Electric Cars II - Not Silly!

[ExSp33db1rd]

https://www.driven.co.nz/news/electric- ... ign=topbox

No comment.

[PHXPhlyer]

https://www.driven.co.nz/news/electric- ... ign=topbox

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1 comment:

PP

[PHXPhlyer]

Hyundai Ioniq 5 named Car and Driver’s EV of the Year

https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/18/business ... index.html

New York
CNN Business
—
Hyundai’s Ioniq 5, an electric-only model with a sharp-edged design, was named Car and Driver’s Electric Vehicle of the Year. It’s only the second year the award has been given.

Car and Driver staffers lauded the Hyundai’s performance — it gets up to 320 horsepower from two electric motors — impressive fast-charging capability and its relatively affordable price. Prices start at $41,245 for a rear-wheel-drive car capable of up to 168 horsepower and 220 miles of range. The more powerful all-wheel-drive version Car and Driver tested cost $57,490.

The most striking thing about the Ioniq 5 is its design, according the publication.

“Is this not the coolest design on the road?” Car and Driver editor-in-chief Tony Quiroga wrote in an article about the award.

The Ioniq 5’s general shape is like a large hatchback or a low-riding SUV — it could be seen either way — but it’s covered in sharp creases and straight edges. The taillights and front daytime lights look like something out of a very low resolution computer game. Surprisingly, though, the Ioniq 5 has a fairly slick 0.29 coefficiency of drag meaning it’s only a little less aerodynamic than a Tesla Model 3.

The car’s fast-charging 800-volt electric system and its easy-to-use and functional driver-assistance technologies were also factors in the award, Quiroga said.

Unlike most car awards, such as Motor Trend Car of the Year, in the Car and Driver’s EV of the Year a past winner can compete again the following year. That means that last year’s winner, the Ford Mustang Mach-E, was in the running again this year.

But the magazine’s staffers thought the Ioniq 5 was actually a little more fun to drive than the Mustang, said Quiroga.

“Fun to drive” was one of four categories in which vehicles were rated. The others were value, how well the vehicle performed its intended function, and technology.

The Ioniq 5 was also competing against the Lucid Air, which won MotorTrend Car of the Year, and the Rivian R1T, which won MotorTrend Truck of the Year. The Hyundai beat them, in part, because of its more accessible price and better value. The Lucid Air that Car and Driver tested cost over $140,000 and the Rivian cost $93,000.

It was also competing against the Kia EV6. Although they operate as separate companies in the United States, Kia and Hyundai are closely related companies at the global level. Hyundai’s parent company owns a controlling interest in Kia.

While the Ioniq 5 and EV6 look very different from one another — both are strikingly unusual in their appearance but in distinct ways — they share much of their engineering, thanks to that relationship. Performance tests by Car and Driver on the two models yielded similar results and they are also similarly priced with the EV6 Car and Driver tested costing only $3,000 less than the Ioniq 5. Again, though, staffers thought the Hyundai was just a bit more enjoyable to drive than the Kia, Quiroga said.

A third vehicle, the Genesis GV60, also shares the same engineering platform as the EV6 and Ioniq 5 but, with its higher price, it lost out on value despite garnering praise from the judges, Quiroga said.

PP

[CharlieOneSix]

My sudden unexpected EV6 braking incident recently was on reflection nothing to do with the Smart Cruise Control. On reading the car manual thoroughly once more, I'm sure it was the Forward Collision Avoidance Assist which determined I was too close to the vehicle speeding away from me and slammed on my brakes.

There are - amazingly - 92 circumstances listed in the car manual where Forward Collision Avoidance Assist:

may not operate normally, or it may operate unexpectedly.

Unsurprisingly I have deactivated Forward Collision Avoidance Assist in my EV6. My brain and reaction times can do better than it can.

If Kia has any hopes of producing a fully self driving car - heaven forbid - then all 92 of those circumstances must be removed. Not in my lifetime methinks!

[TheGreenAnger]

Talking of semi-automated cars...

https://www.independent.co.uk/independe ... 49580.html

Read it and weep fellah's!

[Woody]

Well no one had foreseen this as a problem about charging your Tesla

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... fence.html

[OFSO]

The Range Rover deems to have been travelling at quite a speed to somersault off the road, yaw 90°, demolish the railings, bounce off the Tesla's roof, and plummet onto the railway lines.
Obviously the Tesla's fault.

[Boac]

"Man in his 50s was sitting alone charging his vehicle " (3:50 in the morning.....?) Sweet.

[PHXPhlyer]

It could have been worse...
The Range Rover could have been self- driving.

PP

[TheGreenAnger]

Comes to something when you have to skulk in your Tesla at 3:50 in the morning in order to get it charged at the cheaper off peak rate I would guess. Back in the days of yore if you were in a car park at that time in the morning you were up to no good or indulging in nooky. The latter sin would have at least afforded one of the participants the opportunity to ask "did the earth move for you darling" as the BMW bounced off the Tesla.

[VP959]

Tesla charge the same at Superchargers at any time of the day, they don't have an off-peak period.

[TheGreenAnger]

Tesla charge the same at Superchargers at any time of the day, they don't have an off-peak period.

So just a sad lonely Tesla owner recharging at 03:50! How busy do those Superchargers get during the day?

[VP959]

So just a sad lonely Tesla owner recharging at 03:50! How busy do those Superchargers get during the day?

Depends on the location, some get fairly busy at peak times, others are barely used. On the very few times I've ever needed to use one there's never been more than one or two others charging, but then I do almost all my charging overnight, mostly at home, but also when we go away anywhere.

[PHXPhlyer]

Tesla raises price of feature it calls ‘full self-driving’ to $15,000
Or maybe "Full Self Wrecking"

https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/22/business ... index.html

Tesla is raising the price of its controversial driver-assist feature it calls “full self-driving” to $15,000.

Tesla (TSLA) buyers can purchase it for $12,000 until Sept. 5. The $12,000 price dates to January. Following the latest price increase, the software will cost five times as much as when it was first introduced as a $3,000 add-on, even as it has developed slower than the automaker projected and faced criticism and government scrutiny.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said for years that the price of “full self-driving” would increase periodically as it develops and moves closer to regulatory approval. He tweeted in May 2020 that when “full self-driving” had that approval the feature would “probably” be worth more than “$100,000.” But Tesla does not appear close to regulatory approval for “full self-driving.” The California DMV said this month that the name “full self-driving” is “a deceptive practice” and grounds for suspending or revoking Tesla’s license to sell vehicles in the state.

The Autopilot features demonstrated in a Tesla Model S during a Tesla event in Palo Alto, California October 14, 2015.
People are now testing Tesla's 'full self-driving' on real kids
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is also investigating the more rudimentary predecessor of “full self-driving,” Autopilot. That technology combines lane-keeping assist with adaptive cruise control to keep a car in a lane on a highway, as opposed to the promise of “full self-driving,” which Tesla says aims to one day be able to operate a vehicle without human supervision on a city street. A recall of Autopilot software from vehicles featuring it is possible.

“Full self-driving” is a critical part of Tesla’s vision of offering a robotaxi that the company claims can drive a million miles and make “probably something on the order of $30,000 per year,” Musk said in 2019. Tesla first said in 2016 that it felt its vehicles had the hardware for “full self-driving,” and only the software needed to be developed.

Tesla, like all companies developing autonomous driving features, has repeatedly missed self-imposed deadlines and been unable to match the hype that spurred billions of dollars of investment. Musk has said every year from 2015 to 2022 that self-driving Teslas were probably a year or two away.

Musk said Sunday that his main goals for this year include a wide release of “full self-driving.”

“Full self-driving,” as it currently stands, navigates local roads with steering, braking and acceleration, but requires a human driver prepared to take control at any moment, as the system makes judgment errors.

A select group of Tesla owners have had early access to an unfinished version of “full self-driving” since October 2020. These testers have described being both impressed and concerned with the system’s performance. Some of their loved ones have not enjoyed the technology, which is rough around the edges. CNN Business’ own experience with the system in November 2021 on New York City streets found that the system would occasionally steer the vehicle into oncoming traffic. But many testers describe seeing gradual improvements.

Musk said in April that more than 100,000 people are in the “beta” program, a reference to software that hasn’t been finalized.

The price increase coincides with a new software version of “full self-driving,” which the automaker says has many improvements including left turns and smoothness.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.

PP

[TheGreenAnger]

Well no one had foreseen this as a problem about charging your Tesla

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... fence.html

It appears that it was the usual story. Moron at the wheel, possibly drunk, showing off, with a need for speed. One hopes he does some long hard time after he recovers from his injuries.

A woman who survived a fatal crash on the A40 has spoken out for the first time about how she “begged the driver to slow down”.

Zamarod Arif, 26, said she “felt every tumble” as the car flew into the air and onto railway tracks after veering off the road next to Park Royal railway station in London at up to 100mph in the early hours of Monday.

Ms Arif, who was the front seat passenger and the only one wearing a seatbelt, described the crash as “like being in a tsunami” because she was thrown around the inside of the Range Rover car.

She recalled how one of the first people at the scene of the crash told her to say a prayer as he didn’t think she would make it out alive.

Her best friend, Yagmur Ozden, 33, died in the crash as she was ejected from the rear passenger seat as the speeding vehicle slammed through metal barriers and into a nearby Tesla charging station.

Driver Rida Al Mousawi was also thrown from the car and severely injured. He remains in a coma in St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London.

Speaking to MailOnline, Ms Arif recalls that neither Ms Ozden nor Mr Al Mousawi listened to her when she told them to put on their seatbelts.

Moments before the crash, Ms Arif said she and Ms Ozden had begged the driver to slow down.

“Rida liked to drive fast and he likes to tease people when they are in the car. We were going so fast as soon as we left the Wish Lounge,” said Ms Arif.

“When we got on the A40 I told Rida to slow down. We stopped at a red light by the BP garage and then Rida started going fast. He just kept going faster. I told him to slow down and touched his arm. Yagmur was also telling him to slow down.

“She had a previous bad experience and didn’t like going fast. We were both afraid.”

Just before they careered off the road, Ms Ozden “shouted out there was something in the road”, which led to Mr Al Mousawi swerving the car and losing control.

The beautician suffered a broken leg and a broken arm in the crash, but avoided any serious injuries.

Describing the crash, she said: “I was in the car conscious all the time. I felt every tumble. I felt everything. I had watched the Tsunami movie (The Impossible) three days before with Yagmur and there was a girl being hit by the Tsunami.

“Water was hitting her left right and centre and it felt like that. It was the worst experience of my life. I am so lucky to be alive.”

Lying on the track after the crash, Ms Arif could see Mr Al Mousawi on the platform, alive and breathing heavily. She could not see Ms Ozden and later found out she had died.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/h ... 52729.html

Watch the violence of this fool's speed enhanced accident here.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... s-A40.html

[OFSO]

"This is money" has an interesting article on the costs of running an electric car.

First paragraph reads:

To put the rising cost of electricity into context, we have based our calculation on the charging costs for the popular Volkswagen ID.3 powered by the mid-level 58kWh battery, which in the UK is currently priced from £36,195.

We have then compared it to the fuel costs for a similarly-sized VW Golf family hatchback with a 1.5-litre petrol engine, which starts from a more affordable £25,950.

Last paragraph reads:

Including the annual public charging premium to the post-cap home charging bill for an ID.3 takes the total cost per year to £2,007 for those without a charger at home. That's £388 more than the estimated annual fuel bill for a petrol Golf.

It means that unless you have a driveway or garage with a homecharger installed, an electric car could make less financial sense than a petrol powered one after 1 October.

"Could! " They must be joking. It makes NO financial sense, especially if you drive a diesel. And there's that £10,000 more you spent in the first place....

[VP959]

"This is money" has an interesting article on the costs of running an electric car.

First paragraph reads:

To put the rising cost of electricity into context, we have based our calculation on the charging costs for the popular Volkswagen ID.3 powered by the mid-level 58kWh battery, which in the UK is currently priced from £36,195.

We have then compared it to the fuel costs for a similarly-sized VW Golf family hatchback with a 1.5-litre petrol engine, which starts from a more affordable £25,950.

Last paragraph reads:

Including the annual public charging premium to the post-cap home charging bill for an ID.3 takes the total cost per year to £2,007 for those without a charger at home. That's £388 more than the estimated annual fuel bill for a petrol Golf.

It means that unless you have a driveway or garage with a homecharger installed, an electric car could make less financial sense than a petrol powered one after 1 October.

"Could! " They must be joking. It makes NO financial sense, especially if you drive a diesel. And there's that £10,000 more you spent in the first place....

The flip side is that I doubt if it costs me more than about £100 a year to charge my car, and I doubt that even the most economical diesel will do the roughly 5,000 miles a year I do on that little. Only around 30% of all UK homes don't have off-street parking, anyway, plus more and more places are coming up with charging solutions for those that do park on the street. Hampshire Council, for example, allow people to run properly protected cables across pavements.

I always find it interesting that critics choose the most extreme edge case to make a point, rather than select a more typical example. Just a way to express personal bias, perhaps.

[CharlieOneSix]

......"Could! " They must be joking. It makes NO financial sense, especially if you drive a diesel. And there's that £10,000 more you spent in the first place....

Before I changed to an electric car I drove a 3 litre diesel Audi A6 Allroad. When debating to myself whether I should replace it with this year's model it became a no contest when I realised that this year's bottom of the range, no extras, 3 litre diesel Audi A6 Allroad was £3285 more expensive than my top of the range, no extras required, Kia EV6.

It's easy to knock holes in that quoted journalistic rubbish but why should I bother - those who want to knock electric cars will continue to do so and I suppose we have to put up with the pleasure it seems to give them.

[OFSO]

I'd buy an electric car tomorrow if it made financial sense. I even lust after the model I want. I'd even pay extra for electrics over fuel. But the numbers aren't right.

[VP959]

My car is now close to three years old. Just checked on Autotrader, it seems to be worth about £45k. I paid just over £50k for it in 2019, new, so it's depreciated about £5k in three years, so roughly £1.7k/year in depreciation. My last petrol car cost me about £28k to buy (new) and after three years was worth £17k, so it cost me about £3.7k/year in depreciation. Then there is the relative fuel cost. The petrol car was very economical, around 55 to 65mpg, but that still cost me around £600/year in fuel. The Tesla costs me less than £100/year.

Over the three years I've had the Tesla I've saved around £2.5k/year, which to me makes it a financial no-brainer in terms of ownership cost. That's without the zero road tax, the cheaper insurance, the massively cheaper servicing cost and the benefits from free EV parking in town plus not having to pay any congestion charges. Overall, I'm probably saving around £3k/year by switching to an EV, enough to pay for a few days extra holiday each year.