Transport
State of the Art 2020: Electric Motorcycle Racing
The inaugural season of MotoE just wrapped up a few weeks ago in Valencia, Spain, with the aptly-named Italian Matteo Ferrari taking the widely celebrated first-ever championship in the history of this all-electric racing series. It so very nearly wasn’t so, however– and as such, in this week of Thanksgiving, it seemed like a good time to look back at the state of electric motorcycling in 2019, and take some time, too, to look ahead to 2020 and see what might be looking forward to next year. So with that, here it is: the state of the art of electric motorcycle racing in 2019. 2019 MotoE Season Recap Remember that? The very first season of big-time electric motorcycle racing almost didn’t happen at all due to a massive fire that broke out the series’ pre-season test ...
Renault Zoe 0-60 Times – A Performance Overview
We touched a bit on the Renault Zoe back in October when we provided an overview of service costs. Today we shift focus to performance, including Renault Zoe 0-60 times. But first, a bit of history. Renault does not directly sell any of its products in the United States. After selling its share of the American Motor Company to Chrysler in 1987, Renault decided that the American market was not the place to be. Although the company has no plans to return to the U.S. market, they haven’t abandoned us completely. You see, Renault owns around 45% of Nissan. Nissan manufactures the Leaf, which is the best selling all-electric vehicle (EV) in the United States. For the time being at least, Renault seems to be content with conquering the U.S. EV market indirectly. That being said, we here at...
How Much Can the Tesla Cybertruck Tow
One of the most anticipated questions before last night’s Tesla Cybertruck unveiling was: How Much Can the Tesla Cybertruck Tow? We now know there are three answers. The single motor RWD variant of the truck can tow 7,500 pounds. The dual motor AWD version can tow 10,000 pounds and the beast of the bunch – the tri motor AWD build – can tow 14,000 pounds. But what does all this mean? What weighs that much? How does the Tesla Cybertruck tow capacity compare to today’s best selling pickup trucks? Let’s explore. Background The Society of Automotive Engineers International, SAE International for short, is a global association of more than 128,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries, according to the...
How Much Does an EV Conversion Cost?
Have you ever considered turning a gas-guzzler into an all-electric vehicle (EV)? How much do you know about EV conversion cost? Let’s take a look at the basics and see if we can avoid some common pitfalls that come with the process. It’s just sitting there. Collecting dust. Taking up space in your garage. You promised your wife you would either start working on it or get rid of it but the weekends just keep slipping by. I get it. I’ve been there, friend. The old car that I was going to bring new life to was a 1979 Cadillac Coupe de Ville. It got about 8 miles to the gallon and sputtered a bit when I turned the ignition off. I bought it for $1,000 and convinced myself that I could spend a couple grand on it and make it shine. As much as I loved that car, I soon realized t...
Electric School Buses – A Complete Overview
I was fortunate enough to act as a chaperone for one of my kids’ field trips not so long ago. Bouncing up and down on a bench seat with no seat belt and wanting to rip my ears off because the cacophony of children screaming really took me back. I remember riding the bus to school somewhat fondly. There was something fun about it. While my school bus experiences have been overwhelmingly positive, there is no doubt that school buses are not good for the environment. According to this blog on the Thomas Built Buses website, diesel burning- school buses emit substantial amounts of harmful carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NOx), particulate matter (PM) and hydrocarbons (NMHC) into the atmosphere. As with all transport, the future is all-electric. With that in mind, today we hope to ...
Electric Truck Manufacturers – Complete List
In 2018 the top 3 pickup truck manufacturers sold a combined 2 million trucks in the US according to this report on vehicles sales. With such a large slice of the new vehicle sale pie, it’s no wonder electric truck manufacturers are popping up and hoping to join the party. Ford’s F-series of trucks, American’s perennial best selling vehicle, sold over 230,000 vehicles in the second quarter of 2019 alone; and they carried an average price of $47,500. Those numbers don’t include heavy duty trucks. By some accounts, nearly 1 million heavy trucks were sold in 2018 alone. The What Battery electric vehicles, or BEVs, are fully electric vehicles powered by batteries, usually lithium-ion. Fans of EVs love their quiet power and lack of gasoline. When done right, a BEV can al...
How to Open a Tesla Door – Ultimate Guide For All Models
All three Tesla models currently available have slightly different door handles so you or your passengers may wonder how to open a Tesla door. This ultimate guide for all models breaks it down. Introduction When the Tesla Model S hit the scene in 2012, many things struck those introduced to it. For many, it was the huge center touch screen. For some, it was the unfamiliar quiet. Still others wondered how the heck you open the door. In the early days of my own ownership, nearby drivers would roll down their windows to ask me. Even today, picking up friends often results in confused looks. The door handle on all three Tesla models is completely flush with the door when not in use. On a Model S, every handle is mechanical. On a Model X, entire doors are mechanical. For the Model 3, mot...
The Best of Tesla Trunk or Treat!
It’s that time of year again. I do so love Halloween. The costumes, the candy, the parties, it’s all so much fun! Halloween also means it’s time for another family tradition of ours: Trunk or Treat! The day that I will clean out the trunk of my car, decorate the hell out of it and yell at rambunctious kids not to touch it. The day that I will threaten small children with violence if they take more than one piece of candy. Okay, so maybe not violence but I will at least threaten to tell their parents. While my Nissan Leaf is going to look pretty sharp and spooky, it won’t hold a candle to any of the cars you are about to see. Today we honor the brave souls who dare to allow children around their beautiful Tesla automobiles and bring you the best of Tesla Trunk or Tre...
Maryland EV Tax Credit – Everything You Need to Know
What thoughts come to mind when you think of Maryland? For me it’s good times at the Baltimore Aquarium and eating at awesome seafood restaurants on the Chesapeake Bay. Being a resident of Virginia, I find myself venturing into The Old Line State from time to time. My beloved commonwealth doesn’t currently offer any incentives, although legislation has been introduced to do so in the past. If you’re one of the 6 million residents of the State of Maryland, you may be in luck if you’re in the market for an all-electric vehicle (EV) or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). This is everything you need to know about the Maryland EV tax credit. A Bit of History In October of 2013, eight U.S. states entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with each other committ...
How Long Does It Take to Charge a Tesla Roadster?
Ah, the Tesla Roadster. I’ve yet to see one in person but I’ve spent more time than I care to admit ogling it on the Internet. I hope my wife isn’t too jealous. At any rate, the car that I often joke about selling kidneys to buy will be here in 2020. This absolute beauty (pictured above) will go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in under 2 seconds and reach a top speed of 250 miles per hour. This means that it will be the fastest street legal car to date! In addition, it will be able to travel around 600 miles on a single charge. This car is a game changer. The base model will sell for roughly $200,000 which means I won’t be owning one anytime soon. For those of you out there who will I have two things to say: 1. Please be my friend and let me ride in your car. 2. Here...
How to Clean and Protect Alcantara in Your Tesla
I have mixed feelings about genuine leather when it comes to car seats. My gas-guzzling Ford SUV has black leather seats. Easy to clean but hotter than Hades during the summer. My little Mercedes coupe that I’ve mentioned a few times before had faux leather seats, more specifically “MB-Tex” seats as the company referred to them. I liked the way they felt and didn’t notice a huge difference from the genuine leather. If you’re lucky enough to own a Tesla, chances are that the interior of your car is equipped at least in part with a material known as alcantara. Today we take a look at how to clean and protect alcantara in your Tesla. What is it? Quite simply put, alcantara is just a synthetic microfiber fabric and not some exotic material as the name suggests. Th...
How Different Racing Series Are Going Green
What is it about racing that we humans find so entertaining? Is it the competition? Maybe it’s the danger? Nerds like me enjoy the technology behind the machines that are involved. Whatever the reason may be, racing is big business. We provided a brief overview of the Formula E Racing League back in August. Please click here to read that article if you haven’t already, (and even if you have). In addition to Formula E there are off-road leagues, motorcycle leagues, and even an all-solar vehicle racing league currently in operation! Today we take a look at how these different racing series are going green. A Bit of History Did you know that they very first vehicle land speed record was set in an all-electric vehicle (EV)? It’s true! La Jamais Contente (The Never Sastisfied)...