Stuck in your EV in the snow?

[GJM]

Good read:

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/cars/y...e-it-6c6fd1c1A

[MickAK]

Good read:

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/cars/y...e-it-6c6fd1c1A

Broken link

ETA: https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/cars/y...ge-it-6c6fd1c1 This one?

[MickAK]

Non paywall version https://archive.is/KSjnM

Good article. I've never owned an EV but I invested a long time ago because they just flat out make sense for 90+% of vehicle uses and you can only fight that for so long. There's definitely a lot of grid capacity infrastructure improvements to be made but those need to be made anyways. Gasoline distribution infrastructure needs a lot of work too, something people tend to sweep under the rug when they bring up grid overload.

You don't have to like things to recognize they make sense.

[mmc45414]

I read Mazda was researching such a solution, and they were looking to leverage the rotary engine due to its size and weight.

Pretty sure we still subscribe to the same magazine...
I think the compact rotary engine is much more efficient at a constant optimal RPM, like a genset.

You're going to get mandated fuel economy and air quality standards weather you like it or not. When the fed says jump you either comply or don't sell in the US. If the fed isn't doing it some states are.

Yes, but all these mandates are future targets, sometimes out 2-3 potential presidential administration cycles. So the automakers agree they can hit those targets, only knowing they will come back at some point and say they cannot hit them with vehicles that American people might actually buy (ETA: and pay tax on). I think this is what we are seeing now, it was all about What Do We Want? Electric Cars! When Do We Want Them? NOW! back when they were vapor wear. Now that you could decide you want one in the morning and park it at home that evening reality is setting in and people are no longer lining up. People run out and get 4600 pound mini vans with 22 combined mpg as soon as they squirt out the first kid, pretty sure that is not going to hit he current target CAFE target of ~50+mpg, they will just move the goalposts when the time comes, again.

That means that once the car is above that speed the ICE isn't working very hard. Thus the fantastic mileage. 57/56 mph city/highway on the new models.

I think the strategy is actually the inverse, ICEs are bigger than we need to be for acceleration, and then are inefficient when you are maintaining speed. So the ICE gets downsized, and a motor is there to boost it up the onramp.
A friend is actually working on this for a light sport aircraft, since light planes need a lotta oomph to get off the ground and clear runway obstacles, once at altitude then not so much. He has a goal of trying to get from SW Ohio to Oshkosh nonstop, but I think the Vid may have knocked his development off track.

Good read:

Good article, but I do wonder about the growth statistics, since they reference passenger cars rather than vehicles. Since Ford quit making passenger cars except the Mustang and The Mach-E (I am still reluctant to call it a Mustang) how does all that figure into growth numbers, especially this early in the (potential) adoption cycle

[JohnO]

How about Stuck on an Electric Bus?

Blue Cities Went All-In for Electric Transit, But the Buses Couldn't Handle the Cold
https://www.westernjournal.com/blue-...t-handle-cold/

Ford is scaling back production of the F-150 Lightning.

Ford Cuts Lightning Output in Latest Sign of EV Downshift
https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/f...d=hp_lead_pos4

Ford Slashes Production of Electric F-150s, Focuses Resources on Popular Gas Models
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/202...ses-resources/

Not the Bus Ride I want to take!

(I saw this from the highway. I was passing by and saw the smoke plume. I was only later in the day I learned it was an EV Bus that spontaneously combusted in the yard. Poof!)

[CraigS]

....I think the strategy is actually the inverse, ICEs are bigger than we need to be for acceleration, and then are inefficient when you are maintaining speed. So the ICE gets downsized, and a motor is there to boost it up the onramp....

Yes, a lot of the super mpg oriented hybrids are 1.5 litre gas engine. One of the things that is helping pure ICE cars is having many speeds in trans. Our 21 Honda Pilot has a 9spd auto trans. We only get 23mpg since it is 95% city type driving. It may get 24 on an all interstate trip. The funny thing is my 19 Stingray w/ 7spd manual trans is our mpg champ. over the 26,000 miles I have driven it the avg is 25.something. On an interstate at 75-80 mph in 7th it gets 30-31.

[Jim Watson]

Ford is scaling back production of the F-150 Lightning.

And they are giving them away on Wheel of Fortune.


A friend's Tacoma got cold enough to flatline the battery and the engine and cabin computers forgot all they knew. She was reduced to 40 mph in limp home mode.

[mmc45414]

The funny thing is my 19 Stingray w/ 7spd manual trans is our mpg champ. over the 26,000 miles I have driven it the avg is 25.something. On an interstate at 75-80 mph in 7th it gets 30-31.

Small and slippery!
And that is another consideration, most all of the EV cars are pretty small cars, like people have been less inclined to buy anyway.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

My 1994 Honda Civic, stick - on a good day got 41 mpg on a highway trip. Usual in the mid 30's. It had stick, AC and an AM/FM radio. It failed at 250K miles, AC died, radio died. Gave it to charity for taxes.

I got my money's worth.

[Borderland]

I think the UPS vehicle on my road yesterday was electric. No sound from the vehicle, no exhaust pipe.

If you truly love EV's it might be possible to buy a used one from a rental fleet soon for very little money.