Notes From All Over -- September 10, 2020

Covid and Pemex: more employees have died at Pemex than at any other company in the world -- Bloomberg -- and Mexico's president wants to keep the oil producer pumping, no matter what. How AMLO's crown jewel became the world's deadliest Covid company. Link here.  

Pemex slashes production estimates, previously posted.  

The Mexican Ministry of Finance said it now expected Pemex to produce 1.857 million bpd in 2021, according to a Bloomberg report, down from a projection of 2.027 million bpd made in April this year. Yet, according to at least one analyst, even the revised 2021 average looks too optimistic. Barclays’ chief economist for Latin America, Marco Oviedo, told Bloomberg that Pemex was unlikely to hit that lower target. “It seems that they have not learned,” Oviedo said.

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College Football

College football's biggest fumble: if these numbers and commentaries are correct, there is no question that the decision by the PAC-12 and the Big 10 was a huge fumble. Those athletes are down at the local sports bars -- mostly likely without masks -- watching what could have been.

First: 1000's of cases but zero hospitalizations in colleges -- link here:

Second: is the pandemic over? Link here.

Compare the US experience with that of Sweden: link here.  The graphs look pretty much identical and the US would have done even much better had NY's governor not mandated Covid-positive octogenarians be returned to their nursing homes.

Third: Joe Biden backtracks -- won't sign executive order mandating nationwide masks.

Fourth: Joe Biden backtracks -- won't shutdown the economy.

Fifth: if you don't believe those sources, then this one from The WSJ, link here: Covid-19 cases, death rats are declining six months into the pandemic (pretty much predicted); but stay worried; death toll could more than double by January 1, 2021.

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Running Out Of Fingers And Toes

Updates

January 11, 2021: Lucid looking to go public via a SPAC.

Original Post

EV startup Lucid looks to challenge Tesla with new Air sedan, from The WSJ.

California-based Lucid Motors Inc. revealed a production-ready version of its first model as the battle to dominate the auto industry’s future heats up between Silicon Valley and more-established car companies.  

On Wednesday evening, September 9, 2020, the 13-year-old company showed off its latest iteration of the Lucid Air, a luxury sedan it plans to start selling in early 2021 after years of struggling to raise funding. 

Lucid is among a wave of electric-vehicle startups getting closer to releasing their first models, looking to challenge traditional auto makers like General Motors Co. and Volkswagen AG that are investing billions in the technology and Tesla Inc., a company that continues to dominate the scene for high-price battery-powered cars.

And here: Tesla rival Lucid Motors unveils "Air" EV with 500-mile range. From 0 to 60 in less than three seconds.

Lucid Motors unveiled the design for its first-ever electric sedan, the Lucid Air, on Wednesday, September 9, 2020, setting up a potential future showdown with industry leader Tesla. 

Lucid Motors CEO Peter Rawlinson, a former Tesla engineering executive, unveiled the vehicle at a virtual event from the company’s headquarters in Silicon Valley. 

Touted as the “world’s most powerful and efficient luxury electric sedan,” the Lucid Air can go from zero to 60 miles per hour in less than three seconds, with an estimated range of more than 500 miles per charge. 

“With the Lucid Air, we have created a halo car for the entire industry, one which shows the advancements that are possible by pushing the boundaries of EV technology and performance to new levels,” Rawlinson said in a statement.

What is a halo car? Link here.

A brand’s “halo car” is often the car that brand enthusiasts dream about and drool over. While the car may not have a halo in actuality, it might as well, being the extravagant symbol of a brand’s manufacturing perfection. Halo cars are also typically produced in limited quantities due to the massive resources and precision they require. 

These cars don’t necessarily represent the standard of the brand, but more so the engineering and imagination a brand can exercise. 

When a car like that comes into existence, it’s geared for creating hype, and create hype it does. A “halo car” is a car that goes out of its way to push the technology, styling, and performance a brand can offer.