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James Piecowye at Automechanika Innovation Zone


Gaurav

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I just visited Automechanika today and in Automechanika Academy - Innovation Zone I happen to watch brilliant discussion from James Piecowye and Vitali Bielski. James is a professor at Zayed University and in the night run the "Nightline" - Car tech talk and Car Clinic at Dubai Eye radio station. Vitalli is a senior consultant at Frost & Sullivan from automotive practice.

Their point of discussion was really eye-opening that we all are witnessing the Electric, Solar, Hydrogen and Hybrid automotive technology growing all around us, but are we actually "ready for it".....? From consumer to the service provider and parts manufacturing companies? They shared some awesome slides of some deep research showing some shocking data of how "not ready" we are and we all claim to accept the innovation....!

In the end, this research concluded by a panel discussion of 4 senior people from different levels of the automotive industry. All of them kind of agreeing to the fact that embracing of new technology is not enough and we all need to work together for offering a complete end-to-end solution to the customer who is buying or planning to buy such alternative fuel vehicles.

Glenn Power - Workshop Manager (Background: Mechanic) one of the 4 panelists, actually hit the nail on the head by saying that here proper training and education in the automotive industry is very limited. And the majority of workshops here are purely experience based without any certification or technical knowledge. He is probably one in thousand, who said openly that he will refuse to touch Tesla without any proper knowledge and that is something we all need to look into for developing the automotive scene in the UAE.

How do you guys think we can or should aim at this situation, open for thoughts.

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Let's root for each other & watch each other grow.

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We are ready for new technology. The problem is the worlds governments aren’t ready for it. They will lose their income. How do you put a tax on the wind, the sun, the rain, without people rebelling under the pretence of social liberty and human rights?

Also to add, he’s right nobody has any training. No offence meant to bengalis and iranis but they just land here and hope they can learn in the job, breaking customers cars in the process

I will always be the first to admit I have no formal training, most of what I know, I taught myself by reading. These guys coming into the country and working on cars have no interest in reading. They just want money. 

Another point, the majority of mechanics in UAE aren’t petrolheads. They couldn’t give a shit about cars. It’s just a job. This is what sets mechanics like me apart. I am genuinely interested in cars, I have built many fast cars and I always want to further my knowledge. 

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1 minute ago, Barry said:

We are ready for it. The problem is the worlds governments aren’t ready for it. They will lose their income. How do you put a tax on the wind, the sun, the rain, without people rebelling under the pretence of social liberty and human rights?

I know from where you are coming and thinking, but this point of discussion was not only for govt buddy. It's for an entire automotive ecosystem where we all are living in and ends at where Glenn pointed to the adequate training.

You don't need govt support for making and selling EV parts and tools, supply chain or joining the technical institutes for training and development.

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Let's root for each other & watch each other grow.

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1 minute ago, Gaurav said:

I know from where you are coming and thinking, but this point of discussion was not only for govt buddy. It's for an entire automotive ecosystem where we all are living in and ends at where Glenn pointed to the adequate training.

You don't need govt support for making and selling EV parts and tools, supply chain or joining the technical institutes for training and development.

This is true. But governments make a lot of money from taxing fossil fuels. 

If people start getting their energy from renewables, where will the shortfall come from?

Its a fine line between paying petrol tax and breathing tax. 

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Governments will always find a way to make up for shortfalls in tax revenues- it's what governments do, and they are very good at it.

I agree with the experts who say that we are not ready for alternatives to fossil fuels. It's like Gaurav says, we need to replace an entire industrial ecosystem, and if we are to believe that some European cars plan to stop the sale of conventional cars in a couple of decades, they'd better get a move on in establishing the alternative parts suppliers, training technicians, building power stations, and building distribution networks for electricity to charge millions of cars. 

As far as I can see, none of this will be in place for at least the next several decades anywhere in the world. The internal combustion engine will be with us for a long, long time to come, simply because we have no viable alternatives.  

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I like how @treks pointed that the big businesses still supporting the fossil fuel and will be a bottle nexk in the future for early adopter. In UK all charging points are paid to us e and home charging point isn't fast charging so people bound to pay one way or ther other.

I also respect Elon Musk vision of how setting things in past and launch the EV with own Tesla charging point and that's what is needed for every manufacturer who plan to rol EV in future to support that inventory for fast charging on strrets or else it will be waste. And after all whatever Tesla did, still company is in great losses and burning money at greater pace than ever even when Tesla is so highly priced. It's a clear example that one man cannot bring the change that whole scoietyu and nations want to enjoy and we all need to act as a committed plan.

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Its absolutely true, until they can come up with an equivalent or better system that can replace the current one, these things are not going to take off. I would consider buying a EV if I don't have to worry of range and if I forget to charge I can just stop at a recharging station and be fully recharged and be on my way in 5 minutes and not having to worrying about charging atleast for the next 400kms or more. 

Also I shouldn't have to pay 3 to 4 times more for a reasonable EV and not have to worry about replacing the very costly battery in s few years time. 

Tesla is a novelty, I admit they make some cool vehicles but did you know they don't sell you any parts, you can't go into a parts shop and buy a window motor for example, either go to Tesla or get your car repaired only from Tesla approved shops and with parts waiting times up to two months, hence scrapped salvaged Teslas are selling at ridiculous prices as DIYers are gobbling them up. 

Also this is my firm belief, electric vehicles is NOT the way to go, there needs to be a better, more efficient and green, yes green, do you know how polluting it is to make those EV car batteries and then special care has to be taken to dispose them. 

https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/aug/24/nickel-mining-hidden-environmental-cost-electric-cars-batteries

https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/aug/10/electric-cars-big-battery-waste-problem-lithium-recycling

I believe something like nuclear powered vehicles, not fission but fusion is a step in the right direction, you know how much energy is given off in nuclear fusion, 500MW from just one gram of hydrogen, fusion is the process that powers our sun and its clean with no radioactive waste. Imagine running your car for a year on just a small bottle of water. Entire neighbourhood on a gallon of water.
https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/123837-500mw-from-half-a-gram-of-hydrogen-the-hunt-for-fusion-power-heats-up



But of course none of the big wig players want fusion or anything that can provide unlimited virtually free energy, like Nuclear fusion or zero point energy, which at the moment is theoretical but could become a reality and I also believe such research is purposely being held back. Otherwise imagine the entire earths current energy industry defunct and obsolete. trillions in assets now worth no more than scrap metal, millions out of jobs, many many countries who held power because of their fossil fuel reserves no longer have it, No petro dollar, no monopolies. Bleak scenario all around

Anyways I digress, but I feel its all interlinked and we are being force fed this EV crap just to keep up appearances to show something is being done and to keep the tree huggers at bay. 

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A car could be driven through a steam turbine very easily, but the problem with nuclear energy as a heat source is that there is no way to dispose of spent nuclear fuel safely, unless it is removed from the earth's surface. 

Maybe Elon Musk should top wasting time, money and energy building cars that can catch fire at any moment, and focus on ways to shoot small, spent nuclear reactors into the Sun.  

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