Electric cars

gzoom

AdrianC wrote: »

Two-factor authentication...


Just like on 1990s Peugeots and Citroens, with an immobiliser keypad. Turn the key, type in the PIN, start the car.

Thanks for demonstrating just how much better the Tesla implementation is, that 'dash board' is almost the exact opposite of the Tesla user interface. Frankly just looking at those buttons gives me a headache, let alone trying to use it.

buglawton

gzoom wrote: »

Thanks for demonstrating just how much better the Tesla implementation is, that 'dash board' is almost the exact opposite of the Tesla user interface. Frankly just looking at those buttons gives me a headache, let alone trying to use it.

Well, Tesla did have 3 decades to copy the idea and improve on it. After their own customers pushed for it. For my next car, keyless will be the deal breaker.

Martyn1981

gzoom wrote: »

The SR+ car is not going to be cheap though when it arrives in the UK, easily over £40k with the mandated inclusion of AP.

I must be on a go slow, but it's finally sunk in today why they made the change regarding SR and SR+. I was stuck as to the point since they'd added a lot of value in the SR+ package of $2k, but probably costing them almost as much, but missed the fact that they are making AP mandatory.

I note they've dropped the price to $2,500, but I assume AP, being a software update, has almost no cost to Tesla. So mystery (my missing the bigger picture) solved, that's where they are going to get the extra profit from.

Day of learning for me, as I was genuinely not aware how expensive base BMW 3 series cars are. I saw this article and thought they must have meant M3's not base 3's, but no, I'm getting old and missed how expensive cars are getting.

Tesla Model 3 vs. BMW 3 Series in Germany — ~3× Better Model 3 Could Save Owner €10,000 in 5 Years

Herzlos

EUR 55k to spec a BMW 3 series up to a similar level to the Tesla, which costs 45k.



The EV is almost a no brainer unless you need to do 300+ miles without stopping.

Martyn1981

The last couple of Fully Charged episodes have been funny as the mild mannered Robert Llewellyn has been pretty angry about Toyota's new advertising campaign about 'self-charging hybrid's'.

Now he's noticed Ford and other companies are choosing the term too for their HEV's.

Rob is very complimentary of all the great work Toyota have done with respect to HEV and PHEV's but he's furious about this misleading advertising.

He's now described his BEV as self charging and when confronted on this explained it's the same claim (it also charges the battery when braking), and yes also wrong/misleading.

Perhaps last roll of the dice by Toyota for HEV's, and picked up by other companies who (like Ford) are going almost all out for HEV's and PHEV's, but dragging their heels on BEV's?

Cornucopia

I've been enjoying the Toyota rants, too. And I can empathise with RL's frustration that episodes of Fully Charged are often prefaced with the Toyota ads courtesy of YT's topical ad selection.

From a purely technical POV, I can kind of accept the notion of the Self-charging hybrid. Just two issues, really:

1. Will it further confuse the Public at a time when change is definitely coming? I think the answer is yes.

2. Are Toyota content with a little marketing coup, and leaving it at that, or are they using further misleading advertising in conjunction with it? I think the answer is yes to that, too.

In particular, there is one variant of the Ads where the punter asks the "car" whether SCHs are expensive to run, and the "car" responds with something like: "the main saving is fuel, because you'll spend half your time running on electric power", which in the context of a question about costs (not pollution) is just misleading, IMHO.

I note that the ads don't seem to be available separately on YT or on Toyota's website - presumably they don't want them bad-mouthed on the Internet by hostiles.

AdrianC

"Self-charging" as opposed to plug-in. All the charge is generated onboard, by the internal combustion engine.

What other term would you suggest?

Cornucopia

AdrianC wrote: »

"Self-charging" as opposed to plug-in. All the charge is generated onboard, by the internal combustion engine.

What other term would you suggest?

Petrol-electric Hybrid, or even Petrol-fuelled Hybrid?

The problem with "Self-charging" is that it is inherently ambiguous.

AdrianC

"Petrol-electric hybrid" and "petrol-fuelled hybrid" also describe plugins. Well, except for the diesel ones, obviously.

Cornucopia

I think, to an extent, the industry can create a suitable piece of terminology for themselves (which is what they have done with "self-charging hybrid"). Presumably they called the vehicles something before this innovation (or maybe they didn't feel the distinction with PHEVs was necessary?)

Since they can choose for themselves I just think they need to choose something not quite so hand-picked to confuse.

#Noplugingasguzzlinghybrid