Automobiles

[AngryScientist]

And now for something completely different. This video is over the top ridiculous in a very good way.

Travis Pastrana in an 862HP subaru.

Enjoy

[Marvinlungwitz]

The Kia EV6 is freakin terrific if anyone is curious.

Just checked it out on the website. I like - it’s more wagon-like than raised SUVish. The top of the line model has pretty impressive HP and torque, but the Wind AWD version is more than enough, and its longer range is a more desirable for me. I’ll have to read up on Kia’s charging options.

Untitled by Marvin Lungwitz, on Flickr

Edit: https://www.caranddriver.com/kia/ev6

[robin3mj]

Interestingly enough, I’m led to understand that when Kia and Hyundai codevelop cars, the Kia’s generally get more of the acclaim, but in the case of this EV and the Hyundai version, the latter (Ioniq) is gaining more of the attention.

I really like the shape. If we’re not going to get many wagons going forward, this is as good as it’ll probably get.

I like the incoming Toyota Crown, but Australia is getting the saloon version which of course looks a thousand times better and is immensely more practical.

[rmplum]

The Kia charging options are same as every other non Tesla. It'll charge at up to 350kW, but you are unlikely to find a public ChargePoint or Electrify America that charges at that speed in the real world. As I've said before here, relying on the public DC Fast charging network is a pretty unpredictable experience still unless you have a Tesla. I'm not sure that's a brand I'm personally willing to deal with right now unless they jettison captain crazy, but their charge network is great.

The EV6 drives great through, and doesn't feel like it was built by Fisher Price on a drunk Friday night shift. For F sake Tesla was delivering cars with non matching tires at some point earlier this year. They drive nice but jeesh.

[Marvinlungwitz]

Can’t one use Tesla stations now? I saw this (and I wouldn’t think someone nefariously disconnecting the charger is big concern, but perhaps I’m mistaken about that).

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/y...em-183069.html

[sk_tle]

Are you guys all happy to buy cars that track every single move you do on this planet?

Maybe I am the only one using a non googlified/applified smartphones and vaguely decent web tracking avoiding technics out there but still. It pain me that nobody give a fuck about that. Y'all so used to get your digital devices, bank, amazon, strava knowing all of your live you will just accept the next tracker without even complaining.

[rmplum]

Marvin, some European countries have mandated open chargers but unless I'm totally missing the boat it's not applied to the US yet.

[Saab2000]

Are you guys all happy to buy cars that track every single move you do on this planet?

Maybe I am the only one using a non googlified/applified smartphones and vaguely decent web tracking avoiding technics out there but still. It pain me that nobody give a fuck about that. Y'all so used to get your digital devices, bank, amazon, strava knowing all of your live you will just accept the next tracker without even complaining.

Being on this (or any) website leaves a digital trail. There’s almost no way to live without a trail unless you get paid in cash and spend only cash.

Our Strava feeds (or any other social network feed) leaves a trail.

I have bank accounts, a retirement account, etc. At this point, most of our lives are digitized and so we long ago gave away our privacy.

My car tracks my goings on but so did my last car if I ever used a navigation app, which wasn’t uncommon. The digitalization of our world definitely entails compromises and there have been pluses as well.

[j44ke]

Are you guys all happy to buy cars that track every single move you do on this planet?

Maybe I am the only one using a non googlified/applified smartphones and vaguely decent web tracking avoiding technics out there but still. It pain me that nobody give a fuck about that. Y'all so used to get your digital devices, bank, amazon, strava knowing all of your live you will just accept the next tracker without even complaining.

I bet I could find you Thomas. I'll start counting and you go hide. 1, 2, 3, 4, ......

:-)

[j44ke]

Volvo dealership had a XC60 Recharge in stock. I did not hate it, even though it was "denim blue". Seats were comfy. I must be getting old and soft. I think with a recharge setup, all of my local errands would be possible on the electrics.

[Marvinlungwitz]

Marvin, some European countries have mandated open chargers but unless I'm totally missing the boat it's not applied to the US yet.

It looks like you’re correct. I just read the headlines, but we’re not there yet:

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2022/11/11/b...ork/index.html

As far as tracking, my life is already an open book. I’m a bit worried about criminal identity theft. But my life’s so clean and dull, I feel kind of sorry for anyone tracking me for other reasons. (I throw insults out to politicians every once in a while, but I’m actually pretty harmless).

[echappist]

Volvo dealership had a XC60 Recharge in stock. I did not hate it, even though it was "denim blue". Seats were comfy. I must be getting old and soft. I think with a recharge setup, all of my local errands would be possible on the electrics.

Denim blue is perhaps one of the best of the bunch. I would really have preferred it over the more drab Osmium Grey. Only one truly fun color remain: Passion Red. I wonder why they did away with the more fun Bursting Blue.

Also, depending on how far you need t go and what you are hauling, the pure electric range might not be sufficient in the winter.

[j44ke]

Denim blue is perhaps one of the best of the bunch. I would really have preferred it over the more drab Osmium Grey. Only one truly fun color remain: Passion Red. I wonder why they did away with the more fun Bursting Blue.

Also, depending on how far you need t go and what you are hauling, the pure electric range might not be sufficient in the winter.

Good point, thanks.

Our friends have the fully electric Volvo XC40, which they like very much, but they head down to Puerto Rico for 4 months in the winter so I'm not getting data on winter driving from them. I suspect, however, that the whole-car electric versus plug-in hybrid arrangement would be different in terms of winter driving duration(?)

[echappist]

Good point, thanks.

Our friends have the fully electric Volvo XC40, which they like very much, but they head down to Puerto Rico for 4 months in the winter so I'm not getting data on winter driving from them. I suspect, however, that the whole-car electric versus plug-in hybrid arrangement would be different in terms of winter driving duration(?)

Top of my head: there is charge that could be held by the battery, and I think that it is reduced when straying from optimal temperature range.

Then there are the things that we as road cyclists are all too aware: colder air = denser air, which means more energy required; any winter tires (which I'd presume to be de rigueur in Upstate NY) means higher Crr; and higher and more sustained wind in the winter, which means more energy expended as compared to a hypothetical day of same temperature but with calmer wind.

Volvo has this. I think it accounts for higher air density but perhaps not other drains on the battery.

[32x20]

Based on recent experience with EV road tripping with ~0F temps, snow tires, and 'normal' climate control use you can hit the 40% reduction pretty easily. With a heat pump it's much less of a problem right at freezing, but near 0F and below really starts to eat battery. For a true gas vehicle replacement I think 300+mi range is about the minimum. That said, most of our driving *could* be done with a 40mi range leaf...but I don't want more than 1 car per driver.

The big issue with most EVs for me (maybe all cars now?) is the lack of a spare. The only EVs that I can see with a spare hidden in the vehicle is the Rivian or F150. Throwing a space saver spare in the trunk as we do now really eats storage space. Maybe no spare isn't a problem in cities, but in rural areas of CO it certainly is.

[Saab2000]

Based on recent experience with EV road tripping with ~0F temps, snow tires, and 'normal' climate control use you can hit the 40% reduction pretty easily. With a heat pump it's much less of a problem right at freezing, but near 0F and below really starts to eat battery. For a true gas vehicle replacement I think 300+mi range is about the minimum. That said, most of our driving *could* be done with a 40mi range leaf...but I don't want more than 1 car per driver.

The big issue with most EVs for me (maybe all cars now?) is the lack of a spare. The only EVs that I can see with a spare hidden in the vehicle is the Rivian or F150. Throwing a space saver spare in the truck as we do now really eats storage space. Maybe no spare isn't a problem in cities, but in rural areas of CO it certainly is.

This is correct. I hate that my new car has no spare tire. There are decent aftermarket options but the car wasn’t designed around them so if I bring one it’s basically just sitting in the open. I have some stuff planned for next summer and I’ll likely buy one for these trips so as not to have a show-stopping event. At least the nicer ones come in a tote bag and include an appropriate jack. I do have the pucks required for lifting my vehicle.

I did get the flat kit with some other accessories, but it’s not an ideal solution on a road trip. For that I’ll need a spare tire and the tools to change it in a pinch.

[32x20]

This is correct. I hate that my new car has no spare tire. There are decent aftermarket options but the car wasn’t designed around them so if I bring one it’s basically just sitting in the open. I have some stuff planned for next summer and I’ll likely buy one for these trips so as not to have a show-stopping event. At least the nicer ones come in a tote bag and include an appropriate jack. I do have the pucks required for lifting my vehicle.

I did get the flat kit with some other accessories, but it’s not an ideal solution on a road trip. For that I’ll need a spare tire and the tools to change it in a pinch.

We've got the Modern Spare kit with the bag. Takes up most of the trunk in a model 3. You can fit groceries, but no real luggage.

Ford is allegedly building our Lightning now, so we won't have to choose between EV and space.

[j44ke]

Top of my head: there is charge that could be held by the battery, and I think that it is reduced when straying from optimal temperature range.

Then there are the things that we as road cyclists are all too aware: colder air = denser air, which means more energy required; any winter tires (which I'd presume to be de rigueur in Upstate NY) means higher Crr; and higher and more sustained wind in the winter, which means more energy expended as compared to a hypothetical day of same temperature but with calmer wind.

Volvo has this. I think it accounts for higher air density but perhaps not other drains on the battery.

Interesting. I know that this is a factor with batteries & cold as I spend time changing out batteries all winter with power tools and our game cameras in the woods. I guess I just figured that with cars there would be some sort of stabilization mechanism to offset the affect of temperature. I guess adding temperature to these batteries to increase yield is a fraught proposal, battery fires being a real risk.

[32x20]

Interesting. I know that this is a factor with batteries & cold as I spend time changing out batteries all winter with power tools and our game cameras in the woods. I guess I just figured that with cars there would be some sort of stabilization mechanism to offset the affect of temperature. I guess adding temperature to these batteries to increase yield is a fraught proposal, battery fires being a real risk.

The cars do heat the batteries to keep them in a 'safe' operating range, but that's what uses the battery. If you let the battery cold soak and then hop in to drive the Tesla (and presumably all the others) will limit your regenerative braking because the battery is too cold to accept much charge. Similarly, if it's really cold it'll limit your acceleration. All that's mitigated some by preconditioning on the cable, but that's not always an option. In general they just seem to take a little more planning than gas cars given current battery chemistry.

[Scott G.]

More Tesla cleverness, buyers of new Tesla cars have 30 days to opt out of binding arbitration
to settle disputes. Provision buried in the buyer's contract; you have to send a letter to Tesla to opt out.
Keeps settlements for defects out the public record.

Paywalled, NYT article 12/19/22

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/19/b...bitration.html