Ahem...

I wonder how difficult it would be to put a BMW i3 drivetrain in a Miata?

On the one hand, the Mahindra is a cheap off-road side-by-side that doesn’t even remotely compete with a modern Wrangler. On the other hand, they lean pretty heavily into the Willys styling, and they could have made a simple box on frame diesel 4x4 look like just about anything.

I’m just glad I live in a state well outside of the Cannonball route.

What about the inverse: A car produced by a company known for their electronics?

Counter-counterpoint: Teslas are fully compatible with J1772 today via an adaptor that comes with the car.

This article is proof that there’s no such thing as bad publicity.

Yes, that’s true, but the post I was responding to was explicitly about the fueling economics of ICE vs. EV, not range.

Don’t be so sure about that. Our EV charger in the garage syncs with our utility company to show exactly how much it costs to charge our Leaf. At our power rate of $.11/kWh, it costs us $.03/mile to “fuel” our Leaf.

I have to say, our 2018 Leaf is a great car, and really turned around my perception of Nissan. The buying process was easy, it’s been extremely reliable, and it was packed with tech for good overall value.

Much different than current automotive repair? Yes.

The suspension slouch was intentional. It has adaptive air suspension than can lower the rear end and pitch up the front to make loading stuff in the back easier. In the demo, you saw it adjust to that position before he drove the quad in the back. Most high end SUVs with air suspension do the same thing.

Hubris? Sure. Douchebag? Yeah, fair enough, but Elon certainly isn’t an outright con man. The EV drivetrain in Tesla vehicles is absolutely legitimate and proven over the last 7 years since the Model S went on sale. Their Supercharger network stands apart as the greatest leap in EV charging infrastructure.

My grandpa used to drive his family of 5 in an Isetta this way. He stuck his head out the top, my grandma sat on the passenger side of the bunch with my aunt on her lap, my mom sat behind my grandpa, and my uncle curled up on the parcel shelf above the engine. 

#COTD

I have driven on European roads, and my point remains. I can understand a head-on collision, and I said that in my earlier post, but sideways square in the middle like that? Maybe if you spun on snow?

The speeds were far beyond those that are common in standard crash tests. Conclusion of the accident researchers: The tested electric vehicles are comparable to comparable conventionally driven vehicles in safety.

Ok, but manufacturer websites can make mistakes. Doesn’t that number seem outrageously high to you? BMWs in general are heavy cars, but that’s way off the charts for a CUV. If I saw that in Mini press release, I’d be calling them to confirm.

That can’t be correct. The 2018 Mini Countryman Hybrid is 3948lbs, and that’s hauling around a big battery pack and three electric motors. How is this 800lbs more than that?

It’s 1996. Jurassic Park has made dinosaurs cool again.