Electric cars

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llondel
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Re: Electric cars

#141 Post by llondel » Tue Nov 16, 2021 2:05 am

Interesting that we're moving from charge to park over to park to charge.

How about dual-purpose parking meters, put a nice big power socket on them so you can use your credit card to pay to top up the car and the fee for occupying the parking spot.

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Re: Electric cars

#142 Post by PHXPhlyer » Tue Nov 16, 2021 10:42 pm

Rivian has $0 in revenue and is now the third most valuable carmaker on the planet

https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/16/cars/riv ... index.html

New York (CNN Business)Rivian, a 12-year-old startup with no revenue, is now the third most valuable carmaker in the world.

The electric vehicle maker has been public for all of one week, but its share price has more than doubled in that time, valuing Rivian at more than $140 billion — just ahead of Volkswagen ($139 billion), and in third place behind Toyota ($306 billion) and Tesla ($1 trillion).
On Tuesday, the stock opened 6% higher, at about $159 a share. When the company debuted last week, it priced its shares at $78.
Rivian only made its first truck deliveries two months ago, and the vast majority of those were to Rivian employees, according to an SEC filing. Still, it's ginned up major investor interest with prominent backing from Amazon, which bought a 20% stake in 2019, and Ford (F). Jeff Bezos is a big fan, and has been seen shuttling his fellow space explorers to and from Blue Origin's West Texas launch site in Rivian's signature truck.

Rivian is fueled by a powerful force: Jeff Bezos' desire to spite Elon Musk
Electric vehicle hype is nothing new — many analysts, and even Tesla's own founder Elon Musk, have argued that its Tesla's valuation is overinflated. But its stock keeps climbing as Wall Street envisions a future in which all-electric vehicles are the norm. Under President Joe Biden's $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan, signed into law Monday, about $7.5 billion is being set aside to build a nationwide network of plug-in electric vehicle chargers.
Investors who may have missed out on Tesla a decade ago aren't keen to miss out on another hot EV pioneer.
Rivian also boasts a potential edge over Tesla in the US market, in part because it's angling for the non-Tesla, or even anti-Tesla, crowd.
Rivian's primary product is not just any EV — it's a pickup truck. That's important in the US market, given that the top three most popular vehicles in the US are the Ford F-150, the Chevy Silverado and the Ram, in that order, according to Edmunds research.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly said Rivian hadn't brought its vehicles to market. It's been updated to note that the company made its first deliveries in September of 2021.

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Re: Electric cars

#143 Post by PHXPhlyer » Fri Nov 19, 2021 2:58 am

We tried Tesla's 'full self-driving.' Here's what happened

https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/18/cars/tes ... index.html

Washington, DC (CNN)When a dozen small children crossed in front of our Tesla with "full self-driving," I had good reason to be nervous.

I'd spent my morning so far in the backseat of the Model 3 using "full self-driving," the system that Tesla says will change the world by enabling safe and reliable autonomous vehicles. I'd watched the software nearly crash into a construction site, try to turn into a stopped truck and attempt to drive down the wrong side of the road. Angry drivers blared their horns as the system hesitated, sometimes right in the middle of an intersection. (We had an attentive human driver behind the wheel during all of our tests, to take full control when needed.)

Tesla owners say they are wowed -- and alarmed -- by 'full self-driving'
The Model 3's "full self-driving" needed plenty of human interventions to protect us and everyone else on the road. Sometimes that meant tapping the brake to turn off the software, so that it wouldn't try to drive around a car in front of us. Other times we quickly jerked the wheel to avoid a crash. (Tesla tells drivers to pay constant attention to the road, and be prepared to act immediately.)
I hoped the car wouldn't make any more stupid mistakes. After what felt like an eternity the kids finished crossing. I exhaled.
We were clear to make our turn. The car seemed overly hesitant initially, but then I noticed a bicyclist coming from our left. We waited.
Once the bicyclist crossed the intersection, the car pulled up and made a smooth turn.
Over the past year I've watched more than a hundred videos of Tesla owners using "full self-driving" technology, and I've spoken to many of them about their experiences.
"Full self-driving" is a $10,000 driver-assist feature offered by Tesla. While all new Teslas are capable of using the "full self-driving" software, buyers must opt into the costly addition if they want to access the feature. The software is still in Beta and is currently available to only a select group of Tesla owners, though CEO Elon Musk has claimed that a wider rollout is imminent. Musk promises "full self-driving" will be totally capable of getting a car to its destination in the near future.
But it doesn't do that. Far from it.
Tesla owners have described the technology as impressive but also flawed. One moment it's driving perfectly, the next moment it nearly crashes into something.
Jason Tallman, a Tesla owner who documents his "full self-driving" trips on YouTube, offered to let me experience it first-hand.
We asked Jason to meet us on Brooklyn's Flatbush Avenue. It's an urban artery that funnels thousands of cars, trucks, cyclists and pedestrians into Manhattan. For even experienced human drivers, it can be a challenge.
How Tesla can sell 'full self-driving' software that doesn't really drive itself
How Tesla can sell 'full self-driving' software that doesn't really drive itself
City driving is chaotic, with vehicles running red lights and pedestrians on nearly every block. It's a far cry from the suburban neighborhoods and predictable highways around Tesla's California offices, or the broad streets of Arizona, where Alphabet's Waymo operates fully autonomous vehicles.
Cruise, GM's self-driving company, recently completed its first fully autonomous rides in San Francisco. But they were conducted after 11 p.m. at night, when traffic is light and few pedestrians or cyclists are present.
Brooklyn offered us a chance to see how close Tesla's autonomous driving software was to replacing human drivers. It's the sort of place where humans drive because they have to, not the sort of place selected by a corporate headquarters. It's where self-driving cars might have the biggest impact.
At one point we were cruising along in the right lane of Flatbush. A construction site loomed ahead. The car continued full speed ahead toward a row of metal fencing.
I felt deja vu as I recalled a video in which a Tesla owner slammed on the brakes after his car appeared set on crashing headlong into a construction site.
But this time I was sitting in the back seat. I instinctively threw up my right arm like the Heisman Trophy, as if to protect myself in a collision.
That was a moment I wished "full self-driving" would be quick to change lanes. In other cases, I wished it would chill out on its aggressive turns.
"Full self-driving" sometimes makes jerky turns. The wheel starts to turn, but then shifts back, before again turning in its intended direction. The staggered turns generally don't seem to be a bother on sweeping suburban curves, but in a dense city largely built before cars, it's uncomfortable.

Elon Musk says Tesla is pushing ahead with 'full self-driving' a month after fatal crash
There's also the braking, which can feel random. At one point a car came close to rear ending us following braking that surprised me. Getting honked at was common. I never quite felt like I knew what "full self-driving" would do next. Asking "full self-driving" to navigate Brooklyn felt like asking a student driver to take on a road test they weren't ready for yet.
What "full self-driving" could do well was impressive, but the experience was ultimately unnerving. I can't imagine using "full self-driving" regularly in a city. I noticed I was reluctant to ever look down at the Model 3's dashboard, such as for checking our speed, because I didn't want to take my eyes off the road.
Tesla owners routinely tell me how Autopilot, the highway-focused predecessor to "full self-driving" makes their trips less stressful. They arrive at destinations feeling less fatigued. Some have told me they're more likely to go on long road trips because of Autopilot.
But "full self-driving" felt like the inverse. I felt like I needed to be constantly on guard to prevent the car from doing something wrong.
Ultimately, seeing "full self-driving" in Brooklyn reminded me of the importance of the finer points of driving, which is tough for an artificial intelligence powered car to master. Things like pulling slightly into the intersection on a narrow road to make a left turn, so traffic behind you has room to pull around. "Full self-driving" just sat in place as frustrated drivers behind us honked.
For now, "full self-driving" seems closer to a party trick to show friends than a must-have feature.

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Re: Electric cars

#144 Post by Undried Plum » Fri Nov 19, 2021 5:34 am

There are reasons why the MSM hate Tesla.

Right from the beginning, ie the success of the Model S, the MSM have carried out a smear campaign against Tesla.

Nothing new in that hate-piece.

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Re: Electric cars

#145 Post by Undried Plum » Fri Nov 19, 2021 5:38 pm

Bjørn Nyland has started reviewing the Kia EV6. He has a repertoire of several different standardised tests that he does.



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Re: Electric cars

#146 Post by PHXPhlyer » Fri Nov 19, 2021 11:13 pm

Some Tesla drivers report being locked out during server outage :-o #-o :-?

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/ ... e-rcna6205

Some Tesla drivers complained on social media Friday that they were locked out of their cars and had seen a server-related error on the company's phone app.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded personally to one complaint from a driver in Seoul, South Korea, saying on Twitter: "Checking."

A search of Twitter and an online message board for owners and fans turned up at least dozens of similar complaints about seeing an error message, although NBC News had not verified the authenticity of the complaints. Not all of them said they were locked out.

A representative for the automaker did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and it was not immediately clear how widespread the outage was.

Reports of an outage jumped around 3 p.m. ET and were still coming in three hours later, according to Downdetector, a website that tracks the outages of online services.

Other Tesla drivers said they were still able to unlock their cars with a phone-based key and start them, despite reports of the outage.

But the complaints echoed what's long been a fear of drivers as the technology in all car models has advanced: that there might not be a reliable backup if sophisticated computer systems go down or can't connect to the internet, turning a vehicle into a "brick."

In September, a Tesla driver in California reported that he couldn't get his car into neutral after it shut down in the middle of a highway, the car news website Jalopnik reported.

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Re: Electric cars

#147 Post by OFSO » Sat Nov 20, 2021 6:18 am

The BBC reports that over 600 automobiles were affected.

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Re: Electric cars

#148 Post by Boac » Sat Nov 20, 2021 7:59 am

I'm sorry, David, I can't do that?

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Re: Electric cars

#149 Post by Undried Plum » Sat Nov 20, 2021 8:53 am

Just as you should expect of the Tesla-hating MSM, the story is misreported bollocks.

The app is not the only way of unlocking the car. There is also a key. On the Model S and X it is a wee plastic car-shaped keyfob which you squeeze in different parts for different functions. On the Model 3 and Y it it an RFID credit card which you present to a short range sensor on the door pillar. Both of those systems are totally independent of the app.

I'm only surprised that the arseholes of the MSM didn't claim that the cars burst into flames.

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Re: Electric cars

#150 Post by Pontius Navigator » Sat Nov 20, 2021 9:15 am

Undried Plum wrote:
Fri Nov 19, 2021 5:34 am
There are reasons why the MSM hate Tesla.

Right from the beginning, ie the success of the Model S, the MSM have carried out a smear campaign against Tesla.

Nothing new in that hate-piece.
To you, as a fan, it might seem like a hate piece. I am now a fan of Toyota Hybrid which has semi-autonomous features. I have used auto parking on 3 occasions. Only once did I dare let it complete the manoeuvre.

Its lane assist sometimes loses it.

By far the worst feature is its lack of anticipation in adaptive cruise control. It is brilliant in a stream of traffic. Where it is downright dangerous is when traffic ahead exits on a slip road. An intelligent motorist will note that the road ahead is clear and maintain speed. The ACC will continue to slow the car long after to road is clear and you are vulnerable to a rear end shunt.

The other side of a slip can cause problems too. The intelligent driver will signal and change lanes. ACC will stay in lane and not yield to a driver joining or brake late and hard.

An experienced motorist can make split second assessments whether another vehicle is being driven safely or dangerously and act accordingly.

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Re: Electric cars

#151 Post by Undried Plum » Sat Nov 20, 2021 9:26 am

Sadly, Tesla are removing their radar system. Probably due to lack of parts, but they say it's because the video interpretation is now so good that they don't need radar.

That's a pity because the radar doesn't just look at the car ahead but looks under that car and watches the car in front of that one. It's very amusing to see it slam its own brakes on before the car in front uses its brakes because the radar has seen the visually invisible car braking.

I see that Nyland's review of the Kia EV6 is not impressed with the autosteer on that thing. I guess that the software can be improved.

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Re: Electric cars - Back to the future

#152 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sat Nov 20, 2021 9:49 am

The last time I travelled in any "fully electric road vehicle" it was in one of these, namely the No. 79 via Zoo Lake to Braamfontein and then to Johannesburg Town Centre... Of course, I didn't travel in the Non White Bus (note the green sign on the front left of the bus) as I was categorised as white. "Slegs Blankes"... FFS, what a place.

I did once to get to travel with my black brethren when I was 4 and our black maid took me to Rosebank and I was declared an honorary black by the black trolley bus driver, much to the mirth of the other, very friendly, passengers, and allowed on board with South Africa's black majority. All in all huge step forward for mankind! =))

Note the Afrikaans directions painted on the road. That photograph tells a story in itself.

Slegs Blankes.JPG

Occasionally the trolly pole or pantograph would come disconnected, and the driver would use a long wooden pole to reconnect us... Happy days...
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Your destination remains
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Re: Electric cars

#153 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sat Nov 20, 2021 11:05 am

"come disconnected, should be, "become disconnected" of course. Sex was taboo in Calvinistic SA in the 60, 70's and 80's!
=))

I believe that the trolley bus shown above was British built by Sunbeam, the electrical vehicle side of the Sunbeam car manufacturer that was based in Wolverhampton. Plus ca change!

The Johannesburg system ran until 1986...

https://www.wythall.org.uk/vehicles/vfjw616.asp

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Re: Electric cars

#154 Post by Pontius Navigator » Sat Nov 20, 2021 11:14 am

UP, a motorist closing on the car in front will check for overtaking, signal, change lanes, overtake, and then use the best clear lane.

A car with ACC will simply slow in-lane. What will a Tesla do?

Again, the intelligent motorist, having overtaken the slower vehicle and noticing a fast moving car behind, will pull back to the original lane as soon as it is safe before continuing to overtake a further vehicle. What will the Tesla do?

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Re: Electric cars

#155 Post by OFSO » Sat Nov 20, 2021 11:32 am

I don't understand why a competent driver needs a self-driving car, auto braking, lane change assistance etc. If you can't manage those things as a driver you should not be behind the wheel. I picked a lower spec Mondeo so I didn't get them and as a bonus, I also got real switches instead of a grubby touch screen. Too many designers think their car is some kind of a video game. What ever next? Aircraft where the crew just monitor the software and lose their hands-on flying skills? Oh.....

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Re: Electric cars

#156 Post by Undried Plum » Sat Nov 20, 2021 11:45 am

Pontius Navigator wrote:
Sat Nov 20, 2021 11:14 am
UP, a motorist closing on the car in front will check for overtaking, signal, change lanes, overtake, and then use the best clear lane.

A car with ACC will simply slow in-lane. What will a Tesla do?

Again, the intelligent motorist, having overtaken the slower vehicle and noticing a fast moving car behind, will pull back to the original lane as soon as it is safe before continuing to overtake a further vehicle. What will the Tesla do?
Depends which Version of Autopilot.

Mine is the basic V1.0. It will change lanes if you tell it to by flicking the indicator stalk and if it agrees that the manoeuvre is safe.

The V2.0 in FSD mode just gets on with it.

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Re: Electric cars

#157 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sat Nov 20, 2021 11:50 am

OFSO wrote:
Sat Nov 20, 2021 11:32 am
I don't understand why a competent driver needs a self-driving car, auto braking, lane change assistance etc. If you can't manage those things as a driver you should not be behind the wheel. I picked a lower spec Mondeo so I didn't get them and as a bonus, I also got real switches instead of a grubby touch screen. Too many designers think their car is some kind of a video game. What ever next? Aircraft where the crew just monitor the software and lose their hands-on flying skills? Oh.....
A totally automated system would even out the discrepancies between all grades of driver, from the idiots to the most skillful, like your good self OFSO, and ensure that the best aspects of mathematical queueing theory were applied to the road network, resulting in the most optimized, efficient routing, distancing and speeds, for all vehicles in a subset of the network. Such a system would only possibly work if all vehicles were controlled by the system, which is never going to happen, thus undermining the whole logical tenet of this theory and making this notion a pipe dream from the outset in my humble opinion. Any failures in such an automated road traffic network, would result in AI complexities that could not be solved in real time by even the most powerful super computers available today, so in the event of breakdowns, road blockages etc. the whole system would collapse into chaos that could not automatically be rectified in real time.
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Your destination remains
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Re: Electric cars

#158 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sat Nov 20, 2021 1:11 pm

Talking of electrically driven vehicles, how many have heard of this failed one? Despite the fact that it effectively generated the power using diesel engines, it highlights the fact that every electrical engine needs a power source and these are often not "green" at all!



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctic_Snow_Cruiser
Electric motor - Four 56kW electric motors
Little over just half of the power that the battery powered Rolls Royce Spirit of Innovation record breaking aircraft has...
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Re: Electric cars

#159 Post by OFSO » Sat Nov 20, 2021 3:02 pm

Oddly enough I was watching a YouTube video on the Snow Cruiser, and one on the Russian counterpart, last week.

I am aware that with age my reaction times, and my tendency to prejudge situations (first criticized 50 years ago) have not improved. Towing a heavy trailer home today the oil-burning Mondeo didn't even notice the weight during accelerating or cornering or driving the 600' uphill to my house, but braking was a different matter and I slowed well in advance. As ever drivers from the northern land had stopped on roundabouts to read maps, phone their mistresses or peruse "Le Soir" but I managed to avoid their loathsome snail-chewing frogs-leg-devouring asses, as our Cousins would say.

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Re: Electric cars

#160 Post by VP959 » Sat Nov 20, 2021 3:10 pm

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-d ... e-59359263
Rolls-Royce believes its Spirit of Innovation plane could be the world's fastest all-electric aircraft.

The firm - whose aerospace headquarters are based in Derby - said the plane reached a top speed of 387.4 mph (623 km/h) during test runs at an experimental aircraft testing site.

It is thought to have set new World Records over three different distances.

The figures have been sent to the World Air Sports Federation for verification.

The test flights took place at Boscombe Down in Amesbury, Wiltshire, on 16 November.

The top speed was achieved by test pilot and director of flight operations Phill O'Dell.

"This is the highlight of my career and is an incredible achievement for the whole team," he said.
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