Featured Threads Archive

According to Edmonds:


TESTED: 2023 Toyota bZ4X Falls Short of Range Estimate | Edmunds
Recent tests of bz4x in Norway are confirming the same data, namely that the range and efficiency are not holding up to what Toyota is estimating. Usually, auto manufacturers prefer to slightly under promise & over deliver. In this instance, missing range/efficiency marks doesn't reflect that philosophy.
Coming up 15 miles short of estimates on an ev that doesn't have significant range may be an issue to new ev buyers hoping to drive more economically.

Interesting video from The Car Care Nut.

They're able to fit an extra RAV4 Prime's worth of battery capacity in the same space as the original pack. That's impressive.

Although with an EPA rating of 222 miles for the current e-tron SUV, it's a lot of miles to squeeze out of the extra 19 kWh in the new battery to get a 300 miles EPA. 30% increase will place it at 288 miles. Perhaps, the Sportback will be the model that hits 300 miles.

From the Japanese web site car.moby.jp: teaser site is expected to go up 11/9 and full reveal 11/16 1:00 PM Japan time which would be 8:00 PM Pacific time on Tuesday 11/15. That means the preview site should appear sometime tomorrow.


Here is a link to the article: トヨタ新型プリウスは11/16発表か!!サイズや燃費＆試乗した感想も入手 | MOBY [モビー]

On a list dominated by the world’s largest oil and gas companies, Toyota ranked tenth on the “most negative and influential companies on climate policy” of 2022. https://electrek.co/2022/11/04/toyota-among-most-obstructive-companies-on-climate-policy-2022/

Renters with EVs face charging dilemma in cities
by: The Associated Press via Nexstar Media Wire

Posted: Oct 25, 2022 / 08:52 AM EDT

Updated: Oct 25, 2022 / 08:55 AM EDT

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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Stephanie Terrell bought a used Nissan Leaf this fall and was excited to join the wave of drivers adopting electric vehicles to save on gas money and reduce her carbon footprint.

But Terrell quickly encountered a bump in the road on her journey to clean driving: As a renter, she doesn’t have a private garage where she can power up overnight, and the public charging stations near her are often in use, with long wait times. On a recent day, the 23-year-old nearly ran out of power on the freeway because a public charging station she was counting on was busy.

“It was really scary and I was really worried I wasn’t going to make it, but luckily I made it here. Now I have to wait a couple hours to even use it because I can’t go any further,” she said while waiting at...

Whoda thunk it. Well every PriusChatter here obviously.

Gas Cars Consume Much More Electricity Than People May Realize

I figure if "@Tideland Prius" can stoke discussion about EV versus Gas I'll sling some thought porn on it too.
So a German magazine "has calculated that, for every mile traveled in a legacy vehicle, you’re using about half as much electricity as you would to travel a mile in a pure EV." Most of that electricity is what is known as grey energy, energy embedded in a product, like that used by gas stations and the like. They therefore speculated that an EV would use that same electricity in a more efficient fashion.

Anti-EVers are going a have a field day with this one even though this will be a minor trip for most people.

US authorities bust catalytic converter theft ring that raked in over $545m | New Jersey | The Guardian


Bob Wilson

Last year we moved from the high dollar / high tech world - out into the boonies. Literally 100's of miles from no-where - but it seems some of that environment is quickly catching up to us out here. Went down to Discount Tire to rotate out summer tread into studded tires - to our surprise, this bad boy was just leaving the service center. Mind you - we are OVER 1,100 miles from the closest lucid service center - which would be in San Francisco. Asking permission, the owner stayed around a few extra seconds so I could snap a quick shot



Last Christmas I grabbed a shot of a rivian pickup & I thought that was as rare a moment as could be up here, since they've only made a thousand or more. but the lucid? last I checked there were just a few hundred. Very very nice looking sedan, both inside and out.
I read they have a ton of debt. Yet still I hope they make it.
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The Guardian: Tesla under US criminal investigation over self-driving claims, sources say.
Tesla under US criminal investigation over self-driving claims, sources say | Tesla | The Guardian

The essence is, Musk keeps saying stuff about not having to touch the wheel and the car doing everything while the website says you have to be attentive and holding the wheel at all times.

The New Shape of Innovation: Toyota Crown Arrives in Early 2023 - Toyota USA Newsroom

Won't be able to purchase this mid-sized sedan until early 2023, however, here are the starting prices for each trim. XLE starts at $39,950, Limited starts at $45,550, and Platinum for $52,350. All trims come standard with AWD-i.

Summary:
XLE and Limited trims get the venerable THS system with the 184 hp 2.5L engine, 88 kW (118 hp) MG2, and 40 kW (54 hp) MGR for a total of 236 hp. This system is similar to the Sienna including a bipolar NiMH 230.4V battery and with a weight of 4,250 lb (1,907 kg) scoots along at 7.6 seconds to 60 mph. EPA is slightly above Toyota's initial estimate at 41 mpg (5.74L/100km) combined. That'll give you a range of about 495 miles (797 km) on a tank of gas.

Platinum trim gets the Hybrid Max system with a 340 hp 2.4L Turbo engine, 61 kW (82 hp) MGF, and a 58.6...

One YouTube story is not enough … call it a news rumor. But a Toyota press release or financial report would be enough.

I have long wondered if putting battery packs in the ICE and fuel tank volumes would work at least as good as the Bolt and other similar sized EVs?

Either lock MG1 and MG2 together or let MG1 use a one way clutch for acceleration boost and efficient cruise on just MG2.

Bob Wilson

It’s not based on anything and seems to just slap on the new Crown’s design on the Camry. Looks decent.

https://www.carvibz.com/renderings/sportier-2024-toyota-camry-adopts-crown-like-look-to-consolidate-best-seller-status-in-quick-cgi/

Maybe some should plan better, or just not use an EV. Maybe not using a CHAdeMo vehicle would've helped.
Electric Nightmare: EV Owner Details 15-Hour Trek to Travel 178 Miles (breitbart.com)

So I recently moved my family. I'm learning to navigate my new neighborhood and I parked my 08 Gen 2 next to a Model Y at the grocery store and when I got out..the length and shape of the car body caught my eye. My prius was in the foreground and with the Model Y next to it. The body shape was strikingly similar....I never noticed that before and with all the Model Y's around I will take some pictures next time. It is not a surprise given laws of aerodynamics and when seeking the lowest drag coefficient cars will all look the same eventually. With the gen 3 prius I know more buyers wanted sunroofs, leather, heated seats...etc and thus they changed the body styles.....i wonder if the 2024 Prius from the spy shots we have seen will look more like the Model Y and the Gen 2. We shall hopefully soon see.

A few weeks ago after attending the 50th anniversary cannonball run reunion in NY i set out to break the solo nonstop cannonball record. This was my second attempt. The previous record was 36:03. The new record is 33:45. The story of my run was made public this morning. Enjoy.

Electric-vehicle fires have burned down homes after Hurricane Ian saltwater damage. Florida officials want answers

Electric-vehicle fires have burned down homes after Hurricane Ian saltwater damage. Florida officials want answers
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Steve Mollman
Sat, October 15, 2022 at 6:48 PM·2 min read



Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda—Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images


It sounds counterintuitive, but electric vehicles that have been submerged in saltwater can catch fire. That’s proven...

When radar chips became sparse, Tesla suddenly stopped using radar in their cars, citing the difficulty of merging the logic of video based logic with data from a radar feed. Over the course of a few months they were able to replace much of the auto-pilot functions with video based environmental awareness. Now they are dropping the ultrasound sonar sensors that are used to locate nearby obstructions, including pedestrians. It looks like they are citing cost savings.

I find this change to be odd since it comes at a time when most car manufacturers are improving their ability to detect and avoid accidents by using more sensors and AI.

The link below has a video that shows that there are some really big blind spots in the car's camera field of vision. Most alarming is that there are areas in front of the car that would not see a child playing.

Tesla saves an estimated $114 per car by removing USS