Tag: Tesla

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“Sometimes, even the wisest of man or machine can make an error.”- Optimus Prime

Many states are taking steps to get ahead of autonomous commercial vehicles that will eventually be part of everyday life. Kentucky, too, is debating a house bill that will set limitations and guidelines for this emerging technology driven by AI .

While one can debate the pros and cons of AI and the long-term effects on the human race, we agree that there is a need for guidelines and tempered expectations. The truth is, from my perspective, that AI is a beneficial tool, but in the hands of most people, becomes a shortcut to an outcome and will eventually be used for unscrupulous purposes.

Humans are inherently lazy and I am no exception. I have to force myself to do the work to to become better each day. I believe it is a God-given desire inside of me, but I still have to fight the natural urge toward inaction. Also, I don’t believe most people are evil, there are bad people who will prey on others without remorse and AI will make that more prevalent.

That being said, there are wonderful opportunities for AI to improve our lives yet destroy our lives… maybe simultaneously. Creativity is the birthright of humanity and it will be so easy for us to give it away to AI in such a way that it is lost to antiquity. At that point, the human “being” is lost. Without purpose, Man cannot exist. In the words of Viktor Frankl, “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” This is where we must learn to live, because the machine has risen.

We Can’t Ignore the Danger. We Must Conquer It. -Optimus Prime

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Pay Me No Mind… I’m Just Over Here Chillin’

We are back. Welcome to 2024. We recorded this episode on January 22 in the middle of a polar vortex. As you can see, it took me (Ben) a while to get it posted. I do apologize and hope to do better. Every day is an adventure, huh?

In mid-January, our part of the world experienced heavy snow (more than usual anyway) followed by bitter cold. This was true for most of the eastern part of the U.S. and we were greeted by several news stories where Tesla drivers were having trouble charging. Either the car wouldn’t charge or it took extraordinarily long.

To say the least, the tone for most of these was “See? EVs SUCK!”

We try to educate, mostly ourselves, but sometimes it bleeds over to you, our loyal listeners. So, let’s discuss what’s going on and what we can do about it.

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EV Diaries After Dark: The Electric Adventures of B

Today, we have a cool episode. Brent had never been in my BMW i3. He had not driven an EV other than the Chevy Volt belonging to the co-op. We thought it was high time that he experienced something new.

Join us as we cruise around town on a rainy day and do bad impressions of Jerry Seinfeld.

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CYBERTRUCK: Rise Of The Machine

After years of waiting, the Tesla Cybertruck is here. The trucks are finally rolling of the production floor and into the garages of the people that made their reservations when it was first unveiled, assuming they still wanted it.

It occurs to us that despite the long wait, people are still intrigued by the unusual utility vehicle and new excitement is brewing. In this episode, Brent wanted to dig into the specifics of the three models that are or will become available as orders are filled. He also wanted to discuss how ordering a vehicle without a test drive works and about what one should be concerned.

All-in-all, we think the Cybertruck is going to breathe new life into the EV conversation that has been dwindling with manufacturer cutbacks, higher interest rates, and a country/world that seems to get more politically divided each day, where electric vehicles have become associated with a hot-button dogwhistle to both sides.

Let us know what you think. Email us or leave a comment.

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WHAT THE TRUCK???

Not going to lie- I’ve been a little discouraged about the EV news lately. Sure, new models are coming out every day. New breakthroughs in battery construction seem just over the horizon, but I have found myself inundated with seemingly bad new.

First, I found myself in a conference where a very influential member of a major utility organization proceeded to dismantle the improvements to the industry that EVs represent. Some of it I agreed with, like saying on-peak charging will bankrupt utilities, but he was still promoting the idea that EVs are inherently more “dirty” than fossil fuel vehicles. I’ve read the studies. I believe they are “cleaner” to operate overall, but you have to trace the reports back to their origin (who paid for it) to find hidden biases in the conclusions. But I digress.

Next, I am bombarded by articles where Ford is slowing down production of F150 Lightning pickups, pausing the construction of battery plants, and furloughing workers at their EV facilities despite the fact interest in electric vehicles is growing. General Motors, in like fashion, is throttling back on their production and pushing current sales goals into 2025.

Rationally, though, all of these moves make sense. Ford is claiming a $4.8. billion loss in their EV division because of softening sales, supply issues, and general uncertainty about rapidly changing world dynamics. Ford is also investing billions in new facilities and killing of ICE nameplates to make room for new EV models, proving they are still optimistic about the future of EVs. GM finds itself in the same situation: trying to maximize capital to sustain longevity of the brand. Even Tesla is announcing disappointing Q3 sales– down 20%.

The economy and higher interest rates that have slowed EV sales. Factor in that EVs are still slightly more expensive than their gasoline counterparts and we understand the pause. However, sometimes, it’s good to pause, assess the situation, so that you can push ahead again, even harder, tomorrow.

All in all, the EV industry is doing well and is gaining more acceptance every day. Things are cyclical and this too shall pass. Keep the faith.

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Road Trip Problems Follow-Up: Playing Follow The Leader (Hint: Tesla Is The Leader… For Now)

Is Tesla really that much better or just that far ahead?

Elon Musk and his engineers did not invent the electric car. Steve Jobs and his engineers did not invent the cellular telephone. So why are Tesla and iPhone synonymous with EVs and cell phones? They’re not the only manufacturers, right?

I think the biggest reason that these two companies have such a market share is not because they were the first, but because they reimagined what existed, packaged it elegantly, made it exciting through innovation, and controlled the user experience. There you have it, the billion dollar formula to revolutionize any market you are in.

There are a lot of comparisons to be made between the two individuals and the two companies, but does that mean they will always be on top? Of course not, these two companies have maintained their positions by reinventing their products and updating them frequently. They are also responsible of making all of their competitors, including Samsung and *sigh* Chevrolet better. Granted, the competitors are playing catchup, but if Apple or Tesla get lazy or takes their eye off the ball, then they are one good idea from being obsolete.

For now, let Tesla lead the way. They’ve earned the right. If one day Ford, Chevy or some yet to be born upstart becomes the number one EV brand it the world, so be it. They will have to earn their place and right now that place is occupied by Tesla.

Tesla is not necessarily that much better, but they have been fully committed to the EV game longer than anyone else and that is why they are just that far ahead.

For the record, Chevy is much better at pickup trucks than Tesla… for now.

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Road Trip Problems: Just Get Mad… That Helps. 🙄

Patience is Cumbersome.

That pretty much sums up this entire episode in three words. As we resume our discussion of the road trip recently taken by the Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, the author of the NPR article, Camila Domonoske, makes her arguments for why non-Tesla EVs have a “road trip problem”.

First, she sees planning a road trip as cumbersome. Second, there is a lack of infrastructure, which contributes to the first point. Third, the chargers are not fast enough. And finally, the charging infrastructure is unreliable.

She’s not wrong, but there are several things to consider. We are in the infancy of EV adoption. It seems like we are farther along, but realistically, we are just a toddler attempting the first steps of a marathon long course. JD Powers says that worry about public charging is the number one reason people are hesitant to change to electric. It is a concern, but remember 90% of charging is done at home.

But Ms. Domonoske’s points are valid. We want to go when we want to go and we don’t want anything to slow us down. Look at it this way, walking requires rest breaks, horses need water, cars need to refuel, and EVs will need to charge. As technology advances, this argument will become smaller and smaller, but all forms of travel require us to interrupt our journey at some point. There aren’t enough fast, reliable charging ports available, but that is why there is such a push to build the infrastructure to support a mass fleet of EVs.

The bottom line is this is a process and it requires patience. “Patience is when you’re supposed to be mad, but you choose to understand.” I don’t know who said it, but no truer words have been spoken.

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Road Trip Problems: Don’t You Know Who I Am?

Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, set out on a whistle stop tour of the south east to promote EVs and EV adoption recently. Embedded in her caravan was an NPR reporter, who, like Madame Secretary, is a long time EV owner. The four day trip covered several stops for town hall style meetings from Charlotte, North Carolina to Memphis, Tennessee. Everything was business as usual, until a local sheriff department outside of Atlanta was called…

Okay, those are the facts of the story and in this episode, we look at what happened. Basically an over-zealous staffer thought he would do Mrs. Granholm a favor and save a charging port for her by ICE-ing out other people waiting to charge. For us, though, the bigger story is a statement made by the reporter, Camila Domonoske; “EVs that aren’t Teslas have a road trip problem…” This is the setup for a longer exploration of this question on the next episode. Ms. Domonoske makes some valid points and offers topics for consideration.

On a side note, Brietbart had a very different take on the story. In fact, after we recorded, they had three articles by three different people on the same story. None of them were positive toward EVs, once again proving that EVs are very political and have become a hot-button buzzword to activate the fringes of both sides of the political spectrum. From a common sense perspective, EVs are very practical but there is a long way to go before they become the first choice for consumers without any coercion. We think EVs will stand on their own merit once the infrastructure is in place and people can see how practical they really are.

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So, What Is Your Reason?

Last week we discussed the BMW tweet where they called everyone “boomers”. We found out after the fact that the article was almost two years old but we thought the question they asked was still valid and relevant- “What’s your reason not to change?”

After much thought, the answers to such a question are varied. Perhaps the idea of being an early adopter (yes, it’s still early) seems daunting and you want to see what other people do. Or, maybe, there’s too many things to consider and staying with gasoline or diesel seems the easiest route. It could be you have a tinfoil hat and EVs are just a government conspiracy to control where we go and what we do by forcing us into them and then limiting the energy to use them. (You’re not alone.) Conceivably, you’re not comfortable with change or what it may bring with it. Whatever the reason, it all boils down to FEAR; fear of being first, fear of the unknown, and fear of making a mistake. Sometimes fear is justified, but most often it’s not. It’s an internal dialogue you have with yourself that can blow things out of proportion and cloud your judgement.

I’ve found, as it is often expressed, that the best way to overcome fear is to take action. I’m not saying you should face your concerns by going out and buying a Tesla, but you can start doing research on one. You can investigate available charging networks in your area or talk to your EV owning co-worker. Identify your concern, clearly assess the situation and look at the evidence. I promise you that you are not the first EV owner and seldom is adopting one going to prove fatal. You can always go back to ICE… for now, but that’s another topic for another day.

EVs are coming because change is coming. You can let the change happen or you can control the change. For us the answer is “There is no reason not to change. Bring it on!”

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At 6 Years Old, My BMW is Still A Head Turner…

This episode is just a wrap up of EVolveKY’s EV education event hosted in conjunction with the Laurel County Kiwanis Club. There was a bevy of EVs from A to Z (Nissan Ariya to many other Zero emission vehicles.)

Ben and Brent discuss their impressions and take aways from the event.

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