G. David Felt

Fed

Thanks for the update on the loaner. So sorry for you Blu as a door ding I have always seen taken out without any drilling. That is an amateur's move and I would fire who ever they used. That really blows. Sorry to hear that they damaged your truck.

EcoSport above base has a Inflator Kit. LOL, too funny. Think I would want the real tire. That is surprising that you cannot opt to get it above the base trim. Very Weird.

VW showed off their production electric EV CUV. AWD with 250 mile battery pack will start at $44,890. Their RWD model is available starting Q1 2021, Q3 2021 is when the AWD model will go on sale at VW dealerships. VW says they will have about 160,000 available $7,500 tax credits when this goes on sale to help lower the price. RWD is 201HP, AWD is 302 HP, 0 to 60 in 8 seconds, will compete with the Honda CR-V and Toyota Rav4. https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1129702_2021-vw-id-4-250-mile-electric-suv-starts-at-41490 ID.4 Pro

WOW, Dunkin Donuts to Close 800 locations, 8% of their stores and push to a contactless store experience much like the Amazon Fresh stores on top of other changes. Pandemic is really going to change the interaction of how we shop, interact with others, etc. https://www.eatthis.com/dunkin-major-changes/ https://www.eatthis.com/dunkin-closing-locations-for-good/?utm_source=msn&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=msn-feed

RIGHT! Why not a Moses, Cain or Budda.

Found your Potato auto. Potato Power!!!

OUCH, Ya just cannot stop STUPID from going 4x4ing. Stuck Wrangler on a bike trail. https://www.thedrive.com/news/36651/theres-a-jeep-wrangler-dangling-off-a-cliff-in-california-after-some-fool-drove-up-a-bike-trail Gotta Love Custom Projects. Mercedes has nothing on this bad boy 6x6 Cadillac Hurst! Powering this six-wheel-drive heavy metal album cover is a 6V53 Detroit Diesel engine https://www.thedrive.com/news/36565/meet-the-detroit-diesel-powered-6x6-cadillac-hearse-that-rides-on-60-inch-mud-tires Garrett Turbo manufacture has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy due to two issues. BIG BIG DROP in Auto Sales and BIGGER Yet is the Asbestos Liability Honeywell dumped on them in 2018 as Garrett discovered by Honeywell executive that used their spin off to jettison financial liabilities. As such Garrett has sued Honeywell to invalidate that clause in their spin off agreement. To Quote the company: "Although the fundamentals of our business are strong and we have continued to try to develop our business strategy, the financial strains of the heavy debt load and liabilities we inherited in the spinoff from Honeywell—all exacerbated by COVID-19—have created a significant long-term burden on our business," said Olivier Rabiller, president and CEO of the newly Switzerland-based firm https://www.thedrive.com/news/36636/turbocharger-manufacturer-garrett-files-for-bankruptcy The power War is about to get even bigger as Whipple is brining out a new 3.8L Gen 5 super charger to power up your V8 engines. The story is stating the 2021/2022 Hellcat will have this, they do not say, but I have to think this could push the V8 to close to 1000HP ? To quote: Comments from Whipple on its Instagram post confirm that kits to fit its 3.8 to 6.2-liter, supercharged V8s from Ford's rivals are also in the works. One such kit will be offered as a straight upgrade to the factory 2.4-liter blower on FCA's Hellcat V8, which will soon power a trio of Dodges, not to mention the 2021 Ram TRX. Another will be compatible with the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon's more intensely boosted motor, and yet another will fit the Chevrolet LT4 found in the C7 Corvette Z06 and the Camaro ZL1 1LE. https://www.thedrive.com/news/35883/whipples-new-3-8-liter-supercharger-is-like-steroids-for-your-coyote-hellcat-or-lt-v8 Wonder what ever happened to this 32 wheel bus, The Cyclops? No thanks to this idiot and fugitive, he predicts that by 2022 Nissan will go Bankrupt. https://www.thedrive.com/news/31927/fugitive-nissan-ceo-carlos-ghosn-predicts-nissan-will-go-bankrupt-by-2022

hygiene

Ouch, another toxic truck bits the dust.

Bacon

Good thing for that auto start/stop otherwise you might get tickets with that big block 2.0 liter motor.

Social Media is for sure NOT JOURNALISM. Not sure why so many people think it is. They all need to get out and live their own life rather than watch / follow someone else. Who Cares About Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Especially their Daughter! Nothing of interest in years from them in the movie business and I do not care what they do in their social life.

Yes, plenty of people like that. Amazing how lazy humans can be. And yet there are plenty of people that do not want to search around via word of mouth and just want a site or Home Depot to go in and pay a price for the work to be done or connected to who can bid to do it. Options that what this is all about. Electrify Home is an option for people who do not want to go the route you currently work through.

Many people are incapable of hiring an electrician as they do not want to learn what to ask, who to reach out too. This is why they go to a home depot and pay them to hire a 3rd party to come out and do an install of what ever they want done. My neighbor is well educated computer engineer and his wife is a dentist. They have no interest in learning about things even their auto's, they go to the dealership or they go to home depot and tell them what they want and pay through the nose to have stuff done. I see this all the time especially with H-1 Visa employees who come here and buy a house, auto, etc. and just pay for everything as they only do their career. We have plenty of people that have no interest in learning how to do things such as you and I enjoy doing be it a hobby or a job.

Historical Trends are showing the fall in gas prices that will be good for everyone. Lowest level in the last 12 weeks according to the AAA report. The nation’s top 10 largest weekly decreases: Ohio (-10 cents), Kentucky (-7 cents), Indiana (-6 cents), Michigan (-5 cents), North Carolina (-5 cents), South Carolina (-5 cents), Wisconsin (-4 cents), Washington, D.C. (-4 cents), Tennessee (-4 cents) and Illinois (-4 cents). The nation’s top 10 least expensive markets: Mississippi ($1.86), Texas ($1.87), Arkansas ($1.90), Louisiana ($1.90), Missouri ($1.90), Oklahoma ($1.90), Alabama ($1.91), South Carolina ($1.93), Tennessee ($1.94) and Kentucky ($1.96). https://newsroom.aaa.com/2020/09/gas-report-0914/

I see that last time AAA dug into their data and published it was 2014. https://newsroom.aaa.com/2015/10/roadside-breakdowns-preventable-with-proper-maintenance-finds-aaa/ To Quote: “While problems with batteries, tires and keys are the most common reasons that members call AAA for help, there are more than 12 million calls each year related to engine trouble, fuel issues and other mechanical mishaps,” warned Nielsen. “AAA will always be there to save the day, but this study reveals drivers can save time and money by investing in routine maintenance.” Other key findings from 2014 roadside assistance data include: AAA towed more than two million vehicles for engine-related issues and an additional 600,000 vehicles for transmission failure. More than 235,000 vehicles were towed due to brake system failures. While most modern vehicles are equipped with low-fuel lights, AAA provided gasoline fuel delivery to more than half a million vehicles in 2014. Due to members incorrectly fueling their gasoline-powered vehicle with diesel fuel, or vice-versa, AAA towed more than 13,000 vehicles to repair facilities. “While today’s vehicle technology incorporates maintenance reminders and dashboard alerts designed to prevent roadside trouble, drivers still must take action,” cautioned Josh VanWynsberghe, AAA’s automotive technical engineer. “Finding a mechanic you trust and allowing that shop to perform all of your vehicle’s maintenance will result in improved reliability, higher resale values and increased safety.” You answered yourself earlier. There is enough evidence that ICE owners are just as incapable as EV owners in taking care of their auto's. Regardless of ICE or EV, many humans ignore all the details and play dumb when it comes to taking care of their auto. This is the same approach they take when it comes to new tech and not reading the owners guide. As such, there is a middle man need for having home Level 1 & 2 Chargers installed. You have people who hire you to do various projects as they do not want to learn or do the work themselves. Same thing when it comes to ICE or EV maintenance or tools such as a home charger system installed. Humans are lazy in many ways.

Have to agree with AAA that the Active Driving assistance systems interfere with safe driving than help. Makes Drivers lazy. https://newsroom.aaa.com/2020/08/aaa-finds-active-driving-assistance-systems-do-less-to-assist-drivers-and-more-to-interfere/

While AAA does not break that out, their last detailed report from 2016 way before EVs started to be in the news heavily is that between Memorial Day and Labor Day in the US alone, they rescued 32 million drivers along the road for everything from running out of Fuel, flat tire, dead battery, broken belts, etc. https://newsroom.aaa.com/tag/roadside-assistance/ To Quote: roadside assistance data include: Battery failures, flat tires and keys locked inside the vehicle remain the top roadside assistance requests. Vehicles fewer than five years old have a higher proportion of tire, key and fuel-related issues than older vehicles. Due in part to complex, electronic vehicle designs, one-in-five service calls for a newer vehicle required a tow to a repair facility. Vehicles between 6 and 10 years old have the highest proportion of battery-related issues, as most batteries have a three- to five-year life. Roadside assistance calls peak in the summer (8.3 million) followed by winter (8.1 million), fall (7.8 million) and spring (7.7 million). Drivers are most likely to request roadside assistance on Mondays and least likely to request assistance on Sundays. Drivers in the West experienced the most breakdowns, followed by the South, the Northeast and the Midwest. Despite advances in key technology, AAA came to the rescue of more than four million drivers locked out of their vehicles. “Drivers today have increasingly-connected lifestyles, and want reliable, flexible service options when trouble strikes,” continued Ruud. “AAA has responded with flexible roadside assistance offerings nationwide including app-based service requests and the ability to track assigned service vehicles in real time on a smartphone.”

Once could say the same thing about ICE. Amazing how many luxury auto's are bought due to the badge and yet the owners are idiots about maintaining it let along fueling it. One reason that AAA seems to have such a high call for fuel on the side of the road.

I truly wish what you posted is true about people. Sadly to many have proven that Common Sense is NOT SO COMMON. I have heard plenty of folks across the world that are clueless about chargers and what they need to do. I have sadly heard plenty of unionized electricians that have no clue about EV's home chargers and do not want to learn and just say talk to someone else. In a perfect world, what you say would be common for everyone. Sadly, you and everyone else here on the site are far more knowledgeable about things like this than most people. Sadly, Tesla Makes Bank as so many of their buyers just want Tesla to take care of the home charger for them for those that live in a home, townhouse or condo where they can add such a device. Once training gets better, I believe that GM, VW and everyone else will offer or point the buyers to Electrify Home to get this done. Even Rivian has stated that they will have clear info on home charging for those that want it there. Just how I have seen humans who want minimal maintenance and see the auto, EV's/ICE as just an appliance to use.

Your making an ASSUMPTION that everyone knows how to talk to and hire an electrician. Far more people are clueless and just want a 220V charger in their home to plug their EV into. As such having a site where folks can go and put their info in, learn that they need an electrical permit, etc. to insure proper installation of said home charger is important. Most humans do not have common sense and as such need the guidance and will pay for it. Unlike you my friend and many others here, we can find and buy our own charger online and then hire a local electrician to come and install it where we want if the home is old and not already prewired for garage charging. My sister and her partner just purchased a new house that comes prewired for a 220V charger so all they have to do is buy one with the 30A twist lock connection and plug it in, mount on the wall and they are ready to charge. Far simpler than this need for installation. Big differences.

All-Season

EV

At least it is better looking than BMW version and a better more reasonable to repair engine.