A good time to own an EV - Gas Prices about to go nuts [LOCKED DUE TO POLITICS]

[Time2Roll]

Corporations also have a legal fiduciary duty to maximize shareholder returns. Their CEO's and boards would be sued and fired for prioritizing anything outside of pure financial returns. That's how the legal system in the US works.

Has Amazon/Bezos been sued yet for getting electric delivery vans from Rivian that probably cost more than standard ICE vans?

Not quite as cut and dry as the statement implies to maximize shareholder returns.

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[BigSkies]

Has Amazon/Bezos been sued yet for getting electric delivery vans from Rivian that probably cost more than standard ICE vans?

Not quite as cut and dry as the statement implies to maximize shareholder returns.

There's room for flexibility in maximizing shareholder returns. It doesn't always mean lowest cost, and Amazon's climate pledge's are inline with fiduciary duties. Bigger picture, there's also zero question that Amazon is ruthlessly focused on the bottom line at the expense of the environment.

Starbucks (at least the Starbucks of ~25 years ago) also made many commitments that were not lowest cost, but inline with a value structure aligned with their customers. This itself is not a breach of fiduciary duty, as it directly improved company performance.

Fiduciary duty is a fun topic to learn and understand. It's interesting, nuanced, and has room for interpretation. But there is no question that fiduciary duty governs all major corporate decisions.

 

[kanundrum]

I'm still driving full send everywhere in my Alfa because that is what Clarkson would do

 

[BigSkies]

Please name the law that requires a company to do what you state.

(I'll do it for you - there isn't one).

Here's a nice article about it.

That is a fair point. It's not a law.

But Milton Friedman's idea's are functionally a religion among corporate leadership and the buyside + sellside of corporate leadership, and it seems pretty well established in shareholder lawsuits.

My challenge to those disagreeing with the broader point is to find the counter-examples. They do exist. But they mostly exist to prove the rule.

I want to read up more on the history of the B-Corp movement. It is a counter-example, and an interesting one I want to learn more about.

My source is a 20 year career in doing corporate budgeting across companies in all types of industries, and includes public companies, PE backed companies, and VC backed companies. A few were even B-Corp's. I've seen how roughly 50 companies (mostly consulting clients) allocate scare resources at a granular level. Any executive that isn't ruthlessly focused on the bottom line (even at B-corp) will have a career measured in months.

 

[VandalSibs]

Totally get what you're saying, but saying "legal" in your opening sentence sets a tone. (I may have been a bit harsh in mine, sorry!)

I do appreciate your counter argument here though - had never heard of a B-corp until tonight!

 

[Thedude]

Prices definitely suck right now so hopefully they go back down sooner than later. Heating my house for the remaining two months of winter will cost about an extra $120/month with the increase to heating fuel costs. Locally they’re up $1+/gal since last week.

 

[River Ghost]

For those that have a fossil fueled boiler that you use to heat your house there are a couple of easy things you can do to reduce the amount of fuel you use. The first is to reduce the supply temperature coming from your boiler. Almost all have a setting to do this. It should be set just high enough so that it is sufficient to heat your house on the coldest days. The second is to install outdoor reset. A law was passed in 1975 during the Arab oil embargo to require this on all boilers. but I do not know if there are any loopholes. This requires a wire running to the north side of the house with a temperature sensor. If you have a boiler was manufactured before 1975 there are kits available to add outdoor reset. Outdoor reset ramps down the supply temperature as the outdoor temperature increases. There should be a curve that can be configured to specify the aggressiveness of the ramp.

I used to have a very efficient condensing gas boiler but after replacing it I suspect that it never actually condensed. The return temperature needs to be below the dew point for condensing to occur and efficiency greatly increases after this point. The efficiency of gas boilers is quoted for a return temperature of 80°F.

I suspect that installers rarely configure boilers since it is a hassle and they do not pay for the fuel. Reducing your supply temperature and installing and configuring outdoor reset should decrease your fuel usage by about 25%. This will also reduce short cycling and extend the life of your boiler. If you happen to have a modulating gas furnace the same thing applies but most people probably have just a single stage gas furnace.

 

[Count Orlok]

The Count is appalled at how few people compare historic prices without making sure they are comparing real not nominal prices.

 

[Count Orlok]

you are lucky compare to what our assh0le gov, Newsum, has caused the prices of gasoline to hover around $6 a gal for high terst and close to $5 for regular…but then our electricity isn't cheap here either…just think if this jerk gets to be prez how he will be able to screw up the whole USA

meanwhile cheetoman says of gas prices ""If they rise, they rise"

 

[Count Orlok]

I'm still driving full send everywhere in my Alfa because that is what Clarkson would do

wrong. he, like The Count, is out tractoring.

 

[Rade]

Even if you fill up with electric and power your home with solar, the ripple effect on fuel prices raising the cost of everything else and depressing the economy is just plain bad news for everyone.

Agreed, but in this case, it's a self-inflicted wound by people making ill-advised decisions to launch into a global conflict. Regardless if you have solar and EV's, or rely on gas and oil, we are all going to suffer the fools.

 

[Time2Roll]

Rivian van is great and Tesla Semi can't come soon enough. Other brands welcome too.

 

[beatle]

Agreed, but in this case, it's a self-inflicted wound by people making ill-advised decisions to launch into a global conflict. Regardless if you have solar and EV's, or rely on gas and oil, we are all going to suffer the fools.

Pretty solid example of glibness here. Everyone who drives a gas car is not a "fool."

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

Pretty solid example of glibness here. Everyone who drives a gas car is not a "fool."

To “suffer the fools” does not mean what you think it means.

 

[Thedude]

Pretty solid example of glibness here. Everyone who drives a gas car is not a "fool."

You misunderstood the phrase. The fools are the ones who landed us in this situation and we are suffering for them.

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