Most Liked Automotive Blogs (377)

He's been sentenced to 5 days in jail and 3 years of probation in DUI charges.
Happy now?



Right, not enough punishment.

California air regulators are set to vote Thursday on a historic plan that would effectively require all new cars sold within the state to be zero-emission vehicles by 2035 — a ruling that would put the nation’s most populous state in the forefront of phasing out internal combustion engines and the harmful, planet-warming gasses they emit.

If approved, the regulations are expected to significantly reduce vehicle carbon dioxide emissions, as well as smog-forming nitrogen oxides over the next two decades. It could also lead the way in transforming America’s aging fleet of gasoline-powered automobiles.

“The climate crisis is solvable if we focus on the big, bold steps necessary to stem the tide of carbon pollution,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday. “California now has a groundbreaking, world-leading plan to achieve 100% zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035. It’s ambitious, it’s innovative, it’s the action we must take if we’re serious about leaving this planet better off for future generations.”

The proposed rules would establish a credit system for automakers supplying California car dealerships and take effect in 2026. In that year, 35% of all new cars an auto manufacturer sells to California dealerships would need to be either zero-emission, plug-in hybrid or hydrogen-powered vehicles. That would increase to 68% in 2030 and 100% by 2035.

Read more:

In Vancouver, Canada, in late May, a Tesla Model Y burst into flames while the driver was waiting for a light at an intersection. He had to kick out a window to escape.

Around the same time, a new Tesla burst into flames in Brooklyn, Illinois, and a week before that a Model 3 caught fire in California City, California, while it was parked in a driveway.

In April, a deadly lithium-ion battery fire occurred in a Tesla car crash in Houston.

Last year, a Tesla caught fire while charging overnight in a garage, which the Washington Post described as “one in a string of recent examples showing what can happen when electric cars are left parked in garages to charge overnight” and which promoted electric vehicle (EV) makers to warn “owners not to leave the cars charging unattended in certain circumstances, or sitting fully charged in garages.”




Tesla recently ordered a recall of almost 130,000 cars because of an “infotainment” system issue that threatened to overheat during “fast charging.”

We’re not trying to single Tesla out here. It isn’t the only one having problems with its lithium-ion batteries.

A March 31 house fire in Damascus, Maryland, caused by a charging Chevy Volt resulted in $350,000 worth of damages.

Last August, GM recalled all the 110,000 Chevrolet Bolt cars it had sold “due to the risk of the high-voltage battery pack catching fire” and warned owners to park their cars away from buildings and other cars. As of April, GM had replaced the batteries on only about a quarter of the recalled cars.

Chevrolet recalled about 110,000 of its Volt EV model years 2017 to 2022 for potential battery fire issues.

In France last month, two electric buses spontaneously exploded, resulting in all 149 electric buses being pulled from service.



Electric scooters in India have been catching fire, and let’s not forget about the Samsung Galaxy 7 phone that had to be recalled after its lithium-ion battery started catching fire.

Shippers are increasingly wary, too. Japan’s Mitsui OSK Lines is the latest to say it won’t transport used EVs on its cargo vessels.

But don’t worry, we’re told. Electric vehicles result in far fewer fires than their gas-powered cousins.

From 2012 to 2021, Tesla reports that there was roughly one Tesla vehicle fire for every 210 million miles driven, which compares to one fire per 19 million miles driven for all vehicles.

“The difference between Tesla and the average is 11:1, which is a big win not only for Tesla but in general, for electric cars,” writes Mark Kane in InsideEVs.

Read more:

Tag.} Etymology, Geography & more...
Text | Dictionary.. Strong's Concordance 1890

Heb. Oren.....Lat. Fresno....Eng. Ashtree.
.[ 766 ]....6575.. Exposition
................5809..help + ful.....
..................766.
3491...R...a....n....g.....E.
. 766...Ashtree
2725... parching heat ; drought
..........1 0 3 0.. house { of the } sun
.............264.. brotherhood
389..surely / wherefore
766. Fresno
1155. Grape.. .[ Fresno county # 01 source.
...........6778...raisins...[ Number One again
............6012...deeper / depth
..............766.
3784..whisper { a magic $pell*
3018...labor
. 766....* Number 1 in meth Alchemy....
...............594. pL } plumbline
...............172...my tent is here
............... 766....big F./ Ash- tree, UN disputed leader in baseball bat$....made from white Ash.
....P A R T 2.. Bigger Geography
Innervisions / Wonder
Hocus pocus / Focus
eYes of Texas / Sinclair
....o824. support..............7453. T X
....6629. cattle..................6524. abundance
...7453. Friends / texas......929..moo.) more cows.
1496..hewn-stone [ houston
3879.. attached..{ Heb., Levite
5375..nasa. [2 ] ..lift up..; to deceive
.....3 0 2 7..XL. } extra LARGE
.....4 4 2 6...[ 2 ] ...interpret ; satire
.....7 4 5 3......do not think you can so easily escape
them, the eYes of TX are upon you until Gabriel blows his horn.....- Sinclair
7453.
1572..absorb
5881..having eYes
... besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing & studying & arranging muy Proverbs with great care...- hotel Version, p.559
Ecc.12:9
..pilot in the sky of dreams / threshold
headed for Tomorrow / gamma Ray
Jet Lag ../..simple plan......) Standby.

Mike is running for office. His new campaign ad talks about an energy plan to lower costs and by 2040 will make America the leading energy producer in the world. I like it and I'm with Mike on this plan.
Just like Mike, I want to be able to pull up to a pump, without paying, remove the nozzle and be able to put gas in my car and not have to squeeze the handle!

Awesome plan Mike...

Story link:


X (Twitter) link:


Energy plan:

After the days of a Camel
Came a Hairball
And betwixt
Many others

Each
INDIVIDUALS
Summed up as
ONE
As if to think independently is unique

But, the fact remains
We are free to create and be
Because this may be the only place
To express our true selves
Even if it takes multiple profiles to do so

Before I could (legally) drive a car I was in love with the Austin Mini Cooper. My brother and I went to Speedway Park to see some races. Typically they were American muscle cars, but one race was for the mini series. I was blown-away by their high performance.
I ordered a photo book with specifications of makes and models of the minicar series as they had a few manufacturers and lots of different body style.



That's when I learned names of parts to cars were very different in the United Kingdom than in the United States. First off, tires are tyres, hood is bonnet, trunk is boot and the think that confused me the most is the front glass.
In America, it's called a windshield. In Europe, it's a windscreen.

We are talking about wind... I have screens on the windows in my house. They are there to allow air to pass and screen out bugs and often dust or leaves when it's really windy.

My boss has a secretary who answers the phone calls and screens ones of people he's not interested in talking to. Screen... some calls can pass through.

Roman soldiers had wooden shields that were used to protect themselves from the swords of their enemies in combat. Shield... block the attack.

By definition, a windshield is designed to block the wind. That would mean a windscreen is designed to allow some wind to pass.
Are you kidding me??


Windshield versus a windscreen...

Hurricane Ian passed through Tampa, Florida last month and flooded the entire west coast. Photos of waist high waters in several counties were on the news. Many of the cars had to be totaled due to salt water intrusion. Once water enters a vehicle and soaks into the wiring harnesses and electronics, the reliability lost and the vehicle can become hazardous with all sorts of irregularities both mechanical and electrical.

What happens to these vehicles? That depends on the decision of the insurance company. They could write checks to the owners of cars and pay out current value. They take the cars and dispose of them. If the damage is minor, they could offer a lower settlement for the owner to keep the car but have to re-register the title. That puts the vehicle in a different classification similar to rebuilding a junker! Your old car isn't what it used to be.

Reclaimed cars in the hands of insurance companies often get sold at auction, many of them are bought by wholesale companies who special in the used car market. They get cleaned and appear aesthetically 'in good condition' only to be moved around the state and sometimes other states to be resold. Some get shipped out to foreign countries.

This isn't a new problem and happens after hurricanes, floods and other disasters.
If you are planning to buy used after a hurricane, make sure you have a reliable technician/mechanic go over the vehicle and do a careful inspection specifically looking for signs of water damage. What to look for? cars with a mildew odor, late model cars where the interior and seats were replaced is a good starting point.

All cars have a history and it's recommended to pull the 'car fax' report to see the history and location of every time it was bought and sold. Also if there are any damage reports.

Taking that further, be wary of buying a used car in (or from) Florida...

...I recall younger years, with terribly risky driving, and an automatic autonomic reaction on seeing any blue flashing lights behind me. And a sigh of relief when the cruiser passes to snag some other unlucky motorist. These days, in spite of having land vehicles doing 140+ before red lining, I now drive like a church lady, and don't seem to get these feelings. Funny, these changes with the years,--- but it took some time. Old dogs, new tricks. And such fears are common. They start in many ways and places.

Dash cam or dashcam describes a video camera mounted on the dashboard of your car for the purpose of recording... things. Lots of things. Truckers use them to record their trips in the event of an accident as it will solve disputes of 'he said, she said' when the other persons story differs from yours.

Although not perfect, when needed if a driver's job is at risk or for insurance claims, it could be the deciding factor, especially in bad weather conditions. Lots of times police reports aren't accurate. For example, a truck having a front-end collision and stating the driver was following too closely to the vehicle in front of him, but in reality the vehicle ahead swerved into the lane of the truck striking the truck where the driver had no chance of braking or maneuvering to avoid the accident.

Most of the units I've seen don't actually mount to the dash but have a suction cup that attaches to the inside of the windshield with a wire to the cigarette lighter for power.
Usually it's a forward facing camera with sound. Some units have a wire to a 2nd camera that can be mounted on the rear window (of a car) to record anything from behind.

People often post videos on YouTube and social media of events, like road rage, trucks Rolling Coal, tailgaters, people running red lights causing accidents, etc.

One recent story was a guy involved in a fender bender where he alerted the other guy who struck his car to pull over. Taking a photo of the damage, the other guy using profanity blamed him for the accident, strides right up and takes a swing 'sucker punching' this first guy. Lucky for him it was a glancing blow and not a direct hit to his jaw. All caught on dash cam, he can press charges to police.

Dashcam prices on Amazon range as low as $35 to over $150 for units with night vision, Wi-Fi and record car movement to record activity when your car is parked.

I've been lucky all the years I drove from Miami to Boca Raton 6 days a week, racking up more than 30,000 miles a year and have seen some serious accidents. I've shopped some units and would like to have a self contained battery operated model what doesn't need to be wired into the car battery.
Maybe I'll find the right model and install one!