult to take purists seriously.  We cannot just ignore what happens in the meantime, while BEV availability is still limited.

It is only a matter of time before the struggle Tesla is having to take that next step becomes undeniable.

How Many Pounds?  This was an interesting bit of information I just happened to stumble upon: "The impact of lithium mining is dwarfed by the mining process of cobalt and nickel in terms of scale.  A typical Tesla battery contains approximately 50 kg (110 lb) of nickel and 20 kg (44 lb) of cobalt versus 8 kg (17.6 lb) of lithium.  To make matters worse, the U.S. does not have significant nickel reserves and, due to the fact cobalt is mined from nickel and copper ores, it is not in huge domestic supply either."  I hadn't actually considered how much the proportion of nickel & cobalt was with regard to lithium.  In fact, I am rather taken aback by the numbers.  Are those really correct?  My assumption was always they only consisted of a small amount of the battery, just a component the making up the cathode & anode... which supposedly are not large.  This indicates otherwise, unless those are remarkably dense elements in comparison.  My overall impression remains true though, that the bulk of weight comes from liquid electrolyte.  With a pack being roughly 1,800 pounds, those elements only add up to a small total in comparison.  Still, this new insight provides even more reason to favor LFP... which doesn't use either nickel or cobalt.

Annihilate.  That was the expectation was set for what we just witnessed with Model 3 and Model Y.  This was the title of the article: "Tesla's Price Cuts Will Annihilate EV Competitors."  Obviously, I had much to say about that:  It is interesting to watch Tesla race down the Innovator's Dilemma path.  Becoming extremely specialized... offering a very limited choice with huge cost advantage over the competition... is quite risky.  Being able to squeeze out a lot of the same thing with high yields very quickly is something others will struggle to match is good, but only if that's what consumers want.  In other words, the assumption is there's demand for flooding the market with Model Y (or its possible smaller counterpart).  If that isn't the case, inventory will pile up.  A saturated market hurts both new & used sales. Making matters worse, an upgrade shift to resolve that could trigger an Osborne Effect.  From the bigger picture perspective, what Tesla is doing now looks short-term.  It can be very effective for mainstream establishment.  But with regard to long-term, absence of diversity can become a liability.

Real-World Sharing.  It is so nice when owners start posting about their own driving experiences.  We were treated to this today: "Had my first incident running out of battery.  I had a 160 mile round trip to do in 30 degrees.  With HVAC going my range showed 240 miles so figured I would be fine.  Well I made it to the destination (no charger and 3 hours parked) and back to 130 miles total before the charge showed 0 miles and the car slowly went from 80 mph to 20 mph before stopping."  I was thrilled to read that and provided this as so (hopefully) useful information to the owner and everyone reading the post:  240 miles is an estimate for ideal driving conditions, no way representative of 80 mph in 30 degrees.  Watching your mi/kWh is how to determine real-world range while you drive.  Maximum usable battery-capacity is about 64 kWh.  You would have been getting around 2.0 mi/kWh, as others have been reporting for that type of driving.  It's a simple calculation. 2.0 mi/kWh * 64 kWh = 128 miles.

Sales Misrepresentation.  It's just like the early days of Prius rollout.  When sales didn't begin until late the first year and supply was extremely limited, antagonists didn't care.  They portrayed the situation as if you could purchase the vehicle for the entire year.  It was blatant misleading and they didn't care.  You could confirm that too.  Pointing out the facts ended up with a negative vote or some type of insult.  That's the ugly part about "know your audience".  You need to be aware of how easily they will make assumptions and just believe what they are told.  Verification of claims simply never happens.  Anywho, the latest nonsense was: "In 2022, only 1,220 people in the U.S. wanted a Bz4X enough to actually buy one."  I was annoying and fired back:  That's quite a representation of last year.  Only 232 were purchased prior to the recall which was issued shortly after sales began.  The fix was officially announced on October 6. Owner’s who chose to wait and vehicles sold back got priority.  Inventory held at port had a 60-hold.  That meant there was barely any available for purchase until mid-December... and that was only for coastal regions.  Delivery to in-land regions has not begun yet.

Magic Marketing.  It's the decades ago with acceleration... a moving target.  That requirement is never fulfilled, want obscures the recognition of need.  Ugh.  Now, it is with EV range:  "These days, at least in the US, a relevant EV must have at least around 250 miles of EPA rated range.  Case in point, very few EVs launched in the past few years have had an EPA range less than 250 miles.  300 seems to be the magic marketing number..."  I was more than happy to disagree and point out my own observations:  VW does not agree with that premise.  The newly launched ID.4 produced in Tennessee delivers only 209 miles.  Realistically, requiring a recharge while away from home will be a rare event for most owners.  Overnight charging from just a common level-2 (40-amp 240-volt) will deliver about 200 miles in 8 hours.  So the thought behind VW's choice is sensible; focus is on meeting need rather than pandering want.  Domestically built means there won't be an import tax and it will qualify for tax-credits... therefore, achieving a lower price without meeting a magic range.  However, battery chemistry is another wrinkle in the price equation.  LFP eliminates expensive elements (nickel & cobalt) at the tradeoff of heavier cells, but safer and longer lasting... important factors often overlooked.  In other words, efficiency is important but not necessarily as important as it would seem.  With regard to EV range, watch sales of ID.4 That will contribute to reasons to rethink approach.

Diversity.  Blindness continues: "For some reason they are sticking with phev's and hydrogen.  First ev with Subaru, is nothing less than a dud."  There's never an effort to figure out what that reason is.  Not making an empty promise to go "all in" with BEV right away is all they care about.  The absolute of electric-only as quickly as possible doesn't make sense.  When have we ever been able to transition to a new technology by an abrupt switch?  That doesn't work with small devices.  How could that possible by realistic with something as expensive as a vehicle?  That's where diversity plays an important role.  You can accelerate transition by providing smaller steps.  Consumers are more likely to accept being asked less and it enable the business to phase out the older choices faster.  This is why Toyota also has a number of BEV being developed while continuing on with PHEV and refinement of fuel-cells.  Use of hydrogen in place of fossil-fuels for combustion is basically a non-starter, but it is an interesting compatibility option... much like how E85 and E100 systems are used now.  We probably won't ever need it.  But what's the harm in research?  Not all profit must be invested in a single new technology or distributed to stockholders.  You'd be amazed at how some innovation comes about simply by having the freedom to experiment.  Being able to try without consequence is priceless.  Well informed executives are aware of how hands-on education can really pay off.  Some are unwilling to take that risk, seeing diversity experiments as unnecessary.  It's quite amusing how antagonists claim Toyota is unwilling to take risk, but then dismiss evidence to the contrary.  Ugh.  Anywho, this is what I had to say about that "dud" comment:  That's just a narrative.  We have already seen a compact crossover (like CH-R), know of a pickup (like Hilux), and have heard of a large SUV (like Highlander), in addition to the 2 flavors of sedan (like Corolla).  Whatever "reason" you have heard doesn't match plans, especially when you take into account the announcement of intent to accelerate the transition.

Behind Narrative.  Electric vehicles are big news now.  Having some type of drama or dilemma is a must for the media.  That's what draws attention.  Without hype, they just get lost in the noise online.  That's why a headline like this immediate gets preyed upon by those craving news: "How the World's Most Valuable Carmaker Fell Perilously Behind on Electric Vehicles".  It's just like when Prius would get covered by a publication who couldn't care less about the vehicle.  They want people to read whatever nonsense they publish.  Ugh.  When you actually read what they have to say, there's no depth or anything compelling.  It always comes down to not having an obvious presence yet.  Supposedly, if you produce any type of all-electric vehicle, it's an automatic win.  Sound familiar?  This is that same pass/fail blindness of the past.  Rather than actually grade what was delivered... A... B... C... the mindset is that of quantity.  Why would quality matter?  Again, ugh.  When you watch reviews from last spring, there was high praise for how nice the drive was, for how well refined the system felt, for how impressive the off-road handling was.  Notice how none of that gets mentioned anymore?  It's all about range & speed, not even how many vehicles can be produced anymore.  Obsession with want is back.  Just like long ago, focus on need is lost.  That's why efforts to ensure longevity aren't so easily dismissed.  Something absolutely vital to win over naysayers, is simply deemed an excuse for not offering far enough EV range or faster enough charging speed.  Fortunately, not everyone is so blind.  I did get a few likes right away from posting this as a comment to a share of that article:  It's rather bizarre to be declaring winners & losers just as the race is starting.  Up until now, all we have seen is qualifying laps.  Late to tail-gate parties doesn't really equate to anything.

Dealer Markups.  We have seen them elsewhere and with other automakers.  Now, it's here (Minnesota) and with Toyota.  Regional distribution hasn't begun locally yet.  This dealer somehow got hold of a "used" one (only 15 miles) and is clearly taking advantage of the situation.  Based on the listing, it appears to be about $12K above the new price for that configuration.  I can admire the spirit of promotion, being willing to purchase elsewhere and have it shipped for the sake of displaying what's to come ahead of other dealers in the are.  Someone may jump on the opportunity to actually purchase it.  But with such a high markup, I'm not going to bite though.  Turns out, it's exactly what I want too.  Being a perfect match... the AWD model, fully loaded, red with a black top... is intriguing.  I thought seeing it would make the wait more difficult; instead, there's a sense of confirmation for having set my sights on something worthy of that patience.  I sure hope my dealer is able to jump on one for me.  Having locked into an actual order is nice.  You have a VIN and can trace its progress.  The situation is now like waiting for Spring.  You know it will eventually come and will be wonderful when it does, but when & how is a complete mystery.

Follow-Up Article.  With all the crazy related to the stir caused in Norway, I suspected the follow-up would get little attention and detail would be overlooked.  Sure enough: "Sorry I've missed this part.  Is it in the article?  I've just seen that the preheating hardware was missing so no luck for charging in the cold."  Odds are, that's the best outcome... just a vague reference to some type of positive outcome.  My guess is that will fade into the abyss.  Troublemakers will exaggerate the recall.  It's pretty much inevitable.  We've seen this history already.  Anywho, this is how I replied to that:  Only a physical button is missing.  The ability to heat is there, but preheat was not a planned approach... since that consumes energy from the battery itself, rather than drawing from a charger.  That was the whole kerfuffle about not being able to charge when temperature is -4°F or colder.  You have to wait for that warming when charging is initiated.  There isn't an option currently to do that prior to plugging in.

Positive Conclusion.  It was very nice to see this, the final paragraph in a follow-up article to the debacle in Norway: "If there is any company in the world that manages to brush this off and turn it into something positive, it is Toyota.  We should also not sweep under the rug that the bZ4X is a car with far more than just range on the agenda.  Because as a car in general, it has many very good qualities to show for it."  Sadly, so many online are short-sighted they will never see that.  Toyota's approach is continuous improvement.  We always knew SOC (State Of Charge) percentage would be added to the display.  The same thing happened long ago with the plug-in Prius.  Toyota wanted to start simple and good reason was provided for adding that complexity, so they did.  Know your audience.  Think about how people still don't understand "Charge Mode" and still don't use it correctly.  It can be detrimental to efficiency; yet, Toyota ultimately decided to provide the feature.  With so much confusion across the industry already, it is refreshing to see an automaker make an effort to cut through enthusiast hype.  Reaching ordinary consumers is far more difficult than the rhetoric online will ever admit.  The quick-to-dismiss attitude is evidence of a crowded market that's struggling for attention.  Just like with other rollouts, whatever rough start there was will be forgotten over time.  That's the return for trying to continuously improve.  Each step back to see if there's an opportunity to do it better is a chance to excel, to find a means of overcoming obstacles others just learn to deal with.  Thank goodness there are a few journalists who recognize that.

He's Gone!  I knew that Tesla-pushing, anti-Toyota group admin who was starting to get on everyone's' nerves was strangely quiet all of a sudden.  His attempts to "educate" while pushing propaganda seemed to fall of the face of the Earth.  Since I had been participating elsewhere, was aware he had been banned elsewhere, I didn't bother to check back on that original group... until this evening.  He's gone.  I looked up who was administrator now.  Finding a different name and his not even listed as a moderator explained a lot.  Doing a search for his profile, I didn't find anything.  He must have really pushed his luck and got kicked off the platform.  Whoa!  That made me wonder about my status.  Turns out, there was only a 28-day block.  I will be able to return.  Without that antagonist provoking and insulting me, while at the same time doing lots of self-promoting, it could be a welcome return.  There's no rush, of course.  Since I don't even have a VIN assigned, there will still be a lot of waiting.  Not having to do it while fighting off someone trying to save his outdated reputation sure will make it easier.  It was quite obvious he knew his audience... and didn't like it.  They simply weren't interested in what he had to say.  Toyota shoppers want something different... which he learned the hard way.  What a great discovery to find out such a misguided individual is no longer in charge.  Phew!