John's Stuff - Personal Log 1315

April 6, 2025 - April 16, 2025

Last Updated: Weds. 6/25/2025

4-16-2025 Critical Thoughts. Phew! We are actually getting some! This one was especially nice to encounter: "There aren't many 400v vehicles with peak charging over 200kw. The majority of vehicles that can do that are 800v. And it doesn't matter for day to day use and its ridiculous that supposedly savvy EV owners try to make peak charging speeds the primary spec we should worry about." I was delighted to jump into that discussion. This was my contribution, hoping for something constructive in return:

200 kW from 400-volt vehicles requires 500 amps dedicated to a single line. That simply isn't realistic in this market where having more stalls available is more important. Load balancing hardware & software will improve, enabling practical power distribution among more vehicles without such a high cost.

That doesn't overcome the "advertised" charging speed though, for station or vehicle. Most people will have no idea how speed will be impacted by the number of vehicles charging at the same time. They likely won't recognize the influence of location, station and battery temperatures either.
We'll know BEV have truly become mainstream when the same mindset that came about for hybrids kicks in. There was obsession with aspects of performance back in the early days of hybrids too. Those voices eventually faded and the technology became ubiquitous. We're clearly not there yet.

4-16-2025
Attempted Downplay. The beauty of new press releases is you get to find out how desperate those who fear change really are. Status quo is that Toyota is behind and will always struggle to compete. News of a mid-cycle update for Solterra seems to be freaking them out. But rather than counter the news with something more compelling, they attack. Sometimes it is in a hostile form. Other times, it is subtle. Today, the latter emerged: "Not overly impressive range for the battery size." It's hard to tell what the theme will become. But with my videos building up as a nice collection to use on the offense, we can handle it. In this case though, I wanted to call the troublemaker a moron. Does he really think readers are so stupid they won't ever do the math? Probably. After all, there's enough gullible people to not see the big picture of what's happening with politics. That undermining is harder to deal with. This was rather easy: 74.7 kWh total capacity provides means usable capacity of about 67 kWh. To get the estimated 285 miles of range, it's efficiency of 4.25 mi/kWh. That's impressive.

4-16-2025
Still Not Thinking. Same rehash of that on-going theme, bigger is better: "Hopefully they will work out how to stuff an additional 10-30kWh into this. 260 miles is good but it would be nice to meet the competition where they are at ~300miles." I always get a kick out of how cherry-picked the use of "competition" is here. Antagonists pretend lower range offerings don't exist and no one would ever buy one if they did. It's the narrative they will be struggling to maintain. Toyota (in this case, rebranded for Subaru) should never catch up. The automaker must always have a "behind" portrayal in all comments. If you try to inject and type of objective information, they can the topic and attack your credibility. It's all quite telling. I use their posts as an opportunity to provide some background, turning it into a teaching moment. This was such an effort: Estimates are around 285 miles. Focus on mi/kWh (efficiency) instead of kWh (capacity). Physically adding more cells increases price and decreases efficiency.

4-16-2025
So Sad.   Such attitude was quite predictable: "So sad to see Subaru completely miss the mark once again. What the heck is wrong with Toyota that it cannot deliver a decent electric drivetrain?" Coming from a well known troublemaker, that nonsense was all the more I had anticipated. It's just brainless dribble. Always vague. Never enough. What does "decent" mean? For that matter, what is he even referring to? Comment of range & charging being uncompetitive are no better. It's all subjective. There's never any critical thinking. Posts are intended to be emotional triggers. To individuals like that, I keep my replies short: At some point, enthusiasts shouting into the wind about their arbitrary minimums won't be heard. There's simply too many ordinary consumers looking for a decent balance. No having the same priorities is a lesson enthusiasts continue to fail to learn.

4-16-2025
More From Subaru. We got some more information today. Without surprise, antagonists immediately started posting it needed more. That theme of "more" always being an essential is how we got into this mess... never enough... ugh. Knowing that won't stop posts like this though: "I was hoping for around 85kWh usable capacity, and also 200kW+ charging rates. 75kWh in a vehicle this size probably will only deliver 210-220 miles of highway cruising range." During the summer, I get better than that already. This mid-cycle update from Subaru is a solid improvement. They won't see it, but they are not the intended audience. So, it doesn't matter. I replied with: It's like going back in time 25 years. Back then, performance of the vehicle was judged using size of the engine. More "L" supposedly meant it was better. Turns out, the opposite was true. But that type of simplistic measure made it easy to market. Are we going to see that same nonsense when it comes to "kWh" assessment? Critical thinking reveals a smaller battery delivering the same range is better. That's improved efficiency, costing you less to drive and less to purchase.

4-14-2025
Inefficient. Efforts are ramping up to fight the growing popularity of hybrids. I had more to post about that: I find the attempt to mislead about efficiency an amusing tell. It reveals fear coming from BEV purists who see EV miles provided by PHEV as a direct threat. Some have resorted to claiming after depletion the hybrid system will be less efficient than a no-plug hybrid. That's easy to disprove. Simply look at the energy potential for capture from braking. A tiny hybrid battery can only grab a fraction of what's available due to the pack being so small. It cannot handle that many amps. With the much larger pack in a PHEV, you can see a significant more amount of electricity being captured during regen.

4-14-2025
Distract & Mislead. The same old troublemaker is at it again. He's a ZEV purist who freaks out anytime advantage for PHEV is mentioned. I don't bother addressing him anymore. I learned what I could from him in previous encounters. So responding now is just taking his bait. No need to feed a troll; instead, address the individual how mentioned a benefit he finds threatening. In this case, it was how a PHEV would be better for the adventurous type drawn to Subaru. I chimed in with: Keep in mind the narrative at play, vital facts are being evaded each time this topic is brought up. Toyota built a $13.9B production factory for batteries in North Carolina. 4 lines will start shipping out cells soon (with 10 more on the way), for use in hybrids, PHEV and BEV. Those vehicles will be built in Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee, which will alleviate some production cost as well as reduce impact from tariffed components & materials. That's why claims of cost should be met with skepticism now. Enthusiasts not in favor of Toyota/Subaru gaining some advantage will work really hard to distract & mislead.

4-14-2025
Crazy Specs. The auto show in New York has awakened Subaru followers with their announcement of a Trailseeker BEV. This is the absurdity it stirred online: "I surely hope it looks better than the Solterra and finally moves the needle on performance (0-60 in sub-5s for the most expensive trim), efficiency (>3.5mi/kWh at 75mph), battery capacity (85kWh for LR version), charging (210kW; 10-80% in <22 minutes). These specs aren't anything crazy." Ugh. Talking about loosing sight of goals. Of course, what I found most telling was focus on capacity rather than range. That clue is vital. It hints at a narrative shift. Being able to squeeze more miles out of a smaller battery is an advantage antagonists cannot afford. Anywho, this is now I dealt with that nonsense: Those specs are crazy. Know your audience. Those are fine for enthusiasts, but gross overkill for mainstream shoppers. Look at the rest of the world. Here in the United States, we're not even close in terms of BEV adoption. Specs like that are a direct cause. This is nothing new. Regarding speed & power as such a high priority have been a problem here for decades. That should be obvious. Look at how some of the same BEV with smaller battery-packs and entry-level BEV are offered elsewhere, but not here.

4-13-2025
Critical Thinking, eventually. He was still totally clueless. This was a political discussion which served its purpose. I confirmed he reactions would mimic what I had witnessed in the past, to a surprising degree of similarity. His posting behavior matched what I have documented so many times. I used that as an opportunity to provide some foundational substance for those willing to read though the long posting thread. All that back & forth served as a teaching moment. He's how I concluded it: Lesson learned in the past is a confirm of what just got repeated. No matter how many times there was request for objectivity, response was emotional & binary. That match is very easy to see. Some people become so polarized, they abandon critical thinking. This discussion had replies of denial & evasion rather than actually addressing the issue. The reason I followed through was to share the outcome of that previous experience. Eventually, the person discovers they backed into a corner. Narratives can only distract & conceal for so long. At some point, the argument lacking substance will fail. With regard to this topic, that would be DOGE not being able to deliver efficiencies as promised and not being able to deal with resulting fallout.

4-13-2025
Critical Thinking, narrative. Turns out, it didn't help. He kept on posting with the same smug attitude. He knew better than us and saw no reason to be anything but rude & insulting. I didn't realize how much that "vastly superior" behavior would transfer from one venue to another. It's the same old nonsense all over again. People who don't use critical thinking are much easier to spot than I realized. You apparently get very good at seeing the pattern as years go by. He had a narrative to defend. He had no idea he was doing it, so calling out observations... like contradictory claims or the fact that some data doesn't actually add up... falls on deaf ears. There's no brain activity when all you're doing is reciting the same old talking-points. Ugh. This time, I punched back with: You have no idea what topic I am witnessing the repeat of; however, I did explicitly point out it was not political. Hiding behind vague claims is the giveaway. Detail is what kills narratives.

4-13-2025
Critical Thinking, denial. Strange how repetition can be experienced firsthand, witnessing the pattern play out in a completely different context yet being so familiar to see. I remember so clearly how Volt enthusiasts were following what I recognized as having already happened with Two-Mode. The denial was truly remarkable. What they say about psychology teaching us is far more valuable they you'd expect. Rather than predicting the behavior, I find myself waiting for it to happen. It's textbook stuff now. It doesn't make it any more tolerable, since their nonsense will continue regardless of what you know. But at least preparation for dealing with it is easier. I wondered if sharing what I expect him to do would help the situation along: It is interesting how history repeats. The same thing happened 15 years ago. Enthusiasts would downvote facts. Laughing at the 10% baseline tariff is that same type of denial.

4-12-2025
Critical Thinking, transparency. This was interesting. I got involved in a political discussion online that had a parallel to the automotive world. I could leverage my knowledge & experience in the matter, providing perspective with solid backing. I had no plans to share the source of my wisdom, but I really wanted to see what it would stir. He was being quite unreasonable, unwilling to accept logic. His arguments were clearly emotionally based. It was the consequence of a narrative being so successful, the person has no idea they are part of an alternate reality. The vague nature of his claims didn't stir any thought. He was accepting "evidence" at face value no detail whatsoever. It's truly scary how some people have no critical thinking skills. Does he even understand what it means to be transparent. I wondered, pointing out: I've been through this with a completely different topic 15 years ago, unrelated to politics. Requests for specifics were evaded the very same way. No detail is shared because isn't any... hence, no transparency.

4-10-2025
Remembering 2004. Coming from someone who was part of that history, it made me wonder: "I have a 2014 Ford Fusion Hybrid. Its HF35 transaxle drives differently from the Toyota Prius and the Ford Escape Hybrid, which was the second mass produced hybrid in the world, just one year after the first Prius." Sharing that past with him, I had to question whether he remembers correctly anymore. We participated in discussions together. Understandably, mixing up what occurred and when is easy to do. Heck, all of us struggle with detail even when those events are still fresh. It's why I have these blogs. I can look up that history and often do exactly that. Being documented at the time it was unfolding, the perspective is true too. You don't get distortion like you would afterward... especially when you don't know what will happen next. That uncertainty is a vital part of the equation often overlooked. Anywho, I was rather annoyed. His mistake should have been easy to see. So, I politely called it out: Huh? Sales of Prius began December 1997. That was followed by Insight, which was a low-volume aluminum 2-seater. The next mass produced hybrid was Civic.

4-09-2025
Video: Route Planner & Live Data. Route planners can be very handy for finding locations to charge your vehicle. They can also be used as a basic map to navigate to random destinations. In this example, I filmed my morning commute from a Minnesota suburbs to downtown St. Paul. It's handy to see how this route planner (ABRP) automatically integrates & displays information about your EV as you drive... Toyota bZ4X - Route Planner & Live Data

4-07-2025
Dead Brand. It's really strange watching Tesla fall apart in such dramatic fashion: "Tesla is a dead brand already. Only a die hard Tesla fan would buy one." That was a comment posted without any pushback or fallout. It was simply accepted as a voice of the market. Cybertruck has been an absolute disaster. There's no more "Should have bought a Tesla" comments. No more calling bZ4X fugly. No more claiming Toyota laggard. It's undeniable. Tesla rested on its laurels with Model 3/Y and wasted a ton of time & resources on Cybertruck. So even without Elon doing anything to offend or upset more consumers, there's no choice drawing in new customers. The brand has died. It's dead and no one is arguing to the contrary. I never really imagined such a collapse. This is how I shared my observations of the situation: There's no point trying revive the brand without anything compelling to sell. The technology itself is worthwhile, both hardware & software. Rights to that would be a useful means of rebirth under different leadership.

4-06-2025 Seeking Advice. I especially liked reading this: "Everywhere I look I see that the 2025 Subaru Solterra can charge between 2-4 miles per hour. I ask because I have a 70 mile round trip commute, but I can plug in from 2pm to 8am (18 hours). If it is 4 miles per hour of range then I'm good, if it is 2 miles per hour I can only get 36 miles which would not be enough. What are the factors here?" It was a great example of someone trying out some critical thinking. I provided the following, with hope it was easy enough for someone unfamiliar with the topic to understand:

Charge outcome depends upon efficiency of the drive using it. 120 volts drawing 12 amps will deliver about 1.4 kWh per hour.   That means 18 hours of charging would result in about 25 kWh of electricity. You then have to consider efficiency, that mi/kWh value on your display:

2.5 mi/kWh using 25 kWh = 62 miles
3.0 mi/kWh using 25 kWh = 75 miles
3.5 mi/kWh using 25 kWh = 87 miles

In other words, don't pay attention to miles-per-hour values. That's just a basic measure, which doesn't take into account stuff like the vehicle itself, driving speed or outside temperature. With level-1 and enough time, most of your needs could be fulfilled.
Also, consider long-term savings. Not upgrading to level-2 at some point means missing out on time-of-use and off-peak discounted electricity. You'd be surprised how quickly the years go by.   My wife and I installed a level-2 charger for each of us 8 years ago. That decision worked out well. It's quite convenient and paid for itself quite awhile ago.

4-16-2025	Critical Thoughts. Phew! We are actually getting some! This one was especially nice to encounter: "There aren't many 400v vehicles with peak charging over 200kw. The majority of vehicles that can do that are 800v. And it doesn't matter for day to day use and its ridiculous that supposedly savvy EV owners try to make peak charging speeds the primary spec we should worry about." I was delighted to jump into that discussion. This was my contribution, hoping for something constructive in return: 200 kW from 400-volt vehicles requires 500 amps dedicated to a single line. That simply isn't realistic in this market where having more stalls available is more important. Load balancing hardware & software will improve, enabling practical power distribution among more vehicles without such a high cost. That doesn't overcome the "advertised" charging speed though, for station or vehicle. Most people will have no idea how speed will be impacted by the number of vehicles charging at the same time. They likely won't recognize the influence of location, station and battery temperatures either. We'll know BEV have truly become mainstream when the same mindset that came about for hybrids kicks in. There was obsession with aspects of performance back in the early days of hybrids too. Those voices eventually faded and the technology became ubiquitous. We're clearly not there yet.
4-16-2025	Attempted Downplay. The beauty of new press releases is you get to find out how desperate those who fear change really are. Status quo is that Toyota is behind and will always struggle to compete. News of a mid-cycle update for Solterra seems to be freaking them out. But rather than counter the news with something more compelling, they attack. Sometimes it is in a hostile form. Other times, it is subtle. Today, the latter emerged: "Not overly impressive range for the battery size." It's hard to tell what the theme will become. But with my videos building up as a nice collection to use on the offense, we can handle it. In this case though, I wanted to call the troublemaker a moron. Does he really think readers are so stupid they won't ever do the math? Probably. After all, there's enough gullible people to not see the big picture of what's happening with politics. That undermining is harder to deal with. This was rather easy: 74.7 kWh total capacity provides means usable capacity of about 67 kWh. To get the estimated 285 miles of range, it's efficiency of 4.25 mi/kWh. That's impressive.
4-16-2025	Still Not Thinking. Same rehash of that on-going theme, bigger is better: "Hopefully they will work out how to stuff an additional 10-30kWh into this. 260 miles is good but it would be nice to meet the competition where they are at ~300miles." I always get a kick out of how cherry-picked the use of "competition" is here. Antagonists pretend lower range offerings don't exist and no one would ever buy one if they did. It's the narrative they will be struggling to maintain. Toyota (in this case, rebranded for Subaru) should never catch up. The automaker must always have a "behind" portrayal in all comments. If you try to inject and type of objective information, they can the topic and attack your credibility. It's all quite telling. I use their posts as an opportunity to provide some background, turning it into a teaching moment. This was such an effort: Estimates are around 285 miles. Focus on mi/kWh (efficiency) instead of kWh (capacity). Physically adding more cells increases price and decreases efficiency.
4-16-2025	So Sad. Such attitude was quite predictable: "So sad to see Subaru completely miss the mark once again. What the heck is wrong with Toyota that it cannot deliver a decent electric drivetrain?" Coming from a well known troublemaker, that nonsense was all the more I had anticipated. It's just brainless dribble. Always vague. Never enough. What does "decent" mean? For that matter, what is he even referring to? Comment of range & charging being uncompetitive are no better. It's all subjective. There's never any critical thinking. Posts are intended to be emotional triggers. To individuals like that, I keep my replies short: At some point, enthusiasts shouting into the wind about their arbitrary minimums won't be heard. There's simply too many ordinary consumers looking for a decent balance. No having the same priorities is a lesson enthusiasts continue to fail to learn.
4-16-2025	More From Subaru. We got some more information today. Without surprise, antagonists immediately started posting it needed more. That theme of "more" always being an essential is how we got into this mess... never enough... ugh. Knowing that won't stop posts like this though: "I was hoping for around 85kWh usable capacity, and also 200kW+ charging rates. 75kWh in a vehicle this size probably will only deliver 210-220 miles of highway cruising range." During the summer, I get better than that already. This mid-cycle update from Subaru is a solid improvement. They won't see it, but they are not the intended audience. So, it doesn't matter. I replied with: It's like going back in time 25 years. Back then, performance of the vehicle was judged using size of the engine. More "L" supposedly meant it was better. Turns out, the opposite was true. But that type of simplistic measure made it easy to market. Are we going to see that same nonsense when it comes to "kWh" assessment? Critical thinking reveals a smaller battery delivering the same range is better. That's improved efficiency, costing you less to drive and less to purchase.
4-14-2025	Inefficient. Efforts are ramping up to fight the growing popularity of hybrids. I had more to post about that: I find the attempt to mislead about efficiency an amusing tell. It reveals fear coming from BEV purists who see EV miles provided by PHEV as a direct threat. Some have resorted to claiming after depletion the hybrid system will be less efficient than a no-plug hybrid. That's easy to disprove. Simply look at the energy potential for capture from braking. A tiny hybrid battery can only grab a fraction of what's available due to the pack being so small. It cannot handle that many amps. With the much larger pack in a PHEV, you can see a significant more amount of electricity being captured during regen.
4-14-2025	Distract & Mislead. The same old troublemaker is at it again. He's a ZEV purist who freaks out anytime advantage for PHEV is mentioned. I don't bother addressing him anymore. I learned what I could from him in previous encounters. So responding now is just taking his bait. No need to feed a troll; instead, address the individual how mentioned a benefit he finds threatening. In this case, it was how a PHEV would be better for the adventurous type drawn to Subaru. I chimed in with: Keep in mind the narrative at play, vital facts are being evaded each time this topic is brought up. Toyota built a $13.9B production factory for batteries in North Carolina. 4 lines will start shipping out cells soon (with 10 more on the way), for use in hybrids, PHEV and BEV. Those vehicles will be built in Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee, which will alleviate some production cost as well as reduce impact from tariffed components & materials. That's why claims of cost should be met with skepticism now. Enthusiasts not in favor of Toyota/Subaru gaining some advantage will work really hard to distract & mislead.
4-14-2025	Crazy Specs. The auto show in New York has awakened Subaru followers with their announcement of a Trailseeker BEV. This is the absurdity it stirred online: "I surely hope it looks better than the Solterra and finally moves the needle on performance (0-60 in sub-5s for the most expensive trim), efficiency (>3.5mi/kWh at 75mph), battery capacity (85kWh for LR version), charging (210kW; 10-80% in <22 minutes). These specs aren't anything crazy." Ugh. Talking about loosing sight of goals. Of course, what I found most telling was focus on capacity rather than range. That clue is vital. It hints at a narrative shift. Being able to squeeze more miles out of a smaller battery is an advantage antagonists cannot afford. Anywho, this is now I dealt with that nonsense: Those specs are crazy. Know your audience. Those are fine for enthusiasts, but gross overkill for mainstream shoppers. Look at the rest of the world. Here in the United States, we're not even close in terms of BEV adoption. Specs like that are a direct cause. This is nothing new. Regarding speed & power as such a high priority have been a problem here for decades. That should be obvious. Look at how some of the same BEV with smaller battery-packs and entry-level BEV are offered elsewhere, but not here.
4-13-2025	Critical Thinking, eventually. He was still totally clueless. This was a political discussion which served its purpose. I confirmed he reactions would mimic what I had witnessed in the past, to a surprising degree of similarity. His posting behavior matched what I have documented so many times. I used that as an opportunity to provide some foundational substance for those willing to read though the long posting thread. All that back & forth served as a teaching moment. He's how I concluded it: Lesson learned in the past is a confirm of what just got repeated. No matter how many times there was request for objectivity, response was emotional & binary. That match is very easy to see. Some people become so polarized, they abandon critical thinking. This discussion had replies of denial & evasion rather than actually addressing the issue. The reason I followed through was to share the outcome of that previous experience. Eventually, the person discovers they backed into a corner. Narratives can only distract & conceal for so long. At some point, the argument lacking substance will fail. With regard to this topic, that would be DOGE not being able to deliver efficiencies as promised and not being able to deal with resulting fallout.
4-13-2025	Critical Thinking, narrative. Turns out, it didn't help. He kept on posting with the same smug attitude. He knew better than us and saw no reason to be anything but rude & insulting. I didn't realize how much that "vastly superior" behavior would transfer from one venue to another. It's the same old nonsense all over again. People who don't use critical thinking are much easier to spot than I realized. You apparently get very good at seeing the pattern as years go by. He had a narrative to defend. He had no idea he was doing it, so calling out observations... like contradictory claims or the fact that some data doesn't actually add up... falls on deaf ears. There's no brain activity when all you're doing is reciting the same old talking-points. Ugh. This time, I punched back with: You have no idea what topic I am witnessing the repeat of; however, I did explicitly point out it was not political. Hiding behind vague claims is the giveaway. Detail is what kills narratives.
4-13-2025	Critical Thinking, denial. Strange how repetition can be experienced firsthand, witnessing the pattern play out in a completely different context yet being so familiar to see. I remember so clearly how Volt enthusiasts were following what I recognized as having already happened with Two-Mode. The denial was truly remarkable. What they say about psychology teaching us is far more valuable they you'd expect. Rather than predicting the behavior, I find myself waiting for it to happen. It's textbook stuff now. It doesn't make it any more tolerable, since their nonsense will continue regardless of what you know. But at least preparation for dealing with it is easier. I wondered if sharing what I expect him to do would help the situation along: It is interesting how history repeats. The same thing happened 15 years ago. Enthusiasts would downvote facts. Laughing at the 10% baseline tariff is that same type of denial.
4-12-2025	Critical Thinking, transparency. This was interesting. I got involved in a political discussion online that had a parallel to the automotive world. I could leverage my knowledge & experience in the matter, providing perspective with solid backing. I had no plans to share the source of my wisdom, but I really wanted to see what it would stir. He was being quite unreasonable, unwilling to accept logic. His arguments were clearly emotionally based. It was the consequence of a narrative being so successful, the person has no idea they are part of an alternate reality. The vague nature of his claims didn't stir any thought. He was accepting "evidence" at face value no detail whatsoever. It's truly scary how some people have no critical thinking skills. Does he even understand what it means to be transparent. I wondered, pointing out: I've been through this with a completely different topic 15 years ago, unrelated to politics. Requests for specifics were evaded the very same way. No detail is shared because isn't any... hence, no transparency.
4-10-2025	Remembering 2004. Coming from someone who was part of that history, it made me wonder: "I have a 2014 Ford Fusion Hybrid. Its HF35 transaxle drives differently from the Toyota Prius and the Ford Escape Hybrid, which was the second mass produced hybrid in the world, just one year after the first Prius." Sharing that past with him, I had to question whether he remembers correctly anymore. We participated in discussions together. Understandably, mixing up what occurred and when is easy to do. Heck, all of us struggle with detail even when those events are still fresh. It's why I have these blogs. I can look up that history and often do exactly that. Being documented at the time it was unfolding, the perspective is true too. You don't get distortion like you would afterward... especially when you don't know what will happen next. That uncertainty is a vital part of the equation often overlooked. Anywho, I was rather annoyed. His mistake should have been easy to see. So, I politely called it out: Huh? Sales of Prius began December 1997. That was followed by Insight, which was a low-volume aluminum 2-seater. The next mass produced hybrid was Civic.
4-09-2025	Video: Route Planner & Live Data. Route planners can be very handy for finding locations to charge your vehicle. They can also be used as a basic map to navigate to random destinations. In this example, I filmed my morning commute from a Minnesota suburbs to downtown St. Paul. It's handy to see how this route planner (ABRP) automatically integrates & displays information about your EV as you drive... Toyota bZ4X - Route Planner & Live Data
4-07-2025	Dead Brand. It's really strange watching Tesla fall apart in such dramatic fashion: "Tesla is a dead brand already. Only a die hard Tesla fan would buy one." That was a comment posted without any pushback or fallout. It was simply accepted as a voice of the market. Cybertruck has been an absolute disaster. There's no more "Should have bought a Tesla" comments. No more calling bZ4X fugly. No more claiming Toyota laggard. It's undeniable. Tesla rested on its laurels with Model 3/Y and wasted a ton of time & resources on Cybertruck. So even without Elon doing anything to offend or upset more consumers, there's no choice drawing in new customers. The brand has died. It's dead and no one is arguing to the contrary. I never really imagined such a collapse. This is how I shared my observations of the situation: There's no point trying revive the brand without anything compelling to sell. The technology itself is worthwhile, both hardware & software. Rights to that would be a useful means of rebirth under different leadership.
4-06-2025	Seeking Advice. I especially liked reading this: "Everywhere I look I see that the 2025 Subaru Solterra can charge between 2-4 miles per hour. I ask because I have a 70 mile round trip commute, but I can plug in from 2pm to 8am (18 hours). If it is 4 miles per hour of range then I'm good, if it is 2 miles per hour I can only get 36 miles which would not be enough. What are the factors here?" It was a great example of someone trying out some critical thinking. I provided the following, with hope it was easy enough for someone unfamiliar with the topic to understand: Charge outcome depends upon efficiency of the drive using it. 120 volts drawing 12 amps will deliver about 1.4 kWh per hour. That means 18 hours of charging would result in about 25 kWh of electricity. You then have to consider efficiency, that mi/kWh value on your display: 2.5 mi/kWh using 25 kWh = 62 miles 3.0 mi/kWh using 25 kWh = 75 miles 3.5 mi/kWh using 25 kWh = 87 miles In other words, don't pay attention to miles-per-hour values. That's just a basic measure, which doesn't take into account stuff like the vehicle itself, driving speed or outside temperature. With level-1 and enough time, most of your needs could be fulfilled. Also, consider long-term savings. Not upgrading to level-2 at some point means missing out on time-of-use and off-peak discounted electricity. You'd be surprised how quickly the years go by. My wife and I installed a level-2 charger for each of us 8 years ago. That decision worked out well. It's quite convenient and paid for itself quite awhile ago.