Category Archives: Electric Automobiles

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.

 Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)

Posted in Being woke, Biden, Electric Automobiles, EVs, Going Green by

Since I bought my Nissan Ariya, I have been very pleased with it mostly other than trying to find a place to charge it. I could not understand that. I mean, if we are going to have all those ‘wonderful’ EV cars on the road by 2030, how are we going charge them without charging stations.

Even if we have chargers at home, there will have to have chargers for travelers. To be sure the Dems did pass a bill to have millions of chargers all over the country and we have, what? 47 new chargers from it.

Well, now that the curtains have been pushed aside and the failures of Old Joe are really coming to light. It would seem that government regulations have gotten in the way. What regs am I talking about. Look it up. In the law that sets aside the money for billions for the chargers also has DEI regulations. That’s right. Those that are going to get the grants must prove hiring practices that adhere to the regs. You want to set up some charger stations, you’re going to have to foot the bill yourself or be ready to fill out a bunch of paperwork proving that you adhere to hiring practices made by the Dems. It would appear that their own absurd regulations are acting like the shoestrings for them to trip over.

So that is why a Dem green law involving billions of dollars has fallen flat. My guess… it will take a businessman like Trump to make it work. He would likely pull all the dumb regulations out of the bill, that is, if the Dems will permit it.

Then maybe, I will be able to charge my Nissan Ariya while on the road. That is maybe. Just goes to show, the Dems can’t even do Going Green well.

EV With 450 Mile Range

Posted in Electric Automobiles, EVs, Uncategorized by

I noticed an announcement of a car that has 450 mile range. That is very significant. In theory, a person would be able to drive 900 miles. That means driving coast to coast in three days, almost. That is certainly something I could live with. If I were still working, it would allow me to drive 200 miles each way to work; or, more likely, 100 miles each way to work for two days. That would be plenty for most of us. If work is just 40 miles away, as it was for me, we can drive the entire work week without one recharge. It might even make it through the weekend too.

So what is the EV, a Cadillac. The price, $125 K. The chances of me being able to afford one, 0. Actually, less than 0. I was barely able to afford the 40K for the Nissan I have. However, I am sure my insurance agent would like it if I bought it. I am sure his share of the insurance payment would be very significant.

Still, maybe one day I will rent one, just to see what it’s like.

While I am on the subject of EVs, I don’t really think that anyone really likes the idea as they would like us to think. If there was really a push on it, there would be an all out effort to get the charger stations out there. There should be one charger station, minimum, every 40 miles along the interstates. I don’t see that yet. I don’t even see any effort for it.

Moreover, some standardization needs to be made. I have mentioned this before, but every station should be able to serve as a level II charging station. That would charge my car from 10% to 80% in about 5 hours. Not ideal, true. However, it might keep us from getting stranded. I might be tempted to drive a little more.

Finally, on another front, one battery builder has released that they are working on 20 year batteries. This is very significant as very few would keep their car more than 10 years. If nothing else, it would increase the trade in value of the car.

Most people are not aware as to what determines battery life. Let me explain it this way. My car, new has a range of about 210 miles. When it drops down to a little over 140 miles, then they consider it time to replace the battery. However, in general, you can continue to use the same batteries. It just is that it gets less and less convenient. (my batteries are warranted for 10 years or 70 K miles. If I can’t get 140 miles out of my car with just 50 K miles, then they have to replace the batteries. First, I don’t guess that happens much. Second, I likely won’t know it. I only have 3K miles after one year. As I said, I’m retired. I don’t drive much. The main reason I got the car. At 76, I don’t think I will be driving another 10 years and I certainly am not going to put 70K miles on the car.

Oil and EVs

Posted in Electric Automobiles, EVs by

For some, it is thought that if we do away with drilling for oil, it won’t effect the the Electric Vehicles. I can’t imagine anyone falling for that, but it just ain’t so. Windmills and solar batteries have their limits.

The only thing more elusive than the EV is the perpetual motion machine. Even with the perpetual motion machine, if possible, it will still run down as power is removed from it.

Let’s look at some of the advantages of the EV, ignoring it’s one big problem.

The EV very reliable. The electric motor has one moving part which is suspended on two bearings of some kind. As near as I can tell, there is no reason an electric motor shouldn’t last a hundred years, assuming the bearings are replaced regularly.

It’s efficient. Not only does the electric motor convert most of the electricity to energy, but some can be recovered while coming to a stop or while going downhill. While not in motion, it uses no power at all other than to run the computer and cabin environmental system. You turn off the heating and cooling, the power is just almost negligible.

They are quiet, to the chagrin of many teens that think a car should make more noise than a truck. That might seem to be a small thing until you have to live next to a six lane interstate.

Disregarding the power source, an electric motor uses very little space. The one in my car isn’t much bigger than a 5hp lawn mower engine. They are also much lighter than an internal combustion engine. Of course, these two advantages are quickly negated with the size and weight of batteries. If we could just cut their size and weight down to that of flashlight batteries.

It would be even better if we could decrease the price down to that of flashlight batteries too. I’ve been checking on the price to replace the batteries in my car. I hope that never happens. As near as I can tell, it is more than ten grand, plus labor. One offset, the batteries can be sold to companies that make use of the life still in them. They can be used for up to an additional 5 or 6 years.

Electric cars are clean. Most internal combustion engines are a far cry from the old car that used a quart of oil a month and oozed grease anywhere and everywhere around the motor or undercarriage. However, they still do use oil and they still get dirty. The only dirt on my EV is what it picks up is from the road. It does not require any oil changes. Most of the regular maintenance has to do with the suspension and steering system. I guess, once a year I’ll go to one of those places that cleans car undercarriages. Wait a minute. I’m already behind. I’ve had the car a year. Guess I need to get busy and start looking for one.

It would appear that the truly wonderful car would be the one that has all the advantages of EVs while none of the disadvantages. I don’t think that will ever happen. However, they are a lot closer today than they were 30 years ago. Maybe another 40 years and most will be driving EVs. The trick of course is coming up with a way of generating all that power and delivering it to the cars.

My One Year Evaluation on the Nissan EV

Posted in Electectric vehicles, Electric Automobiles, Uncategorized by

So many things to say and I have no idea where to start. So I guess I will just start.

First, I would not recommend this car as a primary family vehicle. If It truly had a 210 mile maximum range, maybe. However, this is optimistic at best. If the weather is good, it would likely make it. However, on warm or cold days, the electric power of the environment system would use maybe 10 to 15 percent of the battery power, more for short trips. I will say, I wished I had the resources to buy the model that had the 300 mile range. It also had hands free driving. Unfortunately, it cost 10,000 more, which I did not have.

A minor point, but very important point. They highly recommend that you don’t charge the battery past 80% and that you don’t recharge it until it is below 20%. This means, if you follow the recommendations, you need to stay within the 60% in between. Moreover, they recommend you don’t use the high speed charger too frequently. The batteries last longer when they are charged slowly.

Now let’s say you want to use the car to drive back and forth to work. You start out with a full battery and when you get back home, you check the battery. 48%. Now, do you recharge early or do you just run out of energy on the way home from work the next day? I don’t know about you, but I would recharge the battery every day.

The above assumes that you left to work on the first day with a full battery. If you start out with 80%, then when you arrive home, you will only have about 20%. I guess that makes it work. Still, I’d just as soon not cut it that close. Given the number of chargers around, I get nervous when the indicator shows I have less that 40%. Besides, it all needs to be recalculated if you get the 300 mile model.

Now. Let’s look at another scenario. Your car has 41%. You need to go on a 50 mile trip. That means you will need to go 100 miles total. Do you want to recharge the battery before you leave, early. Or do you recharge it before you leave. If you recharge to 80%. then you will have 120 mile range. That will give you a forty mile margin. If you follow the guidelines, you start off on your trip and drive there and half way back. Sorry.

For me, and likely many retired people like me, it’s a good car. I think I spend about half what I would spend on gas. I don’t change oil or change engine air filters. I don’t know what a filter goes for nowadays, but I would guess I could go a few hundred miles by paying for the electricity instead.

Don’t make any mistakes. The original cost of the car is a lot. You will have to drive a lot of miles to save enough to overcome the original difference in cost. If I had bought the equivalent gas powered car, I think I would have saved about 15 thousand give or take.

For me, I did the right thing. It is what I wanted and I’d do the same today. However, I would have done it much differently. I would have made sure I could charge the car at a Tesla charger. Moreover, if possible, I would have bought a smaller car. It would have been less expensive on the front end and would use less electricity. With just the two of us, we don’t need anything that big.

Considering I am retired, a smaller car would have been fine for us. Perhaps the one thing I really like the most is that, the first time I raised the hood was to put window washer solution in it. That was about 10 months after I bought it. I charge it. I drive it. That’s pretty nice. I guess it will be a while before I lift the hood again. If you like a car that does not need a whole lot of maintenance, it’s just almost perfect. My guess is that I won’t ever replace the battery. I doubt I will live that long. If I do, it will likely be 7 or 8 years. I will be over 80. I don’t know if I’ll still be driving.

I do find some to the controls frustrating. Operation of the cruise control does still aggravate me from time to time. I turn it on and let up on the “gas” and the car starts slowing. Then I realize, I forgot to turn copilot thing on first. Or, maybe I forget and turn the copilot thing off, thinking I am turning it on. I still don’t know about some of the controls. Learning how to charge the car off my house current was a hit and miss thing that really caused me a lot of grief. They should have told me how or they should have made it easier. At least they could provide a small pamphlet explaining it.

You might think this trivial, but, to me it is frustrating. The cup holders in the console are one in front of the other, not side by side. Okay. That hardly deserves a mention. The problem is that with them as they are, my wife keeps stealing my drink. Then she gets angry when I correct her.

Speaking of consoles. There is hardly any storage in it. Maybe they couldn’t put any more storage there. It just is, if there is going to be a console that large, it would be nice to have some storage in it. If not, do away with it. As something of a big man, I’d just as soon have the space.

I don’t know about others, but I find it difficult to enter destinations into the GPS system. It seems to assume I know the address of the destination. As an aside, it was of very little use when I tried to find the Social Security office in Hernando. I spent 45 minutes looking for the place.

I guess I can’t complain a lot about that. When I mentioned it to people at the Social Security office, they said everyone else that uses a GPS has the same problem. The crazy thing kept sending me down I-55 to Coldwater. I used a lot of battery trying to find that place.

The car heats up to 120-130 degrees in the hot sun. Nothing new there. However, it really taxes the air-conditioner for a while. Maybe a good exhaust fan would be in order to run 90 degree air though it for 5-6 minutes. It would also use a lot less energy. Much more efficient to cool 90 degree air than 120 degree air…faster too.

I will say this about the car. With the environment system off, with the radio off, when I go down the road, it seems I am coasting. I don’t hear anything but the air going by at 70 mph. (well maybe 72)

There is one more thing I am eventually going to have to find out. How much the windshield will cost. I didn’t even see it happen. However some rock came in contact with the window and don’t like that. They didn’t even let the car last out the year. It’s just not right.

Just thought of two more things I wish they put on the car that wouldn’t have cost them much. First, a readout on the current cabin temperature. Not much but I guess I will need to buy something.

Second, while the car is charging, there is no way to see the charge level without turning the car on. Sort of inconvenient.

It does make me wonder, did they leave these things off out of choice or did they just not think of it? Would they pay any attention to me if I suggested it?

Quick Word of Thanks to Nissan

Posted in Electectric vehicles, Electric Automobiles by

I was a bit confused the other day when added windshield washer fluid. There are three other things that look like they need attention from time to time. Well, Nissan did send me an Email telling me it’s time for a yearly checkup. So I put the wife in the car and we went up to have the car checked.

Before anything else, I asked about all the things that look like they need attention. I asked, what are they. How do I know they need new fluid. Finally, what kind of fluid do they need.

One is for the breaks and uses regular break fluid. One is for the motor and one is to cool the batteries. The fluid for the batteries and motor is the same type of fluid and I can get it at a car parts store. The good new is that, once I got my head in the right place, I could see they are right at the top.

After all that, I found out that the car needed no attention. After another 2000 miles, I need to have the tires rotated. However, in spite of not needing any attention, they cleaned all the leaves that collected in under the hood and vacuumed the interior. No charge. Not a bad deal.

However, they were all interested in how I liked the car. I asked if they are still selling them. They said they just sold one a couple of days ago.

If I have any regrets, it’s that I didn’t get the one that was 10000 more but I just couldn’t afford it. I likely would not have been able to finance it. With it having 100 mile more range, I would not be as hesitant to a little farther than home. (140 miles instead of 85). Also, it has a self drive function. Still, for 10000, I think I’ll drive it myself.

One Year

Posted in Electectric vehicles, Electric Automobiles, EVs, Uncategorized by

Just got an E-mail from the dealer. My Nissan EV is no longer new. It is a year old. Since I bought it, I refilled the window washer fluid once. Other than recharging it, that is it. On the other hand, had I not bought it, I would have had to put 6,000 dollars maintenance into my Chevy. (steering, gaskets, tail light and likely, a few more things.

To be sure, I did not save anything by paying 40 thousand for the new car, neither did it cost me the full 40 grand. No oil changes. As near as I can tell, it is a wash between gas and charging, maybe a tad more for for electricity.

Of course, being retired, I do only put 5 to 10 miles a day on it.

As far as I’m concerned, the only real concern is taking the long ride. I don’t have much confidence in finding a place to charge the for the long run. If I am going over 80 miles from the house, I’ll use the Chevy.

I think, ultimately, the EV just may find its niche, especially for folks like me that don’t drive much. I also suspect that smaller cars might be better for some. There is plenty of room for 7 in my car and I’ve never had more than 3 in it. The vast majority of time, it was just the wife and me. Sometimes, just me. Personally, I do like the size but others might not.

Heat and Mileage

Posted in Biden, Electric Automobiles, EVs, Uncategorized by

I have always known that the heat will effect mileage of electric cars, or any car with air conditioning really. However, as usual, experience is a good teacher. Now that it has been hitting 95 degrees daily lately it is becoming a great deal more obvious. For this reason, the wife and I have started waiting longer before we go out.

At the end of each trip, my EV Nissan gives me a report on how many miles per KW hour I had. It is pretty normal to score anywhere from 3.0 to 3.8. However, here lately, I have been getting reports around 2.3 and 2.4. It is somewhat logical as it takes half the 5 mile ride to cool the car down.

On rare occasions, when driving at night, I get reports close to 5.0. Then the other day, in the evening, I needed very little air conditioning. It wasn’t so hot and my trip was about half in the shade. When I pulled into the drive and turned off the car, I was surprised with a 6.1 miles per KW Hour.

That tells me, I would get much better mileage if I could do all my driving in a climate of 72 degrees where the sun is not heating the cabin through the windows.

Well, I have also drawn a few more conclusions. I could drastically increase my mileage if I could always park my car with the windows wide open. If I could leave the air conditioning off, I just might be able to double my range.

I can’t imagine that others are not completely aware of what I am saying. Moreover, air conditioning does create a load on internal combustion engines, too, likely more than we want to admit. Might it be possible that AC might cost as much as 5 or 6 miles per gallon. This is particularly true when a car must be parked in the sun, pushing the cabin heat to 130, maybe 140 degrees. Likely that compressor in any car is kept running the first 3 or 4 miles.

In the old days, we just rolled the windows down which helped a lot. We just can’t do that anymore. Weather aside, too many thieves. Too much of a temptation. The cost of insurance is high enough. However, If the cost of fuel keeps going up, we might need to roll the windows down anyway and make sure we leave nothing in the car we don’t want to lose.

There are other solutions of course. I did many years ago cover my car with a reflective cover. It worked okay, but by the time I took it off the car, the sun already heated the car. Besides, someone took the cover.

My wife is always tell me, I think to much. I guess that’s true. I did consider just a couple of 4 x 8 pieces of plywood with aluminum foil. I almost did it a time or two. I also wondered if I might be able to mount the things on the car while driving. I am sure it would drive the cost of AC down, but I’m not sure it would be legal.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a piece of foam that would fit over the car and hang over the windows a little. That would not only protect from the heat but it would also prolong the life of the interior, maybe a little. The foam could be rolled up while not in use and put in the trunk. I kind of like this idea the most, if I could find a piece of foam. It would not help while driving. However, it would not take as long to cool the cabin.

My car, I guess as most cars with AC allow the driver to select to recirculate the interior air or pull in fresh air and cool it. Many overlook it. When the cabin is 120 degrees, it is better to draw 95 degree air in and cool it instead of the hot interior air, while forcing the 120 degree air out.

On the other hand, once the interior of the car has cooled blow the 95 degree outdoor temperature, it is far better to cool the interior air than the the hotter outside temperature.

My car has all kinds of automation, but I must do this manually. Moreover, I must only guess. I have no interior temperature indication, other than guess. With all the push to go green, why is this so. Nonetheless, I do my part. When I get in my car, I select outdoor. After about 5 minutes, I switch to recirculate. My guess, I’m probably off some.

Another more recent Idea I had is to get one of these battery powered leaf blowers. Roughly five minutes before going anywhere, I can roll down the front windows and point the leaf blower in one window and blow 95 degree in one window forcing he 120 degree air out the other window. I haven’t done it yet, but it does seem that it would work.

Then the blower would go in the trunk for just before I start home.

If anyone has any other ideas, I have my ears on. If the engineers don’t want to solve this problem, let’s do it for them. Incidentally, Old Joe is going to make sure we are all going to go to electric cars. Y’ll are going to be facing these problems one of these days.

The Real Problems With EVs

Posted in Electric Automobiles, EVs, Gas vs Electric, Going Green by

It’s not just how many charge stations there are, but what kind they are and how reliable are they. Where I am located, there is a wealth of charging stations for Teslas or Tesla compatible cars. For the type I need, not so much. I have looked at the maps showing charge stations, but I have found one common question, are they compatible.

So, I start out on my trip to Fort Smith say. A three hundred mile trip. That means, at least one stop to charge on the way, one charge after I get there and one charge on the way home. Okay. Fine. We can stop over to get a bite to eat while charging. That might work. I don’t know.

However, I get to that spot in Little Rock where they say there is a charge station. That gives me a fifty mile cushion which is fine. But when I get there, I find out the charge station is for Teslas. Now what do I do? Even more, are there any places in Little Rock where I can charge my car. I don’t know. I cannot find out for sure.

Maybe that means we only buy Teslas. Does that mean all other car manufacturer must just put the padlock on the door and close up shop. Remember, only electric cars in 20 or 30 miles.

I don’t know. I have had my Nissan for about six months now, and I have found it is difficult if not impossible to determine which chargers are compatible and which ones are not. Even if they are compatible, can I access the charger? I have heard that with an adapter, I can charge my car with a Tesla charger, but that has two problems. First their chords are too short. more over, if I could use a Tesla charger, as near as I can tell, it would only be a level two charger. I don’t know for sure, but I think that is a 5 or 6 hour charge time.

It’s beside the point. The real problem is that it seems no one wants to talk about it. I didn’t know anything about it until I started looking for charging stations. No one told me. I was told it was as simple as getting an adapter and plug it in. What if I am down to 10 percent and then I find out it doesn’t work?

I was told I can charge at home. It works. It really does. However, there are limits. At a 120 volts, it’s close to two days for a 10% to 80%. I can have a level 2 installed having 220. Only, finding someone to do it is not so easy. I haven’t had an estimate, but I know electricians do like to make a bunch of money. Moreover, I am not totally comfortable with the 120. I have to use an extension cord which gets a little warm.

The car is wonderful. I love it. I love driving it. I just wish I could feel comfortable driving farther than 80 miles from home.

I don’t know, but I would guess any charging stations will be along the interstates. So, I guess that means we who own electric cars will have to stay close to the interstates or carry gas powered generators. If it remains that way, the electric cars will fade, likely very fast. Now one will like a car that will not be able to carry them on a visit to Grandma’s.

Mostly, the government should post where and what kind of chargers are available. Those who hope to sell the vehicles should do what they can to make the same info available. My best guess. it would really be nice to have the chargers work with one car as well as another. Compatibility is one of the biggest problems in many industries. EVs are no exception. Can you imagine people buying gas powered cars if that can’t find gasoline?

A Little Outside of My Expertise

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I might be wrong and I likely am. It just seems to me that the auto engineers have bypassed the opportunity to rid electric cars of one of the weaknesses of cars, the differential. Ever since cars have made their entry on the scene they have had a weakness. Getting power from both power wheels and still allow them to turn at different speeds. It is why it is called a differential.

Many things have been done to resolve this problem with some success. Even so, at best it is at substantial cost and reliability. Positraction helps in situations where one of the power wheels may slip. Some of these possibilities include sand, ice or even loss of contact with the road.

As far as I know, all or most electric cars have one electric motor for each set of drive wheels. The 4 wheel drive cars use two motors, one for each set of wheels. At least this has some advantage. Power is delivered to the front and rear wheels separately which does permit maximum torque for front wheel and rear wheels independently. However, in this situation, there are two differentials, on each on the back and front wheels.

So, when they came up with electric cars, why one motor? Why not one motor for each wheel?

Well, as I said, it’s outside my knowledge. Still, it does make me wonder just how successful a car would be with two motors. I guess, a single motor failure might be a problem, but how often is that going to happen. Moreover, the car could be designed so that if one motor quit, the other one would too.

Then the question comes to mind, is the cost of two motors more than the cost of a differential. Also, the differential does add weight and reliability considerations.

The one thing I certainly have no understanding of, how would the car drive with two motors, with perhaps different torque to the wheels. Perhaps, tests would have to be made on the motors to get two matched motors. That in itself would add costs.

I don’t know. My wife is always telling me I think too much. Maybe I do.