John's Stuff - Personal Log 1301

November 20, 2024 - November 26, 2024

Last Updated: Weds. 6/25/2025

11-26-2024
Quality Draw. That is a selling point. Not everyone is drawn to speed & distance: "Subaru is hands down built better with less issues you would have to bring it in to a service center for. Tesla is faster, faster charging and more range. Subaru is way more comfortable." Coming from an owner of both, that is quite a telling statement. I was delighted by seeing something constructive for a change. Most of the time, there is someone who posts a "Should have bought a Tesla!" comment. How is that helpful? I returned the thoughtful nature of the discussion with: Makes you wonder how Tesla will stay competitive. It's only a matter of time before faster charging and more range become a reality. That's related to battery, not an aspect of quality. Tesla's ability to ride a wave in front of the market will eventually change from advantage to liability... since those traits have diminishing return. More isn't always better. Quality though, feeds upon itself. That's how you reach wider audiences and get repeat business.

11-26-2024
SSB Expectations, attributes. These are the attributes expected to be delivered by the chemistry: "Solid-state batteries have a solid electrolyte that allows reducing the volume by 40% and the mass by 25%. Such batteries have a longer useful life with up to 45,000 cycles. Solid electrolytes are not flammable, corrosive, or volatile, making them far safer and preventing any leakage risk." It is the holy grail of what many hope to see delivered in their lifetime. Achieving some aspect of those improvements to what we have now for batteries will enable us to focus more on other priorities, like energy generation & storage. There are a ton of optimization opportunities as well. You have to start somewhere. These batteries would enable a reach to what are currently unreachable consumers.

11-26-2024
SSB Expectations, specification. More detail followed: "As it goes from the SAIC's announcement, the company's second-gen solid-state battery will start mass production in 2026. The new pack will feature an energy density of 400 Wh/kg, a volume energy density of 820 Wh/L, and an energy capacity of 75 Ah." With several other companies trying to deliver their own chemistry & packaging, including Toyota, this is definitely a big deal. It's a paradigm shift. Cost will likely be an issue for awhile. But with so much potential, since this is exactly what's needed to reach the wide diversity of consumer requirements. The mindset of early-adopters of a single solution for everyone is falling apart. That's exactly what happened with computers many decades ago. We watched the desktop expand to notebooks, tablets and handhelds. That was so successful, the phone has become ubiquitous and a companion to the other devices. Heck, look at how integrated features within our vehicles have already become... even before most discover the benefit of maps guiding you to the nearest charger with just a verbal command. It comes down to battery, then and now.

11-26-2024
SSB Expectations, energy density. There was a SSB (Solid State Battery) announcement today, revealing some detail of what to expect. The biggest benefit from solid-state will be energy density. Being able to squeeze more electricity into a smaller package is vital. Currently, compromises are made to achieve adequate range for pickups. For compact cars, it's basically unrealistic still. Replacing the liquid electrolyte with a solid enable that necessary volume squeeze. This is what we were informed about that effort: "One of the biggest Chinese automakers SAIC announced it will start mass production of the second-generation solid-state battery (SSB) in 2026. It will have an energy density of 400 Wh/kg. SAIC entered the arms race with Chery, GAC, CATL, BYD, GWM, and other companies." That's really good news. Regardless of whether any particular business has an early advantage doesn't matter. Showing the world new chemistries are realistic is vital. That worked exceptionally well with LFP. Next will be SSB.

11-26-2024
VW Cancels MEB. The video attacks continue. That guy making a living from the spread of hate has expanded beyond Toyota, now targeting VW to build favor for his own interests. Today, it was claiming VW had canceled plans for expansion of use for their MEB platform. It's just like the nonsense claiming Toyota will be bankrupt in the next few years. Ugh. Anywho, the discussion one a VW group about this guy's intent & reputation caught my attention. I joined in with: It has been interesting to watch his career thrive making money by feeding hate. It was easy for us to miss over the years how Fox News became a propaganda machine. This came about much faster, capitalizing on using Toyota as a scapegoat and transforming them into a villain. It has been interesting to watch his career thrive making money by feeding hate. It was easy for us to miss over the years how Fox became a propaganda machine. This came about much faster, capitalizing on using Toyota as a scapegoat and transforming them into a villain. Seeing VW get pulled into that mess is unfortunate.

11-24-2024
Remember Tesla? Distortions of what happened & when is a growing problem. First, there is the original mission-statement of: "To accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy." That doesn't mean to become the world's largest automaker. In fact, it doesn't even provide a reason to think production of vehicles would be of major importance. Seeing a bulk of 4680 battery supply going toward energy-storage rather than Cybertruck reinforces that. Second, the draw to Tesla due to the SuperCharger network should be another big clue to purpose. Was it really to attract shoppers to their vehicles or was it a means of establishing sustainable income? Keep in mind, 43% of Tesla's profit through the third-quarter of this year has been selling carbon credits. That source of income will shrink dramatically as other automakers ramp up their own EV production. Opening SuperChargers to others abandons that exclusivity. Lastly, there's the long-in-the-tooth problem with Model 3 & Y being so old now. The market is saturated and their resale value has plummeted. This is why I got somewhat irked by an article Tesla "won" the charger war. Did it? What exactly was the gain, especially with competitors having the advantage of longer cords already? Remember why Tesla left California? A lot of that had to do with getting so much push from pollution violations. Anywho, I posted this... expecting some fanboy upset, but not really caring: Good article, though incomplete. Tesla may have won in North America, but it actually lost in Europe. The article also refers to the proposed name, not what actually came to be... "system" not "standard". NACS = North American Charging System.

11-24-2024
bZ4X Upgrade, SiC. Those anecdotal observations are adding up. It makes sense to expect Toyota would do a subtle rollout last year to Lexus, then spread it to more models the following. That fits well with their approach of continuous improvement. This was my attempt to stir interest & discussion on the new topic: SiC (silicone carbide) use in the inverter is a possible upgrade for the 2025 model... hence the thought about a minor range increase. One version of Lexus RZ300e appears to anecdotally support that rollout has already begun. This efficiency upgrade has been part of Toyota's long-term plan for years now.

11-23-2024 bZ4X Upgrade, SBW. We got DBW (drive-by-wire) for throttle control long ago. I remember the days of an actual metal-rod being attached to the gas-pedal. What a crude design. It was rather remarkable to see frozen in the dead of winter. I literally popped open the hood of the car and fixed the problem by physically grabbing & moving the metal-rod. Switching to electronically-controlled actuators is a big improvement. There's the obvious safety & flexibility not possible with a mechanical linkage. Automatic override, like in the cause of a stall, can take place too without driver intervention. Now, we turn focus to steering improvement. I posted:

STW (steer-by-wire) is what I'm looking forward to. It will be much like when Toyota switched to electric-steering. I was in a room full of engineers & advocates at the gen-3 reveal in Detroit. There was an enormous cheer when that tidbit of info was disclosed. We were all well aware of the benefits of eliminated the complexity of having a belt, pump and fluid.

We know there are advantages from adopting steer-by-wire. We know its coming too. There were prototype reviews with a Lexus last year. I did some searches to find additional detail, not realizing I would stumble across a specific mention of its intent for bZ4X in an article published on a German website. A key quote from it was: "...steer-by-wire systems have become increasingly popular. They will soon be found in vehicles from Toyota, Lexus and Nio, for example. The Toyota bZ4X, for example, is to be equipped with a steer-by-wire system."
Knowing how Toyota follows a continuous update approach and the fact that a North American executive stated a few updates coming for the 2025 model, it seems a good bet to expect steer-by-wire soon. Having firsthand experience with the gen-1 Prius recall of its steering-rack... a simple component replace... had the design not been all one big piece, further reinforces that belief for me. Toyota quickly learned from that overlook and rolled out gen-2 with a modular design. Gaining real-world experience & feedback prior to a gen-2 bZ4X is an opportunity to take advantage of.

11-23-2024
bZ4X Upgrade, heat. I don't suspect a hardware upgrade is in the cards for 2023 models. That simply doesn't seem realistic; though, it is plausible. After all, we got the retrofit for cruise-control with the 2001 Prius. Regardless, a few are holding on to that hope: "And if they'd do the same thing with the new heat pump, I'd pay for it too!" This is what I sent as words of encouragement on the topic of upgrades: I have been hoping for real-world data to support raising the temperature tolerances for the pack... higher & longer. Enabling a means to pre-condition would be nice as well. Aligning rollout of that to coincide with other updates (NACS and 2025MY) is a reasonable move, since dealing with a very fluid market is quite a challenge. Those particular alterations are software-only too, so it wouldn't be a major expense or effort.

11-23-2024
No Efficiency Data. Yet another bZ4X video review was published without any efficiency data. Ugh. It was nothing but the bias for enthusiast appeal. Helpful facts to provide an ordinary consumers with useful insight as to what would make their purchase choice of BEV better than ICE were missing entirely. It's hard to believe countless number of hybrid reviews focused on cost saving from using less gas (or not) were followed by a complete absence of the same driving expense data for BEV. Since smog & carbon emissions are nothing but talking-points, shouldn't dramatically lower cost to operate be the focus... as it was when gas was the fuel? The answer to that is obvious. Enthusiasts are horrible representatives of change in the right direction. They embrace electricity guzzlers. Cybertruck is praised, despite the reality of it being a horribly wasteful EV. Just like with Volt, owners don't care. They figure not using gas is all that matters. Energy in terms of electricity is somehow exempt. Ugh. Quite annoyed with this particular review... my first to come across following the election... there's an expectation of everyone reconsidering priorities. This guy clearly did not. It was just more of the same. So, I tried by best at a constructive comments attempting to give him an attitude adjustment: Reviews comparing an EV to other EVs won't draw the largest audience... showroom shoppers. Their interest is whether the EV is competitive with the gas vehicle they find appealing. In that regard, this video completely overlooked that information. It's the same thing missing from other reviews, so consider this a suggestion to standout. You need to include efficiency data. Inform viewers how much electricity will be used... the mi/kWh value. It's what shoppers ask about. How much will it impact their monthly electricity bill. With this criteria, bZ4X does surprisingly well. With the AWD and high ground-clearance, efficiency tends to noticeably better than others in the same category. Owners seeing over 4 mi/kWh throughout the summer is quite common. That means for 100 miles of travel, at the average cost of $0.15 per kWh, it be $3.75. From an overnight charging discount of $0.05 per kWh, it would only be $1.25 for 100 miles. That type of information is what stirs interest for plugging in. Compares to other automakers is a failure to reach beyond enthusiasts.

11-23-2024 Audio Paused. I find the evolution of third-party vehicle interfaces fascinating. Being a software engineer for many decades now, that should be no surprise. There are always limitations. The big one when Prius owners started to complain about Toyota not rolling out support sooner was their refusal to acknowledge hardware. It should have been obvious that the screen wasn't accommodating t the features being offered. They didn't care. That meant anything related to software behavior was out-of-scope, no possible way to have a constructive discussion about. Fortunately, Google understands that and has made a few KISS choices. Like them or not, that "keep it simple, stupid" approach is a good choice when amidst change. That means the well-informed have options. In this case, the "audio paused" message preventing you from adjusting volume of playback from a source on your phone isn't a solid barrier. There is a workaround for those willing to override protections. In this case, it's a block for unknown sources. I posted a simple, non-hack option:

How many of you out there are not aware of the workaround for this Android Auto annoyance?

Restoring the ability to adjust volume while listening to something via Bluetooth (like a newsfeed from YouTube) is just a matter of timing.

1) Leave the vehicle's audio input set to Bluetooth.
2) Queue up some input (like a video) on your phone.
3) Power up the vehicle.
4) When the welcome banner pops up to load settings, press play on your phone.
At that point, you'll discover the volume button on the steering-wheel does indeed allow up & down. No more pause message.

11-22-2024
Level 1. It is nice to encounter a basic question about charging. Most come from new owners. That's interesting. They make their purchase with the plan to install level-2 at some point, but don't feel the urgency to do so. It's more of a take-your-time attitude with hints of excitement. That's a clue about audience change. With enthusiasts, not only did they tend to be well informed, many had either already setup for level-2 prior to purchase or they had confirmed they would be just fine with level-1. For this new audience emerging, I try to provide some simple information for them to learn the basics. Unfortunately, there are others claiming to do the same, but end up misleading instead. This was a great example. The article sighted the rare 20-amp outlet, as if it was commonplace in the household. Most homes don't have one, since it requires heavier gauge wiring. That means it would be in a specific location for a specific use. Odds are pretty good, that isn't where you would want to plug in to charge your car. I would see that as more likely inside, for a utility room. Anywho, this was my effort to point out that mislead: Since the standard household outlet is 120 volt @ 15 amps, references to 1.9 kW speed are extremely misleading. That requires a line supporting 20 amps... which would be an upgrade. If you're having an electrician run new wire, it makes sense to bump voltage to 240 volts... especially now that many EVSE included with the vehicle support 240.

11-20-2024
EREV Anger, logic. Quite frustrated with my reply, followed by a push for definition, he got even more annoyed. I had pointed out how EREV was defined changed over the years. Getting his interpretation of what it meant now was exactly what I had been waiting for. I pushed back hard with information to complete derail his argument and bring about disillusionment of the good memories he had fondly held onto. Back then, it was an impediment that made understanding benefits difficult. Now, it is a barrier to progress. People need to recognize differences to make informed purchase decisions. We are no longer in the days of limited choice and conquest sales. Audience has changed from early-adopters to mainstream consumers. It felt good to reply with this, letting him know on no uncertain terms Volt was promoted by enthusiasts under false pretenses: That is how Prius Prime has operated since 2016. It could be driven at speeds up to 135 km/h (84 mph) without the gas-engine starting, even if you dropped the pedal to the floor. It also offered an advantage over Volt by using a heat-pump rather than a resistance-heater.

11-26-2024	Quality Draw. That is a selling point. Not everyone is drawn to speed & distance: "Subaru is hands down built better with less issues you would have to bring it in to a service center for. Tesla is faster, faster charging and more range. Subaru is way more comfortable." Coming from an owner of both, that is quite a telling statement. I was delighted by seeing something constructive for a change. Most of the time, there is someone who posts a "Should have bought a Tesla!" comment. How is that helpful? I returned the thoughtful nature of the discussion with: Makes you wonder how Tesla will stay competitive. It's only a matter of time before faster charging and more range become a reality. That's related to battery, not an aspect of quality. Tesla's ability to ride a wave in front of the market will eventually change from advantage to liability... since those traits have diminishing return. More isn't always better. Quality though, feeds upon itself. That's how you reach wider audiences and get repeat business.
11-26-2024	SSB Expectations, attributes. These are the attributes expected to be delivered by the chemistry: "Solid-state batteries have a solid electrolyte that allows reducing the volume by 40% and the mass by 25%. Such batteries have a longer useful life with up to 45,000 cycles. Solid electrolytes are not flammable, corrosive, or volatile, making them far safer and preventing any leakage risk." It is the holy grail of what many hope to see delivered in their lifetime. Achieving some aspect of those improvements to what we have now for batteries will enable us to focus more on other priorities, like energy generation & storage. There are a ton of optimization opportunities as well. You have to start somewhere. These batteries would enable a reach to what are currently unreachable consumers.
11-26-2024	SSB Expectations, specification. More detail followed: "As it goes from the SAIC's announcement, the company's second-gen solid-state battery will start mass production in 2026. The new pack will feature an energy density of 400 Wh/kg, a volume energy density of 820 Wh/L, and an energy capacity of 75 Ah." With several other companies trying to deliver their own chemistry & packaging, including Toyota, this is definitely a big deal. It's a paradigm shift. Cost will likely be an issue for awhile. But with so much potential, since this is exactly what's needed to reach the wide diversity of consumer requirements. The mindset of early-adopters of a single solution for everyone is falling apart. That's exactly what happened with computers many decades ago. We watched the desktop expand to notebooks, tablets and handhelds. That was so successful, the phone has become ubiquitous and a companion to the other devices. Heck, look at how integrated features within our vehicles have already become... even before most discover the benefit of maps guiding you to the nearest charger with just a verbal command. It comes down to battery, then and now.
11-26-2024	SSB Expectations, energy density. There was a SSB (Solid State Battery) announcement today, revealing some detail of what to expect. The biggest benefit from solid-state will be energy density. Being able to squeeze more electricity into a smaller package is vital. Currently, compromises are made to achieve adequate range for pickups. For compact cars, it's basically unrealistic still. Replacing the liquid electrolyte with a solid enable that necessary volume squeeze. This is what we were informed about that effort: "One of the biggest Chinese automakers SAIC announced it will start mass production of the second-generation solid-state battery (SSB) in 2026. It will have an energy density of 400 Wh/kg. SAIC entered the arms race with Chery, GAC, CATL, BYD, GWM, and other companies." That's really good news. Regardless of whether any particular business has an early advantage doesn't matter. Showing the world new chemistries are realistic is vital. That worked exceptionally well with LFP. Next will be SSB.
11-26-2024	VW Cancels MEB. The video attacks continue. That guy making a living from the spread of hate has expanded beyond Toyota, now targeting VW to build favor for his own interests. Today, it was claiming VW had canceled plans for expansion of use for their MEB platform. It's just like the nonsense claiming Toyota will be bankrupt in the next few years. Ugh. Anywho, the discussion one a VW group about this guy's intent & reputation caught my attention. I joined in with: It has been interesting to watch his career thrive making money by feeding hate. It was easy for us to miss over the years how Fox News became a propaganda machine. This came about much faster, capitalizing on using Toyota as a scapegoat and transforming them into a villain. It has been interesting to watch his career thrive making money by feeding hate. It was easy for us to miss over the years how Fox became a propaganda machine. This came about much faster, capitalizing on using Toyota as a scapegoat and transforming them into a villain. Seeing VW get pulled into that mess is unfortunate.
11-24-2024	Remember Tesla? Distortions of what happened & when is a growing problem. First, there is the original mission-statement of: "To accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy." That doesn't mean to become the world's largest automaker. In fact, it doesn't even provide a reason to think production of vehicles would be of major importance. Seeing a bulk of 4680 battery supply going toward energy-storage rather than Cybertruck reinforces that. Second, the draw to Tesla due to the SuperCharger network should be another big clue to purpose. Was it really to attract shoppers to their vehicles or was it a means of establishing sustainable income? Keep in mind, 43% of Tesla's profit through the third-quarter of this year has been selling carbon credits. That source of income will shrink dramatically as other automakers ramp up their own EV production. Opening SuperChargers to others abandons that exclusivity. Lastly, there's the long-in-the-tooth problem with Model 3 & Y being so old now. The market is saturated and their resale value has plummeted. This is why I got somewhat irked by an article Tesla "won" the charger war. Did it? What exactly was the gain, especially with competitors having the advantage of longer cords already? Remember why Tesla left California? A lot of that had to do with getting so much push from pollution violations. Anywho, I posted this... expecting some fanboy upset, but not really caring: Good article, though incomplete. Tesla may have won in North America, but it actually lost in Europe. The article also refers to the proposed name, not what actually came to be... "system" not "standard". NACS = North American Charging System.
11-24-2024	bZ4X Upgrade, SiC. Those anecdotal observations are adding up. It makes sense to expect Toyota would do a subtle rollout last year to Lexus, then spread it to more models the following. That fits well with their approach of continuous improvement. This was my attempt to stir interest & discussion on the new topic: SiC (silicone carbide) use in the inverter is a possible upgrade for the 2025 model... hence the thought about a minor range increase. One version of Lexus RZ300e appears to anecdotally support that rollout has already begun. This efficiency upgrade has been part of Toyota's long-term plan for years now.
11-23-2024	bZ4X Upgrade, SBW. We got DBW (drive-by-wire) for throttle control long ago. I remember the days of an actual metal-rod being attached to the gas-pedal. What a crude design. It was rather remarkable to see frozen in the dead of winter. I literally popped open the hood of the car and fixed the problem by physically grabbing & moving the metal-rod. Switching to electronically-controlled actuators is a big improvement. There's the obvious safety & flexibility not possible with a mechanical linkage. Automatic override, like in the cause of a stall, can take place too without driver intervention. Now, we turn focus to steering improvement. I posted: STW (steer-by-wire) is what I'm looking forward to. It will be much like when Toyota switched to electric-steering. I was in a room full of engineers & advocates at the gen-3 reveal in Detroit. There was an enormous cheer when that tidbit of info was disclosed. We were all well aware of the benefits of eliminated the complexity of having a belt, pump and fluid. We know there are advantages from adopting steer-by-wire. We know its coming too. There were prototype reviews with a Lexus last year. I did some searches to find additional detail, not realizing I would stumble across a specific mention of its intent for bZ4X in an article published on a German website. A key quote from it was: "...steer-by-wire systems have become increasingly popular. They will soon be found in vehicles from Toyota, Lexus and Nio, for example. The Toyota bZ4X, for example, is to be equipped with a steer-by-wire system." Knowing how Toyota follows a continuous update approach and the fact that a North American executive stated a few updates coming for the 2025 model, it seems a good bet to expect steer-by-wire soon. Having firsthand experience with the gen-1 Prius recall of its steering-rack... a simple component replace... had the design not been all one big piece, further reinforces that belief for me. Toyota quickly learned from that overlook and rolled out gen-2 with a modular design. Gaining real-world experience & feedback prior to a gen-2 bZ4X is an opportunity to take advantage of.
11-23-2024	bZ4X Upgrade, heat. I don't suspect a hardware upgrade is in the cards for 2023 models. That simply doesn't seem realistic; though, it is plausible. After all, we got the retrofit for cruise-control with the 2001 Prius. Regardless, a few are holding on to that hope: "And if they'd do the same thing with the new heat pump, I'd pay for it too!" This is what I sent as words of encouragement on the topic of upgrades: I have been hoping for real-world data to support raising the temperature tolerances for the pack... higher & longer. Enabling a means to pre-condition would be nice as well. Aligning rollout of that to coincide with other updates (NACS and 2025MY) is a reasonable move, since dealing with a very fluid market is quite a challenge. Those particular alterations are software-only too, so it wouldn't be a major expense or effort.
11-23-2024	No Efficiency Data. Yet another bZ4X video review was published without any efficiency data. Ugh. It was nothing but the bias for enthusiast appeal. Helpful facts to provide an ordinary consumers with useful insight as to what would make their purchase choice of BEV better than ICE were missing entirely. It's hard to believe countless number of hybrid reviews focused on cost saving from using less gas (or not) were followed by a complete absence of the same driving expense data for BEV. Since smog & carbon emissions are nothing but talking-points, shouldn't dramatically lower cost to operate be the focus... as it was when gas was the fuel? The answer to that is obvious. Enthusiasts are horrible representatives of change in the right direction. They embrace electricity guzzlers. Cybertruck is praised, despite the reality of it being a horribly wasteful EV. Just like with Volt, owners don't care. They figure not using gas is all that matters. Energy in terms of electricity is somehow exempt. Ugh. Quite annoyed with this particular review... my first to come across following the election... there's an expectation of everyone reconsidering priorities. This guy clearly did not. It was just more of the same. So, I tried by best at a constructive comments attempting to give him an attitude adjustment: Reviews comparing an EV to other EVs won't draw the largest audience... showroom shoppers. Their interest is whether the EV is competitive with the gas vehicle they find appealing. In that regard, this video completely overlooked that information. It's the same thing missing from other reviews, so consider this a suggestion to standout. You need to include efficiency data. Inform viewers how much electricity will be used... the mi/kWh value. It's what shoppers ask about. How much will it impact their monthly electricity bill. With this criteria, bZ4X does surprisingly well. With the AWD and high ground-clearance, efficiency tends to noticeably better than others in the same category. Owners seeing over 4 mi/kWh throughout the summer is quite common. That means for 100 miles of travel, at the average cost of $0.15 per kWh, it be $3.75. From an overnight charging discount of $0.05 per kWh, it would only be $1.25 for 100 miles. That type of information is what stirs interest for plugging in. Compares to other automakers is a failure to reach beyond enthusiasts.
11-23-2024	Audio Paused. I find the evolution of third-party vehicle interfaces fascinating. Being a software engineer for many decades now, that should be no surprise. There are always limitations. The big one when Prius owners started to complain about Toyota not rolling out support sooner was their refusal to acknowledge hardware. It should have been obvious that the screen wasn't accommodating t the features being offered. They didn't care. That meant anything related to software behavior was out-of-scope, no possible way to have a constructive discussion about. Fortunately, Google understands that and has made a few KISS choices. Like them or not, that "keep it simple, stupid" approach is a good choice when amidst change. That means the well-informed have options. In this case, the "audio paused" message preventing you from adjusting volume of playback from a source on your phone isn't a solid barrier. There is a workaround for those willing to override protections. In this case, it's a block for unknown sources. I posted a simple, non-hack option: How many of you out there are not aware of the workaround for this Android Auto annoyance? Restoring the ability to adjust volume while listening to something via Bluetooth (like a newsfeed from YouTube) is just a matter of timing. 1) Leave the vehicle's audio input set to Bluetooth. 2) Queue up some input (like a video) on your phone. 3) Power up the vehicle. 4) When the welcome banner pops up to load settings, press play on your phone. At that point, you'll discover the volume button on the steering-wheel does indeed allow up & down. No more pause message.
11-22-2024	Level 1. It is nice to encounter a basic question about charging. Most come from new owners. That's interesting. They make their purchase with the plan to install level-2 at some point, but don't feel the urgency to do so. It's more of a take-your-time attitude with hints of excitement. That's a clue about audience change. With enthusiasts, not only did they tend to be well informed, many had either already setup for level-2 prior to purchase or they had confirmed they would be just fine with level-1. For this new audience emerging, I try to provide some simple information for them to learn the basics. Unfortunately, there are others claiming to do the same, but end up misleading instead. This was a great example. The article sighted the rare 20-amp outlet, as if it was commonplace in the household. Most homes don't have one, since it requires heavier gauge wiring. That means it would be in a specific location for a specific use. Odds are pretty good, that isn't where you would want to plug in to charge your car. I would see that as more likely inside, for a utility room. Anywho, this was my effort to point out that mislead: Since the standard household outlet is 120 volt @ 15 amps, references to 1.9 kW speed are extremely misleading. That requires a line supporting 20 amps... which would be an upgrade. If you're having an electrician run new wire, it makes sense to bump voltage to 240 volts... especially now that many EVSE included with the vehicle support 240.
11-20-2024	EREV Anger, logic. Quite frustrated with my reply, followed by a push for definition, he got even more annoyed. I had pointed out how EREV was defined changed over the years. Getting his interpretation of what it meant now was exactly what I had been waiting for. I pushed back hard with information to complete derail his argument and bring about disillusionment of the good memories he had fondly held onto. Back then, it was an impediment that made understanding benefits difficult. Now, it is a barrier to progress. People need to recognize differences to make informed purchase decisions. We are no longer in the days of limited choice and conquest sales. Audience has changed from early-adopters to mainstream consumers. It felt good to reply with this, letting him know on no uncertain terms Volt was promoted by enthusiasts under false pretenses: That is how Prius Prime has operated since 2016. It could be driven at speeds up to 135 km/h (84 mph) without the gas-engine starting, even if you dropped the pedal to the floor. It also offered an advantage over Volt by using a heat-pump rather than a resistance-heater.