The Core
Why We Are Here => Water Cooler => Topic started by: rcjordan on November 23, 2021, 03:28:54 PM
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Things I'm seeing while delving into ev forums. These first two definitely aren't being touted by the sales departments or fanbois...
Running the AC reduces range by as much as 40%. (Data scarce so far, but I'd been wondering what the compressor load would do.)
Tires have a significantly shorter life on evs attributed to the higher torque. Some of the ev trucks & suvs are fitted with high-$$ semi-custom tires by Pirelli. (Lots of confirmations.)
The colder the weather, the lesser the range.
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The colder the weather, the lesser the range.
And it drops off big style apparently, and not just because the heater is running.
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>>Running the AC reduces range by as much as 40%
Actually, this is something I have seen mentioned a lot in articles. A/C "costs" a lot in an ICE vehicle too. Running the heater in an ICE vehicle is almost free though - some pumping and fans to move that excess heat around, but the engine has to get rid of it one way or another.
Tesla has become the leader in range not just through bigger batteries, but by looking at every system in the car that uses energy. For example, apparently there's a pump for some kind of cooling fluid (not transmission obviously... something else) that typically runs all the time. They added a thermostat so that they can turn it on only when temperature reaches a certain point. Apparently they have extended their range by saving 0.1 watts here and 0.1 watts there, over and over.
And here's the kicker - all that self-driving kit takes electricity If you want a full autonomous electric vehicle, you're going to sacrifice range. How much is not clear, because the prototype stuff uses more energy than the production versions will.
>>The colder the weather, the lesser the range.
Another weakness of the Lithium-Cobalt battery. It is temperature sensitive, I believe more so than other batteries. I know for certain that when it comes to recharge resistance, it is much much higher when it is cold and it much more susceptible to this than other battery chemistries. This is the "tails" to the well-know "heads" of thermal runaway.
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Rivian R1T's first real-world towing test shows 62% range loss
https://www.teslarati.com/rivian-r1t-towing-test-range-loss/
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Who would have guessed? Article doesn't say what the range loss is on a tank of gas.
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And only towing a 4k lbs car and trailer. Maybe half of the rated capacity. Looks like about 160 miles on a charge roundtrip.
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>loss
There is some chatter that even carrying a full-size spare tire mounted on the rear hatch causes noticeable loss of range.
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>Tires have a significantly shorter life on evs attributed to the higher torque.
They are heavy vehicles, too. I drove a couple EV sedans at an expo. Both were close to 6,000 lbs.
It was my first time driving EVs. They exceeded my expectations, and I'm excited to make the switch when range/charge times improve.
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They exceeded my expectations, and I'm excited to make the switch when range/charge times improve.
Mary Barra (CEO of GM) says this, though amended to read "range/charge times/price" is what they are hearing from customers. She says that once price and charging infrastructure hit certain breakpoints, it will be a mad rush.
If there are incentives to recycle rather than resell clunkers, the transition to electric could be very slow then suddenly very fast. I'm reading John Doerr's* "Speed and Scale" and that's his goal - get price down and then get into a rapid shift. And it had better happen, because it has to happen fast or else...
*Doerr is the guy who convinced VC firm Kleiner Perkins to become the first investor in Google and early investors in Amazon, Slack and many others. He also is the one who convinced them to back Fisker instead of Tesla, a choice he says still smarts. His latest book is his roadmap to, as he says, preventing the climate crisis from becoming a climate catastrophe. Kleiner Perkins is now about 50% "green tech" having begun shifting in 2007.
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>heavy
The Rivian pickup weighed in at 7,148 pounds, which is massively heavier than any midsize or full-size truck. Ram threw the kitchen sink at the TRX and it still only weighs 6,396 pounds. Typical full-size trucks are more like 5,000 pounds.
We Tested the 2022 Rivian R1T and It's the Quickest and Best-Handling Truck Ever | Edmunds
https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/tested-2022-rivian-r1t-is-the-quickest-and-best-handling-truck.html
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But even the owners of smaller sedan models were confirming that tires were wearing quickly.
2022 Tesla Model S/Curb weight
4,561 to 4,766 lbs
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>> 7,148 pounds
That's an interesting number. California chain control laws have a breakpoint at 6,000 pounds.
Requirement 1 (R-1): Chains are required on all vehicles except passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks under 6,000 pounds gross weight and equipped with snow tires on at least two drive wheels
https://dot.ca.gov/travel/winter-driving-tips/chain-controls
I think if it's 4WD you have an exception, because the next level is
Requirement 2 (R2): Chains or traction devices are required on all vehicles except four-wheel/all-wheel drive vehicles with snow-tread tires on all four wheels.
I think the law was written before your basic truck got so beefy.
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2700 mile trip towing a Mustang with a Rivian
"The trouble getting an EV truck with a trailer close to the charger was one issue, the 100 miles between charges another. "
Towing long distances with a Rivian still seems less than ideal | Boing Boing
https://boingboing.net/2021/12/04/towing-long-distances-with-a-rivian-still-seems-less-than-ideal.html
The charging port for current Rivians is behind the front driver's side parking light, so for some EV charger lots I've seen, you could pull straight in depending on the layout.
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Travoli's prediction of "everything will be subscription" is dead-on for the EV marketplace.
Stellantis Plans $23 Billion Per Year From In-Car Subscriptions
https://jalopnik.com/a-carmaker-s-23-billion-plan-to-keep-you-paying-long-a-1848172449
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>Travoli's prediction of "everything will be subscription" is dead-on for the EV marketplace.
That's probably going to really slow EV adoption.
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I don't think this is an EV thing. This is a car-industry thing. It will, however, slow the adoption of EVs because it will slow the adoption of new cars.
A car is no longer a thing you fully own. It's more like your music on iTunes or you Kindle library. They can take away key features anytime they want. Tesla has a habit of disabling autopilot if they decide you are not paying enough attention or not paying enough money (i.e. you're not the original owner).
https://electrek.co/2021/03/12/tesla-removed-drivers-werent-paying-attention-from-full-self-driving-beta/
https://jalopnik.com/tesla-remotely-removes-autopilot-features-from-customer-1841472617?rev=1580941196331
So a used Tesla might be loaded with features when you test drive it, but they go away when you transfer ownership.
The model is like camera manufacturers. In many cases, the only difference between two cameras at different price points is that one has some features enabled and the other one doesn't. There is no difference in the hardware. More and more the car manufacturers are doing this too.
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A lot of things are going to be colliding in the future over this kind of stuff.
1. Resale value of cars.
2. Right to repair. (The supply chain/labor shortages are bringing this to a head right now in farm machinery where the dealer is the only one that can service the machine but the dealer can't get critical parts and/or does not have a "technician" to send for days.)
3. Over complicating things that were not broken. (Like the IoT trying to put a flat screen on your toaster.)
4. Pricing yourself out of the market. Either in $$ or by becoming to much of a pain in the butt to deal with.
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Rivian owner says it took 41 minutes to go from 20% to 80% on an EA 350kw charger in cold weather.
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All the Things That Drain Your EV Battery | WIRED
https://www.wired.com/story/ev-battery-drain-tips/
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turning the cruise control down just 2 mph, to 68 mph, “drag power would reduce by 800 watts to 8.7 kW”—in other words, an 8.4 percent savings in energy consumption for a 2.6 percent reduction in speed.
If I remember right from my first job writing a program comparing theoretical to experimental data for an AWACS tanker flight simulator, the power needed to overcome aerodynamic drag increases as a cube of speed until the speeds get close to the sound barrier, then the curves go all crazy.
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divided average price by vehicle range to determine the retail cost of each mile
the median EV cost $214 per mile of range in 2021
Tesla: $173 per mile in 2021
gas burners: $104 per mile with little variation over the past decade
EV Owners Pay More Per Mile of Range Than Gas Car Owners Do
https://www.businessinsider.com/electric-vehicles-cost-more-per-mile-range-than-gas-cars-2022-2
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Is that a useful metric for comparing gas and EV?
Consider some extreme cases:
- an EV with a 1000-mile range for $1000 and an expected TCO over 1 million miles of $10,000
- an ICE with a $1000-mile range for $800 and an expected TCO over 1 million miles of $20,000
In that case, all I would care about is cost per mile driven.
At the other extreme
- an EV with a 50-mile range for $5000
- an ICE with a 500-mile range for $60,000
The ICE is more expensive per mile of range, but since the 50-mile range is completely inadequate for my uses, that car has almost no value to me.
What I want is a threshold range long enough to get rid of range anxiety and then, at that point, it becomes a non-issue.
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>Is that a useful metric for comparing gas and EV?
It is for me, personally, but I doubt it rings with many others. I have a simplistic personal metric that I have used for decades now to evaluate cars I've owned (mentioned in th3core once or twice) ---can I get the cost of ownership (without gas, insurance, & routine maintenance) down to 10cents/mile? The absolute best were Ford Tempos (I had several for the kids, I quit tracking one when it got down to 4c.)
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But you're talking about cost of ownership, which makes total sense. I would say affordability (can you actually buy it without bankrupting yourself) and TCO are the two metrics that matter the most when looking at price.
That's not the metric they're talking about in the article. They're saying cost per mile of range. That's the metric that makes no sense to me. It is precisely the TCO that makes sense. Range, to me, is more of a binary - it's enough or it isn't. If it's enough, I'm going to look at other factors, like cost of ownership.
The range question is more like me deciding that I will only buy a car with AWD. I really don't care what the cost per drive wheel is. It is not a relevant metric.
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>They're saying cost per mile of range.
To me, "cost per mile" anything is what strikes a chord. I already convert purchase price to that metric. Range (which needs to be 300-ish for me) cost per mile may make me reevaluate EVs I'm interested in. My other primary requirement is frame size --I need a van or large suv.
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>>which needs to be 300-ish for me
If all other things were equal, but you had this choice
- 1000 mile range for $100,000
- 1200 mile range for $119,000
By the logic of the article, the 1200 is a better deal. But those numbers have nothing to do with the cost per mile of driving.
Or look at it from the other direction. 300 is your min. So if, all else being equal, which do you pick
100 mile range for $10,000
400 mile range for $50,000
By the logic of the article, the 100-mile car is a better deal. But that metric has no bearing on my decision.
Even in the middle ground where range anxiety comes into play, I'm not likely to decide between 300 and 400 range based on a cost per mile of total range. I'm going to decide based on the marginal utility of that extra range.
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How to Take Care of Your Electric Vehicle Battery | WIRED
https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-take-care-electric-vehicle-battery/
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Video shows what happens when a driverless car gets pulled over
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/10/video-shows-what-happens-when-a-driverless-car-gets-pulled-over.html
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Under German law, self-driving cars must be programmed to avoid human death at all cost. This means the car is allowed to destroy property, accelerate beyond legal speeds, and hit animals to avoid hitting a human.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-autos-autonomous-germany-idUSKCN1B31MT
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Map of EV charging stations show dead zones across the USA
https://www.fastcompany.com/90744415/animated-map-of-ev-charging-stations-shows-huge-dead-zones-around-the-country
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(US) EV charger with no cloud: OpenEVSE
GM says that their heat pump hvac add 10% to range.
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Rivian’s configurator shows an expected 40 mile range loss with 20” wheels versus the standard 21".
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Some EVs (Rivian) are said to have no glovebox. That would be pretty close to a deal-breaker for us. (Current Dodge van has dual gloveboxes.)
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>40 mile range loss with 20” wheels versus the standard 21".
Odd, I would expect the opposite from smaller wheels.
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>smaller wheels
I've been driving Grand Caravans since the 90s. They started out with 15" wheels, then 16", then 17" --I read that this was to increase gas mileage to meet fed standards.
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More inertia, less rolling friction. So in stop and go, the small wheel might do better.
If you ride an old-school mountain bike with 26es and upgrade to a 29er, you'll feel the difference, especially as you have to roll over small bumps.
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If you ride an old-school mountain bike with 26es and upgrade to a 29er, you'll feel the difference, especially as you have to roll over small bumps.
are you not on a 27.5? Or a mullet?
https://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/mountain-bike-wheel-sizes-26in-650b-and-29in-explained/
I never went for the 29, but do like my 27.5
(sorry off thread)
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I was always taught (and had first-hand experience) that larger wheels are heavier, and therefore take more energy to turn. That was important in 90's Hondas where torque was scarce.
The trade-off is that larger wheels generally look better. Also, less tire sidewall is better for handling.
That all assumes same overall outer diameter of the tires. Larger overall wheel/tire diameter is worse for MPGs because they are heavier and the larger tire contact patch has more rolling resistance.
https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a15130598/upsized-wheels-tires/
https://www.carthrottle.com/post/how-does-wheel-size-affect-performance/
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>torque
I think you're right.
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>>more rolling
Are you sure? I'm sure there's some sort of curve, but road bikes are generally more efficient with larger wheels up to a point (29 is much more efficient than a 2) and, again, mountain bikes have upsized as well because if you hit any sort of irregularity, with a large wheel it's not as steep of a "climb"
But with a big wheel, you have to set it motion, which is costly, which is why I was thinking big wheels would be bad for stop and go and good for cruising at a steady speed.
>>27.5
I went straight for a "niner." It felt very cumbersome to maneuver at first, but the advantage in terms of rolling resistance and traction (contact area) were worth it for the non-technical stuff I ride.
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>Are you sure?
Not sure about contact patch area increasing with overall tire diameter. Google isn't being very helpful with that one. I did see information that weight of larger diameter wheels/tires is the main issue. I do agree that larger diameter is very helpful for smoothly rolling over irregularities.
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Ford surprises F-150 Lightning owners with accessory that can recharge stranded Teslas
https://www.theverge.com/2022/6/7/23158382/ford-f150-lightning-tesla-adapter-charger-power
Zing! Hit!
Elon is probably foaming at the mouth right now.
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I've seen posts that say both Tesla and Rivian body panels are not tightly fitted. I recently heard the same first-hand from a Tesla owner.
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Tesla’s ‘unlimited’ connectivity plan, including navigation, now expires after eight years (theverge.com)
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another
Tesla locks 80 miles of customer’s battery range for $4,500 ransom : assholedesign
https://old.reddit.com/r/assholedesign/comments/w9mwai/tesla_locks_80_miles_of_customers_battery_range/
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>>heard the same first-hand from a Tesla owner.
But he then went on to tell you how much better this was than the old-school tight panels on cars from legacy car companies and how he just can't imagine ever owning another car with tight panels.
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You won’t be confused about electric vehicle charging after reading this | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2022/07/the-ars-technica-guide-to-electric-vehicle-charging/
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Promises, promises...
GM’s Super Cruise will cover 400K miles in North America, doubling coverage
https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/3/23289019/gm-super-cruise-coverage-expand-400000-miles
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>400k
So about 10% of our roads? Meh.
Here's a map but looks like it's probably showing the original 200k?
https://cadillac-supercruisemap-viewer.cadillac.com/
>GMC Hummer EV
I somehow missed the hummer resurrection happening.
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US tax & spend package appears to have made it. Senate passed. House should rubber stamp it. It should put pressure to keep prices lower than they've been trending lately.
"The deal extends a popular $7,500 per vehicle consumer tax credit for the purchase of electric vehicles, a win for EV makers like General Motors Co., Tesla Inc. and Toyota Motor Co. But to win the backing of Manchin, companies will have to comply with tough new battery and critical minerals sourcing requirements that could render the credits useless for years for many manufacturers. Not all manufacturers stand to benefit from the credit. New cars that cost more than $55,000 and $80,000 for pickups and SUVs won’t qualify for the credits."
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Goodyear’s Special EV Tires Now Fit More Vehicles – Review Geek
https://www.reviewgeek.com/128197/goodyears-special-ev-tires-now-fit-more-vehicles/
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I had no idea. I assume those tires will also be significantly more expensive?
I'm already blown away by how much more I spend on tires with a Subaru than with my old Ford Escort (even adjusting for inflation). The Subaru needs not just pricier tires, but it needs them way more often. I'm guessing that is all the more true for EVs.
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>I assume
You assume correctly, according to my feeds.
>more often
The weight & torque of evs eat tires.
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2023 Chevy Bolt EUV Super Cruise is currently a $2200 upcharge (and a $25/month subscription after three years). Super Cruise only available on the Premiere trim. So Bolt EUV with Super Cruise will cost about $34,000 (supposedly with $7500 rebate after Jan 1, 2023).
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Pay Up: GMC Hummer EV Taillights Cost $6100 to Replace
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a41611379/gmc-hummer-ev-taillights-expensive/
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MSRP: $108K
So a set of taillights is 5% the cost of a new car.
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Biden's $7k tax credit does not carry over to following years, so if you don't have a $7k tax liability you lose the difference.
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Don't get your ev wet.
Florida State Fire Marshal calls on Elon Musk, other EV producers for answers about vehicles catching fire from Hurricane Ian flooding
https://www.orlandoweekly.com/news/florida-state-fire-marshal-calls-on-elon-musk-other-ev-producers-for-answers-about-vehicles-catching-fire-from-hurricane-ian-flooding-32711901
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LED Headlights Are Giving Owners Problems In Snow and Ice
https://www.thedrive.com/news/rivians-led-headlights-are-giving-owners-headaches-in-snow-and-ice
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Electric Truck Stops Will Need as Much Power as a Small Town (bloomberg.com)
Tesla’s Electric Semis Are Coming, and Trucks Stops Aren’t Ready - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-14/tesla-s-electric-semis-are-coming-and-trucks-stops-aren-t-ready
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Thanks for that one!
I have to admit that even though this is somewhat on my radar, I had not considered the demands of a truck stop. Over 30MW peak power is jaw dropping.
Roughy speaking, a large nuclear plant can supply just 70 truck stops at once. The Grand Coulee dam, the largest hydroelectric dam in the US could supply just 200 truck stops. It’s a staggering amount of juice.
It makes me wonder whether all this investment in chemical batteries will be just a bridge technology to liquid hydrogen.
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Worth a read...
Consumer Reports: EVs are the least reliable vehicle type
https://finance.yahoo.com/video/evs-least-reliable-vehicle-type-214225842.html
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It just boggles my mind that hybrids, the most complex cars ever created with two completely separate power systems, keep showing up as the most reliable and having the lowest TCO.
I can't quite figure out how that works. But everyone I know with a Prius has loved it.
Of course, I could say that about Tesla owners too.
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>> hybrids
My Honda Insight hybrid keeps chugging along ... the only problem I've ever had with it so far is that the engine battery doesn't react well to -35 C. temperatures.
That's the little battery that powers the ignition, lights, etc., not the big battery that makes it a hybrid.
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UK:
Electric cars will no longer be exempt from vehicle excise duty from April 2025, the chancellor has said.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-63660321
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Sorry tuners, the 2024
Ford Mustang EVs will be harder to modify - The Manual
https://www.themanual.com/auto/2024-ford-mustang-will-be-hard-to-tune/
Ford: Fully-Networked Vehicle (FNV) electrical architecture
GM: Global B electric architecture that’s also encrypted
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2022: In the third quarter, Tesla made a profit of just over $9,500 for every car sold, compared to roughly $1,300 for Toyota
Exclusive: Tesla readies revamped Model 3 with project 'Highland' -sources | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/tesla-readies-revamped-model-3-with-project-highland-sources-2022-11-28/
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Did you notice that total profit for Tesla is roughly the same as for Toyota? That's impressive.
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>profit
Tesla is cutting a lot of corners, like not having a dealer network. It remains to be seen how long they can go that way. Right now they are just selling to early adopters and not the great implacable masses of Karens.
The same electronics problems, circuit boards frying, touch screens blanking, bricking, are going to hit Tesla cars around years 6 and older and people are going to want repairs. Also, just like what happened to car dealers after World War II, eventually there is going to be a used EV market and they haven't touched on how they're gonna handle that.
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Breaking EV News: heh
Al Roker’s Wife Had To Break Into Their Tesla As The Today Show Weatherman Was Rushed Back To The Hospital
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/al-roker-s-wife-had-to-break-into-their-tesla-as-the-today-show-weatherman-was-rushed-back-to-the-hospital/ar-AA14LbFw?cvid=15c20cda19d84594942e0b3560501111
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EVs battery prices have risen this year for the first time in a decade
https://www.businessinsider.com/automakers-ford-gm-electric-vehicle-prices-battery-cost-rise-2022-12
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Honda's all-electric N-Van will start at just $7,300
Honda hopes the electric van will boost EV sales in Japan
https://www.autoblog.com/2022/12/10/honda-nvan-ev-pricing/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdzLnlhaG9vLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAND4fPWWBt21OnmBUia-7MdtdDdLEFlA7mwNr4viYmo6pIj4HrtiZc5eLfMuaTCWfD74JWa4Ffdyn5iWR9W-uClQo_9F3uQdoyQlKfM765a30dlJE1MMqb9OqR4efqHmcleg28OsLbQYxBSEf0cCF4aLjusFUYValc4RruHntPg2
At $7,300 I bet you could find a niche for this in parts of the US. It's way more practical than the Chevy Bolt or the Teslas. Range is a bit short tho.
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N-van
It's less than 3.4 m long, 1.48 m wide and the wheelbase is just 2,520 mm.
interior pix: https://www.arenaev.com/hondas_nvan_goes_full_electric_in_2024-news-1125.php
Many of these 'urban evs' have a top speed of 35mph --but I can't find anything with a quick search.
Still, at $8k I'd buy one for my brother.
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Deleted: Duplicate
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>at $8k
Yeah at 8k anything's worth a punt, eh?
Except this will never make it stateside. It's only .75 americans wide.
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>Yeah at 8k anything's worth a punt
Even ripping off the body and converting to to a cheap(er) crate engine & drivetrain.
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Some EVs can lose up to 35% of their range in freezing conditions, but each model performs differently, as our chart illustrates.
Study: Winter & Cold Weather EV Range Loss in 7,000 Cars
https://www.recurrentauto.com/research/winter-ev-range-loss
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EV-speak;
Vehicle-to-grid or V2G - EV exports energy to support the electricity grid.
Vehicle-to-home or V2H - EV energy is used to power a home or business.
Vehicle-to-load or V2L * - EV can be used to power appliances or charge other EVs
* V2L does not require a bidirectional charger to operate
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This is my big hangup with the Ioniq 5 (aside from price). It has V2L but no V2H
https://www.cleanenergyreviews.info/blog/bidirectional-ev-charging-v2g-v2h-v2l
https://www.cars.com/articles/whats-bidirectional-charging-and-which-evs-offer-it-457608/
https://www.greenbiz.com/article/bidirectional-charging-becoming-more-accessible
Apparently only
- F150 Lightning
- Nissan Leaf
Offer bidirectional charging (V2G or V2H). VW has announced it will be available next year on all vehicles with the 77kwh battery. Sono has yet to deliver a car, but they are promising it too
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>It has V2L but no V2H
Debbie said that ev tech in general is close enough to some significant upgrades and I should postpone buying the Bolt. V2H is one of them, good level 3 driving, solid state batteries and/or better electrolytes is another, and -hopefully/UNlikely- a consumer backlash against subscriptions.
Louise isn't happy, but I told her to feel free to work the deal and write a check.
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https://electrek.co/2022/07/19/how-solid-state-ev-batteries-could-cut-emissions-by-up-to-39/
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https://www.dnv.com/to2030/technology/are-solid-state-batteries-the-holy-grail-for-2030.html
https://www.nasa.gov/aeroresearch/nasa-solid-state-battery-research-exceeds-initial-goals-draws-interest
Allowing for a vaporware component to most prognostications about EVs and SDVs, my gut tells the solid state battery will be the aftermarket replacement battery for the car I buy in 2025 and not the stock battery.
In any case, my daily driver will be old enough to drink in all 50 states by 2025 and I can’t wait forever.
If the Ioniq had V2H, Theresa was ready to buy one in MN (no $5000 dealer charge) and drive it home. We were able to get in the back and confirm sleeping comfort.
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Real-world towing numbers with an ID.4 and two small campers (1800 pounds and 800 pounds)
https://www.rvtravel.com/rv-electricity-vw-id4-towing-first-review-vt-1015/
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>Real-world towing
He makes a good point about drive through recharging points for EV's towing trailers.
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Here’s why electric vehicles need EV-specific tires | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2022/12/heres-why-electric-vehicles-need-ev-specific-tires/
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>subscriptions
Volvo Promises to Skip the Worst Trend in Automobiles – Review Geek
https://www.reviewgeek.com/140411/volvo-promises-to-skip-the-worst-trend-in-automobiles/
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"Although it wasn’t wired to the home’s panel, the owner ran two extension cords with a splitter to power the refrigerators, freezers, Wi-Fi, select lights, and TV for nearly two full days. And the best part, when the power was restored, the Lightning still had 65% of its battery left."
Ford Lightning owner powers home essentials for 2 days
https://electrek.co/2022/12/28/ford-lightning-owner-powers-home-essentials-for-2-days/
+ pix of Pro Power
What is the F-150 Lightning Pro Power Onboard?
https://www.ford.ca/support/how-tos/more-vehicle-topics/f-series-features/what-is-the-f-150-lightning-pro-power-onboard/
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Pros and Cons of Electric Cars
https://www.theonion.com/pros-and-cons-of-electric-cars-1819594206
Linked from Electric Cars are Bringing out the Worst in Us
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/01/electric-vehicles-suv-battery-climate-safety/672576/
Tidbits
They are heavy
The forthcoming electric Chevrolet Silverado EV, for example, will weigh about 8,000 pounds, 3,000 more than the current gas-powered version
According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, the 9,063-pound GMC Hummer EV contributes more emissions per mile than a gas-powered Chevrolet Malibu... That Hummer EV’s battery weighs as much as a Honda Civic,
The government likes them that way
The Inflation Reduction Act that Biden signed in August includes a tax credit of up to $7,500 for those buying an electric car with a price tag below $55,000; in an implicit incentive to buy a larger vehicle, eligible SUVs can cost as much as $88,000 and still qualify. The new law offers nothing for buyers of e-bikes, e-cargo bikes, or electric golf carts—all of which produce a fraction of the emissions of an electric car while posing much less danger to road users.
They are dangerous
At the risk of stating the obvious, such blistering acceleration serves no practical purpose on a public road, where it can jeopardize everyone’s safety. In Europe, an auto insurer recently linked EVs’ quick pickup speeds to an uptick in crashes. Once again, the most vulnerable street users bear particular risk: A 2018 study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that hybrid vehicles, which, like EVs, can accelerate more quickly than gas-powered cars, were 10 percent more likely to injure a pedestrian than their gas-powered equivalents.
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California budget cuts target funds for charging stations
The cuts would also affect the construction of chargers and other infrastructure for heavy-duty trucks, a much-needed investment as the state considers another ambitious proposal to ban sales of high-polluting diesel trucks
https://calmatters.org/environment/2023/01/california-climate-budget/
Ah for the long gone days of December 14, 2022:
Charging Ahead: California Doubling the Number of EV Chargers in the State With $3 Billion Investment
https://www.gov.ca.gov/2022/12/14/charging-ahead-california-doubling-the-number-of-ev-chargers-in-the-state-with-3-billion-investment/
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Mercedes-Benz is first to get approval for Level 3 autonomous driving in US - ArenaEV
https://www.arenaev.com/mercedesbenz_is_first_to_get_approval_for_level_3_autonomous_driving_in_us-news-1267.php
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The Biden Administration has released rules mandating that, to receive federal funding, EV chargers must be American-made and useable by all electric vehicles.
New Electric Vehicle Charging Standards Force Tesla to Change Its Ways
https://gizmodo.com/tesla-ev-elon-musk-electric-vehicle-chargers-biden-1850117119
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Tesla recalls 362,758 vehicles, says Full Self-Driving Beta software may cause crashes
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/16/tesla-recalls-362758-vehicles-says-full-self-driving-beta-software-may-cause-crashes.html
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One third of drivers can make 100% of their trips with a Nissan Leaf with a 143-mile range.
“Why It’s Time to Officially Get Over Your EV Range Anxiety”
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/02032023/inside-clean-energy-electric-vehicles-range-anxiety/
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Tesla transition to 4680 battery (from model 2170)
The Tesla 4680s is expected to increase the range of Tesla EVs by as much as 54%. What’s more is that these batteries will reduce the total weight of EVs. This, paired with the sheer amount of mAh in the 4680s, will boost acceleration while reducing costs and increasing sustainability. In short, the 4680 was designed with power, precision, profit, and the planet in mind.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/tesla-s-2170-vs-4680-batteries-what-s-the-difference/ar-AA17VQbk
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EVs now account for 1 in 7 passenger cars sold globally
https://qz.com/one-in-seven-cars-sold-globally-now-is-an-ev-1850193842
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Volkswagen-JAC Venture Unveils EV Running on Sodium-Ion Battery
https://www.caixinglobal.com/2023-02-27/volkswagen-jac-venture-unveils-ev-running-on-sodium-ion-battery-102002402.html
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Interesting.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium-ion_battery#Comparison
https://electrek.co/2022/07/14/sodium-ion-battery-breakthrough/
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From August 1, 2022
But getting this new sodium battery from the lab into commercial production could take five to 10 years, Zhang estimated. He said the lab doesn’t yet have a commercial partner, but it’s “actively looking for industry partners” to commercialize the tech.
“Sodium batteries still need significant work. So we don’t want people to think this is ready-to-use technology. [We] still have a lot of work to do before commercialization,” he said.
https://www.emergingtechbrew.com/stories/2022/08/01/sodium-based-batteries-could-be-the-answer-to-lithium-crunch
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ugh!
"The Tesla Model 3 manual, for instance, instructs to keep the Model 3's tires from touching the ground during the towing process, and it will be the same with many other EVs."
Towing an Electric Vehicle: Everything You Need to Know
https://www.makeuseof.com/electric-vehicle-towing-explained/
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I have not seen a passenger car get towed in years. They all get loaded on flatbeds now don't they? There are so many AWD cars now and I think lots of those cannot be towed safely.
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You'll see a few towed flat behind RVs, but they are probably older models. But transmissions in more recent models (and some early front-wheel drive) won't stand *any* towing --not even dragging them 25 feet up on the tilt-back. I had a fwd RV that required the front wheels be lifted in a wheel cradle to be towed. Real PITA.
So how do you lift/tow an awd ev? Forklift? hhh
I posted this because it is something I need to look into before I buy subscribe.
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I thought the Rivian was designed to be tow charged?
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>Rivian
News to me. That's why we have 'Tidbits.'
Rivian Tech:
"Rivian vehicles can be tow charged but are otherwise not flat towable.
If you've run out of charge somewhere remote, it is possible to use a tow vehicle to pull the Rivian forward to add charge back to its battery. This is accomplished by tow charging. When tow charging, it uses the vehicle's regen braking feature to add charge to the battery. We wouldn't recommend this over long distances because it'd be like driving with brakes permanently applied to the tow vehicle and it could damage the inverters of the vehicle. Tow charging would need to be done by towing the Rivian behind a tow vehicle with both vehicles facing the same direction under 3 mph"
https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/tow-charging-r1t-r1s.3641/
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Ford recently halted F-150 Lightning electric pickup production due to battery fire issues.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/this-ford-f-150-lighting-problem-just-changed-everything-for-electric-vehicles/ar-AA18zgoP?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=f8925f27557d485695eb5ccac6d3d9e8&ei=110
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Why EVs Still Have a 12V Battery – Review Geek
https://www.reviewgeek.com/146674/why-evs-still-have-a-12v-battery/
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Chevy Equinox EV to be $3400 more than cheapest Equinox gas model, making it cheaper after incentives
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/10/business/electric-vehicles-price-cost.html
The battery-powered version of G.M.’s Equinox crossover, for example, will start around $30,000 when it arrives this fall, the carmaker has said. That is $3,400 more than the least expensive gasoline-fueled Equinox. But factoring in government incentives, the electric Equinox should be cheaper. Like all electric vehicles, the car will need less maintenance, and the electricity to power it will cost less than the gasoline used by its combustion engine equivalent.
Falling prices for materials like lithium and cobalt have also helped. The price of lithium used in batteries has fallen 20 percent from its peak in November, though the metal still costs more than twice as much as it did at the end of 2021. Cobalt has fallen by more than half since May, in part because carmakers are selling some models that do not require it, reducing demand.
Lithium remains in short supply, and prices could spike again. Beginning next month, new regulations governing the $7,500 tax credits will require electric car batteries to be made in the United States, Canada or Mexico with raw materials from North America or another U.S. trade ally. It is unclear how many vehicles will meet those requirements.
Meanwhile, in the real world...
With a starting price of $43,500 before government incentives, a Model 3 is now $300 less than the least expensive BMW 3 Series sedan. A Model Y, at $55,000 before tax credits, costs about as much as a comparable Lexus RX.
To me that just underscores that even the low-end Teslas are very much luxury products.
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7-Eleven starts its own EV charging network, 7Charge | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/03/7-eleven-starts-its-own-ev-charging-network-7charge/
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Ford is Losing $22,000 Per EV Sold
https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2023/03/ford-is-losing-22000-per-ev-sold.html
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Ford sold 96,000 electric cars in 2022... Any legacy auto company that is selling less than 1 million cars per year is likely not profitable.
I would guess Ford has no expectation of making money at that volume. There is so much capital investment to spread out over 96,000 cars.
>>83% each year
96,000 * 1.83^4 = 1,076,653
If they can do 83% increase per year, they are at that 1 million cars in four years. Though, I suspect they 83% is not based on expected growth, but on back-calculating from the target 1,000,000. So we'll need to check in a year from now.
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A Rivian buyer got his dream car after a 3-year wait. Days later, the car was dead and he faced a $2,100 bill.
https://news.yahoo.com/rivian-buyer-got-dream-car-111500636.html
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"There's nuance to that ownership experience that we have to make sure that they understand," Caravano said.
This sounds like what you hear on Linux forums.
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legacy auto company = auto company with massive baggage. Rust belt factories, unions out the ying-yang, pensions, layer upon layer of bureaucratic fiefdoms.
Notice where many of the new ev manufacturers are locating. Red, right-to-work states with plenty of blue collar workers. South Carolina is bursting at the seams with auto manufacturers. North Carolina, Georgia, Texas. Rivian -who is in trouble- opted to open in Normal, IL in a vacant plant. Probably a mistake.
Ford’s new Tennessee plant aims to build 500,000 electric trucks a year | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/fords-new-tennessee-plant-aims-build-500000-electric-trucks-year-2023-03-24/
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Tesla Under Investigation by NHTSA After Model Y Steering Wheels Fall Off
https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/tesla-under-investigation-by-nhtsa-after-model-y-steering-wheels-fall-off/ar-AA18mVAl
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We charged a non-Tesla at a Supercharger. Here's how it went
https://www.autoblog.com/2023/03/27/charging-a-non-tesla-on-a-tesla-supercharger-long-term-kia-ev6/
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Electric Car Models That Need Battery Replacements Most: Researchers
https://www.businessinsider.com/electric-car-battery-models-replaced-most-often-nissan-tesla-2023-3
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Coming to 'Merica.
Polestar 3 begins 'product ramp up' with cheaper, tax-friendly version on deck
https://news.yahoo.com/finance/news/polestar-3-begins-product-ramp-up-with-cheaper-tax-friendly-version-on-deck-202018381.html
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IIRC, Polestar is a clone of Volvo. But Volvo has said "No subscriptions." We'll see if that holds true.
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wrong direction....
The F-150 Lightning now starts at $20K more than when it was announced - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/30/23663618/ford-f-150-lightning-price-hike-original-price
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California to Require Half of All Heavy Trucks Sold by 2035 to Be Electric - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/31/climate/california-electric-trucks-emissions.html
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GM is cutting off access to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for its future EVs - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/31/23664814/gm-ev-restrict-apple-carplay-android-auto-google
"GM emphasized that the decision was primarily motivated by improving the navigation and charging experience for future EV owners.
...It could also help inform future subscription products."
Nope, nope, nope.
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Experts fear deteriorating parking lots could collapse under the weight of heavy electric vehicles, says report
https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/experts-fear-deteriorating-parking-lots-could-collapse-under-the-weight-of-heavy-electric-vehicles-says-report/ar-AA19E8Bb
I'm not referring to this article, but I do get the feeling that there are a growing number of anti-EV articles and that the funding behind these is from groups that stand to lose money in the transition to EVs. More and more of them have a "press release" feel to them.
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>growing number of anti-EV articles and that the funding behind these is from groups that stand to lose money in the transition to EVs
I've felt the same regarding solar & wind turbines.
IIRC, the anti-electricity campaign was funded by coal dealers.
Once Upon a Time, There was an Anti-Electricity Movement
https://old.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/11vdtbz/once_upon_a_time_there_was_an_antielectricity/
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New Jersey halts electric vehicle rebates, demand too high | AP News
https://apnews.com/article/new-jersey-electric-vehicle-rebate-02c6965ef22f23ffc88fcc4f68857955
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GM to end production of electric Chevy Bolt, its first mass-market EV, later this year
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/25/gm-bolt-ev-production-to-end-later-this-year.html
Domestic and affordable just died. They will produce EV pickup trucks instead.
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So much for my Master Plan of a hybrid for winter/long driving and a Bolt for day to day when there are no chain controls.
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>Plan
Why do I get the feeling that the automobile manufacturers are turning this EV's into a massive con game?
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They're mining the gold while the high-$$$, early adopter demand lasts.
>high-$$ demand
It is not a coincidence that they're switching production to pick-up trucks.
That said, I recall a Bezos quote; "Your margin is my opportunity." Japan, S. Korea, perhaps China (via Mexico/NAFTA?) are waiting in the wings, just like the 70s. Vietnam is already building an ev plant in central NC. I'm expecting it to be robots, a dog, and a man to feed the dog.
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>Bezos
Good point, and I was forgetting about all those Pacific Rim countries. I expect Vietnam to really be in there punching, looking for niches the others can't be bothered with, because they are hungry like Japan was in the 70's and SKorea was in the 90's.
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Why GM is killing the Chevy Bolt EV amid record sales
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/29/why-gm-is-killing-the-chevy-bolt-ev-amid-record-sales.html
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retool the Bolt plant in Orion Township, Michigan, for the GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado electric pickup trucks.
That's just sad
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EVs are so expensive for what you get. If you want an EV that doesn't look like a cheap little car, you have to spend 40K at least. I can't believe the price hasn't fallen to something more reasonable.
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Rivian R1T Fender Bender Turns Into $42,000 Repair Bill | The Drive
https://www.thedrive.com/news/rivian-r1t-fender-bender-turns-into-42000-repair-bill
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>>Rivian
Beat me to it. But it sounds like it may have been some less than honest work done there too
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Rivian has announced it's inked a deal with Mitchell International, a San Diego-based company specializing in helping vehicle owners simplify and expedite the collision repair and claims process
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/rivian-is-doing-what-tesla-should-have-done-years-ago/ar-AA1aPFIH
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They may expedite repairs, but it is still going to cost a fortune ...particularly Teslas with the cast aluminum platform. And ESPECIALLY any with batteries integrated with the frame.
Debbie says this specialized, high$$ repair burden is going to create more interest in ev crate drive trains.
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What is your current thinking on PHEVs?
I just noticed the cost differential coming back to earth. Not long ago, they were adding a $5K to $9K premium to PHEVs, which made the price differential $10K-$13K over hybrid or straight ICE.
I just looked and some dealers are now selling below MSRP on the PHEVs, so one car we're looking at now has less than a $5K differential. That starts to make it attractive since with a 33 mile range, a lot of our trips would be EV only
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>PHEV
IMO, if you have to buy a car this year, it is the way to go. I've already told Louise that when she needs to replace her beloved 2010 Honda Fit, she should buy a plug-in Prius.
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Last I looked, vehicles in the Prime series (Toyota PHEV) were going for $9000 over MSRP as a standard add-on. That may be changing. As I mentioned, a couple of months ago the Tucson PHEV had a $5000 dealer add-on and was impossible to find. I just this week saw two dealers within 500 miles who had base models at over $1000 off MSRP
I think we're starting to see the conjunction of automakers finally getting back to full production just as they meet a recession and decline in sales of luxury goods and durable goods and, at the end of the day, a PHEV that is otherwise identical to the gas version for $13000 less is both.
The Tesla price drops might also be having a ripple effect on not just the full EV, but also the PHEV, markets
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I think the EV craze (and Calif anti-ICE legislation) may have the manufacturers & dealers see non-ev models as soon-to-be dead weight.
>Calif anti-ICE legislation
Calif is still the tail that wags the dog re ICE.
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Have you seen this little green electric vehicle in OKC? It's one of the first in America
he is one of the first — if not the first — motorists in the United States to own a Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV Macaron, a wildly popular car in China but one not seen on a Plaza District street until October, when he started tooling around the area in the cute little four-seater that goes about 106 miles on a charge and has a starting price about $4,400.
https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2022/05/15/wuling-hong-guang-mini-macaron-electric-car-comes-okc-john-karlin/9615574002/
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I love the concept and I hope we'll see more of that, but a little more robust. With the potholes on our roads and the $4400 price, I'm afraid I would total it the first time it hit a pothole.
I assume the 25 mph top speed is because that speed gets you below various safety regulations? $4000 probably just pays for the airbags in a modern car with front, side and top airbags
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>25 mph
That's how I read it, too. But further down;
The top speed is 62 mph.
“I don't know that it's actually gonna go that fast,” Karlin said. “I haven't taken it above maybe 36 or 37.”
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Automakers find a tax credit loophole to increase EV leasing and boost sales
Leased vehicles qualify for full $7500, whether they're US-produced or not.
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Electric cars pothole damage is double that of petrol, Telegraph data show
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/06/26/pothole-electric-cars-damage-roads-double-petrol-telegraph/
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Everything You Need to Know About Servicing an EV | WIRED
https://www.wired.com/story/everything-you-need-to-know-about-servicing-an-ev/
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https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/17/business/ford-ev-pickup-price-cut/index.html
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This article is from 2019, but for some reason it's enjoying a renaissance as Phoenix bakes
https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/transportation/2023/07/21/extreme-heat-can-reduce-ev-battery-range-by-31---study-says
Meanwhile, Ford is addressing range anxiety for the F150
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/here-s-how-ford-s-portable-charging-trailer-could-revolutionize-ev-mobility/ar-AA1easxL
It sounds like an Onion article, but apparently it's true
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On Car and Driver's 75-mph highway test, more than 350 internal-combustion vehicles averaged 4.0 percent better fuel economy than what was stated on their labels. But the average range for an EV was 12.5 percent worse than the price sticker numbers.
EVs Fall Short of EPA Estimates Way More Than Gas Cars in Our Real-World Testing
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a43657072/evs-fall-short-epa-estimates-sae-article/
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Tesla created secret team to suppress thousands of driving range complaints
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/tesla-batteries-range/
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Three EV snacks for you today
1. First tidbit: the bestselling car in the world is now the Tesla Y, outpacing the Toyota Corolla.
2. The Curious Case of EV Inventory Pile Up in the US
https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/the-curious-case-of-ev-inventory-pile-up-in-the-us/ar-AA1eAHVP
"In anticipation of steep demand, the nationwide supply of EVs has swelled 350% this year to more than 92,000 units across different makes and models. Dealerships currently have a 92-day supply of EVs, which is nearly twice the 54-day supply for traditional gas-powered vehicles.... Industry experts are blaming the high price of EVs as well as concerns over finding a charger as the main reasons consumers aren’t buying. However, both of these issues should improve in the next few years."
3. The first self-driving car fatality case put to rest who was responsible for killing a pedestrian. In this case, it was not the robot.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/the-first-self-driving-car-fatality-case-put-to-rest-who-was-responsible-for-killing-a-pedestrian-in-this-case-it-was-not-the-robot/ar-AA1ez3Q1
Spoiler alert: the human operator was watching videos on her phone, pleaded guilty to endangerment and was given 3 years probation.
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>high price of EVs
Yeah, the supply of early-adopters with enough credit to finance $80-100k for 7 years is thin. "Hyundai was just sending them $60,000 Ioniqs while most customers were looking for a $25,000 Elantra" pretty much sums up the market.
>finding a charger
I haven't seen a solution for charging at hi-rise apartments, condos, etc.
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>high price of EVs
I remember discussing with a friend how much environmentally-friendly I thought an EV was (she was trying to decide and eventually did decide to buy a Tesla). My comment was that it depends on how many miles you drive and what you plan to do with the money if you buy a cheap ICE car.
Someone who drives 5,000 miles per year and buys a $30,000 ICE vehicle and puts $30,000 into solar panels, home insulation, heat pump, and the like will probably be doing a lot more for the environment by NOT buying and EV.
Someone who drives 15,000 miles per year takes the $30,000 savings and jets to Paris, Tokyo, Sao Paulo and Iceland would obviously not be helping with their greenhouse gas impacts.
Too many of these discussions assume infinite resources and no need to make tradeoffs even if someone has allocated $30,000 to reducing their footprint.
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>to reducing their footprint.
I heard someone saying that everyone needs to do something, even if imperfect. Even if the ICE car doesn't cancel out your greenhouse gas from flying, it still matters.
I really considered an EV, but in rural areas, one drives a lot, and until the charging situation is better, I just can't. It's getting better: I've seen Walmarts here put in charging stations, so in 5 years or so, I may make the jump.
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Chevy Bolt is returning.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brookecrothers/2023/07/27/the-chevy-bolt-the-anti-tesla-is-back---new-and-improved/?sh=126c9a86bd08
"Why? Here’s likely a big reason. “Eighty percent of Bolt owners are staying loyal to Chevy and nearly 70 percent of buyers who are trading in a vehicle for Bolt are trading in a non-GM product,” GM said this week."
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Even if the ICE car doesn't cancel out your greenhouse gas from flying, it still matters.
I didn't mean to imply it didn't. I definitely did not want to get into whataboutism. In other words, someone does something laudable on the climate problem and you say, "Well what about all those flights?" Yup, Bill McKibben flies to events, but there's no question that his net impact is positive.
I was just trying to say that with a given amount of funds, an EV is not always the best way to spend your money. Sort of like if you have a mortgage at 4% and credit card debt at 14%, it may feel good to pay off your mortgage and you might feel great that you own your house outright, but really, you should pay off the 14% loan first.
Mike Berners-Lee (yes, Tim's brother) has a book called "How Bad Are Bananas?" which I recently read. Answer: bananas are not bad.
He does his best to calculate the carbon footprint of various choices. He argues on the numbers that if you have an old car that gets halfway decent mileage and you are a low-mileage driver, you'll likely never actually pay back the carbon footprint of the EV. Your best play, from a CO2 perspective, is to drive the old car to death and take the money you save and, for example, change out your gas dryer for an electric dryer.
That was part of my logic behind spending for solar panels and electrifying appliances before getting a new car.
By the way, he has one interesting set of calculations. He asks, is it really better to ride your bike than to drive a car. The answer, surprisingly, is that it depends. If you take the additional calories that biking requires and assume you fuel those calories with bananas, the answer is a definitive yes. If you fuel it with cheesburgers, it's actually worse (I think twice as bad) as just driving your car. If you fuel it with asparagus airlifted from Chile, it is something like 26 times worse.
So whether you drive or bike in the end depends on what you plan to have eat to replace those calories.
Anyway, all that to say that I was not trying to say that buying and EV and flying is probably better than buying a ICE car and flying. I was just trying to say that some things we do are based on what makes us feel good (ahem... wishcycling)
There is an interesting phenomenon that I've noticed. The neighbor with a Tesla, which charges off the grid, tells me that even though she knows it's not correct, she feels a lot less guilty driving her EV. The other neighbor suggested we take our new car on a short ride instead of his because the drive would be "free" (by which he means we would pay for the electricity, but not gas, though some of the charge does come for "free" off our solar panels).
I'm not sure how widespread that is, but I think for people who feel guilty about the footprint of their driving, the feeling that they can drive their EV for "free" offsets some of the gains on a grid that still depends on fossil fuel to charge at night. I know rationally that this is BS, but I feel the siren song pulling me to drive those "free" miles nevertheless, even just with our PHEV. The simple fact is that I feel slightly less bad about driving to a prettier trailhead to go for a run if I know I'll get there and back on electric.
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Rivians’ Tires Are Wearing Out in as Little as 6,000 Miles. Here’s Why
https://www.thedrive.com/news/rivians-tires-are-wearing-out-in-as-little-as-6000-miles-heres-why
EV tire wear due to weight & torque was noted early-on here. IIRC, the bloated Hummer EV weighs 11,000 lbs. I wonder how the tires will wear.
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https://old.reddit.com/r/gifs/comments/18p95b4/omg_when_did_pontiac_bring_back_the_aztek/
OMG when did Pontiac bring back the Aztek
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https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/2024-chevy-blazer-ev-long-term-faults.html
Our Chevy Blazer EV Has 23 Problems After Only 2 Months | Edmunds
Update, Dec. 22: Chevrolet has officially issued a stop-sale for the 2024 Blazer EV and will be rolling out a major software update to fix the problems we outline below.
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Meanwhile at Ford...
https://twitter.com/danluu/status/1739387245034139692
Dan Luu on X: ""Unfortunately, a recent software update was not successful. Your vehicle cannot be driven. Please call customer support:" https://t.co/WE059pkfdK" / X
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Teslas are clogging up a Chicago Supercharger station as freezing temperatures play havoc with EVs
https://news.yahoo.com/teslas-clogging-chicago-supercharger-station-100210548.html
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All 4 American EV pickups tested for range.
TL;DR: F150 was furthest short of its range (282 of advertised 320 mile range). The winner was the Silverado, going 434 miles of its advertised 450-mile range.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/four-electric-pickup-trucks-were-driven-until-they-died-only-one-met-its-advertised-range/ar-BB1ki1Yv