Also, my credit union (First Tech, which is huge) will finance whatever/wherever. But if it’s not a CUDL purchase, they will cut a cashier’s check, which means there’s more risk to you if the deal isn’t legitimate for any reason. They will on occasion direct transfer funds to a non-CUDL seller (Enterprise in my case)…

But it’s also a city that driving 50 miles east or west puts you squarely in snow territory half the year.

Everybody will have go full Mercury Sable:

Ok, but let us know which one has the higher lifetime operating costs when they both have 200,000 miles. I suspect it won’t be the Odyssey. 

Yes, but the quality and customizability of OSV vs SMB isn’t anywhere close to the level. Sure, SMB lets you pick your layouts and what amenities you want, but you’re still betting MDF-based cabinet and RV-spec components. It’s hard to explain on paper, but if you took at a good look at the construction of both, you’d…

The Sprinter, even the long-wheelbase, extended, high-roof, still only gets 188 hp.

It’s double-walled. With the section of solid slab overhead, I think this concept utilizes a lift in the center of the aquarium, to bring your car up to the slab when you want to drive.

I agree with that, but that’s almost the last worry on heavy trucks, since powertrains already come as packages that are extensively dyno-durability tested.

I got hung up on that too. Glad you pointed that out.

The largest barrier to widespread adoption IMO won’t be range, and probably not even recharge time. It’ll be the lack of durability testing. Tesla will be launching this with maybe tens of thousands of test miles logged. Freightliner puts their prototype trucks through millions test miles, on both the Redmond Oregon…

Probably not much, if anything. Add a bunch of weight to a Forester, and it gets pretty dismal fuel economy. Like mid teens on the highway, once you load up the back and put a cargo box on the roof. And at that point its dangerously slow. Then there’s the extra engineering for driving up curbs at speed, or taking a 75…

It probably won’t be noticeable once the obligatory push bar grill guard is installed.

I think it’s nothing more than a CYA. They granted a waiver after a new standard was implemented, and then people died. Nevermind that nearly all other Amtrak equipment is also non-compliant with the new standard, but they don’t have to be. But what’s super disappointing, is this might end up causing the route to use…

Battery pack failures correspond more with age rather than miles. And the packs are relatively easy to rebuild. Usually just a handful of cells go bad, and can swapped easier than changing spark plugs in may new new cars. The biggest hinderance is likely the lack of acceptance for hybrid owners to bring their cars to…

All trains in the US are subject to FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) unless they are on their own closed track system. Our regulations are just as antiquated as our trains are. The FRA basically assumed passenger trains will inevitably collide with a freight trains as some point, which unfortunately is somewhat…

Compared to coaches used outside the US, I suspect you are right, that the loading is higher with the single-wheel-pairs. Compared to the ancient 60-year-old rolling stock used everywhere in the US, besides the Pacific Northwest (and recently Florida) it’s still way lighter. The rest of the US still runs these…

Talgo train-sets have wheel-loading similar to other passenger coaches, because each coach is shorter, lower, and made from aluminum and composites. The single-wheel arrangement is necessary because they are “pendulars”, or passive tilting train-sets, where the independent wheels connect to a support post, and the…

Everybody I knew how considered one went with either an F150 max tow (which tows and carries more) or a Ram 2500 diesel, which rides nearly as well, and tows much more while getting nearly the same fuel economy.

So much this. The Sentra makes the EcoSport feel like a Premium car.

The Escape battery pack is nearly the same Panasonic unit as the Prius. Usually if you have a pack fault (and cleaned all the connetors), you plug in a scan tool and it will display with cell-bank is out of spec. Then you pull the pack, and start testing the cells in the bad bank. Swap out the bad cell, and you’re…