lithium fires

If you don't treat cars as mindless automata, while riding a bike (motored or otherwise), you're bound to be surprised.

I've had vehicles cross two lanes of empty road with no apparent aim except to force me onto the verge. Watch out for black pick-ups and crew cabs, particularly. They seem to think its a rodeo.

RL

It's the same Panasonic 1865/2170/4860 cells as in the laptops. I stick with 1865s because of the larger surface area vs. energy density for cooling. My primary battery is pouch cells, but it's around 50% capacity and not able to catch fire. I am planning on replacing them with 1865 as well.

An EV is like running 1000 laptops.

Good thing Teslas can drive themselves, as their owners tend to not be very good at doing it on their own

Same with Volvo drivers.

I used to think of Volvos as an MD's car. But the Volvo used to be a Saab if they were a doctor of psychiatry

Saabs were great cars, between fires. Bad rivets on a fuse panel.

I theorize that Volvo drivers are bad drivers, had a wreck, and now want something "safe". Or just like ugly cars.

I wonder if Saab used Lucas electric stuff. Volvos did.

All hail Lucas, the Prince of Darkness! Sound the Trumpets!

Well, they are safe, to the degree that any car can be safe.

Something like ten years ago, about 10:30AM on a clear dry day, I was rear-ended on Route 128 (the inner ring road around Boston) while slowing down and moving towards an exit ramp. I was hit by a fellow coming off the corresponding in-ramp, acceleration to match speed with a space in passing traffic, looking in the wrong direction. Full speed impact - he never saw me. Nor did I see him, as he was in my blind spot. I knew I;d been hit, because nothing else could have caused that hard a shove.

Both cars were totaled. But nobody was hurt. Neither windshield was broken, front or back. But the most amazing thing was that I did not have any whiplash - the Volvo seats were built to absorb the energy, and it worked.

My wife, seeing her husband walk away from such a crash, promptly bought herself a Volvo. But she didn't like it all that much, because it steered like a truck (which was always true), and had too large a turning circle (which was a later development as the engine outgrew the engine compartment, limiting how far the front wheels could turn). (She got an Audi Q3.)

Joe Gwinn

I always liked the handling of Volvos. They were very well balanced. I could take a highway entrance ramp at increasing speed, right up to the point where all four wheels would start to drift. I've never had a car that did that. It was always the rear for rear wheel drive cars, or the front for front drive cars. The one extreme example of that was the a Corvair I owned for less than a year. It died like most Corvairs, going in reverse while in a forward gear. The autocross guys loved being able to get the rear of the car to go around the turn almost in front of the front wheels.

I guess people have more than one "micro mobility device" and get confused about chargers. But I'm a bit surprised that these products use the exact same DC connector (but only a bit surprised).

the other theory is that some folks are buying refurbished battery packs, and we don't know the quality of that refurbishment.

snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote

Most people here now travel by jetpack. I have even seen a couple flying hand in hand. They keep it on even when shopping!