Featured Threads Archive

This is huge news. Tesla cars will no longer come with any kind of automated driving system unless you subscribe to FSD (full self-driving) for $100 a month.

Tesla drops Autopilot in pivot to FSD subscription model in US, Canada

Source:


The battery report is on the web: The Lumafield Battery Quality Report

This goes a long way to explain the risks and variable performance found in "Project Farm:"


Bob Wilson

While not exactly related to EV's, the CEO of Tesla, who's also the founder of xAI, has recently been under the spotlight for using natural gas generators that didn't meet EPA standards. The EPA had to step in enforce a rule to prohibit the continued use of these generators. Concerns about poorer air quality in the area arise.

Musk's xAI faces tougher road expanding Memphis area after EPA update

This weeks new magic battery that does everything better:

Article in Electrek States that the new battery might use amorphous Titanium Dioxide nanostructures, and that whatever it is, it is going into production right now. I have absolutely no idea if it's real or not.

This battery is about to change the world in 3 months, or make this guy a fool | Electrek

Speculative video :

Germany Forces Lexus to Remotely Kill Car Heating In Dead Of Winter

As some know I'm the paranoid person who goes on about the DCM and how remote access to vehicles is a security concern. It's not just about bad actors attempting to hack your vehicle, it's also about govt and the manufacturer having 24/7 access to your car, which they clearly do.

Here we have a car manufacturer remotely disabling features without a customer's consent by demand of a govt.

Do keep in mind that Germany's global CO2 contribution is 1.6% and falling while China's is 32% and rising. But apparently people warming up their cars in the morning is a problem. This is a country that decided that listening to the crazy activists and shutting down their nuclear power production and going back to fossil fuels was somehow a good idea. Whether you're in Germany or another country I assure you...

Canada has just announced a trade deal with China to import Chinese EVs.

Now, you can replace your aging Prius with a $15,000 modern EV, @Mendel Leisk. It will probably come with a spare tire, too.

Canada agrees to cut tariff on Chinese EVs in return for lower tariffs on Canadian farm products :: WRAL.com

Good luck, @bwilson4web. LOL

Tesla (TSLA) to stop selling full self-driving package, moves to subscription-only: why it’s a big move | Electrek

The new Mercedes–Benz CLA BEV has just hit the market. It is not only a software-defined vehicle (SDV) but also an AI-defined vehicle (ADV).

It utilizes Nvidia’s latest Alpamayo AI self-driving system. It includes five radars, a dozen ultrasonic sensors, and ten cameras to ensure a highly safe and redundant self-driving experience. Additionally, unlike Tesla, the autonomous driving system is fully collaborative with the driver.

The vehicles are still undergoing training, and more self-driving features aiming for SAE Level 4 will be gradually rolled out through over-the-air (OTA) updates over the coming months and years.

The car itself is reasonably priced by today’s standards, especially for a luxury vehicle equipped with a full suite of advanced technology.

The biggest catch: you will need to pay a subscription fee for the self-driving features, which is roughly $100 a month....

Unlike Tesla’s system, which is a garbage-in, garbage-out black box, Nvidia’s Alpamayo self-driving system can think like ChatGPT. Nvidia claims it will be better than Google’s Waymo, but that will have to be seen.

“The ChatGPT moment for physical AI is here—when machines begin to understand, reason, and act in the real world,” said Nvidia (Nasdaq ticker NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang at CES in Las Vegas

Nvidia takes on Tesla with what Jensen Huang calls the ‘ChatGPT moment’ for self-driving

Nvidia is trying to improve self-driving beyond Waymo. They just unveiled their Alpamayo self-driving technology, which uses a chain-of-thought reasoning-based vision language action (VLA) model. These models can recognize unique driving situations that might not otherwise happen during a regular drive and come up with the proper way to move forward.

Lucid is the first OEM interested in adopting it, and Uber and Berkeley DeepDrive are also interested in it.

Nvidia announces humanoid robot plans, self-driving car technologies at CES 2026

They also introduced their new Vera Rubin chip.

Nvidia launches Vera Rubin, its next major AI platform, at CES 2026

Prius (Prime) PHEV shines at the pinnacle of reliability, but most other PHEVs rank rock-bottom in the reliability list. Ford Escape PHEV and many others have numerous issues, such as being bricked. One owner had her vehicle bricked for six months.

Meanwhile, gas-only HEVs shine in reliability.

See the video.

Hybrids are still the most reliable cars, CR survey shows—Consumer Reports

She just spent $4,000 to replace her battery, and now the engine is making strange noises. Problems with the head gasket?

@Mendel Leisk, is it time to upgrade to a Gen 4 or Gen 5 before it’s too late?

TikTok—Make Your Day

https://insideevs.com/news/782820/prius-battery-engine-trouble/

Toyota’s new solid-state batteries promise 40 years of power, longer EV range.

Toyota says it is on track to introduce solid-state batteries (SSB) to its vehicles by 2027-2028.

It promises a range of over 621 miles (1,000 kilometers) on a single charge. The batteries are also expected to be smaller, lighter, and cheaper to produce than existing lithium-ion packs.

Toyota’s new solid-state EV batteries promise 40 years of power

Now imagine if these 40 year batteries can also replace all the existing NiMH and Lithium batteries in the existing lineup? Imagine if we hybrid owners can swap and go EV for 20 miles on 40 year batteries

Perrone Robotics Inc. and Perrone Robotics Innovations have filed lawsuits against Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda and Nissan, alleging infringement of its patented automated vehicle and robotics technologies.

All across the globe, they have put the brakes on the EV transition, with regulatory committees now allowing a more gradual transition.

The electric-car transition unravels slowly, then all at once

The Trump energy policies have become a lose–lose situation for US automakers and green energy. Ford is not only scaling back its EV plans but also taking a $19.5-billion profit hit resulting from Trump oil-first policies.

Ford will now concentrate on hybrid vehicles and gasoline-engine extended-range electric vehicles instead of full battery electric vehicles.

Ford takes $19.5B charge in hybrid pivot, cancels F-150 Lightning EV, launches new battery storage business

I was doing some maintenance on our other car today and decided to recharge the NOCO battery booster.

I see that it had dropped to about half charge over the past year since last charge.

When it's done topping up I'll do the one from the Prius. I just figured I'd share the reminder in case anyone else has one back in the trunk somewhere.

(I realize this is not actual hybrid news, but I couldn't think of another forum on here that wasn't specific to a particular model of the Prius- apologies for the odd fit)

Reporting myself to the moderator, there was a Washington DC announcement about "new fuel standards" that directly impacts why we were ever able to buy a Prius:


At age 75, I well remember the past that led to having efficient, safe, affordable to operate cars. My memories include:

• descending into the Denver bowl of noxious, red air
• eyes burning worse than Marine tear gas hut driving in Reverside CA
• cars that stank whose exhaust was a suicide method
• cars without seat belts and coming upon accidents

I call it "generational amnesia" and that was what happened in that press conference. Well like my Dad used to say, "Only two things will make a man unhappy: Not getting what he asked for or Getting exactly what he asked for."

BTW, I caught this when I got home. I was doing some cold weather, 31-36 F (-0.5 to 2.2 C), long distance testing of my Tesla, raw data:

• 18 hours elapsed time
• 714 miles :: 714/18 = 40 mph...

I really like their approach:

• EV for drive train
• Diesel powered generator for day long operation

Similar to my BMW i3-REx, it is a powerful if somewhat short range EV with a built-in, diesel powered generator for day long operation. Best of both worlds.

Bob Wilson

Impressive Chinese car the Canadians will get:

• Lucid features
• Model Y price

More car than I would want, still nice to see luxury at an affordable price. Better cars at better prices.

Bob Wilson