robertmo wrote on 2022-05-30, 12:34:

meanwhile in china... https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FTILPBUacAIdMO_?format=jpg&name=medium […]
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meanwhile in china...

Its a Tesla caravan.

creepingnet wrote on 2022-05-17, 23:26:

You'd be surprised how many trips don't need a car. And some of those trips are made LONGER by car.

For example, I live behind a shopping center. By car, my trip takes about 15-20 minutes to get to the same stores that I can get to in 5-10 minutes on foot, or less by bike.

and sometimes the road you need for a bike ride are not safe, a bike needs to be locked (not just a press of a key) and it rains, bikes suffer more punctures...

all excuses really (maybe not the safety one) and if the balance of local journeys changed in favor of walking and riding then things would improve

EVs, when they reach a certain % of all cars, will have a profound effect on the fuel infrastructure. Most people's journeys are round trips that are less than one EV's range (from various researches as indicated in thread). that means most EVs will almost always be charged at home. At the moment all cars are re-fuelled at gas stations. Clearly the demand for them will drop, slowly at first then very quickly over a relatively short period of time.

That will mean more difficulty for remaining gas engine car owners (maybe need to travel further t0 refuel) but it might also mean the same for EV owners on those occasions when the do go for longer journeys - they will need to plan for the now much rarer refuel/recharge places (and it takes more than a few minutes to recharge sufficiently). Solar recharge enroute will help a bit, if there is time and sun enough.

taxes will also change - taxes on gasoline and diesel wont raise what they used to, so where will that come from in the future? road tolls? mileage declarations (you'll be tracked anyway) or rolled up eventually into the taxes levied on the business that owns all the self drive EV cars that you will use (not own) as a service (and be happy...)

i'll miss cars with gas and diesel engines, they had a kind of 'persona' to them that their living noisy engine was at the heart of and were maintainable by an amateur (well, less so in last couple of decades) , but i guess they have to go

I took an e-scooter to work today instead of driving. They're illegal to use on public roads in the UK, except for specific city council run trial schemes and Southampton has one of those.

It took the same amount of time to do my 20 minute commute. It costs the same as all day parking (99p to unlock a scooter plus 14p per minute) to go to town and back. You unlock and re lock them using an app but it is pretty easy to use.

It has indictors and bike style brakes, and you can only use them on cycle paths and the road (i.e. not on pedestrian pavements). It uses GPS tech and shuts off when you enter a park and it applies a speed limiter outside of schools (which is annoying when you're doing 20kph down a little road and dribble down to about 5kph and all the cars behind you don't know why).

Honestly it was a pretty good experience. Cars treated me like a bike (and I do the same when I'm driving). It was a lot easier and quicker than cycling into work. But costs £8 a day.

I just bought a bike at Wallyworld. I'm kind of fat though, even for a 29" mountain bike. Maybe I'll lose 40 lbs. before riding it. So it doesn't burst like ny office chair did this morning.

gerry wrote on 2022-06-01, 07:43:

and sometimes the road you need for a bike ride are not safe, a bike needs to be locked (not just a press of a key) and it rains […]
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creepingnet wrote on 2022-05-17, 23:26:

You'd be surprised how many trips don't need a car. And some of those trips are made LONGER by car.

For example, I live behind a shopping center. By car, my trip takes about 15-20 minutes to get to the same stores that I can get to in 5-10 minutes on foot, or less by bike.

and sometimes the road you need for a bike ride are not safe, a bike needs to be locked (not just a press of a key) and it rains, bikes suffer more punctures...

all excuses really (maybe not the safety one) and if the balance of local journeys changed in favor of walking and riding then things would improve

EVs, when they reach a certain % of all cars, will have a profound effect on the fuel infrastructure. Most people's journeys are round trips that are less than one EV's range (from various researches as indicated in thread). that means most EVs will almost always be charged at home. At the moment all cars are re-fuelled at gas stations. Clearly the demand for them will drop, slowly at first then very quickly over a relatively short period of time.

That will mean more difficulty for remaining gas engine car owners (maybe need to travel further t0 refuel) but it might also mean the same for EV owners on those occasions when the do go for longer journeys - they will need to plan for the now much rarer refuel/recharge places (and it takes more than a few minutes to recharge sufficiently). Solar recharge enroute will help a bit, if there is time and sun enough.

taxes will also change - taxes on gasoline and diesel wont raise what they used to, so where will that come from in the future? road tolls? mileage declarations (you'll be tracked anyway) or rolled up eventually into the taxes levied on the business that owns all the self drive EV cars that you will use (not own) as a service (and be happy...)

i'll miss cars with gas and diesel engines, they had a kind of 'persona' to them that their living noisy engine was at the heart of and were maintainable by an amateur (well, less so in last couple of decades) , but i guess they have to go

I'm talking about a Mountain Bike that travels on parking lots and bike paths in a city that has them. I am aware that there are places, like Alabama, where there's no good place to ride a bike to and from a store (lived there 18 years, hated it). I tend to walk more, especially since right now t bicycle's Freewheel cracked and broke last weekend.

On the subject of EV's, I think the biggest problem in all of this is a mixture of too-little, too-late, with the wrong people making the decisions on how it should be done.

As it stands right now, you have a lot of technically challenged environmentalists trying to shove a bunch of technically challenged politicians into making a bunch of reactionary decisions regarding the environment and vehicle changes without any rregard where the electricity is coming from, or how it's being delivered to the vehicle, let alone the longer term lifecycle of the vehicle, or making them more affordable to the masses.

The first issue, sorry if anyone else mentioned it too, is the power grid. IF the government wanted to step in on this and actually make a difference, they should have stepped in for some kind of funding of alternative electricity generation - specifically that - quite some time ago. And make sure the new methods could produce enough electricity to supply electric cars. As it stands now, a lot of power is done through coal and gasoline or maybe even Diesel - if that's the case, then all you're doing is moving the pollution problem from the vehicle to the vehicle's fuel source.

The second issue, which I saw with a YouTube video someone showing how life really IS with an EV (and why he was changing back to gasoline), is standardization of refueling. With your regular gas or diesel car, you don't need a special fuel pump based on the brand. A Ford, Chevy, Toyota, Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar....they all use the same gas pump. At the pumps this guy was visiting there were FOUR connectors for EV's, one for Toyota, one for Chevy, one for Tesla, and an AC Plug for anything else. That's a real turn-off to anti-technical consumers. And in the case of a power shortage, now your neigbor will be incurring the wrath of the electric company upon you trying to get "Free gas" from your house.

The last issue I've heard nobody talk about is the long term life of the EV. Right now, I daily drive a 1993 Ford Explorer - that's right, 30 years old. 414,000 miles. Original gas tank, original fuel send, original fuel lines, original fuel pressure regulator, original fuel injectors. Only service items on it I have had to change is the fuel filter which is basically a $5 aluminum can with a filter in it. I can service the entire fuel delivery system without a lot of special tools, and those parts are 30 years old and still work properly and in spec, and the only risk is an explosion if I do something REALLY stupid like don't disconnect the battery or light something near fuel parts with fuel on them. Gasoline does not lose the ability to provide energy within it's intended use period, but then a lot of that is because when it's consumed, it's changed into particulate that is the sole reason FOR EVs in the first place.

But with an EV, you have a several hundred to several thousand pound Lithium Ion battery pack, which can also explode if mishandled, but unlike Gasoline, loose electricity can harm you without rubbing it into your eyes or something like that. And in some cases you can't unbolt the battery and remove it without it being akin or worse to replacing the entire drivetrain on your old car. And if you puncture it, it can explode and cause a fire intense enough to melt concrete and the cars structure down into the ground. So now, you buy used, you don't get full battery life, but if you buy new, it's even more expensive due to the demand this will provide.

Here's how I think it should have been done....
- Improvements to the electrical grid come FIRST to make sure we can support everyone charging their EVs
- One standard power connector is agreed upon for ALL EVs regardless of brand to make "charging" like refueling a gas
- Another regulation would be to make the battery REPLACEABLE, allowing for DIY and allowing cars to stay on the road longer
- R&D should be going into recycling or at least, reducing g the ecological impact of the worn out LiIon batteries from EVs
- We start to slowly roll out charge stations and make them convenient and easy to use to the average moron
- Slowly add more as more people buy EV's, but continue to support gasoline until it reaches a "niche" level
- Give the Aftermarket time to develop EV-retrofits for classic and older gasoline vehicles. subject to the same standards
- Once Gasoline becomes Niche, maybe then gas will be sold at specialty speed shops and other car enthusiast places for specialized purposes, gas companies will become a thing of the past, and will have to adapt to the new electric model, or become one of those niche companies helping support history advocacy.

This is a logical solution that you won't ever see because most self-proclaimed "environmentalists" hate old, dingy things and want new shiny things. And many are just on board because it makes them look good. Most politicians would rather either keep their big oil ties, or they would rather push for the EV's despite the drastic infrastructure change to make that mainstream without affecting business, the economy, and the lives of working countrymen. And again, many are on board because it makes them "look good" on paper. The car companies **hinthintteslahinthint** like that you can't just drive up to any recharge station and use a standard connector, it ruins the whole "exclucivity" of being an EV owner with that particular brand and means they lose money on people needing to buy special adapters, cables, and charging stations for their homes. Basically put, greed and apathy - as usual - gets in the way of something being well executed. That's why I'm kind of on the fence.

See, if I were to design, and make my own EV. The #1 thing would be considering all the things you're going to do when that vehicle is low on energy. Now, people like me who live near the Desert where the sun is always around, could have some perpetual power-sourcing/trickle charging via roof setup that doubles as as solar panel. But what if you live somewhere with little sun where it rains all the time? Or what about living in a hot environment that wears down your battery packs faster? Places like Texas are really going to have heck, especially in a full-sized, 4-door, long bed pickup truck running off Lithium Ion batteries that comprise 50% of the truck's weight.

Just things to consider, and I'm just throwing this up here as food for thought.

creepingnet wrote on 2022-06-03, 23:14:

As it stands right now, you have a lot of technically challenged environmentalists trying to shove a bunch of technically challenged politicians into making a bunch of reactionary decisions regarding the environment and vehicle changes without any rregard where the electricity is coming from, or how it's being delivered to the vehicle, let alone the longer term lifecycle of the vehicle, or making them more affordable to the masses.

totally and agree with you further points about planned, standardised introduction of EV and infrastructure

having a 30 year old car is not unusual, certainly with maintenance many cars can last that long and longer whilst still giving near optimal performance

I'm sure an EV could too on the basis that the motor would be reliable, but battery life is still a question

I have heard arguments that favor small engine gasoline cars as being 'greener' than EVs. there are cars around now with engines that would only have been considered for a 'subcompact' / 'supermini' / 'city car' but now are sufficiently powerful to use in all kinds of body styles while consuming comparatively little gas

it will be interesting to see how it all pans out, i'm not rushing to buy a car for a while anyway

gerry wrote on 2022-06-05, 18:23:

totally and agree with you further points about planned, standardised introduction of EV and infrastructure […]
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creepingnet wrote on 2022-06-03, 23:14:

As it stands right now, you have a lot of technically challenged environmentalists trying to shove a bunch of technically challenged politicians into making a bunch of reactionary decisions regarding the environment and vehicle changes without any rregard where the electricity is coming from, or how it's being delivered to the vehicle, let alone the longer term lifecycle of the vehicle, or making them more affordable to the masses.

totally and agree with you further points about planned, standardised introduction of EV and infrastructure

having a 30 year old car is not unusual, certainly with maintenance many cars can last that long and longer whilst still giving near optimal performance

I'm sure an EV could too on the basis that the motor would be reliable, but battery life is still a question

I have heard arguments that favor small engine gasoline cars as being 'greener' than EVs. there are cars around now with engines that would only have been considered for a 'subcompact' / 'supermini' / 'city car' but now are sufficiently powerful to use in all kinds of body styles while consuming comparatively little gas

it will be interesting to see how it all pans out, i'm not rushing to buy a car for a while anyway

The notions about gas cars being greener is long outdated especially with the advancements in EVs over the last 20 years.

EVs still have a higher initial impact but that is quickly eclipsed by their benefits while in use. Even a EV charged on coal will surpass its gasoline counterpart in environmental friendliness after 70k miles last I looked. Use solar and that will be around 10k miles.

The latest batteries for example are using a fraction OR NO cobalt these days. And the latest battery designs (that you can buy now) are looking at vehicle service life of 500k miles or more. (Tesla’s is 1-2 million miles)

Anyway, the stats you keep hearing about are usually statistics recycled from back when hybrids first became a thing.

The EV landscape is changing fast. The last vestiges of practicality for gas over EV cars are nearly gone, this tech that everyone claims isn’t ready, is ready.

Egads tranny acting up, 1998 Grand Prix GT, 187k. I'll attempt a fluid/filter change, if it goes well I'll change it twice more, at certain intervals (100 miles? 1000 miles?). I drove 20 miles Saturday, a couple stops, 35 - 45mph. On the trip home there was a distinct whining and lurching when entering a new gear. Drove it last night and this morning, 3 miles both times, no issues. Maybe just a clogged filter? Fluid is a little brown, not a lot. When I got the car with 126k, it was candle apple red. Wish me luck.

Sphere478 wrote on 2022-06-05, 19:43:

EVs still have a higher initial impact but that is quickly eclipsed by their benefits while in use. Even a EV charged on coal wi […]
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EVs still have a higher initial impact but that is quickly eclipsed by their benefits while in use. Even a EV charged on coal will surpass its gasoline counterpart in environmental friendliness after 70k miles last I looked. Use solar and that will be around 10k miles.

The latest batteries for example are using a fraction OR NO cobalt these days. And the latest battery designs (that you can buy now) are looking at vehicle service life of 500k miles or more. (Tesla’s is 1-2 million miles)

Anyway, the stats you keep hearing about are usually statistics recycled from back when hybrids first became a thing.

The EV landscape is changing fast. The last vestiges of practicality for gas over EV cars are nearly gone, this tech that everyone claims isn’t ready, is ready.

then things are moving fast and reliability / longevity is starting to look better than gas cars potentially

one thing would be if cars could (partially) regenerate power themselves by a mix of regenerative braking and rooftop solar for instance, not that it would make them independent but the idea that leaving a car in the sun for a few hours and getting a non trivial 'free' journey would be good

gerry wrote on 2022-06-06, 15:14:

Sphere478 wrote on 2022-06-05, 19:43:

EVs still have a higher initial impact but that is quickly eclipsed by their benefits while in use. Even a EV charged on coal wi […]
Show full quote

EVs still have a higher initial impact but that is quickly eclipsed by their benefits while in use. Even a EV charged on coal will surpass its gasoline counterpart in environmental friendliness after 70k miles last I looked. Use solar and that will be around 10k miles.

The latest batteries for example are using a fraction OR NO cobalt these days. And the latest battery designs (that you can buy now) are looking at vehicle service life of 500k miles or more. (Tesla’s is 1-2 million miles)

Anyway, the stats you keep hearing about are usually statistics recycled from back when hybrids first became a thing.

The EV landscape is changing fast. The last vestiges of practicality for gas over EV cars are nearly gone, this tech that everyone claims isn’t ready, is ready.

then things are moving fast and reliability / longevity is starting to look better than gas cars potentially

one thing would be if cars could (partially) regenerate power themselves by a mix of regenerative braking and rooftop solar for instance, not that it would make them independent but the idea that leaving a car in the sun for a few hours and getting a non trivial 'free' journey would be good

check out aptera
https://aptera.us/vehicle/

gerry wrote on 2022-06-06, 15:14:

Sphere478 wrote on 2022-06-05, 19:43:

EVs still have a higher initial impact but that is quickly eclipsed by their benefits while in use. Even a EV charged on coal wi […]
Show full quote

EVs still have a higher initial impact but that is quickly eclipsed by their benefits while in use. Even a EV charged on coal will surpass its gasoline counterpart in environmental friendliness after 70k miles last I looked. Use solar and that will be around 10k miles.

The latest batteries for example are using a fraction OR NO cobalt these days. And the latest battery designs (that you can buy now) are looking at vehicle service life of 500k miles or more. (Tesla’s is 1-2 million miles)

Anyway, the stats you keep hearing about are usually statistics recycled from back when hybrids first became a thing.

The EV landscape is changing fast. The last vestiges of practicality for gas over EV cars are nearly gone, this tech that everyone claims isn’t ready, is ready.

then things are moving fast and reliability / longevity is starting to look better than gas cars potentially

one thing would be if cars could (partially) regenerate power themselves by a mix of regenerative braking and rooftop solar for instance, not that it would make them independent but the idea that leaving a car in the sun for a few hours and getting a non trivial 'free' journey would be good

The rooftop solar idea is one I've thought about. A lot of people drive SUV's and CUV's, the majority actually, these days, and being able to replace the never-used Roof Racks on some with a solar panel would be a much better use of that space. That could give a large, heavy, truck-based SUV like mine a lot of range for people who live in places like I do where it's sunny most of the time.

Actually, EV Conversions are something I'm a big fan of. I watched someone on YouTube do this to an old Ford Ranger and I really liked the outcome. I'd rather wait till my engine dies though and give the industry time to standardize more first. Right now, as it stands, were just nearing the "Model T" stage of EV the way I see it. That's also the greenest route because less emissions putting EV parts in an existing car than making a whole new machine.

Everyone loves to talk about Tesla being the big goer at this but the truth is they are more a Mercedes Benz than a Ford of the EV Industry since there's so much hype and prestige attached to that name. What the industry really needs to help convert is an AFFORDABLE every-man's EV, one that does for the industry what the Ford Model T did - makes it accessible.

there is a unfortunate drawback to converting a car to EV though. while I fully agree that the upcycling/green aspect is wonderful

Here is the problem:

non converted car with no motor: 1000
battery: 10k
electronics/ wires/misc 10k
motor: 5k

Actual costs may vary..

Final product resale value: 7,500-10,000

alternative
used factory EV: cost 10-20k work required: none, final result: better, more range, less problems.

I fully support EV conversions but there is a investment issue with them.

As for solar panels on the car, wonderful idea. but expectations must be managed.
With the amazing exception of vehicles like the aptera, for the most part on your typical EV, panels on the vehicle are nothing more than a handy efficiency adder. as full charge from zero can take 1-2 weeks from such a source.
do they work? yes. you must manage expectations though.

I've been familiar with conversions for decades. Lots of ways to do it. Industrial diesel gensets with AC drive in heavy equipment started showing up a decade ago. Smaller sub-frame modular drivetrains are starting to come to market. It all just keeps getting better. Common make transplants (like newer GM into older GM) are becoming more straight foward. Grafting things together was my profession.

Most of the time the interesting conversions are for play, and easily hold invested value when done well.
One factor missed here is those klnd don't have a 10k battery pack, they have enough legacy case lithium equivalents to provide limited range. It's a toy , yet useful for many usage patterns.

Where they are limited compared to a factory EV, the real EV's are still nowhere near the low cost of a conventional ICE, and outright stupid compared to a long term diesel vehicle. Once the usage pattern exceeds 'toy' status, all electric versions to date can't do the job. Eg. 1000 miles in 12hr @ <0 temps. It's a steep crossover from one extreme use to the other. Short light duty will be dominated by EV's shortly. At load or range we still need a fuel, maybe hydrogen eventually.

Would love to see some of your rides rather than this super cringy and pointless discussion about pros & cons of EV's.

CwF wrote on 2022-06-07, 17:15:

I've been familiar with conversions for decades. Lots of ways to do it. Industrial diesel gensets with AC drive in heavy equipm […]
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I've been familiar with conversions for decades. Lots of ways to do it. Industrial diesel gensets with AC drive in heavy equipment started showing up a decade ago. Smaller sub-frame modular drivetrains are starting to come to market. It all just keeps getting better. Common make transplants (like newer GM into older GM) are becoming more straight foward. Grafting things together was my profession.

Most of the time the interesting conversions are for play, and easily hold invested value when done well.
One factor missed here is those klnd don't have a 10k battery pack, they have enough legacy case lithium equivalents to provide limited range. It's a toy , yet useful for many usage patterns.

Where they are limited compared to a factory EV, the real EV's are still nowhere near the low cost of a conventional ICE, and outright stupid compared to a long term diesel vehicle. Once the usage pattern exceeds 'toy' status, all electric versions to date can't do the job. Eg. 1000 miles in 12hr @ <0 temps. It's a steep crossover from one extreme use to the other. Short light duty will be dominated by EV's shortly. At load or range we still need a fuel, maybe hydrogen eventually.

The used EVs are getting better. I got my bolt for 10k

It’s fair to note that There are gassers and EVs in many price points.

Yeah, no hate from me whatsoever on conversions. I’d rather look at a EV conversion than a hot rod show these days 🤣. Much respect for both though. Just times are changing and my interests have also.

Ten years ago I was all about SBCs 🤣. But my old v8 s10 holds little interest for me now and just sits in the shed. 🙁

Oh!! Btw, charge rates are up to 350kw on at least one model now, and we might see megawatt charging in the next ten years.

The lucid air has the 350kw not a cheap car to be sure, but I believe they have been for sale for a year or two now? It basically fills up in what like 15-20 min? Also, it has 500 mile range.

Sphere478 wrote on 2022-06-07, 22:24:

Ten years ago I was all about SBCs 🤣. But my old v8 s10 holds little interest for me now and just sits in the shed. 🙁

Ha! Those are fun!! I traded my 83 S15 4x4 350/350 body lifted Holley projected sanderson headers dual cats, for a concrete driveway. About 1995 after 5+ years of emission passed, the dyno style test run by the state came to pass and they wouldn't touch it. Everyone came to see it, suspected it was entrapment, refused. I even personally know the boss mechanic at the state cert place. The driveway was more important for my 2 Fieros and future things.

My never moves Truck is now an '06 Sliverado K2500 LBZ. Much better.

Most miles are on two wheels. Also from that period of clarity, I sold a Kaw and a Zuk and married my '94 R11GS.
Still ride it daily.

Lots of scooter style eBikes turning up "for spares or repair" cheap these days, I have been pondering the idea of turning a couple into an electric Tuk-Tuk, going with graphene enhanced deep cycle lead acid batteries for cheapth and maybe sticking 4 of them over the rear axle with a load floor on top.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_Magnetic

https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1131879_ … rs-before-prius

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYQ2PiX_Z9o

http://www.twinkletoesengineering.info/wells_ … eld_magnets.jpg

http://www.twinkletoesengineering.info/wells_ … _technology.htm

Crude ignition system, carburetor, large low compression inline 6, engine rpm adjusted by throttle via foot pedal, driving a large DC generator, yes engine physically *turning* the big, heavy stator with their windings, excited by 24VDC sub power circuit via slip rings for the generator's stator coils (field windings), generator's armature s used to generate high power DC via commutor & brushes, generator's brushes is brought out to pair of slip rings to transmit the DC for the traction DC motor circuits. Generator's armature is directly connected to a DC motor armture via a shaft, surrounded by stationary stators with separate commutors and brushes. Both generator and traction motor armtures drives the rear end differential.

generator's armature torque is magnetic electrically induced by the turning stator coils which adds to the DC traction motor armature's torque.

The DC traction power is adjusted exactly like the railway locomotive's dc power switches to change the arrangement connections of the DC motor windings of both stator and armature windings. 1, 2 ,3 ,4 and 5 and reverse via a shifter under the steering wheel. The generator is powered by 24V batteries used for to motor the engine for starting, one has to press brakes to keep car stationary otherwise car would lurch backwards.

Yet, managed to do 30mpg, which is very impressive for 1916 owen car on poor gasoline.

Cheers,

I can't afford the EV lifestyle. I can't afford where the price of electricity will be headed either. I'm not an environmentalist, I just care about money. There's been enough volcanoes and I've been in too many forest fires to buy into the hysteria about my neighbor's tailpipe.
Excessive environmentalism and an overreaching political culture are 2 of the anchors that ruined California, I just moved out of it, and now I feel like I'm watching that state's economic decline on instant replay nationwide.

As always, cars are designed for people who buy new, not used. New car buyers don't do it to save money, they do it to feel good.
A used EV, like a laptop, will be practically worthless when the batteries have gone bad, which is exactly when people will get rid of them. Replacing the batteries will cost a fortune and I expect corrosion will be severe if they weren't replaced immediately by somebody who just had the money sitting around waiting for the occasion. The upkeep of batteries alone will be more expensive than what I've been spending on gas over the last 12 years for a 30 year old car.

Limited life is a fundamental reality of batteries, always has been. A gas engine in a simple car can be kept running basically forever for very little cost. This is established history of the 2 technologies, not speculation or hype.

I wouldn't worry about this stuff if I thought we still had a free market economy - leave me alone and I leave you alone. But I don't think we have that economy anymore. Today's fashion is for the "smart people" to mandate, tax, subsidize, regulate, impede, and manipulate everything to impose the outcome that they've decided. It feels like one thing after the other is conspiring to squash what used to be independent middle class prosperity and individuality. The war on industrialization is devolving us back to the Downton Abbey society.
Driving will be for the rich now, the rest of us will ride the bus, while being told we're good people for diminishing our presence because we are dirty and foul.
"Life" in the 21st century is looking more and more like plugging into the internet and experiencing some virtual facsimile.

Sorry if my little rant is aggravating - I'm a bit depressed and angry at the world right now so I guess I'm venting.

More to the subject, I wish my Fiero had an overdrive trans. For some reason they were slow to adopt that in the 80s. Where I live now though, I don't drive at highway speeds enough for it to matter much. In California it would have been very helpful.

Just got back from getting 2 tires mounted on rims at WalMart. The tires were bought online, which regular tire shops always seem to have a cagey and insulted "attitude" about, plus they cost more, and I'm cheap, so WalMart it is.
The auto center was run by an older guy who was so busy talking and guessing what you're going to say that he doesn't actually listen to the words coming out of your mouth. To make it worse, I could barely understand the words coming out of his. I wanted to like the guy but I found him frustrating.
The initial verbal rundown I got didn't mention valve stem replacement. When I started to talk he "predicted" that I was arguing about price, and then when I asked about replacing the valve stems he thought I was asking to not replace them. All talking, no listening. I corrected him that yes I do want the valve stems. Apparently he wasn't listening again. Then when I'm talking to salesman #2 (throughout the process there's like 15 different people you get to interact with just to create more confusion and aggravation) I again wanted to clarify that the valve stems be included in the price. Same problem with him, apparently, asking about something makes people think you don't want it.

Finally got the tires back from the equally incoherent guys in the garage, after nobody had bothered to tell me they were ready. I get home, and the invoice says I "declined" the valve stems. <expletive here>
If I'd never mentioned the damn things at all, I probably would have gotten them. If they had ever mentioned them, I wouldn't have needed to.
Presumptive, unorganized, don't listen, don't speak clearly. Great shop.

I had my tires mounted a few times at a WalMart in CA and they were much simpler with no issues. I don't know how this FL store manages to be so annoyingly complicated to do a simple transaction with.