Featured Threads Archive

This week the group discuss how a distributed power grid in South Australia could be leading the way of the future, electric Jeeps, the place for public transit in the of a pandemic and Munro’s Model Y teardown, not in that order.

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While waiting for the 'all clear', I've been watching the Munro Associates teardown of the Tesla Model Y. He bought one and is taking it apart with commentary about the quality of build down to the frame and eventually battery pack and motors.

Source: Tesla Model Y Teardown - Munrolive



CAUTION: A lot of 'traditional' car reviewers only cover what they can see and touch. They don't take a wrench to their 'new' (or any other) car. Some have actually been citing Sandy's disassembly videos and offered their own twist when there is Sandy with the parts in hand, tools, and decades of professional experience. These 3d party reports, even those by new owners, can often be classified as "eye candy" and should be treated with some skepticism.

Bob Wilson

1) The Union of Concerned Scientists have completed their study and concluded that ride sharing (such as Uber and Lyft) introduce almost 70% more pollutants than the rides they are replacing. Not only the rides they are replacing but taking people off mass transit. 2) A study of vehicles interacting with pedestrians at a crosswalk […]

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Link to a story about Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV in Europe.

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Surpasses 50,000 Units Sold in UK

My daughter, who lives in Florida, had an Outlander and although it was kind of dated mechanically, it was a decent car. The biggest problem was that she bought a red one and the sun really does a number on red vehicles in Florida.

I guess the market for this type vehicle is better in Europe because of regulations.

They sell them here and a dealer near me has 3. They are asking $36k for them. FuelEconomy.gov lists them at 75 mpge for the first 22 miles and then 25 mpg after so not so great after the battery is depleted but it might not be bad for a grocery getter. They might be the least advertised PHEV in the country.

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Toyota Prius Is the Best Apocalypse Vehicle

The Tuesday: The Prius Is Simply a Terrific Car | National Review

Coronavirus: Car sales to plummet as pandemic wreaks havoc on economy

New - used - hybrid ir not.

Full Article and Press Release

Special guest, eminent mobility journalist. John Voelcker, joins the panel for a discussion on the GM’s EV announcement. They spend the hour digging into the details and what they think will happen.

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1) EV sales reach 8% market share in Switzerland 2) A look back at the Tesla Power Pack system in South Australia 3) A new electric motorcycle in the UK 4) The affects throughout the EV world from the coronavirus

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Rumor Mill: Tesla Gigafactory 3 Production Hits New High 3,000/Week


Bob Wilson

It appears the 2021 model is getting the hybrid system used in the Ioniq.

Meet the All-new 2021 Hyundai Elantra | CleanMPG

I worked for a lot of years designing and building automotive paint systems. There were developments over the years that made significant improvements.

Due to ever increasing emission requirements the primer and color coat were switched to water based paint. The clear coat remained solvent based because they couldn't get enough sheen from water borne paint for that.

E-coat (electro coat) paint lines are used to put the primer on the white bodies (bare metal). In what looks like a glorified car wash the bodies move through a tunnel and they are rinsed of dust. Next a detergent is applied then they are rinsed with de-ionized water. The conveyor dips them in a phosphate tank. The phosphate etches the surface of the metal. The surface changes from a smooth texture to something like a piece of paper so that the paint has something to bond to. There is a final D.I. rinse and then they go through a drying oven.

The bodies are then picked up by an overhead conveyor and then go to the...

28% in the last month. DJIA figures Feb 12 close to Mar 12 when posted.

How likely are you to buy a new car?

What already shaky car manufacturers will go out of business?

Toyota (together with Toyota Industries) announced a new hybrid battery that will have these characteristics: lower cost, more compact, greater longevity and higher performance.

According to Toyota’s Australian VP of sales and marketing Sean Hanley:

“Our parent company decided to develop a new battery for hybrid vehicles due to the need for more compact batteries that can offer greater power and longevity at lower cost than the current options.”

From this article from Australia: “ It was developed jointly with Toyota Industries Corporation, which will produce the new battery at its Kyowa plant in Japan’s Aichi prefecture.”

This seems to say it has already been developed and now is about to be manufactured as the Toyota plant where it will be manufactured is being announced.

My guess is the target is 40 to 50 miles range as that would potentially cover 90% of the daily miles for a majority of drivers as most people drive 50 miles or less most days.

This appears to be a...

I was checking fueleconomy.gov and the 2019 Highlander Hybrid and older Highlanders get 29 city / 27 highway / 28 average. The 2020 Highlander Hybrid gets 35 city / 35 highway / 35 average. What did they do to get such a big jump in economy?

I might end up having to replace the cells in my HV battery in a gen 2 Prius.

I'm curious to know if there are any good, reputable websites that sell cells at an affordable price.

I've looked on eBay and they seem to range from 19.99-30 bucks each.

If you had to replace the cells in your HV battery, where would you go?

Being harvested by all, except the USA.
Rare Earth Elements: Why the U.S. is missing out on the race to mine trillions of dollars worth of metals from the ocean floor - 60 Minutes - CBS News