“Microsoft did the same thing with Windows. Why just make desktops, when you can create the standard on which ALL computers run.”

WOW. I never claimed Ford can’t invent anything, as I also read the article(s) that mentioned Ford’s own 100 patents. Nice straw man, though!

Unfortunately, engineers generally aren’t great at impacting the key drivers for long-term value. They’re great at making those things become reality once they’re identified and prioritized, but they either lack exposure to/respect for long-term, high-level innovative thinking, or the clout to actually get it to take…

This “nonsense” I’m apparently spewing sure looks interesting in retrospect: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/10/business/ford-to-use-toyota-s-hybrid-technology.html. And I’ve never seen anyone describe it as cross-licensing - it was a one-way transaction, unless I’m missing something?

Toyota’s also got the best handle on operations. They’re more profitable than other OEMs with similar unit sales volume in large part because they learned how to remove waste from their operations, which simultaneously improves quality while reducing costs (leading to higher top-line and bottom-line). Somehow, despite…

Ford licensed their hybrid tech from Toyota, so... not sure how that makes them innovative?

“The plan included a few tangibles — $14 billion in cost cuts and a $7 billion shift in spending away from passenger cars.”

Well hey, if the oil’s still leaking, you at least know there’s still some in there.

Starred before I even hit play, thank you

MORE KEI VAN HOONING PLEASE

I just grind coffee, put it in a pitcher, add water, and let it sit for a day (maybe giving it a little swirl every few hours). Then I put a paper towel on top of a strainer, pour the coffee through it into a second container, toss the grounds, rinse the containers, and that’s it. It takes about 5 minutes of actual…

I just grind coffee, put it in a pitcher, add water, and let it sit for a day (maybe giving it a little swirl every…

Yeah, and considering most modern cars sold in America have automatic transmissions, if you floor it, you’re downshifting to near peak power anyway.

Hey, only one of us has been throwing our arms up in the air and hurling insults.

Area under the curve is important depending on the situation and the transmission. With a well-tuned CVT system, you don’t need area under the curve, for instance. For road racing with a manual transmission, you only need that area in a limited range. Most engines aren’t peaky enough for the area to matter too much -…

If by “fun” you mean the 2018 Sienna, then... I totally agree! Minivans rule!

Oh man, how hard did you get flamed for bringing jet engines into things? I tried that, and people were all like “but that makes thrust, not torque!!” To which I wanted to say, “EXACTLY” but oh well (despite the fact that like you, I was also talking about a geared turbine that powers the wheels). Power is power is…

That’s even more correct if we even more specifically ignore road load (the combo of aero and rolling resistance and any other factor, found through coast-down tests) :P

Ha, thanks. I’m certainly not worried... I didn’t want to argue from authority earlier, but rather with substantive appeals to logic and physics, but I did spend some time getting paid to think about this exact topic (read: roughly 3000 hours), and really wrapping my head around it. Trusting the very simple,…

Yup yup. What everyone seems to forget in these discussions is that torque at the engine has to get multiplied by torque in the transmission. Engine power, not torque, works around that fussy conversion, so if we want to keep things simple (a la the video) torque should just get dropped from the discussion.

No, I was talking about a jet-powered dragster that powers the wheels, not one that uses thrust, I should have made that more clear. Anyway, the guy on the Kawi could slip the clutch and beat the Harley through the intersection.