I would have to say that spacex is already manned quality. Even their F9 was designed with numerous sensors and the ability to shut down an engine or more while completing the mission. All that remains is PROVING dragon's ability to abort.

Opposite direction.

I wonder if spacex can provide an extra cargo launch in next 6 months? If so, NASA might be willing to buy it.

Uh, not even close. When it comes to launches, NASA is way ahead of USSR/Russia.

Lol.
O did NOT cancel the shuttle. You neo-cons did. In addition, ares 1 was not going to be ready until 2017-2018. And Ares v would fly around 2030, no earlier.
It is fools like you that continue to kill NASA.

Which does not include the time that the pilots put in maintaining the books, or making sure that the pilot has most up-to-date NOTAM ( which being behind has caused accidents ).

glad that somebody modded you up.
When I speak of EVs, I have always been referring to electric cars. Passenger vehicles.
What is needed is to get Cargo and large passenger vehicles to switch to being series hybrids with nat gas. By getting commercial vehicles to switch to that, it will make it possible for makers to deal with electric until we get it figured out better.

BTW, BNSF railroad uses 5% of America's diesel. They are in the process of converting all of their engines to LNG instead. And the other companies are considering it, since Nat Gas is just too cheap.
If these switch, that is around 10-15% of America's diesel. That is HUGE.

Finally, Tesla will be forcing all car makers to EVs. Make no mistake about it. They do not want to go, but they will. They have no choice once the Model 3, along with the analog crossover comes out in 2016/2017.

Such nonsense.

And yet, the total batteries are being recycled as we speak here in America.
Here is more.

Sadly, again, you have no real knowledge of science, or what is going on. You took something from several years ago, which is predicated on PROVED RESERVOIRS that want to be acknowledged. Yet, it is wrong.
Now, go look up Simbol Mining Corp. Simbol is going to feed Tesla, which is working on a factory that will MORE THAN DOUBLE CURRENT LITHIUM ION PRODUCTION. Now, that is just 1 company that will be providing all this.
In addition, for the future Here is more.
You just have to read a bit, rather than as little as possible. In addition, stay up on your science.

Finally, as to being cheap/economical, it is regularly about scale, not about process. Bolivia and Chile are pushed by Europe to be dirty, but, Tesla will be looking for more than what Bolivia, Chile, China, and Australia put out together, THIS YEAR. And considering that it will come from America (and Canada), that will increase the scale. Finally, as Tesla gears up, Simbol's will also expand outwards to other geothermal units.

Here in America, we are recycling our lithium batteries. It is Europe that is dirty WRT to not recycling it. Sadly, Europe would rather scream about somethings, while ignoring the real damage that they do to the earth.

It is NOT the processing, but the mining of it. Places like Chile will use scarce water to turn it into a brine and then start the processing.
OTOH, Here in America, we are finding the lithium from heated brine solutions down below. In particular, we are bringing up brine solutions for geo-thermal electricity and then pulling the lithium out after the fact, and then re-injecting the cleaned up water back into the hole.
With this approach, there is NO mining, but instead, making use of an on-going process.

And yes, China, along with Europe, push for the DIRTY mining of Lithium. They are pretty bad, but they want it cheap.

Lithium processing is envirinmentally damaging? You are obviously anothet fucking right winger without any science knowledge. processsing is cheap and clean.

We are hemmeraging wealth because of what the fucking GOP did in terms of taxes combined with rolling back regulations.
Trickle down failed so badly, that not even the original ppl back it anymore.

You need to unhock yourself from the front of kock brothers pants.

Seriously.

This is exactly why we need the fucking GOP to get off their GD ass and resolve the fucking illegal issues.
The idea of giving ALL illegals amnesty is a joke. But even worse is the idea of taking kids that have grown up here thinking that they are Americans and sending them to another nation. It absolutely shows no compassion.

What is needed is a compromise in which the good kids are allowed to earn citizenship, the parents of any kids that remained here are allowed to have a 'pink card' ( basically, no citizenship and no social benefits such as SSI, Medicare, etc, however, they are allowed to remain and work), while sending all others packing.

Seriously, they are obviously nervous about what EVs are doing. Instead, they should all be focused on battery technology and lowering the price of EVs, rather than trying to keep ICE/Fossil fuels alive.