EVs

[giant_mtb]

The US regulations apparently specify that you have to have actual mirrors rather than saying something like "a safe & effective means by which drivers can see rearward blah blah."

One thing that comes to mind with cameras is you have to refocus from infinity to display-distance to use them. But I suppose you do that every time you glance at the dash.

One rogue drop of sticky water or a few snowflakes renders those cameras useless.

[CaminoRacer]

I prefer mirrors.

[Morris Minor]

One rogue drop of sticky water or a few snowflakes renders those cameras useless.

They're heated & I'm guessing have some kind of magic superhydrophobic coating.

[cawimmer430]

Audi Tests E-Tron With Particulate Filter To Clean The Air As It Drives

Audi revealed today that it is in the midst of developing a particulate filter that helps vehicles clean the air as they drive through it. The automaker has partnered with MANN+HUMMEL to develop the new technology.

Although automakers like to say that electric vehicles have zero local emissions, that's not actually true. While their electric powertrains emit no local emissions, like all vehicles, the tires, brakes, and what they kick up off the road accounts for 85 percent of fine dust caused by traffic.

The World Health Organization has recommended significantly lowering particulate matter limits this year, but automakers believe that it won't actually be possible to comply with the lower regulations. Thus, Audi is working on this filter to offset what vehicles can't help but emit.

The filter is a pretty simple setup that gets installed in front of the radiator, in order to alter the design of the vehicle as little as possible. In testing, Audi found that this had no impact on the vehicle's ability to cool itself, even on hot days or while it was stationary.

While driving, the filter passively cleans the air that runs over it, while the already existing radiator fans mean that it can actively suck up air even while the E-Tron is stationary.

Audi says it has completed more than 31,068 miles (50,000 km) of endurance testing on the E-Tron. In cities with higher levels of pollution, such as Stuttgart, the company claims that their electric SUV with the filter on captured exactly as many fine dust particles as it emitted, neutralizing its impact on the city. In even more polluted cities, it could filter out even more.

The automaker says that these filters need only be replaced during a vehicle's regularly scheduled maintenance intervals. The entire filter system accounts for 14.9 kg (32.8 lbs) of CO2 equivalents and is made of 60 percent recycled materials.

"This particulate filter is an example of our pursuit of innovation for everyone's benefit and a successful collaboration with specialized suppliers," Fabian Groh, project manager in attachment system development. "We are already doing a lot today on our own initiative. We anticipate it will also become a legal requirement in the future."


Link: https://www.carscoops.com/2022/10/audi-tests-e-tron-with-particulate-filter-to-clean-the-air-as-it-drives/

[GoCougs]

Uh, trying too hard IMO.

[Morris Minor]

These are a natural fit for the US market: cleaning up particulates caused by America's fetish with red light intersections & four-way stops.

[AutobahnSHO]

These are a natural fit for the US market: cleaning up particulates caused by America's fetish with red light intersections & four-way stops.

It's not a fetish but necessity- dummies can't figure out traffic circles or how to drive efficiently.

[Morris Minor]

Toyota is not having a great time by the look of things - misread the EV tea leaves.

Exclusive: Toyota scrambles for EV reboot with eye on Tesla

Oct 24 (Reuters) - Toyota (7203.T) is considering a reboot of its electric-car strategy to better compete in a booming market it has been slow to enter, and has halted some work on existing EV projects, four people with knowledge of the still-developing plans said.

The proposals under review, if adopted, would amount to a dramatic shift for Toyota and rewrite the $38-billion EV rollout plan the Japanese automaker announced last year to better compete with the likes of Tesla
More:
https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/exclusive-toyota-scrambles-ev-reboot-with-eye-tesla-2022-10-24/

[mzziaz]

Perhaps Cougs was their strategic advisor?

[cawimmer430]

The future of our mobility! Sounds exciting! 


15 Hours To Drive 178 Miles: Frustrated EV Owner Writes A Book To Caution Future Adopters


EVs have long since begun to take over the roads. But while many are eager to try out the new tech, the interwebs are filled with seemingly twice as many naysayers who (often rightly) point out the many drawbacks relating to recharging and a lack of infrastructure.

And it would seem one new EV owner from Colorado may just have proved the naysayers right. Although, by his own admission, user error was part of the problem, underestimating the existing charging infrastructure and perhaps trusting the manufacturer's claims was just as much to blame.

Alan O'Hashi purchased a Nissan Leaf as his first electric car and decided to put it to the test by taking it on a 2,600-mile road trip across Wyoming. He set off, on edge to receive his first taste of EVs, only to discover a grim reality after just 178 miles. It took him 15 hours to complete that route, which would normally take just over two-and-a-half hours.

O'Hashi remarked "I was rudely awakened when I determined that the charging wasn't as rapid as some people would lead you to believe, likely the dealers," in an interview for Fox Business. Later, he published his travel journal in the book "On the Trail: Electrical Vehicle Anxiety," which addresses the hardships of making long-distance road journeys in EVs. Granted, at the time of writing it only had two reviews on Amazon, with one reviewer critiquing O'Hashi for buying the "wrong electric car."

Still, O'Hashi isn't alone. Rachel Wolfe from The Wall Street Journal is yet another intrepid traveler who hit the road to explore the marvels of EVs. After renting a brand new Kia EV6, she settled on traveling from New Orleans to Chicago and back. She estimated four days with about seven and a half hours of driving each day based on the 310-mile battery range.

Nevertheless, Wolfe revealed that she ended up charging the car more than she did sleeping. In her op-ed, she mentioned that "To be considered 'fast,' a charger must be capable of about 24 kW. The fastest chargers can pump out up to 350 [kW]. Our charger in Meridian [Mississippi] claims to meet that standard, but it has trouble cracking 20 [kW]."

In September, the US Department of Transportation granted approval for new electric vehicle charging station plans submitted by all 50 states, with $5 billion being allocated by the Biden administration. But the majority of these chargers will be of the Level 2 variety, and not the Level 3 fast chargers that can top up vehicles in as little as 15 to 45 minutes.

Does this mean that going on those long road trips is either going take a lot longer than anticipated, or will larger or more efficient batteries with improved ranges have to fill in the gaps?


Link: https://www.carscoops.com/2022/11/15-hours-to-drive-178-miles-frustrated-ev-owner-writes-a-book-to-caution-future-adopters/

[giant_mtb]

He picked a Nissan Leaf to do a 2,600-mile road trip?  Derp.

[Morris Minor]

He picked a Nissan Leaf to do a 2,600-mile road trip?  Derp.

Yup - doing that is a marker for someone who's a bit of a thicko.

[Laconian]

Someone who wants to write clickbait for petrolheads to rageshare

Imagine an article about the inconveniences of riding a gas lawnmower from coast to coast.

[Soup DeVille]

Someone who wants to write clickbait for petrolheads to rageshare

Imagine an article about the inconveniences of riding a gas lawnmower from coast to coast.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=n-O0Vhj1Tzk


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OJpVcEnZ6H8

[cawimmer430]

Range is still an issue with "lesser EVs" and even the Teslas - at least in Germany. On Sunday morning I had a large shoot in Hausen and two of the crew who were part of the video team came in a Tesla Model Y (I think it might have been a Long Range) and a Tesla Model 3 Long Range who came from Würzburg which is about 300 km away. Both stated that if you drive "normally" you can get around. However, they both were flooring it due to time issues and the battery charge dropped like a rock. In fact while we were preparing for the shoot they were in need of a charging opportunity - in the middle of nowhere in a Bavarian forest region. Yeah, good luck. 

This means that after the shoot is done (we were done by 6 PM) these poor souls need to find a charger in the region, waste their precious time charging while I hop into my ICE car and am on my way home. Actually I visited my GF in Munich right after the shoot, picked her up and drove out to Seeshaupt where we visited a mutual friend to pick up and drive to Grünwald to fine dine. After that we drove back to Seeshaupt, dropped of our friend and then I drove my GF home and then proceeded to drive home myself. So on that day I put about 500 km total on my car. Had a full tank of gas in the morning, the tank was slightly under half empty when I got back home - and on the Autobahns I speed because driving slow is unbearable to me on long trips. With an EV this wouldn't have been possible, not even a Tesla. I would have needed to charge somewhere - perhaps even twice due to the immense energy consumption that speeding and heating require.

EVs will become attractive to me when the energy density in the battery improves and charging to full takes a maximum of 5 to 10 minutes. Until then, the ICE running on high energy density fuels like [synthetic] gasoline or even better diesel is far more attractive for people like me who drive a lot and drive long distances and where time is important.  

[Morris Minor]

They are already attractive unless you routinely do a lot of at-speed highway driving. If you do, you need to plan. They obviously didn't. (Tesla in particular hands you  charging itineraries on a plate.)

My brother-in-law & his wife bought a Leaf recently. It's perfect for tooling around the Chicago suburbs & exurbs. They love it. Their IQ runs above their shoe size, so they don't use it for long journeys.

[r0tor]

He picked a Nissan Leaf to do a 2,600-mile road trip?  Derp.

Think of all the money he is now making from that

[cawimmer430]

They are already attractive unless you routinely do a lot of at-speed highway driving. If you do, you need to plan. They obviously didn't. (Tesla in particular hands you  charging itineraries on a plate.)

My brother-in-law & his wife bought a Leaf recently. It's perfect for tooling around the Chicago suburbs & exurbs. They love it. Their IQ runs above their shoe size, so they don't use it for long journeys.

Right now the only place an EV makes sense to me is in the city. Regenerative braking is a cool thing and adds some energy to the batteries which would otherwise be wasted in an ICE car. When my GF and dine in the city, we always use her EV because it's gonna be more efficient than my car.

For long range trips (we love to eat out a lot and try new restaurants all over the region) we obviously use my car. If I cruise at a steady (but slow) 120 km/h and avoided heavy stop-and-go traffic to get out of the city, my ICE car can travel 100 km using about 6.5 L / 100 km, which is still darn impressive considering the like 35% efficiency of a gasoline engine.

[AutobahnSHO]

Right now the only place an EV makes sense to me is in the city. Regenerative braking is a cool thing and adds some energy to the batteries which would otherwise be wasted in an ICE car. When my GF and dine in the city, we always use her EV because it's gonna be more efficient than my car.

For long range trips (we love to eat out a lot and try new restaurants all over the region) we obviously use my car. If I cruise at a steady (but slow) 120 km/h and avoided heavy stop-and-go traffic to get out of the city, my ICE car can travel 100 km using about 6.5 L / 100 km, which is still darn impressive considering the like 35% efficiency of a gasoline engine.

Pics of car (w/gf) or shins!!!

[Laconian]

How many kWh is your GF's i3? The new Prius PHEV has almost as much battery storage as the lowest end i3. But it'll also have 1000km+ of range, too...

[cawimmer430]

Pics of car (w/gf) or shins!!!

[cawimmer430]

How many kWh is your GF's i3? The new Prius PHEV has almost as much battery storage as the lowest end i3. But it'll also have 1000km+ of range, too...

She has the middle battery: 94 Ah or 33 kWh, good for about 225 km of range. She bought the car used and the battery condition was like at 99%.

[Laconian]

225 seems fine for popping around between cities, but yeah, that's basically a recharge every hour on the autoroute..

[AutobahnSHO]

Y'all =    

I thought you're just go-get-lunch-A-LOT-friends.    congrats!

[cawimmer430]

225 seems fine for popping around between cities, but yeah, that's basically a recharge every hour on the autoroute..

It's a great city car but it lacks the flexibility for longer range trips. In the winter the range is negatively affected by exterior temperatures and heating, and in the summers the A/C also drains the battery. In the summer we use her car for city excursions and she always drives with the windows open for fresh air to preserve the range.

And she has the middle battery pack option - the smallest battery for the BMW i3 must be a pain.

[cawimmer430]

Y'all =    

I thought you're just go-get-lunch-A-LOT-friends.    congrats!

From client to food buddy to GF.

[Morris Minor]

I was sitting in a sidewalk restaurant in Los Gatos with my back to the street.  Slow moving traffic rolling past... & each EV generating its own spaceship whine. It would not take long to learn to identify manufacturers just from the sound.

[Laconian]

Totally. Teslas make a Scoopy-Doo ghostly "oooo" sound. Kia's a sort of synthesized chorus. Audi's is distinctive too.

[Morris Minor]

Toyota PHEVs were distinctive too. All sounded better than any of the in-your-face gassers with loud pipes.
I'm really getting too old & intolerant.

[Laconian]

Toyota PHEVs were distinctive too. All sounded better than any of the in-your-face gassers with loud pipes.
I'm really getting too old & intolerant.

I can't wait until more cars go EV. I live near a formerly quiet road which turned into a freeway bypass with the advent of Google Maps' clever routing. Loud ICE pipes can suck it, I hate them.