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Tesla has changed its standard paint color for the Model 3 and Model Y. Now everything but Midnight Silver is at least $1,000. “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black,” that’s what Henry Ford supposedly said when asked why Ford was not offering different colors for the Model T. When first launching the Model 3, Tesla only made a black color option standard and everything cost a $1,000 or more premium – sort of following in Ford’s footstep. Much like Ford’s obsession with efficiency, Tesla also limited the option to streamline production.…

Kentucky joined Texas and Washington as the third state that would like to see Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) charging connectors alongside CCS1, at publicly-funded, fast-charging stations. However, while Texas and Washington revealed only plans to require NACS plugs (which raised opposition from some charging companies), Kentucky already requires the NACS plugs. According to Reuters, Kentucky’s plan went into effect on Friday (June 30), which is the first such case in the United States. Companies that would like to participate in a state program to electrify highways using federal dollars, will have to add NACS plugs (CCS1 is required at…

Rivian built 13,992 vehicles and delivered 12,640 vehicles in the second quarter of 2023, the automaker reported Monday. These new Q2 numbers are up significantly versus the 9,395 vehicles made and 7,946 delivered in the first quarter. And they show that Rivian isn’t falling much farther behind on deliveries. A Rivian press release said these numbers “remain in line with the company’s expectations,” and that Rivian is on track to deliver 50,000 vehicles this year, in line with previously released annual guidance. Rivian EDV700 The Q2 numbers include the R1T electric pickup truck and R1S electric SUV for the retail…

A few days ago, I had a chance to ride the new 20″ SWFT BMX e-bike. It’s my son’s bike, and given both my and his own connections in the e-mobility world, I’m sure he didn’t pay for it. Still, it’s worth noting that this isn’t technically a paid review — but it might read like one, if you don’t have sufficient context. So, here’s some context. Pizza & Sex Image courtesy SWFT. For those of you that haven’t been following my posts over the last few years: I’ve ridden a lot of bikes. “Bikes,” in this case, covers both…

A few weeks ago, GOLDENMATE reached out to have us test its take on the deep cycle battery. From what we can tell so far, it works exactly as advertised, and it a fairly easy to use package! What Would You Use One Of These For? A deep cycle battery is a type of energy storage unit that is designed to be discharged and recharged repeatedly, often down to a very low level. This contrasts with starter batteries (like those in most cars), which are designed for short bursts of high power to start the engine, but then get quickly…

Canada’s recent wildfires have already scorched about 4.3 million hectares (10.6 million acres), serving as a wake-up call for heightened attention to wildfire preparedness.  In recent years, the United States also has experienced record-breaking wildfire seasons, with an average of 22,946 wildfires per year between 2013 and 2022. In 2021 alone, the state of California had 9,260 fires, making it the first of the top 10 states with the most wildfires. The below chart shows the rest nine states:  Nearly 45 million homes are adjacent to or intermingled with rural land, putting over 72,000 U.S. communities at risk.  Preparing for wildfires…

I had to rent a gas car this weekend. I ended up with an Audi Q2. It’s not the most expensive Audi on the market. In fact, it’s one of the cheapest (around $30,000). Three things about the car drove me nuts, with one of them perhaps being partly due to the car being on the cheaper end of the market but the other two just being symptoms of the outdated gas-car era. The Seats Sucked This is the factor that may have been due in part to low cost of the Audi Q2. However, I am skeptical any Audi’s…

Although Great Wall Motor has marketed a whole litter of “Cats” in China (Good, Black, White, and IQ), Australia is only receiving one version. It will be marketed as the GWM ORA. I hope that the other versions will make it here eventually. In the meantime, we went for a Great Wall ORA test drive! Majella loves the retro finish and feel of the GWM ORA Cat. Photo by David Waterworth. The GMW ORA (aka Ora Good Cat or Haomao in China) was first revealed at the Chengdu Auto Show in July 2020. The style was described as a retro…

At a time when most phones were capable of recording video, the original Apple iPhone wasn’t able to. The capability was added in future revisions, and today, the iPhone is one of the best-selling smartphones in history. The original Tesla Roadster came with an inelegant push-button shifter and a charging standard that was left to rot on the vine. It single-handedly opened the eyes of the world to the potential of electric vehicles and ushered in the age of zero mission transportation. The Tesla Model 3 promised to be the first high volume, low cost electric vehicle from the premium…

A week ago, my wife and I traded in our trusty 2013 Honda Civic Si for a used 2017 Chevy Bolt. Our biggest concern was that four days later we were planning a road trip to Newport, RI. We never worry about trips in the Model Y, thanks to the Tesla Supercharger network, but the Chevy Bolt was a complete unknown. I began having flashbacks to the Nissan LEAF we had a few years ago that was lucky to go 75 miles downhill with a tailwind. The Chevy Bolt with the upgraded battery (our car got a new battery last…