VTM-4 lock* has entered the chat.

Yeah, it’s unclear if the rumor is true. A Lincoln Town Car of that vintage (and color) is rare in San Francisco.

Let me know. We are in for exactly that.

Yes, the rear and rear side styling is questionable. I can live with that. Why?

Well, it’s just coincidence that a major Japanese OEM a few weeks ago flooded the car journalism market via its PR company with why their lagging path is the way... and hey look there’s a commercial on Pandora by the same Japanese OEM with the mantra repeated “no plug; no problem”. It’s all just coincidence.

Completely agree with this logic. The good news is that thanks to CARB, strong PHEVs (50 mile range with big burly electric motors) in the shapes and sizes we Americans love to buy are coming starting in model year 2026 (see “Advanced Clean Cars II”).

Our family car in the 1970s was a Ford Model A pickup. Dad took the bus to work and we three kids piled in the front seat of the Model A to go to the grocery store. 

This. I am switching car seats between vehicles all the time and the modern small openings for the rear doors suck.

A plug-in hybrid might work great for those in a situation like yours.

So much this.

Hello from across town. It looks like there is a missing bollard at the top; in its place stands one of those typical street cleaning signs. Is that right?

Supposedly the five occupants stole the Town Car from a nearby Door Dash driver.

San Francisco local here. The rest of the story (allegedly) is that the five folks carjacked or stole the car from a Door Dash driver.

Yeah, it got lost in the noise of daily screaming. IMO, it’s a big deal as I can see a role for (strong) plug-in hybrids for those who can’t or won’t go full electric. Options and choice are a good thing.

This study uses optimistic production level numbers for hydrogen and BEV numbers based on the Nissan LEAF.

PHEVs are part of the plan. California tweaked its regulations in August 2022 with its “Advanced Clean Cars II” policy. This change encourages more (strong) PHEVs starting with model year 2026, two short years away.

This.

This.

(Plug-in) hybrids actually have a bigger role as of last August.

Battery prices have dropped from $1,200/kWh in the LEAF/Volt days to 10% of that today. Now the industry is facing a moment where demand for EV components - including batteries - from the OEMs far outstrips current supply. We can love or hate Tesla, but their move to near-vertical integration make a lot of sense.…