Did you just discover the term useful idiot recently?
It’s been around for quite a while.
OT: Electric vehicles
- Thread starter BellyFullOfWhiteDogCrap
- Start date
It’s been around for quite a while.
Here is the reality with any new technology. There are problems that create opportunities for improvement. Always. The same is true for older technology, but the rate and amount of ways to address problems decline over time when a new technology starts to overtake the old technology. A way to track this is by the number of patents that are filed/issued in an area.
Think about what happened to horse and buggy improvements after the gasoline and diesel engine-powered vehicles arrived. Not many horse and buggy patents being filed today.
The product cycle for EVs is new, but EVs have not overtaken ICE vehicles. Nobody can deny that that since gasoline-powered ICE vehicles carry a large amount of flammable liquid, overall they are a greater fire hazard than an EV. IDK if there is data comparing the number of EV fires per number of vehicles on service versus the same of gasoline vehicles.
The issue that seems to get highlighted in EV fires (and some keep getting repeated) is the runaway nature of fuel cell fires in EVs, which incidentally is a problem with electric bikes and other larger electric batteries. There has been a decent amount of patent filings on ways to isolate the individual cells to prevent the runaway fires. The technology has not been perfected. It may take some more time for a technology to address this issue. This does not make EVs bad or dangerous. This is an opportunity for improvement, just like the redesign of the Ford Pintos in the 1970s.
As an aside, but related, battery powered bikes are causing problems in apartments in cities when e-bikes are stored in apartments. They should not be stored inside of people's living spaces because of the aforementioned problems. I have been on fires where laptop batteries ignited fires in an apartment or home. It happens.
Two weeks ago, FDNY performed a heroic rescue of victims who were trapped more than 20 floors from the ground due to fire that started from an ebike battery failure. This is next level greatness. I'm happy we don't have any high rises in our district.
Onward, upward.
Narratives plus anecdotes tend to be misleading. Data from the NYSB, posted above, reveals that ICE have more than 1,000 fires per 100,000 vehicles while EV have less than 30 fires per 100,000 vehicles. Perhaps EVs will improve. If they do, they will widen the gap.
Pininfarina Battista electric hypercar set a slew of acceleration records:
- 0-60 mph in 1.79s
- 0-100 km/h in 1.86s
- 0-120 mph in 4.49s
- 0-200 km/h in 4.75s
- 100-0 km/h in 31 metres – A world record for an electric car
Jaguar-Land Rover Plans to Hire Hundreds of Laid Off Twitter, Amazon and Meta Employees
The three tech companies have laid off tens of thousands of workers in the past few weeks.
jalopnik.com
I ordered the RetraxPRO XR from RealTruck.com. It was not cheap, and got a discount from the Lightning forum. FedEx cluster f'd the shipment. One box was late and beat up. The second box with the rails was open and the clamps to install the rails were missing. Got the box open with the rollup cover, and it was dented and scratched. Returned it. Going with the BAK Revolver X4s Hard Rolling Truck Bed Tonneau Cover. Had considered the BakFlip, but the X46 seemed to be the one that took up the least amount of space when rolled up. With the BakFlip, when folded all the way, it blocked the back window.
Are you doing an pre-conditioning before you drive in the cold weather?
Ain’t just Tesla creating problematic work conditions…
jalopnik.com
Rivian Workers Warn UAW of Unsafe Conditions
Employees at EV maker Rivian’s site in Illinois aren’t happy with working conditions on the factory floor, as the UAW tries to organize the plant.
jalopnik.com
What’s pre-condition? TBH, I’ve used the frunk twice and the bed twice. I’m a real trucker LOL.
Pre-conditioning can be done in the app- it warms the vehicle up before you leave. When it gets cold, some have the seat warmers and steering wheel warmer turned on. It apparently saves range. Mine is in a garage, and I don't leave at any fixed time so I don't bother. I am finding that driving reasonably, my electric range consumption closely correlates with the miles driven. Yeah, I'm not exactly a trucker, but I will be hauling some firewood, throwing my mountain bike in the back, and we will eventually use the frunk. Since it is just two of us using the vehicle most of the time, there is a ton of space in the back.
I also got the Husky floor liners, which are very nice and protect the carpet. I did not realize the panels of the vehicle are aluminum. That thwarted sticking my magnetic block R on the truck.
Tesla Recalls 321,000 Model 3s, Model Ys Due to Rear Taillight Issue
The intermittent issue may cause certain Tesla vehicle taillights to not illuminate.
jalopnik.com
Tesla recently updated the in car energy app to give a much more precise comparison between real energy usage and projected range.
https://electrek.co/2022/10/12/tesla-new-energy-app-gives-range-advices-more/
During the recent cold spell, I did quite a bit of driving. I noticed highway driving (>70mph) reduced range 5-6% below projected range. My work commute consists of a mix of residential and county roads, all under 60 mph, with a bunch of stop lights. Real energy usage was aligned with projected range on these drives. Note... I'm not attempting to hyper mile; just driving as I normally do.
During all of these drives, I did use the seat heater(s), and the cabin heat was on about 75% of the time. Also worth noting, I rarely touch the break to maximize regen.
On days where temps are >50 degrees F, I'm getting more than the rated range on my work commute.
So, the 40% range loss in cold weather seems to be a myth, at least based on our current weather pattern, my vehicle and driving style. I have to wonder where the 40% range loss came from. Is it just more EV FUD, based on more extreme cold, or not factoring for regen at all?
Icy Temperatures Cut Electric Vehicle Range Nearly in Half
AAA research finds HVAC use in frigid temperatures causes substantial drop in electric vehicle range
newsroom.aaa.com
Most other sources are saying up to 20%
I'm just relaying the data from my most recent 300 miles or so during our cold spell.Icy Temperatures Cut Electric Vehicle Range Nearly in Half
AAA research finds HVAC use in frigid temperatures causes substantial drop in electric vehicle range
Most other sources are saying up to 20%
HVAC temp setting and fan speed are going to have the biggest impact. 80 degree setting with high fan speed is going to have a much bigger impact on range than 70 degrees and low fan speed. Your article doesn't specify HVAC settings, but the difference would be sizable.
IMO, you'd have to make a real effort to cut your range by 40%. <20 degrees, aggressive acceleration, high HVAC temp and fan speed, heavy breaking (no regen). That would probably do it, but who drives like that?
Wazzuuuuuuuuuuup! 😀
I take 4+ hour drives with aggressive acceleration, heavy braking, the top open and the AC and seat ventilators cranking on 90+ degree days all the time. With no concerns about range at all.
Woo hoo!
@Knight Shift
I think the pre-condition they want you to do to max range is if your vehicle is plugged in. If it’s not plugged in, don’t think pre-conditioning helps. I was going to go with weathertech. Any reason you pick Husky?
@BellyFullOfWhiteDogCrap
I think range loss is mostly due to how high you have your heater blowing.
@mildone
Happy you have no range anxiety but that style of driving = big maintenance bills. Brakes, gas and speedy tickets 😀
I think the pre-condition they want you to do to max range is if your vehicle is plugged in. If it’s not plugged in, don’t think pre-conditioning helps. I was going to go with weathertech. Any reason you pick Husky?
@BellyFullOfWhiteDogCrap
I think range loss is mostly due to how high you have your heater blowing.
@mildone
Happy you have no range anxiety but that style of driving = big maintenance bills. Brakes, gas and speedy tickets 😀
The reviews I read on F150 Lightning forums led me to Husky. I like them a lot. My electrician also prefers Husky, and he has tried both. YMMV--by that I mean Husky is heavier than weathertec, which according to the board geniuses here, that will decrease your range by 60%. 😜
I’ve actually only had one speeding ticket since I was in my mid 20s. Have no points, though - the one ticket was an aberration. Surprising and lucky I guess.
I blow through gas for sure. And brakes and tires are a little expensive on this car. But I’m seemingly lots easier on them than my model-peers who go through them at a much higher rate. Given how I drive, I can’t imagine what they’re doing that’s worse.
Those who track their cars go through brakes and multiple sets of tires in a weekend sometimes, but that’s different.
I really wanted a Vet but the waitlist allowed me to come to my senses. Just not ideal for my life style.
Yeah, such sports cars are not generally sensible or wise. I get child-like joy from driving, so that's my rationalization.
OTOH, with supply chain issues being what they are, waitlists are a thing these days with all kinds of cars, not just sports cars. Seems like it's pretty common, along with MSRP+ pricing even for regular cars. Nuts.
Yes regarding fan speed. Temp setting too. Articles about cold weather range loss never bring that up which is annoying.
I've questioned the same about preheating the battery. It uses energy to preheat. Are you coming out ahead vs driving a cold battery?
I can tell you this. If I don't preheat, there is a much greater range loss in the first few miles of my drive. How does that compare to the energy used if I did preheat? I don't have the answer yet, but I'll investigate. At the end of the day, my guess is it's a negligible amount either way.
Do most people buy a tire to have in the car?
My sister had a flat in NYC on Sunday and had to have the car towed to Avalon
It gives me something to make fun of her at Thanksgiving
My Porsche doesn't, either. It's not at all uncommon with sports cars where the tires don't really fit anywhere and/or are excess weight. I think there's some other non-sports cars that've opted out on spares, too.
In my case, the fronts and rears are very different sizes and neither would fit in the frunk. The rears actually wouldn't come close to fitting anywhere inside the car, but a front tire might possibly fit behind the seats if it can be slid past the passenger seat - which I'm not at all sure it could.
The car comes with a air-compressor and some gunk to blow into the tire and hopefully seal a puncture (very) temporarily. And I bring a patch kit and better compressor along. Although unless the weather was nice and the car was in a safe place, I'd probably just call for a flatbed and have it towed to a shop.
I would think the same would be true w/a Model S. But I'm a little surprised that the SUV Tesla's don't come with a spare, though. Weight and space saving, I guess.
But the good news w/the Y or X is that I suppose an owner can always purchase and carry a spare if they choose to do so, since it'll easily fit.
You can make fun of me too. I've had to get flat-bedded twice for flat tires.
The tow service is free but the tires in question are about $550 each and I didn't want uneven tread depths. So I got two w/the first flat.
This is the truly funny part... The second puncture happened on the way home from having the two new tires mounted and balanced. So it was three new tires in two days. Doh! 🤣
This EV Macan article, if accurate, is disappointing to me. Been holding out and awaiting the specs, and will wait a bit more. But 300 miles of range is insufficient for my needs.
The Electric 2024 Porsche Macan: The Inside Scoop (Literally)
Porsche's PPE platform is how the company plans to take the fight to Tesla, BMW, and more.www.motortrend.com
I'm disappointed because I wanted it to be a hybrid like the Cayenne.
I didn't. I would guess others don't either. Adds weight and takes up space. Tesla offers roadside assistance like many other brands. Not really something I worry about.
"No spare" was an evolution from "space saver spare", i.e. the stupid donuts that most cars came with for years. From the manufacturers perspective they were a liability because nobody respected the limitations of the tire.
I've had to replace / repair a bunch of tires in my life, but I've never had a blowout, i.e. never had to change a tire on the side of the road - at least, not for my own car.
If you're familiar with the tuner market, be it Euro or Japanese, you know that most of the semi-serious tuner boyz take all that crap out of their cars "to save weight". It seems trivial, but it offers up at least as much additional performance as a good-sized window decal.
I've had to replace / repair a bunch of tires in my life, but I've never had a blowout, i.e. never had to change a tire on the side of the road - at least, not for my own car.
If you're familiar with the tuner market, be it Euro or Japanese, you know that most of the semi-serious tuner boyz take all that crap out of their cars "to save weight". It seems trivial, but it offers up at least as much additional performance as a good-sized window decal.
Yeah, agree. A hybrid Macan would be perfect.
Who knows, maybe we'll see one later on - Porsche do that crazy model variety thing and are good at keeping some future variants pretty quiet until they officially release them.
But I'm not holding my breath. And I feel myself moving closer to that point where my typically long drawn out new car decision phase turns into a near-overnight impulse purchase. I really miss having a big, quiet, comfy SUV with loads of ground clearance and a soft ride.
I think maybe I'm seeing the market start to cool a little, too. Why can't we have a nice painful recession for a year, dammit! C'mon Fed, jack those interest rates up! 😃
Toyota Sienna AWD doesn’t have a spare. Their solution is run flats. My ID4 doesn’t have a spare and their solution is a tire repair kit (not joking).
It’s not safe to have a spare in your car that not secured. I would avoid that. AAA is your friend and most automakers have a roadside assistance program
This is very true of anything carried around in a car and people don't really think about it enough. Hard to overstate the importance of properly securing stuff, especially heavy stuff like a tire/wheel combo, in a motor vehicle.
However, one can properly secure a spare tire or just about anything else in most vehicles. So they should avoid the spare if they're just gonna leave it loose in the back seat or something (and there's no trunk). But a spare that is properly secured is fine.
Translation:. Owners who purchased FSD no longer require a minimum safety score requirement prior to entering the beta program. A big move.
Looks like Elon is feeling the pain of his Twitter purchase fiasco and TSLA share price woes. He wants to be back over $200B and is perfectly happy to accomplish that by putting more lives at risk with his non-full-self-driving FSD beta program.
Such wonderful news.
how do you get the safety score? What’s the reason to remove the requiremen?
Tesla will start keeping a safety score for anyone who purchases FSD or Tesla insurance. If you purchased FSD, you'd only have access to FSD beta after showing safe driving behavior for a certain amount of time (I forget how long). Safety score monitors things like forward collision warnings, hard breaking, aggressive turning, tailgating, and autopilot disengagements (using autopilot while not paying attention).
By removing the safety score requirement, anyone in the US who purchased FSD has access to FSD beta. Reason.... Tesla is confident enough in the product for wide release.
