What Drives Us episode

#348 Dieselgate Saves VW

14 Jan , 2020   Video

This week:
1) States face roadblocks on path to lower tailpipe emissions.
2) BMW remains committed to ICE cars for at least 30 more years.
3) The Prius is no longer Toyota’s top-selling hybrid.
4) Sony shocks CES by unveiling a car.
5) The Fisker Ocean might actually be areal thing.
6) Tesla’s Gigafactory 4 has to tread lightly in the forest.

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audio only,What Drives Us episode

# 347 Robot Replacements

3 Jan , 2020   Video

1) Tony reviewed the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. Be sure to check out his two separate reviews:
Ride-along review: https://youtu.be/ed4CUB73QWE
Walk-around review: https://youtu.be/hty_KFkWZMY

2) At the beginning of the 2010s, Lithium-Ion batteries were projected to herald in the era of the electric vehicle. We discuss accessibility of battery components and the drop in prices.

3) Volkswagen has released conceptual animations of very cute little battery charging robots. You park your car anywhere in a parking garage and the robots will not only bring a mobile battery pack, the pack will plug itself into your car.

4) December saw a flurry of Tesla software updates. We pick them apart.

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audio only,What Drives Us episode

#346 Last Episode of 2019

3 Jan , 2020   Video

In this, the final episode of 2019, we discuss:

1) The environmental impact of our instant gratification economy. Is it better or worse when we can order almost any amount of almost anything online and have it delivered to our house?

2) The US House passed a new spending bill that extends credits for EV chargers, motorcycles, and fuel cells but fails to extend credits for EV cars. Also, coal plants owned by Native Americans are subsidized.

3) The E-RV is a pretty awesome 5th Wheel camper that has a huge battery for full off-the-grid living. The battery can be recharged by plugging in, solar on the roof, and/or regeneration while being towed.

4) Portland, Oregon, is really stepping up their mass transit game by implementing impressive measures with their Trimet system. From green buses to renewable diesel and free rides for minors, this is mass transit done right.

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audio only,What Drives Us episode

#346: Last Episode of 2019

23 Dec , 2019   Video

In this, the final episode of 2019, we discuss:

1) The environmental impact of our instant gratification economy. Is it better or worse when we can order almost any amount of almost anything online and have it delivered to our house?

2) The US House passed a new spending bill that extends credits for EV chargers, motorcycles, and fuel cells but fails to extend credits for EV cars. Also, coal plants owned by Native Americans are subsidized.

3) The E-RV is a pretty awesome 5th Wheel camper that has a huge battery for full off-the-grid living. The battery can be recharged by plugging in, solar on the roof, and/or regeneration while being towed.

4) Portland, Oregon, is really stepping up their mass transit game by implementing impressive measures with their Trimet system. From green buses to renewable diesel and free rides for minors, this is mass transit done right.

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What Drives Us episode

#336 Hydrogen Double Take

5 Oct , 2019   Video

  1. Florida Power & Light committed to 1,000 new EV chargershttps://insideevs.com/news/373803/florida-1000-charging-points/
  2. From Yahoo! Finance: Solar and Wind are now Cheaper than Coal in Most of the World:https://finance.yahoo.com/news/solar-wind-now-cheaper-coal-210000650.html
  3. Truly a new take or just flogging an old trope one more time?https://www.thedrive.com/tech/26050/exclusive-toyota-hydrogen-boss-explains-how-fuel-cells-can-achieve-corolla-costs
  4. This is going to be fun: The 2nd Gen Mirai will be out in 2020.  They’re actually making a 2nd Gen:https://www.autoblog.com/2019/09/26/toyota-mirai-hydrogen-fuel-cell-car-second-generation/
  5. And speaking of Hydrogen:Engineers in Alberta think the’ve found a way for the oilseeds to produce clean fuel:https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/alberta-hydrogen-innovation-1.5290297
  6. Lane tape might be a cheap fix to help AV developmenthttps://www.on-sitemag.com/roads/marking-the-way-to-driverless-cars-ontarios-407-etr-3m-team-up-to-test-novel-road-tape/1003965295/
  7. Between 1990-2016, despite a sizable 35% increase in the overall fuel efficiency of our vehicle fleet, national emissions rose by 21%. Why? Because those improvements were accompanied by a 50% increase in driving.
    https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/Open-Forum-Electric-cars-won-t-save-us-but-a-14462534.php
  8. Some people love car dealers (service)
    https://www.autonews.com/fixed-ops-journal/survey-3-out-4-vehicle-owners-prefer-dealership-service

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audio only,What Drives Us episode

#332 Burning for You (A Solar Tale)

24 Aug , 2019   Video

1) Pre-Porsche Porsche fails to sell after Auction Boondoggle https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-18/type-64-nazi-car-by-porsche-fails-to-sell-amid-auction-blunder

2) Continental is Shifting Their Focus from Manufacturing parts for ICE vehicles to Making parts for EV vehicles. https://www.wired.com/story/auto-supplier-betting-electric-future/

3) The World’s Largest EV never needs to Plug In https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1124478_world-s-largest-ev-never-has-to-be-recharged

4) Tesla (again) Launches Rooftop Solar Plan https://www.ccn.com/elon-musk-tesla-solar/

5) Wal-Mart Sues Tesla for Rooftop Solar Fires https://www.reuters.com/article/us-walmart-tesla-solar-lawsuit/walmart-sues-tesla-over-fires-at-stores-using-its-solar-panels-idUSKCN1VA26B

6) Los Angeles has just about had it with Waze https://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/waze-los-angeles-neighborhoods/

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audio only,What Drives Us episode

#329 – Safer Cars Make Less Safe Drivers

28 Jul , 2019   Video

1) Dockless scooters are being ticketed, towed, and impounded.
https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/24/20696405/dockless-scooters-share-repo-men-repossessor-lawsuit-tow-yard-lime-bird-lyft-uber-razor

2) Uber’s CEO predicted self-driving cars and flying cars by now. Why’s my flaying car?
https://www.geekwire.com/2018/uber-ceo-expects-self-driving-cars-start-picking-passengers-18-months-flying-cars-5-7-years/

3) Carlos Ghosn is suing Nissan-Mitsubishi because they fired him wrong
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-renault-nissan-ghosn-idUSKCN1UF063

4) Safety Technology makes people less safe
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1369847818302559

5) 50 Solar charging stations have been installed in New York City
https://solarchargeddriving.com/2019/07/16/solar-ev-charging-stations-go-up-in-new-york-city

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audio only,What Drives Us episode

#328 The Wind Beneath my Kilt

28 Jul , 2019   Video

1) The HD LiveWire approaches launch – https://youtu.be/rfitxBa7UPg?t=6m40s
https://www.rideapart.com/articles/359677/2020-harley-davidson-livewire-ride-review/
2) The wind doesn’t always blow. . .
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/15/scotland-has-produced-enough-wind-energy-to-power-its-homes-twice-over.html
3) . . . and the sun doesn’t always shine. . .
Solar power system that works at night a renewable energy game-changer
4) . . . which is why we have batteries.
Energy storage market booms, with more growth to come
5) Dealership wins lawsuit against Toyota.
https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-fi-toyota-prius-verdict-20190715-story.html
6) REE Reinvents the Wheel and Plans to Manufacturer Skateboards
https://newatlas.com/ree-modular-mobility-platform/60486/#p577444

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