Hertz CEO: Tesla rental demand ‘very, very solid’
CEO Stephen Scherr of Hertz, which ordered 100,000 Tesla vehicles in October 2021 , says demand for the vehicles is very strong. Hertz is looking to have 25% of its fleet be electric vehicles by the end of 2024, up from 5% today.
Demand has been very, very solid. And remember, we’re seeing demand not only among leisure travelers but also corporate travelers, where in fact, corporations want their employees in an electric vehicle to satisfy some of their carbon footprint objectives. And of course, we’ve been renting to Uber and Lyft as part of their ride-sharing network. Demand across all three has been very strong.
Scherr also said the vehicles are less costly to maintain:
I’d also point out from a financial point of view. For Hertz, the maintenance is appreciably lower on (the) electric vehicles. We’re seeing it 40-50% lower, just given the nature of the car itself.
Hertz CEO on @Tesla rental demand:
“Demand has been very, very solid. We’re seeing demand not just among leisure travelers but also corporate travelers; Corporations want their employees in EVs to satisfy their carbon footprint objectives”
EV maintenance is costing 40-50% less. pic.twitter.com/GhKiIRcX6e
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) September 28, 2022
Musk: NASA asteroid mission like Will Smith’s Chris Rock Oscars slap
Musk posts a meme, superimposing NASA’s logo on Will Smith striking Chris Rock’s face covered with an image of the asteroid Dimorphos, mirroring the impact of the DART asteroid redirection test, which hit the space rock at 14,000 mph.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 27, 2022
SpaceX, NASA move ahead with second Dragon launch pad
SpaceX and NASA officials confirm they are moving forward with plans to modify the LC-40 launch pad to support Crew and Cargo Dragon missions. SpaceX began studying the possibility of modifying the pad earlier this year, after NASA raised concerns about the risks posed by plans to operate its next-generation Starship rocket out of LC-39, which is currently used for Dragon missions. Likely modifications include building a new crew access tower, crew access arm, escape system (39A uses baskets and ziplines), and an on-site bunker for astronauts.
NASA's Steve Stitch says that SpaceX and NASA continue to look at outfitting SLC-40 for Dragon missions given Starship work at 39A. SpaceX's Gerst says that hardware is already in work to prepare SLC-40. Starship will only come to 39A after it is proven reliable in Texas.
— Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight) September 26, 2022
Tesla expects ‘high volume’ of deliveries, asks staff to help
In an email to staff, the car company says it is expecting a high volume of deliveries in Q3 and asks all employees, even those who don’t work in the sales and delivery department, to help with delivery tasks, include moving vehicles around, washing and preparing vehicles, delivering vehicles directly to customers, and answering customer questions on delivery day.
We will be delivering a very high volume of vehicles to eagerly waiting customers during the final days of Q3. To help ensure we can delight as many customers as possible, the delivery team is requesting additional support with key delivery-execution tasks.
Report: Tesla China to hit over 80k deliveries this month
A report from China says Tesla is targeting deliveries of about 80,000 to 90,000 vehicles domestically this month, despite insurance data from previous weeks suggesting that Tesla seemed to be having delivery challenges in the country. The report says that shorter waiting times mean scalpers who had bought the cars in hope of a large profit will now be undercut as Tesla customers wait for a possible October price cut. Estimates in China reportedly suggest that Tesla will reduce its Model 3 prices by RMB 20,000 ($2,700) and the Model Y by RMB 28,000 ($3,900). Report:
There is a tradition of price reduction: Historically, Tesla has been ahead of the market regardless of whether the price has been raised or lowered. There is room for price reduction: Tesla’s 22Q2 single-vehicle profit is 8,000+ US dollars, and its 22Q3 single-vehicle net profit hits 13,000 US dollars, equivalent to 80,000 yuan, which is extremely profitable.
$TSLA Giga Shanghai Q3 expecting 80-90k. And the main reason why wait time is now 1-4 weeks or 1-8 weeks because there are lots of scalper who booked earlier and resell it a the large profits. Now these scalper delayed delivery is quite serious. pic.twitter.com/9C2EhKBFgl
— T ⚡️ (@TeslaSg) September 26, 2022
Musk posts photo with Grimes: ‘No way to prove we’re living in a simulation’
Musk posts a picture of himself with former girlfriend Grimes, in costumes they donned for a Saturday Night Live episode in May 2021. Musk contrasts the picture with one of animated Mario and Princess Peach sitting at the edge of a castle roof, with the caption:
Of course, there’s no way to prove we’re living in a simulation
Musk has talked about the possibility of humans living inside a simulation previously, on The Joe Rogan Experience Podcast in 2018, and in November 2021. The simulation hypothesis is promoted by scientists. including astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 25, 2022
French feminist: Elon Musk is ‘one the greatest environmental killers of all time’
Sandrine Rousseau, a Greens party MP, who has been called ‘the fiercest feminist in France’, says Musk is the model of white alpha males responsible for human suffering and climate disaster.
Elon Musk is the archetype of the conquering male entrepreneur who should be considered one of the greatest environmental killers of all time.
Rousseau, 50, has made international headlines this year with calls for an end to barbecues as a symbol of world-destroying “virility” and for the creation of a criminal offence of failing to share housework.
Anger at Scottish Government over Calmac ferry secrecy
In the Scottish Parliament, Shadow Transport MSP Graham Simpson expresses his frustration at the lack of answers over how much longer it will take to get the Scottish ferries ready.
Well, I’m asking a question in this chamber, and I expect to get an answer and the minister has not made an attempt to answer the question, which is by how long the ferries are delayed. It is not acceptable. We’re at a crisis point here. Just yesterday, only 13 out of CalMac’s 29 routes were operating normally. Islanders are at their wits’ end. There’s no slack in the system, so when a ferry breaks down, the knock on effects are horrendous. We need a steady pipeline of new ferries being ordered.
Business Minister Ivan McKee responds:
The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that Scotland’s islands have got the connectivity. That’s why we are making that substantial investment into ensuring that that is indeed the case. The details of the impact of that cable issue are being worked through at the moment and we will report back when the robust information is available as to the implications in terms of time and cost of that particular issue.
The Turkey order had been part of a £580 million investment in further expanding the ferry service. In contrast McKee’s predecessor, Graham Dey had asked for £1.5 billion over 10 years. A cross party visit to the shipyard planned for January had been cancelled and rescheduled for April 2022 . A freedom of information request to get an answer for when the two ferries will be ready, failed to be answered within the required 20 days and has been escalated to an appeal.
Sturgeon won’t say why Scottish National Bank boss resigned
Sturgeon refuses to give any reasons why Eilidh Mactaggart suddenly resigned as chief executive of the state-owned bank. Sturgeon says MacTaggart’s resignation happening at the same time that Kate Forbes announced the Scottish Government’s 10year economic plan is “a coincidence” and in response to requests for clarifications she said:
I am sure everyone will understand that I am not going to go into the confidential details of anybody’s employment situation.The former chief executive of the Scottish National Investment Bank is a private individual. She has opted to resign her post and is entitled to the duty of care that any individual in her circumstances is entitled to.
Rowling: Sturgeon’s gender reforms puts women at risk
Rowling says Sturgeon is putting vulnerable women at risk with the plan to change the gender recognition laws. The proposed changes will allow a person to change their gender after three months. Rowling says this means that men facing a custodial sentence for harming women, could potentially self declare as female and be incarcerated in a female prison
Exactly this. The law @NicolaSturgeon's trying to pass in Scotland will harm the most vulnerable women in society: those seeking help after male violence/rape and incarcerated women. Statistics show that imprisoned women are already far more likely to have been previously abused. https://t.co/LPN8cx1Vf4
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) March 5, 2022
Sturgeon: Recovery after Covid should address gender inequality
Speaking at an event to mark International Women’s Day, Sturgeon says gender equality should be at the heart of building back after the covid pandemic and praises the role that women had played in the pandemic as carers and key workers. She also says that the pandemic made some inequalities worse and vowed that addressing inequalities between men and women should be at the centre of the post covid recovery
We must learn lessons from the pandemic and work together to build a fairer country.And given the massive contribution women made to tackling the pandemic, the massive contribution women make to our society each and every day, any attempt to build a better society out of this must have gender equality absolutely at its heart.
Sturgeon: No connection between Ukraine and Scottish Independence
Sturgeon weighs into the Ukraine debate to clarify statements made by her own party members. Mike Russell SNP party president and Michelle Thompson Scottish likened Ukraine’s’ fight against their Russian invaders – to the fight for Scottish independence. When asked about this, Sturgeon said it was “overstating things”
There is no connection between a war in Ukraine and the support and campaign for independence in Scotland.What I think should unite all of us right now are some fundamental values, the values that underpin I think much of our democracy in Scotland – and certainly underpin my party and the independence movement – the commitment to democracy, freedom, the rule of international law and the value of the world coming together in solidarity. These are the values that we hold dear and these are the values that people bravely in Ukraine are standing up for in the toughest imaginable circumstances. But we should all remember right now this is about Ukraine fighting for these values and our responsibility is to do everything we can to support them.
Promises 1/2 million medical items for Ukraine
Sturgeon says she will send 500,000 medical items to Ukraine to help those “fighting a battle for democracy and freedom” against their Russian invaders. While visiting a distribution centre that was collating the items she described this as an initial consignment and said that while the conflict was ongoing she do as much as she could to support them. Predicting that the war would be “likely to be grimmer and more deadly in the weeks and months to come” she asked that the Prime Minister make it easier for fleeing Ukrainians to come to the UK. She described the UK Government as having moved in the right right direction but not far enough.
I would appeal to the Prime Minister to stop moving forward incrementally, stop having to be dragged into a better position. Follow the example of the European Union who’s opened its doors and said people from Ukraine will get entry and the right to stay for three years, follow the example of Ireland as they drop visa requirements, open the doors of the UK to people fleeing this horror in Ukraine and sort the paperwork later.That’s the humanitarian thing to do, it’s what we need to do to give life to the words of support that everybody is articulating right now. But it’s also the practical and necessary thing to do.I don’t think any of us has properly grasped the magnitude of the population displacement that is going to come from this war.
She also said that the donation of so many medical items would not mean that the Scottish NHS would go without.
Sturgeon: waive visa for Ukrainian refugees
Sturgeon asks the Home Office to review its immigration policy to allow Ukranians fleeing war to enter the UK without a visa, calling for them to be given asylum first and their paperwork be processed after. She also called the existing Home office immigration policy “inhumane ind indefensible”, comparing UK policy with the Republic of Ireland who had completely done away with any visa requirement for entry in response to the situation in Ukraine.
🇺🇦 The @ukhomeoffice must immediately lift visa requirements for any Ukrainian seeking refuge here. Give entry now on humanitarian grounds & sort paperwork later. Ireland has already enacted such an approach. Continued application of an inhumane UK immigration system indefensible https://t.co/qrJtGHrTnz
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) February 27, 2022
Sturgeon calls for RT UK Ban
Sturgeon says she is appalled that Alex Salmond continues to work for a Russian State television company RT and has asked that Ofcom revoke RT’s licence so that they are prevented from broadcasting in the UK
It’s a matter for Ofcom, but I do think there is now a very serious question about whether RT should continue to have a broadcast here in Scotland.And I would certainly encourage Ofcom to look at that very, very seriously and closely indeed.I’m appalled at Alex Salmond’s continued involvement with RT, I don’t think it’s any secret now that I don’t think he should ever have had a television show on RT, but it is even more unthinkable now that that should continue.
https://youtu.be/dV1fCxA2e2Y
Sturgeon: Covid tests to remain free
Sturgeon says that even though free Covid tests will end in England on 1st April, they will remain free to users in Scotland. She was unable to confirm how they would be paid for though. She expressed “frustration at the position of the UK Government”, who she said may reject calls for extra money and “demand instead that funding is taken from elsewhere in the health budget”.
We consider it important – in line with the principle of healthcare free at the point of use – that they should remain free of charge for any circumstance in which government recommends testing.
Announces end of mask requirements
Sturgeon says masks will cease to be a legal requirement in Scotland after 21st March but she “strongly encourages” people to continue to wear them in public. She also added that should another dangerous new variant arise then restrictions could be reimposed.
As of March 21 – assuming no significant adverse developments in the course of the virus – we expect that the legal requirement to wear face coverings in certain indoor settings and on public transport will be converted to guidance. However, we will continue to strongly recommend the wearing of face coverings in shops and other indoor public places, and on public transport. We also expect on March 21 to lift the legal requirement for businesses, places of worship and service providers to have regard to Scottish government guidance on covid, and to take reasonably practicable measures set out in the guidance. The Scottish Government will adopt three threat risk levels that could see restrictions reimposed
Says post-independence pensions a ‘matter of negotiation’
Sturgeon has says the English and Scottish governments would negotiate pension liabilities at the point of independence but other senior members of her party have given different views on how this will be handled. The Blueprint for Scottish Independence, which was written before the 2014 referendum, said after independence the responsibility for paying out to Scottish pensioners would be held by the Scottish Government.
There are assets and liabilities, including pensions, that of course will be subject to negotiation when Scotland becomes independent. On an ongoing basis it will be for the Scottish Government to fund Scottish pensions, but in terms of how we take account of historic assets and liabilities, that will be a matter of negotiation.
In response to the argument that pensions are paid out of current taxes rather than out of national insurance contributions:
You might want to look at the Fraser of Allander comments on this just recently when they talk about the fact that access to pensions in the UK is not based on citizenship, it is based on National Insurance contributions.
Says independent Scotland would fund pensions
Sturgeon says an independent Scotland would fund Scottish pensions.
On an ongoing basis it will be for the Scottish Government to fund Scottish pensions.
Nicola Sturgeon says SNP's position on pensions 'hasn't changed' since 2014.
First Minister accepts 'on an ongoing basis it will be for the Scottish Government to fund Scottish pensions'.
However, she says 'historic assets and liabilities' will be a 'matter for negotiation' pic.twitter.com/8qZU9Nf00m
— Representing Border (@ITVBorderRB) February 9, 2022
Comments on Fire Service use of Nalaxone, drug deaths
While visiting a community fire station in Bathgate, Sturgeon comments on an announcment by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service that firefighters are to start carrying Nalaxonespray which can reverse the effects of an opiod overdose.
[Nalaxone] is a part of the overall approach we have taken to reduce the unacceptable toll that drugs have taken in Scotland and the number of deaths that are caused by drugs. We already have naloxone being used by the police (and) by the ambulance service. The Fire and Rescue Service initiative is an important addition to that. Of course, ultimately, we want to see naloxone kits widely available to people, to families of people who are drug users, for example, because it’s easy to administer and it can be the difference between life and death.
I want to see a significant reduction in the lives that are lost and are wasted to drugs, but we recognise it’s going to take time. What we have seen in recent years in Scotland in the form of drugs deaths is not acceptable. It’s not acceptable to me, to the Government and it shouldn’t be acceptable to anybody across the country so we are determined to turn that around.