$0. I refuse to buy a car that I can’t afford or modify. My first cars I drove belonged to my mom which were a 1989 Mazda 626DX 5-speed and a new 1997 Nissan Maxima SE 5-speed. The first car I bought was a 3 year old 2001 VW Golf TDI 5-door/5-speed with 80K miles on it that I used to experiment with biodiesel in…

Perhaps they Ford should test them in markets where smaller EVs would be more practical like affluent coastal towns where parking is tight and people rarely drive more than 40 miles in a day, on island communities, or metropolitan areas where traffic congestion is constant (lots of range when you can’t go over 30mph).…

Totally agree with #15.  I’ve often wondered how much more could it cost to produce a Torsen diff vs an open differential?  $25-$200?  I had one installed on my moderately modified VW TDI since it’s got so much low-end torque.  Makes corning at the near the limit feel like a video game.

I always roll my eyes when I see someone basically say, “be like me” and it’ll solve all the problems because I don’t have those problems. It’d be like me saying everyone can save a ton of money by buying a used EV instead of buying a new car. I bought a used off-lease Fiat 500e with 20K miles on it for $7,300 out…

Couldn’t help but thing some yellow flashing lights, reduced speed limit, and maybe a stop sign before the curve on the straight section where there’s still traction would have prevented all of this...or at least half.

When you invent the airplane, you invent the plane crash.  Put it on the smart guys who invented the modern EV to innovate the best way to put out EV fires with existing or readily available resources that firefighters have access to.

My brother-in-law is a mechanic and was just praising the X5d. I’ve got a 24 year old VW Golf TDI that has well over 300K miles and has been relatively trouble-free aside from a faulty relay 109 ($9 fix) and a broken clutch finger on the pressure plate (lasted 15yr/260K miles).  It was a simpler era.

As far as the motors go, Japanese manufacturers like Toyota/Honda/Mazda/Nissan build their consumer cars to wider tolerances than BMW/MB/Volvo/Porsche.  The motors don’t produce nearly as much power as the performance-minded European makes, but they last longer and can survive mild-moderate neglect.  What’s odd is…

I remember that. Took my 486 from 8MHz to 33MHz; going slow helped to play some of the older games. As for the Taycan, $90K is still too much for me to pay. I already have a Fiat 500e, Tesla Model S85, VW Golf TDI, and Chevy Duramax that I paid a combined $57K for. Still, it’s nice to know that I could run out and…

And the annoying this is that besides VAG/Porsche and Delta having huge sums of money...this stunt is going to be a line item as a tax deduction.

Yeah, that’s a lot of coin that the average American should not be spending on a vehicle. For now, I think EVs should just be for rich folk since the technology, longevity, limitations, and repair costs are still in the questionable category. We bought 2 used EVs that are pretty much economically disposable to us. …

Thank you.  I knew there had to a fart-joke from the headline and you did not disappoint.  

Little factoid I picked up from Engineering Explained was that auto manufacturers designed these start/stop starters for numerous cycles rather than the common starter. Further, the amount of fuel burned per start cycle is about the equivalent of idling for 6 seconds.

First thing I would do is research the likelihood of a repair and associated costs.  I chose a 2001 VW Golf TDI over a 1998 MB E300TD because the replacement motors were literally 75% less should my biodiesel experiment go awry.  For my first EV, we spent $7,300 on an off-lease 2013 Fiat 500e with 20K miles on…

Yeah, there sure are but the question is will heavier and faster vehicles become more ubiquitous.  Before all these guardrails are redesigned to take more energy, I would think the first question would be:  Will future EVs be lighter in weight and/or less powerful?  That could solve the problem right there.  Current…

Hopefully GM can build a good quality product at an affordable price...bonus points if they can build a new long-lasting sustainable model for recyclable cars too. They do such a good job with the Corvette and Volt, but everything else seems like an unimaginative bean-counter went to the parts shelf clearance aisle…

Government jobs have terrible compensation, especially during times of inflation.  Their raises are typically capped and aren’t up for review for years.  Local governments have lousy budgets and have to get voter approval for funding by way of bonds.  Personally, I think the way to lower crime is to invest in the…

Meh, germs are everywhere and folks ought to educate themselves about germ and immunity theory and best practices rather than trying to avoid...everything. Pretty much don’t touch germy places with your hands and then pick your nose, rub your eye, lick your fingers, or touch an open cut or sore before washing your…

Price seems a little steep for what they’re offering relative to the competition.  As the owner of a used 2013 Fiat 500e that was bought off-lease with 20K miles for $7,300, I can attest to the utility of having a small EV to putz around town.  My wife would drive it from Newport Beach to downtown Los Angeles where…

Dude wanted to have his toast and eat it too.  I could only imagine the regret of such a stupid decision.  My guess is that the toaster started the fire since I doubt it was designed to be used outdoors and in such cold elements.