News Site – Page 14502 – I wish I had more to offer

Thursday Morning Auto News, Oct 10, 2019

Nissan says European operations unsustainable with no-deal Brexit tariffs – Reuters: Nissan’s European operations, which include plants in Britain and Spain, will not be sustainable if Britain’s departure from the European Union leads to 10% tariffs on vehicles, the firm’s European Chairman Gianluca de Ficchy told reporters on Thursday.
Indicted FCA manager circulated press release about prior diesel emissions settlement – Freep: Experts say Fiat Chrysler could face more trouble because of emails that were shared among those connected to diesel emissions cheating.
BYD NEV sales volume up 34 pct in Jan-Sept – Xinhua | English.news.cn – Xinhuanet: BYD NEV sales volume up 34 pct in Jan-Sept
GM Factory Hands Making 40% Less Than Their Co-Workers Are Fed Up – Bloomberg: GM Factory Hands Making 40% Less Than Their Co-Workers Are Fed Up
Nissan to start building new Juke car at UK plant as Brexit looms – Reuters: Nissan said it will begin making the next-generation Juke vehicle at Britain’s biggest car plant on Monday, just over two weeks before a possible no-deal Brexit which the industry has warned could bring production to a halt.
BMW bets on doubling of luxury car sales to boost margins – Reuters: To lower development costs for electric and driverless cars, BMW will pursue alliances, such as a plan to make a low-cost electric car with Chinese …
BMW to Boost Sales of Gas-Guzzling SUVs to Cover Electric Shift – Bloomberg: BMW to Boost Sales of Gas-Guzzling SUVs to Cover Electric Shift

GM’s Q3 China sales slip 18% – Automotive News: The drop marks the fifth straight quarterly decline for GM in China as U.S. automakers continue to lose market share while Japanese and German automakers gain ground in the largest light-vehicle market.
Uber’s UK VAT liability confirmed – FT: Earlier this week Uber London Ltd filed its full accounts up until December 2018 at Companies House. The big news wasn’t that the division made a …
NASA boss to tour SpaceX factory after feud over capsule delays – Reuters: SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk opened up his private rocket factory to the top official of NASA on Thursday for a tour and progress report on the company’s long-delayed Crew Dragon astronaut capsule.
Nissan cuts role of former Ghosn aide – Nikkei:
Italdesign names Audi veteran as design chief – Automotive News: Italdesign has appointed veteran Audi executive Carsten Monnerjan as head of design. Monnerjan succeeds Filippo Perini who joined Hyundai’s …
Volvo embeds Android on its new EV – Automotive News: Volvo embeds Android on its new EV
GM’s Q3 China vehicle sales down 17.5%, as U.S. automakers cede ground – Reuters: General Motors Co’s July to September vehicle sales in China fell 17.5%, as the U.S. automaker was hurt by a slowing economy amid the Sino-U.S. trade war and by heightened competition in its key mid-priced SUV segment.
The Radical Manifesto Embraced by Google Workers and Uber Drivers – New York Times: Just before 20,000 Google employees left their desks last fall to protest the company’s handling of sexual harassment, a debate broke out among the …
Automakers, suppliers, tech companies form AV computing consortium – Automotive News: GM has invested heavily in autonomous vehicle development, especially through its Cruise unit. Toyota has also started to form alliances for …
Strengthening Renault-Nissan alliance is crucial: French minister – Reuters: Strengthening the alliance between car makers Renault and Nissan is crucial, said French junior economy minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher on Thursday, amid signs of a possible management shake-up at Renault.
Nissan Plans Shareholders’ Meeting to Vote In New Top Management – Bloomberg: Nissan Motor Co. is considering holding an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting early next year following the recent adoption of a new management …
New Volkswagen Golf design shown in official sketches – Autocar: Volkswagen Golf Mk8 sketch Eighth iteration of popular hatchback will be unveiled later
Champagne! Fur! Caviar! How St. Moritz’s Snow Polo Lures the Jet Set – Bloomberg: Photographers hoping to score a celebrity shot mill around on the edge of the runway, where a vintage Rolls-Royce and a racing-green Porsche …

Subaru recalls some Forester vehicles due to airbag issue

Owners will be notified of the recall starting on November 29. Subaru is recalling more than 350,000 Forester vehicles with heated seats because an electrical connection in the front passenger seat may loosen and deactivate the airbag even though the seat is occupied. Subaru said the recall includes Forester vehicles from 2015 to 2018. The… Continue reading Subaru recalls some Forester vehicles due to airbag issue

Smooth

Invest
Electric Cars
Electric Car Benefits
Electric Car Sales
Solar Energy Rocks
RSS
Advertise
Privacy Policy

Cars

Published on October 11th, 2019 |

by Zachary Shahan

Smooth

Twitter
LinkedIn
Facebook

October 11th, 2019 by Zachary Shahan

Since I got the Tesla Model 3 a month and a half ago, I’ve been trying to figure out a one- or two-sentence summary of the car. It’s been tough. I’m plagued by a few issues. For one, I’m used to communicating with people who know a ton about Tesla (you), whereas people in the “real world” are often not such people. It’s hard to know where to start. Secondly, I had a Model S for a while and I think my brain tries too hard to come up with something new and different for the Model 3 since it’s a different car. I think my typical response about how I liked the Model S was, “It’s awesome!” This second matter actually just came to mind as I started writing this, so maybe that will remove the mental block and I’ll start responding in that way again for the Model 3. It is hard to find a better word than “awesome” to describe the car.

A third issue is that I often just want to say it’s the best car you can imagine, the best car ever. However, “best” is not really a descriptor, it’s a ranking. Additionally, it’s a little ridiculous to make that claim and then not explain why it’s the best, but to explain why it’s the best would entail covering a bunch of different topics. Generally speaking, in these situations, I don’t think the other person really wants to hear a long monologue about a product they know nothing about. Being a totally crazed fanboy talking a million miles an hour is not a good look.

So, with “it’s the best,” I either make a wild claim that is so exuberant that it probably makes people nervous, or I start rambling and ranting for 5 minutes in a way that turns off the listener even more. Not the best options.

Internally, one way I’ve thought about the car is that it’s the most complete car out there. It just feels right because it’s so complete, is put together so thoughtfully and perfectly, is such an overall good package. That said, “complete” is another vague, useless term for someone who doesn’t really know from personal experience what I’m talking about. Yes, I think other Model 3 owners know what I’m trying to say when I say it’s the “most complete car” out there. Strangers on the street? Not so much.

Somehow, in recent days, one word finally popped into my head for how to describe the car — smooth. It drives so extremely smoothly. The user interface on the touchscreen is so brilliantly smooth. Autopilot is now a smoother driver than me. The exterior and interior design of the car is the definition of smooth. The car is a beautiful wonder. The app: smooth. The navigation: smooth. The air conditioning vents: smooth. It’s all smooth. The whole car is smooth.

That said, I’m sure some of you have already thought of this — if someone asks me how I like the car and I say, “Great! It’s so smooth,” they’re going to look at me like I’m a crazy person and probably walk swiftly in the opposite direction. Again, it’s a nice word for describing the car to people who have it or know it well, but it’s a horrid explanation for someone with little to no experience with a Tesla.

My conclusion is two-fold. First, I think it’d be appropriate to say, “It’s awesome! It’s so smooth, such a complete car — like nothing else out there.” Afterward, I can then ask them, “What do you care most about? What’s important for you in a car?” Depending on what they say, it’s very easily to highlight the car’s many benefits. You can talk about its record safety score, its wicked acceleration, its traction control and superb handling, its unmatched infotainment, its home charging and Supercharging capabilities, or other goodies. Inviting the listener to set the frame for the discussion is a good way to make sure your answer interests them, and you know the Model 3 is going to soundly defeat anything else in its price class.

Perhaps awesome is going to be the best way to talk about the car to a newbie asking me about it. However, for talking to myself in my head (it happens), the words that really capture the car best are now smooth and complete. These words represent the car in a useful way. They communicate the car and “life with the car” better than all of the other efforts to put the Model 3 into simple descriptive words.

Have another descriptor you love? Want to chime in about this whole smooth thing. We’ll see what happens as more features roll out.

If you’d like to buy a Tesla Model 3 and want 1,000 miles of free Supercharging, feel free to use my referral code: https://ts.la/zachary63404 — or use someone else’s if you have a friend or family member with a Tesla. I won’t cry.

About the Author

Zachary Shahan Zach is tryin' to help society help itself one word at a time. He spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as its director and chief editor. He's also the CEO of Important Media. Zach is recognized globally as an electric vehicle, solar energy, and energy storage expert. He has presented about cleantech at conferences in India, the UAE, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, Canada, and Curaçao.

Zach has long-term investments in Tesla [TSLA] — after years of covering solar and EVs, he simply has a lot of faith in this company and feels like it is a good cleantech company to invest in. But he offers no investment advice and does not recommend investing in Tesla or any other company.

Advertise with CleanTechnica to get your company in front of millions of monthly readers.

Turkish ISP Blocks Social Media Sites Near Syrian Border

Turkey restricted access to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and WhatsApp in at least three cities in the southern part of the country for about 48 hours earlier this week as it launched an attack on northern Syria, according to data collected by civil society group NetBlocks and reviewed by WIRED. Turkey moved against Kurdish forces in… Continue reading Turkish ISP Blocks Social Media Sites Near Syrian Border

Volkswagen mulling sale or stock listing for Lamborghini -Bloomberg

FILE PHOTO: A Lamborghini logo is displayed at the 89th Geneva International Motor Show in Geneva, Switzerland March 5, 2019. REUTERS/Pierre Albouy (Reuters) – Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) is looking at options for its luxury brand Lamborghini, including a sale or stock listing, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Chief Executive Herbert Diess… Continue reading Volkswagen mulling sale or stock listing for Lamborghini -Bloomberg

BMW: i3 Will Continue To Be Part Of Our Line Up In The Coming Years

Maybe there will be no successor to the BMW i3, but sales will continue. We already know that BMW i8 production will end after the new Ultimate Sophisto edition and that there is no specific plan for a BMW i3 successor. But the BMW i3 is here to stay at least for a couple more years… Continue reading BMW: i3 Will Continue To Be Part Of Our Line Up In The Coming Years

Porsche and Boeing developing “premium urban air mobility vehicle”

Porsche and Boeing signed a memorandum of understanding to explore the developing of flying cars, the companies announced Thursday.

The notion of a “premium personal urban air mobility vehicle” may sound vague, the new joint venture, Aurora Flight Sciences, is tasked with building a “fully electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle,” which would put them in the running with other firms that are working toward similar offerings intended for urban ride-sharing.

What sets Aurora apart is the premium angle. While the announcement is thick with mentions of urban mobility, there's no suggestion that the final product would be intended for sharing or taxi services. It seems clear that Porsche and Boeing are exploring the mobility market from a private-ownership perspective, or, at the very least, exclusivity.

Porsche Boeing premium urban air mobility vehicle

Porsche has experience in both developing fast-charging EV systems—some of the most tech-advanced ones, with the Taycan electric sport sedan's 800-volt system—and operating higher-end concierge services. Boeing's expertise is aerospace, and the company has already built prototype VTOL drones capable of autonomous cargo delivery.

The future of urban mobility may rely on solutions outside of the traditional automotive space. As a recent study suggests, electrification alone may not be enough to meet future energy consumption and emissions goals. Even in cities with 100 percent electric vehicle traffic, the gridlock from increased rides could potentially result in an overall increase in energy consumption.

With that specter on the horizon, adding a third dimension to urban transportation makes a great deal of sense. While there are still technological barriers to opening up city skies to fleets of drones, the more significant hurdles may actually be regulatory.

Even small drone fleets are only now starting to obtain certification for flights operating outside of line-of-sight, and the regulations governing drone flights over populated areas don't even exist yet.

Dyson done, Mirai remake, RAV4 plug-in hybrid, flying Porsche: Today’s Car News

After several years of promising news from Dyson, the UK company best known for its vacuums is cutting electric cars from its plans. Porsche and Boeing are among the companies working together on a personal aircraft. A Toyota RAV4 plug-in hybrid will bow at LA next month and arrive sometime next year. And Toyota’s radical remake of the Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell car is a stunner. This and more, today at Green Car Reports.

Toyota has revealed the next-generation version of its Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell car, in concept form. And at first glimpse, the 2021 Toyota Mirai couldn’t be a more radical turnaround. What was a gawky green machine is now a sexy sport sedan, flaunting a tech that Toyota still sees as a big part of the future.

The future that looks increasingly likely of including short-distance mobility options that take off and land like drones. But not all of these vehicles might be shared air taxis. Porsche and Boeing are together helping develop what looks a little more alluring: an all-electric VTOL craft geared at premium personal transportation.

There will be a plug-in version of the 2021 Toyota RAV4 hybrid, the carmaker has confirmed—although there are plenty of details yet to be confirmed, like its battery size, electric range, and whether it can match or top the RAV4 Hybrid’s 40-mpg EPA combined rating. And we don’t yet know if it’s officially the RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid or the RAV4 Prime. That’s all to come—likely except for the mileage and range—at this model’s LA auto show reveal in November.

Dyson has completely canceled its electric car, based on a decision coming from the company’s board. Due as soon as 2021, it had been widely anticipated as a potential game-changer with a solid-state battery pack, new motor tech, and a newfound attention to lightweighting. The company says that it will keep working on some of the technology pieces, though.

And if some days it doesn’t seem like every segment of American motorists are on board with electric and electrified powertrains as the future, consider this: Even NASCAR is planning to go hybrid—potentially as soon as 2022.

_______________________________________

Follow Green Car Reports on Facebook and Twitter

Electric moped startup Revel could expand to Texas next

Revel, the New York-based shared electric moped startup, appears to be preparing to expand into Texas, according to job listings first spotted and reported by Thinknum Alternative Data. The expansion into Texas would be Revel’s fourth market and its first west of the Mississippi River, a move that would be consistent with comments CEO and… Continue reading Electric moped startup Revel could expand to Texas next

Tesla Semi electric truck to be turned into mobile music studio by Deadmau5

Deadmau5, a DJ and music producer, announced that he is getting a Tesla Semi electric truck to turn into a mobile music studio for his 2021 tour. When launching Tesla Semi in 2017, the automaker said that the production versions of electric truck, which is a class 8 truck with a 80,000-pound capacity, will have… Continue reading Tesla Semi electric truck to be turned into mobile music studio by Deadmau5