Maarten Vinkhuyzen Grumpy old man. The best thing I did with my life was raising two kids. Only finished primary education, but when you don’t go to school, you have lots of time to read. I switched from accounting to software development and ended my career as system integrator and architect. My 2007 boss got two electric Lotus Elise cars to show policymakers the future direction of energy and transportation. And I have been looking to replace my diesel cars with electric vehicles ever since. And putting my money where my mouth is, I have bought Tesla shares. Intend to keep them until I can trade them for a Tesla car.
January 21st, 2020 | by Maarten Vinkhuyzen
In last week’s press release about Renault's 2019 sales success, there was a stealth announcement about the introduction of the Twingo Z.E. “For the group, 2020 will mark a new stage in its electric offensive with the launch of Twingo Z.E. and the deployment of its new E-Tech hybrid and plug-in hybrid offers.” Only a few obsessive followers realized that this was news
January 15th, 2020 | by Maarten Vinkhuyzen
After the bankruptcy of the iconic British carmaker MG/Rover, the MG brand name was sold to a Chinese company. A few years ago, it was bought by SAIC Motor Corp. (formerly Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation). This is about the brand name, the logo, the goodwill, claims to its history, the models, and intellectual property. The production facility was used for a few years, but ultimately all production was relocated to China
January 11th, 2020 | by Maarten Vinkhuyzen
For the new EU Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) regulations, passenger cars and light vans are in two different classes. Manufacturers can't compensate the surplus in one class to balance the deficit in the other. Mercedes does not have a smaller, more efficient model
January 11th, 2020 | by Maarten Vinkhuyzen
Europe has introduced a new Company Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard of 95gr CO2/km. This regulation comes with harsh fines. The fine, per car sold, is €95 gr/km for each gram over 95 gr/km when the fleet average is over 95 gr/km
January 10th, 2020 | by Maarten Vinkhuyzen
Last week, there were some rumors on the internet and on some news services that the Mercedes EQC was a flop. There was no market for it because in its home market of Germany only 55 vehicles were delivered by November
January 8th, 2020 | by Maarten Vinkhuyzen
The Japanese justice system is not functioning on the "presumed innocent until proven guilty" principle that is the foundation of western law. Nor does it know the principle that punishment should be administered after the conviction, not before
January 1st, 2020 | by Maarten Vinkhuyzen
Every quarter, there are a couple of days of suspense waiting for the Tesla production and delivery numbers. They have in most quarters no importance whatsoever. Not reaching the guidance by even 0.1% is considered a deadly sin on Wall Street, though
December 16th, 2019 | by Maarten Vinkhuyzen
What is happening in the Netherlands is illustrative of what is going to happen in the surrounding countries. The key to understanding this is a European phenomenon (tax loophole) — company cars for private use
December 12th, 2019 | by Maarten Vinkhuyzen
It's easy to ignore Tesla's Dutch sales success as just a temporary fluke created by an incentive change. And it is, but that is not the interesting thing about it
November 29th, 2019 | by Maarten Vinkhuyzen
It's official. I am in Love. Today, Friday the 29th, I picked up the new Renault ZOE50 for a long test weekend
November 28th, 2019 | by Maarten Vinkhuyzen
The recent excellent article by my colleague Jennifer Sensiba about the advantages of a body-on-frame architecture for trucks created a heated discussion. The versatility of a body-, or better, structure-on-frame architecture for the hundreds of different special purpose applications of professional vehicles is beyond dispute. The cost advantage of building one-off structures on such a platform are huge
November 23rd, 2019 | by Maarten Vinkhuyzen
"Yes, that is the way to do it. Pure logic. Form follows function. The only way to solve the aerodynamics problem of a pickup." Those were my thoughts when the Tesla Cybertruck rolled onto the stage
November 18th, 2019 | by Maarten Vinkhuyzen
I have learned that it is easy to say what is wrong, but more productive to look at possible improvements. After recently making clear what I think of the new Renault hydrogen initiative, I owe them a follow-up about the realistic, not-so-realistic, and fanboy-dreamt possibilities they have at their fingertips
October 31st, 2019 | by Maarten Vinkhuyzen
Peugeot SA (PSA) and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) have announced that they are creating a new company owned 50% by current PSA shareholders and 50% by current FCA shareholders
October 29th, 2019 | by Maarten Vinkhuyzen
There is much confusion about "feature complete" Full Self Driving, a Tesla-only product. Many think that is when Full Self Driving is available and you can take a nap while the car is driving. When you think about the features that have been released up until now, you will understand better
October 28th, 2019 | by Maarten Vinkhuyzen
Tesla does not publish its sales per region, and certainly not in advance. But we, the obsessive Tesla watchers, have our secret methods to determine what is happening
October 28th, 2019 | by Maarten Vinkhuyzen
For a fully autonomous system to be allowed on the road, it needs regulatory approval. There have been many discussions about how to prove it can drive safely enough, but how to develop a system to convince the authorities
October 28th, 2019 | by Maarten Vinkhuyzen
Tesla Full Self Driving (FSD) might be feature complete by the end of this year. That means a Tesla will be able to drive itself in normal traffic from one location to another, using highways when needed, but in a rudimentary way. As a human driver with a learner's permit, who is allowed to drive but only with an experienced driver beside him or her who can intervene when needed, these Tesla vehicles have to be monitored by a normal human driver
October 22nd, 2019 | by Maarten Vinkhuyzen
I am probably the biggest Renault fanboy among the contributors to this site. That I feel compelled to write a scathing comment on the latest Renault plans for zero-emission vehicles is something I did not see coming. Renault is going with a hybrid strategy of both hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and 100% battery electric vehicles. I have tried to come up with a rational explanation to do this
October 18th, 2019 | by Maarten Vinkhuyzen
My Renault Twingo 1.5 dCi is 7.5 years old, and while it is a great little car, it is not electric. With new longer range models that have less problematic prices, the time to switch has finally arrived for me
![I Think People Are Misunderstanding Why Tesla [TSLA] Is Valued So Highly](https://i1.wp.com/cleantechnica.com/files/2020/01/Tesla-vs-Volkswagen-Group-Worldwide-Sales-CleanTechnica.png?resize=40%2C40&ssl=1){kind=small}
