RT — ‘Eat it, Elon’: Internet greets Kalashnikov electric supercar with love & hate for old-school looks

Always wanted a Kalashnikov? Here's your chance.

The just-unveiled Russian electric supercar concept by AK-47 creator Kalashnikov has caused heated debate online. Many mocked its old-school design, while others said they’d gladly drive such a vehicle for that very same reason.

Forestalling the obvious parallels with Elon Musk’s creations, Kalashnikov Concern said that its CV-1 “electric supercar concept… will allow us to stand in line with the world's electric car manufacturers, like Tesla, and compete with them.”

The concept indeed incorporated several original solutions developed within the  company, including a high-speed battery modular control system and a “revolutionary” compact inverter, the maker said.

Kalashnikov has a reputation for simplicity, reliability, and durability in weapons systems. We'll see how well their vehicle design matches their reputation.

As for the retro design, VW did great financially when it brought back the Type 1 Bettle as the New Bettle.

RT
‘Eat it, Elon’: Internet greets Kalashnikov electric supercar with love & hate for old-school looks

White Petroleum: A New War Is About To Start

It’s the modern gold rush. Around the world, the most sought-after mineral isn’t a precious metal, nor is it oil and gas…it’s lithium.

Lithium, or “white petroleum” as some call it, has become a crucial element in today’s high-tech economy.

Demand for lithium is soaring, and producers are frantically searching for new sources of supply. Prices have doubled in the last two years, rising as high as $16,500 per ton....

The fact that China is trying to corner the market has made the search for new deposits even more intense, as U.S. and European firms try to get around Chinese domination.

For the last five years, the commodities world has focused on the epic showdown between OPEC and U.S. shale drillers for oil market share. But it’s the war over “white petroleum” that will dominate the next decade....

OilPrice.com
A New Lithium War Is About To Begin

James Stafford

China.org.cn — China-made electric SUV put into mass production

China.org.cn
China-made electric SUV put into mass production

Jonathan Larson — Status emulation as a change agent

Status emulation as a driving force in modern capitalism. Looks to be the harnessing of an evolutionary trait, although Veblen saw it as not only powerful but often also nutty.

Real Economics

Status emulation as a change agent

Jonathan Larson

Let’s ban electric cars — for hydrogen

Read it at The Irish Times
Let’s ban electric cars
Neil Briscoe

(h/t Oil Drum)

Electric cars "in"

Lusting for a Lamborghini or Bentley? Not if you grew up listening to the Backstreet Boys and winning trophies for, umm, everything. A new survey finds that most Gen Y consumers (a k a “Millennials”) have a high affinity for green, eco-friendly vehicles versus any other type of car.

Researchers at Deloitte found 59% of Gen Y respondents preferred alternative power. Hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles won over 57% of respondents, and pure battery electric vehicles got 2% of the vote; by contrast, vehicles with a traditional gas-only power train were preferred by only 37%.

Contrary to stereotypes, this young generation seems to know a good value when it sees one: Fuel efficiency is the biggest appeal. In fact, close to half (49%) of Gen Y customers are willing to pay an extra $300 for each mile per gallon of improvement they can get out of a hybrid, according to Deloitte.

Read the rest at CBS MOneyWatch

Survey: Young drivers prefer electric cars

by Farnoosh Torabi

More generational change in the works. Get out of the ways, pops.

BTW, desktops are now called "grampa boxes," I'm told.

Disclosure: I am working on a laptop, a MacBook specifically (with an additional large screen) and haven't had a desktop in years. But an iPad? I couldn't wait until Apple came out with a Mac with a bigger screen than the old nine inch built-in. I should go back now?