Really fantastic long-form roundup at ArsTechnica – absolutely worth your time, for cars, phones and more. As we add renewables, energy storage is necessary, so this applies there too.
Category: EVlife
Categories
First ebike ride
My neighbor is in our COVID-19 pod and kindly let me try out his Specialized Turbo Vado. It’s his commute bike.
I just finished a 16.4 mile ride with 1,300 feet of vertical and I feel great. This would have left me mostly dead if not for the motor.
I’ve been wanting the Luna bikes Enduro X-1, mostly based on this review as well as this one by a man who’s nearly my height at 6’9”. Sold out now but I am feeling the want. It’s magical to blast up hills again. At 3 to 5 thousand for a nice one, they’re expensive but as I said, I’m a convert.
Unseen trends, uplifting stats, creative solutions — a new chart every day. From Information is Beautiful.
— Read on informationisbeautiful.net/beautifulnews/
Hell yeah! I’m grateful for many things about San Diego and Southern California, and this is one more for the list. I charge my Bolt at work, continue to covet an EV bike (someday, a Zero shall be mine) and our rooftop solar Just Works.
I’ve got a longer post in the works on sustainability and tipping points, there’s a lot to share.
Categories
One for Dan
Via Electrek, that’s the Australian-made Fonzarelli NKD electric motorcycle. Looks a quirky and versatile ride according to Electrek, though of course more expensive than the China-made competition like the CSC City Slicker.
One of these days I’ll convince my better half and buy a Zero…
(Who’s Dan? Dan Fock, of course, my mate from OWC.)
Categories
OBD-II monitoring the Bolt
Since I got the Bolt I’ve been looking for a way to view OBD-II data. For those who’ve not encountered it, OBD-II is a specification and connector; all vehicles since 1996 have it. (More at Wikipedia) The Bolt didn’t work with my copy of EngineLink, but… today it does!
The secret is this google docs spreadsheet.
It has the codes (secret decoder, literally) to let EngineLink understand what the numbers mean. So now I can create dashboards and monitors to my heart’s content.
You need hardware, mine is this one from Amazon, cost me $35:
Image credit: Amazon
More details on the spreadsheet, including how to do it on Android, links to other adapters and more. I love the internet sometimes!
Via Elektrek, now this is a proper scooter:
I’ve tried the Bird scooters locally and they’re fun. They zip along well on level ground but with my mass (6’10” 240lbs), they can’t manage the hill that I live on. Those are 250W, most are the Xiomi M365. This beast is almost six times more (peak) power! And suspension and enough lighting to see and be seen.
Elektrek likes it:
It rides like a cloud, basically.
It’s a thousand bucks and 39lbs, but if I can find an excuse I am so wanting to buy one. It’d work for runs to the library and supermarket and such.
Buy one here: https://www.ewheels.com/product/new-turbowheel-dart-t9-500w-614wh/
Categories
Chevy runs Lucky Goldstar
Poking around the Bolt menus and it’s crediting LG for code:
I had wondered how Chevy software had improved and perhaps that’s the answer; interesting.
Still happy with the car. Charging it twice a week works well and lets us run around all weekend.
The extra range is hugely important and means we can use the car without worry as opposed to just a commuter.
Categories
My EV is full of charge
Said in the same tone as “my hoverboard is full of eels” for the full effect.
That’s my first month of EV charging, almost all at work. I’m still delighted with the Bolt EV and the new commute routine.
ultracrepidarian 