G. David Felt

Nissan is wanting to re-enforce that they have been a major EV auto supplier and is encompassing even more today by having clean delivery of EVs from the port to the dealership. The first delivery of the Nissan Ariya EVs was to Downey Nissan in LA. Nissan in collaboration with Nikola and Kenworth will be using the first of their EV Class 8 Semi trucks for hauling their EV autos to dealerships. Both Nikola and Kenworth will provide the trucks that will pull traditional car haulers. This is being done in collaboration with logistics partner Avant-Garde Auto Logistics LLC, a woman-owned transportation company headquartered in Smyrna, Tennessee. Nissan has also collaborated with current logistics partner Wallenius Wilhelmsen on installing a proper charging solution to support the truck operations from the Port of Los Angeles. Chris Styles, VP of Nissan North America, Supply Chain Management, had this to say: "By being an early adopter of this technology, we're showcasing our innovative spirit and positioning ourselves to meet our long-term goals for zero-tailpipe-emission transportation." The first Ariya deliveries are the FWD trims which are now on sale in North America with the 4ORCE all-wheel-drive trims following spring of 2023. Nissan, Nikola and Kenworth have come together to run this Proo-of-Concept (POC) out of the Port of LA with the Logistic partners who manage North America Auto Distribution to best understand the use of EV Class 8 Semi trucks for new vehicle deliveries. Initially Nikola and Kenworth both supplied two trucks for this POC. Over the next 90 days, all companies will review the lessons learned from this project and Nissan has stated that they plan to move forward with purchasing EV Semi trucks to expand delivery across California and eventually North America as they expand use of the Class 8 BEV trucks for a variety of logistical use. Nissan as one of the first automakers to use EV heavy-duty trucks to transport new vehicles to dealerships believes this will help them on achieving carbon neutrality across its global operations by 2050. Nissan has set one of the most aggressive EV targets as the company has targeted 40% of all new auto sales for Nissan in North America to be electric by 2030 as part of their Ambition 2030 plan. Nissan believes that the all-new 2023 Nissan Ariya, Nissan's first all-electric crossover SUV with an EPA estimated range of 304 miles for the Venture+ model is a perfect partner for daily commutes as well as road trips. Nissan as an EV pioneer has built the all-electric all-new Ariya SUV on the strengths of the Nissan LEAF, which has sold almost 600,000 globally since its release a decade ago. Timeless Japanese Futurism (TJF) is the design philosophy that Ariya delivers on in Nissan's redefinition of style. TJF is characterized by Nissan's Japanese approach of simple-yet-powerfully modern. Designers according to Nissan embraced this concept of sleek, sexy and seamless to communicate how an EV paired with advanced driving capabilities offers a new perspective in design, function and ownership experience. iki, a Japanese term was embraced in characterizing the Ariya's chic, cutting-edge nature, which Nissan believes is represented in the vehicles seamless, elegant and fresh front end. Nissan says that the Ariya is highlighted by a shield, a reimagined grille for the EV era. The Ariya shield incorporates a 3-D traditional Japanese Kumiko pattern just under the smooth surface, while protecting sensors used for driver assistance functions without the aesthetics interrupting operations. Nissan also redesigned their brand logo so it is prominently placed at the center of the aerodynamic shield, beaming with crisp definition from the 20 LEDs that compose it. The lower section of the shield is bordered by subtle lighting that illuminates, along with the logo, when the Ariya is ready for operation. Thin LED headlamps, constructed with four 20-millimeter mini-projectors to reinvent Nissan's signature V-motion design. A single, uninterrupted horizon line stretches across the side profile, linking the front fascia and the rear and conveys linear movement, creating architectural beauty in tension and drama from every angle. Nissan in their press release of the new Ariya deliveries to dealerships had additional praise about the rear fascia of the Ariya. Quote: The rear of Ariya is equally striking, characterized by a steeply raked C-pillar that blends flawlessly into the rear deck. The one-piece light blade, representing the rear combination lamps, has been engineered to give a blackout effect when parked, and a consistent red illumination, day or night, when in use. Rear fender flares and a high-mounted rear wing signal Ariya's powerful EV capabilities. Nissan had the following to state about the Ariya EV. 6 two-tone exterior paint combinations Akatsuki - Special two-tone Copper and Black package, expresses the moment just before dawn, as the sun marks the beginning of a new day. Color package is pictured above. 3 full-body colors EV Platform for spacious interior cabin climate control is under the front hood rather than in the cabin increasing space due to the electric powertrain Minimalist instrument panel Haptic switches are integrated into the dash and instrument panel Adjustable center console Shifter with capacitive haptic drive mode controls 50/50 weight distribution Floorboard is a structural body change, maximizing comfort and space Spacious cargo area with back seats folded down Interior continues the future with a hybrid voice recognition system, Amazon Alexa voice control along with Apple Carplay and Android Auto. Ariya has an assortment of high-tech features such as ProPILOT Assist 2.0, Nissan newest iteration of driver assistance technology. Nissan Safety Shield 360, a suite of six active safety features. Automatic Emergency Braking Pedestrian Detection Blind Spot Warning Rear Cross Traffic Alert Lane Departure Warning High Beam Assist Rear Automatic Braking Nissan made this statement on the release of the Ariya for sale at their national dealership network: Nissan Ariya crossover marks a new era for electric vehicles, promising an incredibly powerful and smooth ride thanks to the full strength of Nissan Intelligent Mobility delivered by the latest assistance technologies designed to support, respond and respect the driver's intentions. A sleek, sexy, seamless design inspired by Timeless Japanese Futurism gives all occupants a welcome, personal impression aimed to surpass expectations. View full article

Happy B-Day @oldshurst442

The Korean Herald News outlet is reporting that South Koreas second-largest automaker Kia will start production of their full-size EV9 SUV in the first half of 2023 after Kia's labor union (Korean Metal Workers) and Kia management fame to agreement on production, strategy and future employment security. According to the new source, the Kia EV9 will be produced at the company's Gwangmyeong factory in Gyeonggi Province. The EV9 SUV is expected to officially start taking pre-orders in April. The specifications of the EV9 Concept that Kia has stated has been kept close to the concept are 194 inches long, 122 inch wheelbase, 81 inches wide and 70 inches tall. This has it on the smaller side of the fullsize SUV market but on par with the Ford Explorer. Comparison of Full Size SUVs provided by carindigo.com. The Kora Herald is also reporting that this same production site will start producing two more EVs next year in 2024. These will be global EVs filling in the Small Car and Mid-sized car categories. The projects are labeled as "CT" and "SV" with industry watchers predicting this is the EV3 and EV4 as Kia stays with their EV naming scheme. The agreement with the unions have confirmed that Kia will build a new plant in the province and will be the first new plant since 1997. The new factory will produce only EVs with the addition of the PBV's products at this plant which will be Kia unmanned subcompact cars for delivery and robot taxis. Kia has previously unveiled its plan to release two new EVs every year expanding their global lineup of EVs to 14 by 2027 as released at last year's 2022 investor's event held in March. Details of the EV9 at the time of the reveal was as follows: Battery Range options of 220 to 290 miles or 354 to 467 kilometers RWD versions would have 150 kW output (201 HP) AWD versions would have 300kW output (402 HP) Kia had stated at the time of the reveal that the EV9 would sell for between $56,000 and $73,000 U.S. dollars and that additional specifications would be released just before pre-ordering was opened, so more should be coming in April 2023 about the EV9. View full article

@oldshurst442 Thought of you today, when I had a single meeting after my doctors appointment. A new team member based in California was chatting with one of our team members based in Toronto. The California team member just could not grasp why the Toronto team member could not drive to Calgary and back in the same day to have lunch at the CN Tower.

Conspiracy Theories

Best example of Alien Fodder yet

Politicians

I totally feel your pain mate, the right but cheek has that pins and needle affect along with the calf cramp and the occasional toe tingles. Sucks, but first I have to address my left knee, then I can address the low back, pinched nerve issues. On a funny note, my son asked me to marry him and his fiancée. I said yes, but Washington state requires you to be a part of religion. So I followed the links from the WA state website that points to a variety of organizations that will certify you to perform weddings. This atheist is now an ordained minister! ?

Two interesting stories for today: https://cleantechnica.com/2023/02/26/us-auto-industry-down-3-million-sales-19-since-2019/ QUOTE: “Fun fact. The overall auto industry has on average declined 1.18% y/y since 2015. In this span, BEVs have grown on average 57.67% y/y while ICE sales declined 2.51% y/y. Total ICE production in 2022 was just 74 million … a level last seen in 2007! With BEVs really capturing the market now it seems clear we are well past ‘peak ICE’ which happened in 2017 at 96.5 million cars.” Compared to 2021, things change up a bit. Tesla still saw strong growth — just not as much of course (37%). Cadillac was up decently (14%). And a few other brands were up moderately — GMC was up 7%, Chevrolet was up 6%, and Mercedes was up 6%. Chevrolet (80,000+) and GMC (35,000+) were up the most in volume terms aside from Tesla (~139,000). Looking at the suffering brands, Honda lost the most volume-wise year over year (down a whopping 428,021), followed by Nissan (-236,355), Toyota (-178,032), Ram (-102,137), and Jeep (-94,097). In terms of a percentage drop, Fiat is still on the bottom of the pile. (Is Fiat going to survive in the USA?) Buick (-42%), Acura (-35%), Honda (-33%), and Alfa Romeo (-30%) also saw a significant drop in sales year over year. OUCH on the sales front. The car folks like @ccap41 @oldshurst442 @surreal1272 @Robert Hall @Drew Dowdell @riviera74 should enjoy this story. [VIDEO] 2025 Corvette Zora: Would You Buy One? - Corvette: Sales, News & Lifestyle (corvetteblogger.com)

Sciatic Nerve

True, I am finally downstairs working, so I am able to keep an eye on the site. WOW, I have a high pain tolerance, but this is a new kind of pain that I have not experienced. Roll my left leg to the left and all is fine. Roll it to my right and wow, stars. On top of this, just got a call from my doctor about discomfort I have had in my right hip and waking up at night with my right calf cramping and he had me get x-rays on Friday. Results show degenerative disc in L1 to L7 and L5 pinching on my sciatic nerve. Go figure, nothing I ever do is easy or in small quantities. LOL

Surgery

FYI - You might not see me post much in the coming weeks as on Friday night I twisted my knee being in a hurry and popped my ACL. Braced up and on crutches and pain meds. Have to see an orthopedic doctor this week.

Pain Killer

While I love saving gas, I am all for having a little extra omf under the hood. Example is my daughters 1999 Durango with the 5.9L V8 in her 4x4 that they then made it an AWD RT edition for 2000 and removed the 5.8L from the 4x4 option list in 2000 with a smaller V8 in the 4x4 model. She is over 300,000 miles and while the auto is old and not as fast as it used to be, with maintenance, it is still running strong and moves way better than an equal Durango that has the V6 or smaller V8 engines. I believe the Encore GX with a little more omf, aka bigger engine, extra piston would be what I would want if I could fit and drive one. The 3 cylinder motors I have not seen great history with them, but then it could also be my limited exposure to them since everything I drive and have owned have always been V8 SUVs/Trucks.

I would do my mid 80's Monte Carlo SS Aero or standard with T-Tops. Course this is cool too. Experimental EV: 1967 Buick Riviera Electric Vehicle | Barn Finds

All awesome candidates for conversion to EV powertrain if the person loves the car enough.

I think you might have seen it elsewhere as I never seen the videos till, I was cruzing during a boring all hands meeting on YouTube and came across it today. Then I find on binging the twitter coverage from one of the local news stations. I agree with you that the exit ramp that is there and I took a couple weeks back to take the wife to the Flower and Garden show at the convention center is short and terrible off ramp to a red light. Yet it was built back in 1960 when autos were a different breed. I will say they just finished a major expansion of the convention center and hotel rooms to attract tech conventions and I was surprised as many locals that this ramp was not closed for good. Politicians got their way with a old, design poor exit ramp that really should have been made to go away.

Exciting to see the spy photos of the EV above the LYRIQ out in winter weather testing. Electric Cadillac Crossover Above Lyriq Spied Testing (gmauthority.com) I do like the more traditional upright back on this suv.

@Drew Dowdell @surreal1272 @oldshurst442 @Robert Hall @ccap41 @riviera74 I am sure there are many and I wish like slack they had an @channel ability as this video is just too funny. Does not matter if your drive a car, suv, truck, ev or ICE. This is the Union St. Exit to down town Seattle at the Convention center and the off-ramp is a 50 plus year old off-ramp that is way too short and clearly so many people do not pay attention to the signs that go from 60mph to 20 mph in about 500 feet. As such, I just discovered that one of the folks working in the building at the off-ramp has built a compilation video of all the crashes. Enjoy Seattle Stupidity at it's best. Found a tweet of the off ramp and someone actually driving it. Seems it is 60 to 30 in a few hundred feet at best and then like 50 feet to 20mph and around the corner. Crazy.

Saw tonight a 1978 Indy 500 pace corvette at the shell station as I was passing by, looked very clean, a boomer was gassing it up, but surprised that with the snow coming down, he had taken it out for a spin. I have to say that while they had their issues, still to this day, this is one of my favorite body designs for the corvette, t-tops and all. I will say that the only thing I wish Chevrolet had done is what you find on custom corvettes from this generation, the built in aerodynamic lights like this 1980 custom stingray. Learned that famed Corvette designer Bill Mitchell was involved in this custom stingray. Cherry 1980 Stingray Has Just 700 Miles Since 1982 Restomod (95octane.com)

University of Maryland, director of Materials Innovation and lead author of the paper seems to think we can have a greener planet and healthier life by using shell fish or more specifically the Chitin that is found in the shellfish. Crabs are among just one of the many shellfish that not just Americans, but pretty much the global population loves to eat leaving tons and tons of shellfish for the garbage dump until now. Lithium as we know has its own draw backs when it comes to mining and refining the material for our greener EVs. Yet this is the most common used material for the battery cells. Now we have the first research done that is thinking outside the box in regard to how to build battery cells. As the world transitions to deploying green energy solutions and electric vehicles, the batteries being used by this technology should also be evo-friendly. Currently the chemicals used in conventional batteries such as lithium-ion can take hundreds to thousands of years to break down. These same chemicals are corrosive, flammable and in cases of consumer-gadgets batteries have caught fire or caused fires that took place in either the products or recycling centers. The Center for Materials Innovation at the University of Maryland has come up with a solution that is a proposed A Zinc coordinated chitosan electrolyte that they propose. This chitosan-Zn electrolyte enables the desirable Zn-deposition. To quote the released paper: Rechargeable aqueous Zn-metal battery is promising for grid energy storage needs, but its application is limited by issues such as Zn dendrite formation. In this work, we demonstrate a Zn-coordinated chitosan (chitosan-Zn) electrolyte for high-performance Zn-metal batteries. The chitosan-Zn electrolyte exhibits high mechanical strength, Zn2+ conductivity, and water bonding capability, which enable a desirable Zn-deposition morphology of parallel hexagonal Zn platelets. Using the chitosan-Zn electrolyte, the Zn anode shows exceptional cycling stability and rate performance, with a high Coulombic efficiency of 99.7% and >1,000 cycles at 50 mA cm−2. The full batteries show excellent high-rate performance (up to 20C, 40 mA cm−2) and long-term cycling stability (>400 cycles at 2C). Furthermore, the chitosan-Zn electrolyte is non-flammable and biodegradable, making the proposed Zn-metal battery appealing in terms of safety and sustainability, demonstrating the promise of sustainable biomaterials for green and efficient energy-storage systems. End result is that the energy efficiency of these battery cells are 99.7% after 1000 cycles of charging or about 400 hours of charging on the cell. Benefits: Quick charge and discharge without significant performance degradation Not flammable Cells if disposed of in the ground breakdown in just 5 months due to microbial degradation leaving Zinc behind for recycling Biomedical engineering has found that processing the food waste of shellfish into other uses is a booming business. Currently shellfish processed is now used in wound dressing as an anti-inflammatory treatment on wounds as another example. Colleges in the U.K. and Spain have per reviewed the paper and agree that this has great potential to giving green energy creation a greener energy storage. The researchers of the University of Maryland are being quiet at this time but are moving forward into prototype production of Chitin-Zinc battery cells for testing by both the automotive industry and energy companies. End result is an EV battery that is good for 300 miles of range would be able to handle 1,000 charge cycles in a 10-year period with minimal loss of storage. In this case a Chitin-Zinc battery pack would only loose .03% of its storage capacity according to the research done to date. End result is as we transition away from dirty energy sources, such as coal, the world will need a environmentally friendly source of storage for green energy such as wind, solar and hydro. Crustaceans could provide a solution that would reduce the reliance on lithium-ion batteries. View full article

Latest reviews are just bashing Tesla as junk compared to Korean or other EV products. Kia, Hyundai Catching up to Elon Musk's Tesla With Stylish Electric SUVs (businessinsider.com) Tesla Model Y Vs. Kia EV6: Comparing the Sporty Electric SUVs (businessinsider.com) Just looks alone show how dated Tesla has become. EV6 versus Tesla Y Ioniq 6 versus Tesla 3