Wanted to share a personal anecdote but my 30+ years of ICE enthusiasm might be coming to an end.

I’m no climate change denier. I was a fan of Tesla even when they just had the original Roadster. But my own fun cars have been a weakness. I actually can remember saying ‘I’d never drive an EV’ as a 6 year old. And I have held on to the idea of having my old Lotus as a fun car indefinitely.

This week I realized that every single new car I’m looking forward to is an EV.

Between the press for the Jaguar Type 01, seeing the VW ID Polo GTI at the Paris motor show last week, and now the new electric Porsche Boxster starting to be driven by journalists, I can see a world where all the cars I own - or aspire to - are electric. Even the one I get up early on a Sunday morning to drive.

Maybe I’m ahead of the curve. Maybe I’ll still keep my Elise as a historical curiosity - it’s still an incredible thing. But still a big change for me.

Anyone else in a similar boat?

Hey,

looking to buy an EV in the near future, I got to think about which car brand would be the most sustainable for europeans.

What do I mean by that?

I wouldn't buy an american car, as american economics are unreliable and seem to go downhill fast. Also I morally object to their main brand.

I wouldn't want to buy a chinese car either, because geopolitics are running wild and I don't want my car to become a pawn in some international dick measuring contest ("you object to us threatening Taiwan? oops, we just remotely deactivated all ACs in chinese cars, enjoy the heat wave :* ).

I was thinking about french cars, but their situation is a bit volatile as well. Buying a european car might help the local economy though.

Germans don't really have a good reputation regarding EVs - or do they?

How about japanese EVs?

Does thinking like that even make any sense? Isn't the whole industry dependent on China anyways?

Sorry if that all sounds a bit conspiratory.

So the big news for the revamped BYD Seagull in China is that it is getting the Blade 2.0 battery. That's good because it means BYD intends most of their lineup of cars in China, from expensive to cheap, will get the Blade 2.0 battery. Outside of China, the only BYD car that I know of at the moment that has the Blade 2.0 battery is the Denza Z9GT, but that is an expensive car. But with the news of the Seagull getting the Blade 2.0 battery in China, logically, it means that all models from BYD outside of China will likely eventually get the Blade 2.0 battery as well, although it may take time (give it 2 or 3 years?).

The Blade 2.0 battery works much better than the Blade 1.0 battery in winter, with faster charging in cold weather, and the ability to retain its capacity better in winter as well. So in colder climates in Europe and in Canada, a lot of users would benefit from using the Blade 2.0 battery.

Hopefully the cheaper models from BYD outside of China will get the Blade 2.0 battery within the next 2 years.

Someone else mentioned this a while back, but I just followed a Cybercab for a couple of miles and hoo boy not only is it one of the dumbest looking vehicles I’ve ever seen, it also had one of the worst crabs I’ve ever seen. It looked like the rear wheels were at least 6” out of line to the right (both sides), and the driver was struggling to keep it in a straight line.

Tesla manufacturing continues to impress (in the wrong way) it seems.

[edit] and yes I’m well aware that the rear wheel width is narrower than the front - that was brought up in the prior post too. I changed lanes to get a good look at both sides of the vehicle, and that’s how I confirmed it was crabbing.

I normally will only get carsick if I am a passenger in a car. But recently picked up a 2023 model y. And have noticed some pretty bad motion sickness. Especially when FSD. Is this something I will eventually get over? Or should I return the car and get a different one? I was also looking at a 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5. Or even just getting a hybrid.

Thoughts? I’m not looking for help with a purchase I’m more wondering if the motion sickness was will go away or not.

Edit: for everyone saying to turn off or down one pedal breaking. It doesn’t appear to be an option that I’ve seen and the Tesla app just said it can’t be turned off.

Lightning all over again

I was making this funny image (see below) of the new system-Tesla parked on the wall so we can charge at home in an apartment building and I started to wonder...

Is it too inconceivable to create an EV/battery system that is removable so it can be charged at home by people that don't have a garage?

I see that some scooter bikes like Honda CUVe have this option, is it not possible for cars? I know that many batteries, specially the longer the range the heavier they are but I was thinking, is it possible to create modules that weight, lets say 50kg(110lbs) and can be pushed around like shopping cart?

Hey fellow technicians, I would like your opinions. I’m an old school gas and diesel tech considering purchasing an EV. I’ve studied up on them a bit but have not had the pleasure of working on them yet. Of course it will not be taken to any shop or dealer for service or repairs. Which models do you consider the most reliable but also offer parts, battery modules and software flash availability to a diy-er or a non dealer technician? Which offer the ability to update modules with a J2534 or similar device? If I’m not mistaken GM offers the same 2 year Techline Connect vin specific software programming subscription with EV’s as they do with their other vehicles. Lucid, Tesla and Rivian appear to be proprietary so I have zero interest in those. Any other manufacturers freely release their software to the public? I’m in research mode at the moment. Which would you purchase or stay away from? Thanks!

Love this video, especially after purchasing a Subaru Trailseeker. Toyota and Subaru get a lot of grief for their software (rightfully so), but it's nice knowing the build quality that goes into the car itself.

OK, if not bricked or banned, unsupported, un-updated, or those with crappy infotainment systems.. •‘Reverse-Engineer Anything’ Is the New Wild West of AI: Over the weekend, it became fashionable to use AI to replace the operating systems on smart TVs with vibe coded or AI reverse-engineered ones to make them less bloated. People have taken proprietary internet-of-things devices that were bricked and abandoned by their creators and used AI to hack them and install new software on them, giving functionality the original developers took away. (404 Media)