Category Archives: Air Conditioning

Secret to Success

Posted in Air Conditioning, Electectric vehicles, Electric Automobiles, Elon Musk, EVs by

Despite my initial hesitation, I’ve observed a striking pattern among truly successful individuals that compels me to share my insights.

During a recent interview, Elon Musk, currently recognized as the world’s wealthiest individual, shared an intriguing insight about his automotive design philosophy. What initially seemed like a casual remark caught my attention: he candidly explained that he designed his car primarily to suit his own preferences. At first, I chuckled at the statement, but upon reflection, I realized the profound logic behind his approach. By creating a vehicle that perfectly matched his personal tastes and requirements, Musk intuited that others might find similar appeal in a design crafted with genuine passion and meticulous attention to detail.

Throughout my extensive automotive experiences, I’ve observed that none of the vehicles seemed to reflect a CEO’s direct creative involvement or personal touch in their design.

The leadership disconnect becomes apparent when product design reveals a fundamental lack of real-world experience. When a vehicle’s shortcomings are glaringly evident, it suggests that key decision-makers have never truly tested the product beyond a superficial demonstration. While executives may conceptualize innovations, the absence of comprehensive field testing exposes a critical gap between design and practical functionality.

For example, one crisp morning, I slid into my car, immediately feeling the sharp bite of winter’s chill. Seeking refuge from the cold, I pressed the dashboard’s recirculation button, hoping for instant warmth. Momentarily, a wave of tepid air enveloped me, only to be quickly replaced by the frigid atmosphere outside. Glancing down, I noticed the recycle button had deactivated, while the fresh air indicator now glowed brightly, betraying my brief attempt at comfort.

The recirculation button stubbornly resisted my attempts, requiring multiple presses before engaging. The Nissan engineer’s design philosophy seemed to prioritize a constant influx of outside air, challenging my preference for a controlled cabin environment. Their vision of comfort diverged sharply from my own, forcing me to adapt to their predetermined ventilation strategy.

While my electric Nissan is a joy to drive, there are a few design choices that could use improvement. (No spare) Additionally, I find the complex button interface less intuitive than a straightforward lever control. A simple lever would not only simplify air circulation settings but also allow me to easily blend fresh outside air with recirculated air, enhancing the overall driving experience.

As I listened to the comment by Elon Musk, I couldn’t help but wonder if Teslas have buttons or a lever. Either way, I cannot imagine him struggling to get warm air. If he did, even once, an engineer would certainly be clearing out his desk immediately, if not sooner.

As an aside, heating the outside air takes more BTUs. Considering electric cars use heat pumps instead of engine heat, that amounts to a real significant impact on the environment as well as the wallet.

Oh! By the way, it also effects the range.

Oh! That Air Feels Good

Posted in Air Conditioning, Drill Baby, Drill, Going Green, Uncategorized by

Here I was, sitting in my easy chair, taking it easy. When, all of a sudden, that means no warning, the air conditioner beeped and turned off. I opened my eyes and saw the ceiling fan was not fanning so much. I looked over at the air conditioner and realized it was off, and so were all the lights in the house.

For those unaware, it can only mean one thing. Someone hit another power pole. Don’t have any idea why people have to do that. Maybe it was another lost Memphis driver. I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. All that really counts, they took my cool air from me without notice.

I called the wife and soon we were on our way to a nice cold restaurant. However, first, I needed to make a little stop. I needed to drop my script off at the store. As I approached the drive through, I saw just one car ahead of me. Good thing. I did not want to wait long.

As I pulled in, the car pulled away. Now that was too good to be true. Sure enough, as I approached the window, I could see it was closed, the shade was pulled down and there was a sign, “No Power.”

Now that is just not right. Well, it was on to that nice cool restaurant. As I approached the Burger King. I knew exactly what I was going to get. One of those nice big juicy Whoppers and onion rings. My wife decided on a chicken sandwich. There was one hitch. The dinning room was hot.

Apparently their A/C was not A/Cing. However; we were hungry and I could already taste that wonderful Whopper. In a few minutes, we had our meals and we did enjoy them in spite of the heat. I mean, after all, it’s not as if I didn’t have to eat in such situations before and my wife enjoys the heat.

As we left, I double thanked the Burger King crew for such good food and service. I didn’t even mention the A/C. It wasn’t their fault. Besides, I only ate in it. They had to work in it! They did look at me strangely. Clearly they were not used to customers thanking them for doing what they were paid to do.

As we approached the house, I saw signs of hope. I could see porch lights glowing, even as we neared the house. Then, there I saw, our porch, with the light on.

I went inside and the little 8000 BTU A/C was really A/Cing. Nice cold air was coming out of it. I sat down in my easy chair and took it easy. And, Oh! did that air feel good. I mean. What did people do before A/C? Well, I do guess they did a lot of what I was doing, complaining.

Maybe that going green outfit like going without A/C. As for me, I say, drill baby drill. I like my A/C, a lot.