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Weather: Sunny. Highs in the upper 70s. Light and variable winds, becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Monday Night: Clear. Lows around 50.
- Daily weather briefing from the National Weather Service in Jacksonville here.
- Drought conditions here. (What is the Keetch-Byram drought index?).
- Check today’s tides in Daytona Beach (a few minutes off from Flagler Beach) here.
- Tropical cyclone activity here, and even more details here.
Today at a Glance:
Flagler Schools are closed all week for the Thanksgiving break.
The Bunnell City Commission meets at 7 p.m. at the Government Services Building, 1769 East Moody Boulevard, Bunnell, where the City Commission is holding its meetings until it is able to occupy its own City Hall on Commerce Parkway in 2025. To access meeting agendas, materials and minutes, go here.
The Flagler County Beekeepers Association holds its monthly meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Flagler Agricultural Center, 150 Sawgrass Rd., Bunnell (the county fairgrounds). This is a meeting for beekeepers in Flagler and surrounding counties (and those interested in the trade). The meetings have a speaker, Q & A, and refreshments are served. It is a great way to gain support as a beekeeper or learn how to become one. All are welcome. Meetings take place the fourth Monday of every month. Contact Kris Daniels at 704-200-8075.
Nar-Anon Family Groups offers hope and help for families and friends of addicts through a 12-step program, 6 p.m. at St. Mark by the Sea Lutheran Church, 303 Palm Coast Pkwy NE, Palm Coast, Fellowship Hall Entrance. See the website, www.nar-anon.org, or call (800) 477-6291. Find virtual meetings here
Notably: This passage in Willa Cather’s Song of the Lark (1915) seems to me as good an explanation as any of the last election. Thea Kronborg, the autobiographical novel’s protagonist, is having a conversation with Ray Kennedy, who happens to be grooming her for marriage (she’s 15, he’s quite a bit older, though none of that is relevant to the point, or the passage, “grooming” being an anachronism when reading back into 1915, and anyway he’ll fail: she thinks him more of a hick than someone worthy of her pretensions. He doesn’t speak like one.) They’re on their way from the Sand Hills of Nebraska to Denver for a visit, and talking about the responsibility for one’s failures and successes. “Everybody’s up against it for himself, succeeds or fails-himself,” Thea tells him. “In one way, yes,” Ray admitted, knocking the sparks from his pipe out into the soft darkness that seemed to flow like a river beside the car. “But when you look at it another way, there are a lot of halfway people in this world who help the winners win, and the failers fail. If a man stumbles, there’s plenty of people to push him down. But if he’s like the youth who bore,’ those same people are foreordained to help him along. They may hate to, worse than blazes, and they may do a lot of cussin’ about it, but they have to help the winners and they can’t dodge it. It’s a natural law, like what keeps the big clock up there going, little wheels and big, and no mix-up.” Ray’s hand and his pipe were suddenly outlined against J the sky. “Ever occur to you, Thee, that they have to be on time close enough to make time? The Dispatcher up there must have a long head.” Pleased with his similitude, Ray went back to the lookout. Going into Denver, he had to keep a sharp watch.”
—P.T.
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The Live Calendar is a compendium of local and regional political, civic and cultural events. You can input your own calendar events directly onto the site as you wish them to appear (pending approval of course). To include your event in the Live Calendar, please fill out this form.
Rotary’s Fantasy Lights Festival in Palm Coast’s Town Center
Acoustic Jam Circle At The Community Center In The Hammock
Rotary’s Fantasy Lights Festival in Palm Coast’s Town Center
For the full calendar, go here.
A consoling philosophy in agreement with religion claims that the dependence of the soul on the senses and organs is only fortuitous and transient, and that it will be free and happy when the death of the body has freed it from their tyrannical power. This is very fine; but, religion aside, it is not certain. Since I cannot therefore find myself in the perfect certainty of being immortal until after I have ceased to live, I will be forgiven, if I am not in a hurry to come to know this truth. Knowledge at the price of life is a price too dear. In the meantime I adore God, forbidding myself from any unjust action, and abhorring unjust men, without however doing them harm. It is enough for me to abstain from doing them good. Snakes must not be fed.
–From Casanova’s Story of My Life (1797).
Chip D says
I have never commented on a cartoon but this is really not cool. She is being vilified for being an ardent trump supporter. Who is he supposed to pick? Someone who hates him and disagrees with all of his policies? Face it. For the next 4 years the left media will trash everything he does. But guess what? The last election proves that no one listens to or watches those assholes anyway. They’re done!
Laurel says
Chip D:
According to a 60 Minutes episode, heavily lobbyist home insurance companies are reducing insurance claims, regarding hurricanes, up to 90%, by changing what legitimate, independent adjusters found on individual claims. The insurance companies failed to list the names of the individuals who changed the claims, on the claims, but left the names of the honest adjusters present, making it look legit, leaving homeowners, who must continue to pay mortgages, as well as rent, waiting for the insurance company to pay. The only way to get a real payout is to sue the insurance companies, but the companies drag it out, until people drop the lawsuits and receive only a fraction of what they should get, and paid for over the years. Governor DeSamtis passed legislation that makes it harder to sue insurance companies. Pam Bondi, an isurectionist supporter, is DeSantis’s state attorney.
Where did she stand on this? Where do you stand on this?
Kim Gridley says
You guys just can’t let it go, can you? CBS (not exactly a conservative network) just came out with a poll that said 59% of Americans approve of Trump’s cabinet picks, proving these cartoons are not only offensive but irrelevant as well. Trump won. Get over it.
Pierre Tristam says
The commenter is misleading. The CBS poll found 59 percent approval for the Trump handling of the transition so far, not for his cabinet picks. When asked about cabinet picks, only 44 percent find Rubio to be a good choice, 47 percent for RFK, 33 percent for Hegseth, 36 percent for Gabbard. The percentages are not relevant in one regard: whether 59 percent, 89 percent or 12 percent, we do not make editorial decisions based on popularity, let alone opinion polls. Trump won the presidency. He did not win absolution from criticism and, more to the point, humor.
Kim Gridley says
Humor? Really? And yet the ever comical Biden administration was almost never the victim of such scathing cartoons. I should know better than to argue with someone “who buys ink by the bucket” but geez, Pierre, you missed some incredible opportunities with our sadly demented President, our word salad VP and the clown show of his administration. I’d be fine with the cartoons if there had at least been an attempt at balance in past few years. What percentage of Biden vs. Trump administration slams were there?
Laurel says
Kim Gridley: It is clear, by reading your comment, that you never really listened to Harris, and I am starting to doubt that you really listened to Trump or Vance as well.
Sherry says
@kim and chip. . . Why don’t you and all the other members of the maga cult “just get over it”?! Trump was simply elected for 4 years. trump is NOT king or emperor, or lord god as you obviously believe! Twice “Impeached” trump is actually a “Convicted Felon” who was also found “Guilty of Sexual Abuse”. Therefore he is most certainly not above reproach and political humor!
Pogo says
@FYI
https://fable.co/club/pbs-film-club-with-pbs-333479872407?utm_source=PBSFilmClub&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20241120
Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company.
— Mark Twain
Ray W, says
A Korea Times reporter, focusing on a bigger picture theme of a perceived need for government assistance to Korea’s car and steel industries in the face of near-future Chinese incursions into the Korean economy should a trade war erupt between America and China, also addressed the current state of EV sales worldwide. The theme of the bigger picture is that in the event of the possible trade war Chinese steel makers and car builders will look to smaller markets to expand.
The reporter wrote:
“BYD, the world’s largest EV maker, is in the final phase of preparations for the sales of its EV sedans and SUVs in the Korean market this January. This is the first time the company will initiate sales for passenger cars in Korea.
“As Tesla also made steep sales growth in only a couple of years, Korean automakers are on high alert over BYD’s inroads here. According to market tracker SNE Research, BYD surpassed Tesla in the number of combined EV sales for the first nine months combined this year, winning the title of the world’s top-selling EV maker.
“BYD’s core strength comes from the price competitiveness, as it manufactures lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries on its own.”
Make of this what you will.
Me?
BYD has spent decades building a vertically integrated supply chain; it makes not only batteries, but headlights, suspension parts and thousands of the other parts and components it needs to build cars, all with an eye on price competitiveness.
If BYD is finalizing its plans to enter the Korean sales marketplace, it stands to reason that it has been planning to do so for years, perhaps many years. Building the necessary extra battery manufacturing infrastructure takes time. BYD made its first battery electric vehicle in 2008. Now, it is the biggest EV automaker in the world and apparently ready to steadily expand its reach.
I recently commented on BYD’s plans to build factories in Brazil and Hungary. It has already established a large industrial presence in Thailand. India is on BYD’s list.
Several of my previous comments focus on the fact that BYD is selling cars and SUVs in its home market at extremely low prices. For example, it sells a base-model compact SUV at home for $13,300; the high-end version sells for $15,600. One likely explanation for the low prices is the intense competition within the Chinese EV sector.
When the Chinese government announced plans to expand its automobile presence some two decades ago, around 500 Chinese startups formed to build electric vehicles. About 100 remain active today, but many are struggling. One industry expert recently opined that within five years, he expects seven Chinese EV automakers to remain. BYD is likely going to one of the survivors. The attrition rate has artificially kept domestic sales prices low, yet BYD’s automotive division is currently returning a healthy profit.
What of the West, where “legacy” brands such as Mercedes Benz or General Motors are concerned? One industry commenter likened Western legacy CEOs to ostriches burying their heads in sand for the past 20 years.
If BYD decided to import here, its reliable, well-designed $14,000 compact SUV would pose an existential threat to the American car industry; they just cannot now compete with such vehicles. Even with a 102.5% Biden-imposed tariff on all Chinese-made EVs, BYD could probably still make a profit.
What of Australia, which no longer has an automobile manufacturing capacity? BYD is selling cars and SUVs in Australia because Australia no longer has reason to erect tariffs on imports.
What of the many other countries that do not have a car manufacturing sector? Would they invite BYD imports sans trade barriers? Would they invite BYD to build factories?
This raises another question: Does BYD have to set its export vehicle prices as low as it sets its domestic vehicle prices? Evidence exists that BYD sells its export models at a higher price. BYD sets a higher base price for its Australian models than it sets for its domestic marketplace. BYD knows what Toyota charges for its cars in the Australian market. Knowing this, BYD can beat Japanese carmakers by undercutting them on price yet still make a larger profit per unit sold.
Imagine this issue in Brazil or Thailand or Hungary. Imagine BYD building cars there to avoid paying import duties and tariffs. It can then set prices a bit below those set by other brands and profit as it builds up sales.
Will BYD simply undercut Korean automakers in this manner?
Imagine that happening here. Could BYD simply announce plans to build a factory in a central location, say, Tennessee, to get around the recently set tariffs? Could BYD beat American car makers by slightly undercutting their prices? The Japanese carmakers did this decades ago. They established a small presence at first, then ramped up sales. In the late 70s, they began building factories here. Now, Toyota is the world’s biggest carmaker. Honda is second.
Is that slow American eventuality already in BYD’s long-range plans?
Ray W, says
Bernd Lange, European Parliament chair of its trade committee, recently stated on n-tv, per Reuters: “We are close to an agreement: China could commit to offering e-cars in the EU at a minimum price.”
There you have it. I just filed a comment about Chinese encroachments in small markets and about tariffs enacted in the U.S. and Europe and about how Chinese companies can profitably export cars to other markets by artificially setting prices not as low as they might but just under prices set by other competing carmakers. Now, China may soon be doing that by agreement in the EU. Just agree to set an artificially higher price floor and tariffs will go away.
Per Mr. Lange, “This would eliminate the distortion of competition through unfair subsidies, which is why the tariffs were originally introduced.”
Make of this what you will.
Me?
It’s something less than capitalism, but a high price floor for Chinese EVs makes sense in a world where Western car makers ignored for decades the astounding technological advances made by both the Chinese battery field and the EV car industry.
Ray W, says
According to The Telegraph, the North Falkland Basin holds up to 1.2 billion barrels of oil, though 917 million barrels are thought recoverable; it is 136 miles north of the Falkland Islands. The field holds more oil than any remaining unexplored oil deposits in the North Sea.
Rockhopper Exploration, the oil extracting company that plans to drill for the oil, says it will extract 532 million of those barrels at a maximum rate of 120,000 barrels per day, leaving extraction of the remaining accessible oil to future plans.
Rockhopper claims that it can access the oil at a cost point of $24 per barrel, with a projected overall investment of $4 billion.
A moored oil tanker will store the oil for offloading onto docking tankers.
Make of this what you will.
Me?
We are drilling to deeper and deeper depths in more and more remote locations to find smaller and smaller amounts of oil. The fracking revolution of 15 years ago holds much untapped potential, but it too has its limits.
American oil extractors just obtained permission to use equipment designed to withstand water pressures of 20,000 pounds per square inch to explore for deposits that will provide a week’s worth of worldwide oil demand. A company is using the newly certified equipment to drill to a depth of 34,000 feet to reach the expected oil deposit.
In the Falklands, the extractable oil will provide nine days of worldwide oil demand.
Today’s price for oil hovers at the $70 per barrel level. A company that thinks it can get to the oil for $24 per barrel might take the economic risk at that price. Were oil prices to fall to $40 or $45 per barrel, which is the amount necessary to get gas prices down to the politically promised $2 per gallon price point, would the company still drill? Who knows?
joe says
Bondi not the only lapdog – all his appointees are because that’s all he wants.
I hope all the middle and lower class people who voted for Trump because of “the economy” realize that even Walmart is warning you (like many other companies) that countries don’t pay tariffs – YOU DO. Many of them have already announced that they will be raising prices – so, happy shopping! Who will you blame when inflation rises again?
Ray W, says
Per Newsweek, Honda just took a step closer to mass manufacture of solid-state lithium metal batteries which, when compared to current liquid-state lithium-ion batteries, will be more energy dense and thus lighter in weight for the same application (smaller batteries usually weigh less), will perform better at higher temperatures, will not leak or catch fire, will use less energy during manufacture, and will cost less in both material needs and assembly processes.
The reporter wrote: “Honda just completed its first solid-state battery demonstration assembly line (covering approximately 295,000 square feet) at its plant in Tochigi, Japan, to test its mass production process for assembling the batteries. The line has special equipment to verify each production process, including weighing and mixing of materials, coating and roll pressing of assemblies, formation of cells, and construction of modules. …
“The automaker’s aim in reducing costs is to pass the saving onto the customer. This could result in the price of battery-electric vehicles reducing to the price of those with other powertrains. Because of its enormous size and widely varying power and off-road equipment in addition to passenger vehicles, Honda plans to amortize the cost of these solid-state cells over millions of units. …
“‘Replacing engines that have been supporting the advancements of automobiles to date, batteries will be the key factor of electrification. We believe that advancement of batteries will be a driving force in the transformation of Honda,’ Keiji Otsu, President and Representative Director of Honda R & D said in a press release.”
Make of this what you will.
Me?
I agree with the industry analyst who said that America has lost the battle for liquid-state lithium-ion battery technology.
I agree with Ford’s CEO who stated that the American auto industry is years behind the Chinese car companies.
Chinese companies set out 20 years ago to develop liquid-state lithium-ion batteries and they succeeded.
We listened for years to the professional lying class of one of our two political parties and ceded a giant segment of a critical industry to the Chinese without a fight. The gullible among us agitated against electric vehicles, citing every obstacle and ignoring every advantage.
So here we are.
Honda thinks it will be able to produce superior batteries at a price equal to that of current ICE technology. ICE technology is nearing its zenith. Further investment will yield minor gains. Battery technology is in its infancy.
Sodium-ion batteries, LFP batteries, graphene-aluminum batteries, solid-state lithium metal batteries, and more are on the way. Each battery chemistry works not only in theory but in the real world.
The issue is scaling up production in anticipation of mass production, which can further lower costs. Honda is taking that step. Will American car companies take the same step? American car companies can lose the battle for liquid-state lithium-ion battery technology and still win the war for solid-state battery technology.
To me, the short-term solution focuses on the number of battery modules per vehicle.
Battery manufacturers assemble battery cells into standardized
series. The series are then assembled into modules. The modules are assembled into packs.
As I understand it, a standard Tesla car battery has 72 cells arranged in parallel form in each series. 22 series are arranged into each module. Five modules comprise a standard battery pack, for a total of 7920 cells.
Car or truck battery modules are stacked depending on the application; it could be two modules or 12 modules, depending on application. Two modules comprise a pack, as would 12 modules. If one module shorts out or otherwise fails, the remaining modules still work.
A truck-sized EV battery might contain 12 modules to power it for up to 250 miles, whereas a compact SUV battery might contain six of the same mass-produced modules for the same potential range. An extended range electric vehicle (EREV) might need only two modules, which could be enough for a much shorter range, say 90 miles.
Since studies show that the vast majority (over 90%) of daily drives are less than 90 miles in distance, an EREV, with its tiny, purpose designed turbocharged gasoline engine, doesn’t need six modules when two will do; it will seldom need to even start the engine in daily use. But when greater range is needed, it is there to serve as a backup generator.
Manufacturers already know how to make gasoline-powered engines, so that is not the issue.
With fewer modules per car, each EREV battery pack weighs less, costs less to manufacture, costs less to replace, yet still offers most drivers an all-electric daily drive. To me, the idea is to transition to cleaner energy sources, which means dealing with possible shortages of battery materials.
It is not disputed that battery production has yet to fully ramp up. There are too many battery options on the way. Investing in building new liquid-state lithium-ion battery factories might be a waste of money if new solid-state lithium metal batteries prove cheaper, lighter, more energy dense and safer.
The world produced some 75 million cars in 2023. If 10 million of those 75 million cars were BEVs using on average six modules per battery pack, then 60 million modules had to have been manufactured, likely at or near the limits of current capacity. If an EREV only needs two modules per vehicle, then 30 million EREVs could have been made using the same 60 million modules without stressing either supply lines or manufacturing capacity.
EREVs simply might be best solution in the short-term to that eventual full BEV transition.
YankeeExPat says
Pammy should watch her back if Kristi Noem is carrying !
OWWWWW…OWWWWW…….OWWWWW……………………………………………………………….
Ray W, says
Batteries contain chemical energy. Moving that chemical energy between a cathode and an anode converts the chemical energy into electricity. Some batteries cannot be recharged. Once the chemical energy is depleted, these single-use batteries are discarded. Other batteries can be charged and discharged repeatedly, some more often and more efficiently than others. The chemical cocktails available to battery researchers seem endless in scope.
Any cost-effective battery chemistry that charges faster and lasts longer between charge cycles is defined as having a better “charge-rate capability.” This definition has driven battery research from the inception of rechargeable batteries. Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door.
Ever since the 1991 introduction of liquid-state lithium-ion batteries, researchers have looked for ways to reduce the phenomena of “transition metal dissolution (TMD)” of cathode metals that limits battery life to a relatively low number of charge-discharge cycles. The greater the number of effective charging cycles, the fewer the number of batteries needed over the lifetime of an electricity powered product such as a battery electric vehicle (BEV).
Given the inevitability of replacement of these types of batteries, extending the lifespan of a liquid-state lithium-ion battery has been the proverbial holy grail of battery researchers since 1991.
TMD occurs when a cathode metal dissolves away from the cathode towards the anode metal during use, to which anode metal the dissolved cathode metal sticks, thereby reducing anode performance qualities. Relatively inexpensive high manganese content cathodes suffer a comparatively high dissolution rate when compared to cobalt metal cathodes. Manganese is plentiful and less pollutive to mine and process. Cobalt-bearing cathode metal suffers a relatively low dissolution rate, but cobalt is rare and expensive to mine, it is highly pollutive to process, and it is prone to prompt the use of child-labor in the region where it is commonly extracted, the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Recycling no-longer efficient liquid-state lithium-ion batteries safely and effectively is challenging.
Enter Caltech and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
Researchers affiliated with the two labs collaborated to produce a method of coating liquid-state lithium-ion battery cathodes, including high-manganese cathodes, using a “dry-coating” form of graphene.
On November 1, 2024, the Journal of The Electrochemical Society published a paper titled “Suppression of Transition Metal Dissolution in Mn-Rich Layered Oxide Cathodes with Graphene Nanocomposite Dry Coatings.”
Graphene, a 1-atom thick layer of carbon first produced in a university lab some 15 years ago, is “incredibly strong and conducts electricity more readily than materials such as silicon.”
Originally, graphene could only be produced at temperatures as high as 1,000 degrees centigrade. In 2015, American researchers discovered a means to produce graphene at room temperature.
The Caltech/JPL research team set out to determine whether liquid-state lithium-ion battery cathodes could be dry-coated with graphene to reduce the dissolution rate of TMD.
Dry-coating graphene onto the surface of cathodes involves a “host” substance of large particles and a “guest” substance of tiny particles. “Guest” particles are “graphene encapsulated nanoparticles (GEN).” Using the room temperature method of producing graphene, it was dry coated onto a “host” cathode material. “By mixing them under certain conditions, the system can undergo a phenomenon known as ‘ordered mixing’ in which the guest particles uniformly coat the host particles.”
In the lab, “[t]he graphene coating sharply reduced TMD, simultaneously doubled battery cycle life, and allowed the batteries to function across a somewhat wider temperature range than previously thought possible.”
According to one of the researchers, “[b]attery factories are very expensive. A lot of money has been invested in them. So it’s very important that improved battery technologies are scalable and can fit into the workflows of existing battery manufacturing. We can take almost any cathode material and add in just a small amount of our GEN, run it for a few minutes in the dry mixer, and it will reduce transition metal dissolution and improve charge-rate capability.”
Make of this what you will.
Me?
American ingenuity and innovation are not lacking. American-based research teams just announced a method that can double the lifespan of liquid-state lithium-ion batteries by simply dry coating the cathode with graphene.
It is American political will that is lacking. Once again, we have evidence that we can lead the world in innovative battery technology, but for the existence of a professional lying class within one of our two political parties. The gullible among us buy into the politically motivated lies. We ceded the battery field to China long ago due to the lies of that professional lying class, just as we ceded solar panel manufacturing and wind power manufacturing, and we are struggling to catch up.
Ford’s CEO says we are years behind the Chinese in BEV manufacturing. We just enacted a 102.5 percent tariff on all Chinese electric vehicles to protect our outdated and inefficient car and truck industry from destruction. Why is this happening? How did we ever get to the point of allowing the professional lying class of one of our two political parties to persuade the gullible among us to leave ourselves wide open to sector-wide manufacturing decline?
The liquid-state lithium-ion battery factories that will benefit from this research are located mostly in China and our incoming president has promised the gullible among us that money for research coming from Biden-era stimulus funds will be cut off. What fools the gullible among us.
The answer seems to be solid-state battery research. Will we throw that battery sector away, too? Any well-designed and well-built car that is comparatively less expensive to build, less expensive to buy, more powerful, less expensive to drive, less expensive to repair and maintain, with a decent warranty, and less expensive to insure will find its way into favor among American car and truck buyers.
Dodge has a 2025 model battery-powered EREV pickup truck (Ramcharger) on the way that has 663 hp available from its dual-electric motors, with a driving range of 690 miles. I just checked the Dodge site for updates. Anyone can look it up. 0-60 in 4.4 seconds. The truck has a towing capacity of 14,000 pounds. Its gas-powered engine, sans transmission, will start only when battery levels drop to a certain level. Even with the gas-powered engine running a generator to keep the battery charged, it appears that the truck will get 30 mpg in gas mode, assuming a gas tank capacity of 23 gallons, more when driven in battery-only mode.
Pogo says
@trump loving zombies
Simple arithmetic 101: trump will be only the 2nd person inaugurated to a non-consecutive term, aka, lame duck — only 23 months
til mid-terms. Suck on that.