Kevin

Kevin has been involved in the custom automotive scene since he bought his first mini-truck in high school and began modifying it. He also has interest in sustainability, DIY projects, and various forms of fabrication. Seeing improved technology of batteries, he has made a concentrated effort over the last few years to transition away from fossil fuels. From lawn care to automotive.

Electric Adventure – Rivian R1T All Electric Pickup Truck

Automotive, Electric Vehicles, Rivian /

Meet the Rivian R1T electric adventure truck.  Rivian is a startup company that began in 2009.  However, they did a good job of staying under the radar in the automotive industry until recently.  A video of their upcoming pickup truck the R1T made it onto YouTube. Shortly thereafter, a debut at the L.A. Auto Show. Rivian has since released a new video of the truck. The specs are fairly impressive, at least by today’s standards. At the top end with a 180kWh battery option, the truck is expected to have a range of over 400 miles per charge. The base model, with a 105kWh battery pack will have a range of over 250 miles.  Even the smallest battery is larger than any other EV on the market today.  Of course, the 2020 Tesla Roadster is expected to have a 200kWh battery.

Tesla Submarine Easter Egg: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Automotive, Electric Vehicles, Tesla /
tesla 20000 leagues under the sea, tesla air suspension, tesla suspension settings, tesla suspension

This appears to be a short-lived user interface change to the Suspension Settings. The Tesla Model S/X with air suspension the screen showed a submarine type vehicle. This update was rolled out in the initial V9.0 of the software.  Soon after the v9 software received a minor update about a week or two later it was reverted back.

Tesla Advanced Summon

Automotive, Electric Vehicles, Tesla /

Elon Musk tweeted yesterday that in about 6 weeks Tesla owners an over-the-air software update which will have an advanced summon feature.  This update will apply to vehicles with the AutoPilot 2.0 and up hardware.

Bolt, LEAF, and Model 3 Comparison

Automotive, Electric Vehicles /

The Chevy Bolt and Nissan LEAF have seen a decline in US sales during 2018 while the Tesla Model 3 continues to ramp up.  If you’re considering one of these electric cars, take a look at this side by side comparison Edmonds did earlier in the year.

New Tesla Model S/X Interiors Coming Soon?

Automotive, Electric Vehicles /

Electrek has an article which includes concept renderings of the direction the interior of the Tesla Model S and Model X may be headed.  It’s a direction towards a more minimalistic interior which takes similar queues from the Tesla Model 3 and may also reduce production cost. What are your thoughts on this new interior design?  Comment below. Exclusive first look at Tesla Model S and Model X interior refresh: going spartan like Model 3

Tesla Model 3 – Motor and Gear Box High Endurance Test

Electric Vehicles /

Elon Must recently tweeted about a 1 million mile test conducted on the Tesla Model 3 motor and gear box.  I assume this was a fatigue test done in a lab, but the limited details seem impressive… Model 3 motor & gearbox still in good condition after driving 1M miles. Designed for ultra high endurance. https://t.co/LVO2clQZ3V — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 15, 2018