OT: Electric vehicles

[fsg2]

Ram 1500 Revolution: https://www.motortrend.com/news/ram-1500-revolution-ev-pickup-truck-concept-first-look-review/

Ram kind of looks like the kid that called out sick the day his term paper was due, still had to cheat off his friends and BS his way through with little supportable information, and squeaked by with a C-.

Design is ok but feels like too much of a mix between Lightning and Siverado. Also, Ram has no details anyone wants but a whole lot of fancy concept crap no one needs (and won't go anywhere). Weak effort at this point.

 

[Knight Shift]

Ram 1500 Revolution: https://www.motortrend.com/news/ram-1500-revolution-ev-pickup-truck-concept-first-look-review/

Ram kind of looks like the kid that called out sick the day his term paper was due, still had to cheat off his friends and BS his way through with little supportable information, and squeaked by with a C-.

Design is ok but feels like too much of a mix between Lightning and Siverado. Also, Ram has no details anyone wants but a whole lot of fancy concept crap no one needs (and won't go anywhere). Weak effort at this point.

Drove a Ram ICE rental last week and was horrible. Still love the Lightning and the cushy ride.

 

[jtung230]

@Knight Shift did you get the update this week? It was a software update on range calculations. For the 1st time, my estimated range showed 200 miles.

 

[RU4Real]

I picked up a new XC40 loaner from Volvo of Manasquan this morning, as my S60 is in for service.

The new ICE Volvos are mild hybrids, much like all new Audis. It's pretty great. Thing accelerates really well, given what it is.

 

[Knight Shift]

I picked up a new XC40 loaner from Volvo of Manasquan this morning, as my S60 is in for service.

The new ICE Volvos are mild hybrids, much like all new Audis. It's pretty great. Thing accelerates really well, given what it is.

You could have stopped by for coffee.

 

[Knight Shift]

@Knight Shift did you get the update this week? It was a software update on range calculations. For the 1st time, my estimated range showed 200 miles.

I think it installed last night. I saw some chatter/complaints about the update on the F150 Lightning Forums. We were away until January 4, and just getting back into the swing with driving. Yesterday, I had a range of 240 miles. On my commute home, I used 34 miles of range on a 37-38 mile commute. Some poster on the F150 Lightning Forums scolds posters for saying that, but that is the way I like to look at it.

 

[RU4Real]

You could have stopped by for coffee.

I was gonna text "you up" but I had an 0830 meeting that I needed to get back for.

When I go back down to pick up my car I'll let ya know. Maybe we can stop in and chat with Dewey Oxburger. 😁

 

[mildone]

I was gonna text "you up" but I had an 0830 meeting that I needed to get back for.

When I go back down to pick up my car I'll let ya know. Maybe we can stop in and chat with Dewey Oxburger. 😁

Uh... wouldn't a chat w/Dewey require a séance?

 

[RU4Real]

Uh... wouldn't a chat w/Dewey require a séance?

Apparently not. It's been explained to me by @Knight Shift that Dewey is alive, more or less well and working as a salesman at Volvo of Manasquan.

 

[Knight Shift]

Apparently not. It's been explained to me by @Knight Shift that Dewey is alive, more or less well and working as a salesman at Volvo of Manasquan.

Fantastic and knowledgeable salesperson on the performance aspects of Volvos, but came up short on details on a couple of key features the Mrs was interested in. Our favorite part of the sales experience was when he was trying to show us something deep in the trunk as he was laying backwards in the trunk, "I'm too fat to reach the item." Sold right there.

 

[mildone]

Apparently not. It's been explained to me by @Knight Shift that Dewey is alive, more or less well and working as a salesman at Volvo of Manasquan.

Figured it was something like that.

@Knight Shift, I hope Dewey was smiling and upbeat about being too fat to reach. If he has some of Dewey's sense of humor and joy in life, that would probably sell me too. It's great dealing with such people in business. They take their work seriously, but they make sure to spread fun and joy while doing it. One of my keys to happiness in life.

 

[RUevolution36]

Yoke or steering wheel -- it's your call now

Tesla's Model S and Model X are again fitted with a steering wheel. It's a no-cost option, though the yoke remains available, and a retrofit kit is coming.

www.autoblog.com

thank god. i may never buy a tesla, but discouraging the yoke at any manufacturer is a good thing.

 

[RUevolution36]

also...

Mercedes-Benz planning $1 billion network of EV charging stations - Autoblog

Mercedes-Benz is spending over $1 billion to build a global network of charging stations that will be open to all EVs.

www.autoblog.com

 

[mildone]

Yoke or steering wheel -- it's your call now

Tesla's Model S and Model X are again fitted with a steering wheel. It's a no-cost option, though the yoke remains available, and a retrofit kit is coming.

www.autoblog.com

thank god. i may never buy a tesla, but discouraging the yoke at any manufacturer is a good thing.

The employees must have excluded EM from the discussion of the feature. 😁

 

[jtung230]

I think it installed last night. I saw some chatter/complaints about the update on the F150 Lightning Forums. We were away until January 4, and just getting back into the swing with driving. Yesterday, I had a range of 240 miles. On my commute home, I used 34 miles of range on a 37-38 mile commute. Some poster on the F150 Lightning Forums scolds posters for saying that, but that is the way I like to look at it.

I think the only accurate way is using the trip computer that tells you your Miles per KW. It’s not worth doing on short trips but if you are doing 100+ miles, it’s the only way to be certain you have the right range.

 

[jtung230]

GM wants U.S. Treasury to reconsider tax credits for Cadillac Lyriq EV

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -General Motors said Friday it wants the U.S. Treasury to reconsider classification of GM's electric Cadillac Lyriq to allow it to qualify for federal tax credits. The Treasury and Internal Revenue Service did not classify the Lyriq as an SUV, meaning its retail price...

www.yahoo.com

Looks like Model Y isn’t the only one getting short changed.

 

[mildone]

This is interesting. Seems like most states are gonna need to spend some time enacting rational legislation around autonomous driving. There appear to be legal gaps so large even software could drive a truck through them.

Are Autonomous Self-Driving Vehicles Legal in My State?

With auto manufacturers developing fully autonomous, self-driving/driverless vehicles, only some states have started to legislate their use.

www.motortrend.com

 

[WhichReligionIsRight]

 

[sdwcpa]

I don't want to turn this thread in a CE direction, but Tesla is between a rock and a hard place here. EM has angered the EV party with the Twitter stuff, and the other party is in the pocket of the ICE party (for the most part).
I agree it sucks. Properly done, tax and legislative policy should foster promotion of EVs due to their lower emissions. That said, however, there are plenty of people who run mostly on the EV side with PH Hybrids-we do with our 41 mile range Volvo S60, and I think that @OntheBanks does the same with his hybrid Escape.

Exactly

I just had to drive my PHEV Volvo XC60 about 200 miles on ICE mode to burn up the fuel that was the original fill up by the dealer when I bought the car in June. I was told that having the gas in the tank for more than 6 months was not good for the car. Other than that I have been about 90% EV mode.

 

[mildone]

Yoke or steering wheel -- it's your call now

Tesla's Model S and Model X are again fitted with a steering wheel. It's a no-cost option, though the yoke remains available, and a retrofit kit is coming.

www.autoblog.com

thank god. i may never buy a tesla, but discouraging the yoke at any manufacturer is a good thing.

I had another thought today about this move on Tesla's part.

While I have zero interest in the fugly Cybertruck, and don't love the styling on the Model X, Tesla could be one of the earliest manufacturers getting to 600+ miles per charge under 80-85 mph highway driving with the Model X. I would've skipped it entirely as a consideration if it only came with the moronic yoke.

But now that they've made it an option to come w/a wheel, I'd still consider it, once the range improves. I don't know how many others out there recognize the stupidity of yokes on road-going vehicles, but I guess there's enough of us to convince Tesla it's worth the slight expense to at least offer the wheel as a no-cost option.

In any event, good move by Tesla, my earlier comments about EM not being involved in the decision notwithstanding.

 

[Knight Shift]

Exactly

I just had to drive my PHEV Volvo XC60 about 200 miles on ICE mode to burn up the fuel that was the original fill up by the dealer when I bought the car in June. I was told that having the gas in the tank for more than 6 months was not good for the car. Other than that I have been about 90% EV mode.

Did you have an issue with the hybrid heater module? It was a "known" issue on the Swedespeed forums. The first couple of cold days, we could not get heat when in the hybrid mode. We found the issue, and we promptly went to dealer, which confirmed the OEM heater core for hybrid needed to be replaced. They told us we were lucky because there is a 3-4 month backlog for that part now. Other than that, very happy with the car and the gas savings.

 

[sdwcpa]

Did you have an issue with the hybrid heater module? It was a "known" issue on the Swedespeed forums. The first couple of cold days, we could not get heat when in the hybrid mode. We found the issue, and we promptly went to dealer, which confirmed the OEM heater core for hybrid needed to be replaced. They told us we were lucky because there is a 3-4 month backlog for that part now. Other than that, very happy with the car and the gas savings.

Actually I am in S Florida so heat is not an issue.. That said I did have an appointment with the dealer to have the latest software installed the day after Christmas when it was in the 40s down here( No. not looking for sympathy :-) ) . I asked the SA about heat in EV Mode and she didn't mention the OEM heater core but did say that it has to be in ICE mode to have the heater work.

 

[Knight Shift]

Actually I am in S Florida so heat is not an issue.. That said I did have an appointment with the dealer to have the latest software installed the day after Christmas when it was in the 40s down here( No. not looking for sympathy :-) ) . I asked the SA about heat in EV Mode and she didn't mention the OEM heater core but did say that it has to be in ICE mode to have the heater work.

No, that's BS. It amazes me how out of touch the service people at the dealer are with what is happening. We got the heater core fixed right before Christmas, and when we returned from vacation, we had a recall notice in the mail that was sent before we left. Would think the dealer/service would have known about that.

There are a ton of threads on the Swedespeed forums. I waste too much of my life on these forums, and don't spend any time on Swedespeed since our Swedish pipeline of OL dried up and only when researching potential issues.

The part is called the high voltage coolant heater, and according to one poster:
Part numbers appear to be:
Old HVCH: 31455369
New HVCH: 32369038

Some dealers are giving customers $1,000. Since you are in Florida, you might get $1 and a cup of coffee.

See links below:
"I work for Volvo, and this is a MAJOR ISSUE. It's the HVCH (High Voltage Coolant Heater) and they are on a MASSIVE backorder directly from Sweden. We have about 6 cars at our Dealership right now for the same issue. For customer's experiencing this issue, they can switch out of "pure" mode immediately upon startup and the vehicle will have working heat as a normal gasoline vehicle would. This bypasses the need for the vehicle to use the HVCH to heat the vehicle and forces the vehicle to heat with via the gasoline powered engine. It's a temporary fix until Volvo produces more of the backordered HVCH's."

Heater Not Working in Brand New 2022 XC90 Recharge

I have a brand new T8 Recharge and when I went to turn on the heat for the first time, I was only getting cool air. No heat. The vehicle has 9K mileage and it's the first time I've used the heater since new. Took to dealer and turns out that they needed to replace the HVCH (High Voltage...

www.swedespeed.com

Electric Heater Functionality on T8

I'm heading into my first midwest US winter with my S60 T8 ER. It (supposedly) includes the electric passenger compartment heater, but I'm wondering if I don't understand how it works or if it's not working correctly. When running in pure electric mode, I'm able to get cold air from the HVAC...

www.swedespeed.com

No heat in electric mode

Hello i have a t8 That can not heat the car while driving in electric mode. I’m waiting since beginning December for the parts. This morning the dealer told me that they have no information regarding a delivery date. They have to make a new ‘batch’ and it can take a month.

www.swedespeed.com

 

[RUevolution36]

U.S. asks Tesla about Musk tweet on driver monitoring function

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Monday said it was in contact with Tesla about a tweet Chief Executive Elon Musk wrote about a driver monitoring function.

www.reuters.com

 

[RU4Real]

Exactly

I just had to drive my PHEV Volvo XC60 about 200 miles on ICE mode to burn up the fuel that was the original fill up by the dealer when I bought the car in June. I was told that having the gas in the tank for more than 6 months was not good for the car. Other than that I have been about 90% EV mode.

That had occurred to me as a potential issues, but I then realized that I would probably be in EV mode a lot less. I do make the occasional highway trip, but I also make fairly regular excursions into triple digits, and would be more inclined to do so with 450ish horsepower. :)

 

[OntheBanks]

Exactly

I just had to drive my PHEV Volvo XC60 about 200 miles on ICE mode to burn up the fuel that was the original fill up by the dealer when I bought the car in June. I was told that having the gas in the tank for more than 6 months was not good for the car. Other than that I have been about 90% EV mode.

We both bought PHEV's in June and I'm also about 90% EV mode. Since Basketball season I've had to burn gas on trips to the JMA since total trip is more than my EV battery range. What I do is I have a mode on my Ford Escape where I can run on gas and charge the battery. So when I'm on the highway going over 55 I switch to that mode. Seems I pick up 2 battery miles for every 5 gas miles. I did fill my 11 gallon tank once at $2.98/gal and right now I have more than 3/4 tank left. May have to fill again in March or April.

 

[RUevolution36]

Crash videos: Tesla abruptly brakes in 'self driving' mode, causes Bay Bridge pileup - Autoblog

Video clips from traffic surveillance cameras on the San Francisco Bay Bridge on Thanksgiving morning show a white Tesla reportedly in “Full Self-Driving” m

www.autoblog.com

 

[mildone]

Crash videos: Tesla abruptly brakes in 'self driving' mode, causes Bay Bridge pileup - Autoblog

Video clips from traffic surveillance cameras on the San Francisco Bay Bridge on Thanksgiving morning show a white Tesla reportedly in “Full Self-Driving” m

www.autoblog.com

Wonder what's in store for EM in 2023. Because 2022 was a record-setting year for him:

Elon Musk has lost so much money that the Guinness World Records recognized him for the 'largest loss of personal fortune in history'

By one estimate, Musk lost as much as $200 billion in about a year, largely due to plummeting Tesla shares. Now, that's earned him a new world record.

www.businessinsider.com

 

[RobertG]

@Richard Schnyderite is this the longest thread in the history of this board?

 

[fsg2]

One word thread is two or three times as long.

NY Mets 2022 thread is also well longer. Not sure about the other sport team threads.

 

[fsg2]

Stock and investment thread even longer than the one-word thread.

Not even the longest on the front page — do some minimal research before wasting Richie's time!

 

[Knight Shift]

One word thread is two or three times as long.

NY Mets 2022 thread is also well longer. Not sure about the other sport team threads.

In fairness half the posts in the Mets season threads are 3 or 4 loser Yankees fans being idiots.

 

[Richie O]

@Richard Schnyderite is this the longest thread in the history of this board?

Uhh no I don't think so.

 

[WhichReligionIsRight]

For anyone interested in battery storage solutions.

 

[mildone]

For anyone interested in battery storage solutions.

View embedded media

Hopefully whatever that's about helps boost their stock.

 

[BellyFullOfWhiteDogCrap]

For anyone interested in battery storage solutions.

View embedded media

Good thread.
"The most underrated technology in the energy industry today is the combined potential of behind-meter Solar PV and storage, especially related to commercial and industrial buildings. Distributed solar is the cheapest electricity you can buy. Storage increases the value."

We are entering the age of abundance with cheap, reliable, locally sourced and stored electricity.

 

[WhichReligionIsRight]

Good thread.
"The most underrated technology in the energy industry today is the combined potential of behind-meter Solar PV and storage, especially related to commercial and industrial buildings. Distributed solar is the cheapest electricity you can buy. Storage increases the value."

We are entering the age of abundance with cheap, reliable, locally sourced and stored electricity.

I don't think that most people even realize that cheap, clean, locally sourced, and abundant energy supplies are happening.

 

[WhichReligionIsRight]

 

[T2Kplus20]

TSLA planning to expand TX plant. Demand continues to boom.

Tesla applies for $776M expansion of Texas gigafactory

Tesla is investing nearly $776 million to expand its gigafactory in Texas despite a rough year for the company that included a plummeted stock price and production snags.

www.foxbusiness.com

 

[RU4Real]

View embedded media

In what universe is Tesla a "luxury car brand"?

Their interiors are crap. Fit and finish is crap. Any German sedan puts Tesla's material and build quality to shame.