BYD’s business plan is to supply Latin American markets.

We think of individuals being addicted to harmful substances, but as a species we are addicted to fossil fuels. As surely as harmful substances erode lives, families, and communities, fossil fuels are destroying these same things globally. Worse, our use of fossil fuels is condemning the babies of today and those not yet born to a planet that is increasingly inhospitable to human life. Much of Mexico would be uninhabitable in a world that is 2-3 Celsius degrees warmer than the pre-industrial period.

In the 1990s I converted my pickup to propane because it was less damaging than gasoline. In 2004 I bought the first viable hybrid car, the Prius. In 2019 we moved to one BEV (Tesla) and one PHEV (Volt) in Canada. We are selling the PHEV Volt and will rely on the BEV. I consider PHEV technology to be a necessary evil in some places. But being a necessary evil does not make it any less of an evil. I don’t know the statistics for Mexico, but in the US, the average lifespan of a car is over 12 years. On average, every PHEV sold locks into the climate changing petroleum industries for a decade or more.

Political will could revolutionize Mexico’s energy infrastructure. Just as petroleum is a resource that has strategic importance, renewable energy from solar, wind, and tidal resources can be used to achieve the goals of Morena, i.e., “With love for the people” and “Let's keep making history”. Creating a climate in Mexico that is inhospitable for the people would not be showing love for the people. Perpetuating fossil fuels would not be making history; it would be repeating the errors of the past.

Before I get off of my soapbox I will acknowledge being part of the problem. I have waited years to buy a BEV that I could use practically in Zihuatanejo. I am near the point of giving up. It would be impossible to get from Zihuatanejo to Morelia and beyond on Ruta 37D or to Manzanillo and beyond on Ruta 200. So I may have to participate in the “evil” of a PHEV. At least it is the lesser evil.

As an aside, I think that hydrogen for personal transportation is a non-starter. There are not sufficient reserves of hydrogen, so it must be produced. The effective way to produce it is to use electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. That requires the production and distribution of sufficient electricity and decreases the efficiency of use of the electricity.

Then the pressurized hydrogen must be physically distributed to filling locations, again using energy and decreasing efficiency. Finally, the hydrogen must be catalyzed back into electricity (again losing efficiency) to power a vehicle. It is more efficient to use the electricity that is produced to charge battery cells and power the vehicle.

Would BYD open production in Mexico if the U.S. bars their imports?

Mexico would be a tremendous market for US$10,000 vehicles.

Advancing BYD’s desire to open production in Mexico would be a start.

Would BYD open production in Mexico if the U.S. bars their imports?

I guess there are two arguments.

1. It’s never going to happen with a state owned company. The state won’t give up its profits.

2. It’s never going to happen with privately owned companies. The companies would sue the state for billions.

I think it can happen with a state owned company. Mexico doesn’t need to sell expensive gasoline to its population, many of whom struggle to pay world market prices for petroleum products. It could follow the lead of Norway and China.

Norway and China have become world leaders in battery electric vehicles. China has been motivated by horrendous air pollution as well as a lack of petroleum. Norway has excess petroleum but uses that as an export commodity to contribute to funding social programs, including financial supports to electrification of personal transportation.

Mexico could follow Norway’s lead in emphasizing the export, not consumption, of petroleum while following China’s lead in becoming a production centre for battery electric vehicles. Advancing BYD’s desire to open production in Mexico would be a start.

As Xóchitl Gálvez said, “oil-rich Mexico should invest more in renewable energy, ‘We haven’t done it because we are dumbasses.’”

Claudia Sheinbaum has stated that her view is to keep Mexico's ENERGY PRODUCTION state-owned, which is the larger picture shared by most Mexicans. She has no illusions about Mexico's petroleum industry like AMLO had, but it's obvious we aren't going to change over to more sustainable energy sources quickly, so petroleum will continue to rule for years to come. I don't believe she's sold on electric vehicles, though there is a place in the market for them, but rather hybrid vehicles for the short-term. For the long-term we should be looking to hydrogen-fueled vehicles. Wind and especially solar are already in her playbook. She installed solar power throughout Mexico City including at the world's largest market.

Todo sobre la Planta Fotovoltaica de la Central de Abasto cuya obra ya concluyó

1. It’s never going to happen with a state owned company. The state won’t give up its profits.

2. It’s never going to happen with privately owned companies. The companies would sue the state for billions.

I think it can happen with a state owned company. Mexico doesn’t need to sell expensive gasoline to its population, many of whom struggle to pay world market prices for petroleum products. It could follow the lead of Norway and China.

Norway and China have become world leaders in battery electric vehicles. China has been motivated by horrendous air pollution as well as a lack of petroleum. Norway has excess petroleum but uses that as an export commodity to contribute to funding social programs, including financial supports to electrification of personal transportation.

Mexico could follow Norway’s lead in emphasizing the export, not consumption, of petroleum while following China’s lead in becoming a production centre for battery electric vehicles. Advancing BYD’s desire to open production in Mexico would be a start.

As Xóchitl Gálvez said, “oil-rich Mexico should invest more in renewable energy, ‘We haven’t done it because we are dumbasses.’”

I sure do hope that Sheinbaum will change the course charted by Obrador with regards to the use of fossil fuels and Mexico's dependence on the stuff.

NEVER going to happen with a state-owned oil company.

Otis produced wind speeds of 165 mph (265 km/h) that intensified with unexpected velocity, destroying bridges, power lines, businesses, homes, and banks. Acapulco, one of the jewels of the Mexican Pacific, now seems like a setting for a post-apocalyptic movie. Enki Research, a risk analysis firm specializing in natural disasters, has estimated the economic losses due to the recent hurricane at $15 billion. [/b]

Mexico continues to promote the use of fossil fuels. CFE at Petacalco continues to poison the environment while untold amounts of electricity could be produced by solar and wind generation. Mexico continues a love affair with gasoline and diesel fueled vehicles while ignoring the potential for an industry building battery electric vehicles. Imagine if every tool booth on cuata highways had fast charging stations. Imagine if there were as many fast charging stations in the municipio of Zihuatanejo as there are Pemex stations. Imagine if every Pemex station also had fast charging.

Maybe with a climate scientist as president some of Mexico’s practices will change for the betterment of Mexico, Mexicans, and all people.

Supposedly, weather wise, the Niño is changing / has changed to the Niña.

Lots of reports as to the weather changes, over the short term. But, not read much for the Pacific coast. Only the Atlantic side.

Any ideas?

When La Niña forms in the Pacific, and we're apparently right on the verge of its formation, it usually means less rain for the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Last year wasn't a good year for us rain-wise, so even less rain this year could be catastrophic. However, increased activity in the Atlantic can often spill over onto our part of the Pacific, and the Atlantic is super-warm this year. Forecasters have predicted this could result in us being hit early in the hurricane season by a double storm as happened to us in September 2017 when two hurricanes merged and we had a period of torrential monsoon rains that lasted about a week and washed out bridges and caused landslides that cut off much of the coast and the sierra from the rest of the world. Some places still haven't fully recovered. Such a storm is of great concern, especially because we've imitated all the mistakes of Acapulco by allowing our fragile hillsides to become populated by dwellings that simply shouldn't be there, with the accompanying deforestation. Just recently someone clear-cut about a half hectare on the hillside right above La Gatas Beach that could become a disaster for everyone below including the marine life from all the muddy runoff.

Qué es el fenómeno de La Niña y cómo podría afectar el clima

Lots of reports as to the weather changes, over the short term. But, not read much for the Pacific coast. Only the Atlantic side.

Any ideas?

Wind and clouds have moved into Zihuatanejo. Rain already caused Acapulco's port to be closed to navigation earlier today though it has since reopened, it's been raining in Atoyac, and Petatlán had a good rain this late afternoon. Winds have been gusting strong all up and down the coast, and by all appearances the swirling winds off our coast look like they want to form a hurricane. Welcome to the rainy season.

It looks like the bulk of this storm will only sideswipe us, and we'll be lucky to get any rain, but Friday and Saturday look more promising for some more serious precipitation.

Another Irma-Max event like we had in September 2017 is forecast to affect our coast this year. For those who don't recall, two hurricanes collided over Mexico, one from the Atlantic and the other from the Pacific, causing torrential rain for almost a week straight that flooded rivers and collapsed bridges in Guerrero, cutting off parts of the sierra and the Costa Grande from the rest of the world for quite some time. Something to look forward to.

Hardly any visitors around in Zihuatanejo today. A few in Ixtapa, but not many. Hopefully the rain in the forecast won't scare away the weekend visitors.

One of our region's truly lovely vacation lodgings is Casa La Paloma, a place that will take your breath away and leave you wanting to stay longer than you planned. This beachfront vacation home is located on a quiet, sandy stretch of Playa Troncones. Sleeping capacity is 12 in 6 bedrooms. Enjoy the poolside bar and large gourmet kitchen, as well as the oceanfront palapas with hammocks and lounge chairs. Peaceful and relaxing.
Luxury Vacation Rentals in Troncones

¡Cuidemos nuestro patrimonio!
#MásSeguridadPúblicaMenosCemento
#NoQueremosBlueFlagEnLasPlayas
#PreservemosPlayaManzanillo
#DenunciaElEcocidioEnLaRopa

Un amanecer bonito en Playa La Madera durante una mañana tranquila y con unas nubes y un poco de humo.