[Archived]

https://electrek.co/2017/11/28/airbus-partners-rolls-royce-siemens-build-electric-plane/amp/

Looks like we might have airplanes powered by electric motors before we have truck and coaches powered by electric motors.

There are lots of airplane guys and gals on this forum. Will Elon Musk turn out to be the Jim Bede of the 21st century? Recalling the BD-5. I see a number of parallels of their business models, and some differences.

[Roscoeapproved]

And except for a talent for self promotion Jim Bede really cannot point to much more than a small fleet of planes that were never a marketplace success. Musk is much smarter. He will walk away a millionaire and possibly a billionaire.

If there is a future for electric cars and trucks, he may plow fresh ground, but as soon as these have the potential to be a commercial success the well established companies will rush into the market and eat his lunch.

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Jeff and Lindsay

91 Marathon XL

[Archived]

Pepsi orders 100 electric trucks:

https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/12/16767422/tesla-semi-truck-pepsi-preorder

[needtocamp]

I believe that this is the first autonomous RV.

http://roadtreking.com/episode-118-get-ready-self-driving-rvs/

[Andy]

Because it is an RV will the computer driving it do the driving like some of the RV drivers of today? I hope not. I do hope it can back into an RV space at a campground.

Jon

[Archived]

Because it is an RV will the computer driving it do the driving like some of the RV drivers of today? I hope not. I do hope it can back into an RV space at a campground.

That’s the whole point of autonomous vehicles…this technology has the ability to make better and quicker decisions that humans. To break it down in basic terms, it’s similar in concept to a calculator that’s able to solve a complex equation in a split second where it would take the most accomplished mathematician a heck of a lot longer.

Combine this with electric motors with only a few moving parts it seems the future of the trucking and potentially the motorhome industry is on the cusp of major changes.

[Archived]

Jon, I’d be concerned if at the end of one of your long trips, does the battery bank have enough power to back up your driveway? Can the technology be configured to check vertical as well as horizontal clearances on your driveway? One more question, who pays to retrofit the technology into non-technical coaches?

Just saying …

[Tim]

All of this “technology” is not for me as everyone has probably figured out by now. The primary reason is I can use both hands for what we call driving because I am not afraid of missing a phone call or a text.

The word “driver” will go away and the intermediate term will be “steering wheel holder” until the techies come up with a new term for passengers who are sitting in what was once the driver’s seat, but are now worrying about their gigabytes because they are incapable of putting down the phone.

The new technology is a good thing because we already have driverless cars if we consider the people sitting behind the steering wheel playing with their cell phones as passengers only. They sure as hell ain’t driving.