When will EVs be Ready for You?

[GoCougs]

But that is the beauty of Starlink, it takes what is a market for billionaires, and governments, and makes it affordable to most people. One can take a sailboat anchor it of a tropical island in French Polynesia, spend the day doing work, and then when you are done you jump off the boat and go fishing with the tropical fish.

So then who controls this global infrastructure - from rates to censorship to access? Short term sounds attractive but what this begets is global regulation via some global cabal such as the UN or WTO or whatever. Global government is coming for sure, but this could speed that horror show up.

[Morris Minor]

So then who controls this global infrastructure - from rates to censorship to access? Short term sounds attractive but what this begets is global regulation via some global cabal such as the UN or WTO or whatever. Global government is coming for sure, but this could speed that horror show up.

You are right. Starlink's biggest challenge is not technical. There are massive geopolitical regulatory obstacles: licensing/permitting, taxation, censorship.
Incumbents are already litigating, & lobbying governments to block Starlink. Another strike against it is that is is American.

[Galaxy]

So then who controls this global infrastructure - from rates to censorship to access? Short term sounds attractive but what this begets is global regulation via some global cabal such as the UN or WTO or whatever. Global government is coming for sure, but this could speed that horror show up.

For the users, it is their individual country. So, for american consumers it would be the FCC. For yachts it would be the flag country. Note: you do have to obey certain rules of the countries whose waters you are sailing in. India for example does not allow satellite phones for private individuals.

For the ground based infrastructure it would also be the country that the stations are in. Starlink is already conducting town hall meetings in  France, since that is where some ground stations are supposed to be.

As for the satellites themselves, the radio frequencies are assigned by the International Telecommunication Agency,  which is a UN Agency, the orbits themselves are not regulated globally. Yet .  You are required to inform the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs of what the orbit will be. Individual countries are obligated to ensure their space users do not insert objects on a collision course. The USA has fined companies for putting sats on orbits it views as dangerous.

You are not going to like it, but I do think we are going to need a space traffic control. Sooner rather then later. Starlink is putting 40,000 sats into orbit, Microsoft wants to put 40,000 into orbit, the chinese as well. This is going to end badly if users do not have an assigned orbit. The cascade effect from the movie Gravity is a real concern.

[AutobahnSHO]

Funny how often we all fall to the classic internet blunder- arguing with nonsense.

[Morris Minor]

SpaceX is planning on using Starship to launch Starlink satellites, so 400 at a time rather than Falcon 9's 60.

[GoCougs]

For the users, it is their individual country. So, for american consumers it would be the FCC. For yachts it would be the flag country. Note: you do have to obey certain rules of the countries whose waters you are sailing in. India for example does not allow satellite phones for private individuals.

For the ground based infrastructure it would also be the country that the stations are in. Starlink is already conducting town hall meetings in  France, since that is where some ground stations are supposed to be.

As for the satellites themselves, the radio frequencies are assigned by the International Telecommunication Agency,  which is a UN Agency, the orbits themselves are not regulated globally. Yet .  You are required to inform the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs of what the orbit will be. Individual countries are obligated to ensure their space users do not insert objects on a collision course. The USA has fined companies for putting sats on orbits it views as dangerous.

You are not going to like it, but I do think we are going to need a space traffic control. Sooner rather then later. Starlink is putting 40,000 sats into orbit, Microsoft wants to put 40,000 into orbit, the chinese as well. This is going to end badly if users do not have an assigned orbit. The cascade effect from the movie Gravity is a real concern.

Don't forget project Kuiper (Amazon).

[Morris Minor]

So roll forward five years. Assume autonomy is working.
Would you put put your autonomy-capable EV into a fleet available for driverless ride-hailing?
I write this after doing the math and realising that my G37 accumulated less that 4,000 miles over the last year. It spends 99% of the time in the garage, normal costs: depreciation, servicing & insurance.

[Laconian]

When are we getting solid state batteries?