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It's not even a hard business case to make now. Even with gas stations, the money is in the selling of snacks, drinks, and prepared foods, not in the selling of gas. For EVs, that calculus actually gets easier because EV drivers are MORE likely to stop in for food or coffee while charging.

$4.65/g here in Pittsburgh. Trump accidentally promoting EVs again. Even if prices go back down, it is the instability that is the problem.

I've a BUNCH of saved email notifications to reply to things in here ... one of these days I'll reply to them.............. *grins devilishly* PEACE | Cort, pig and cow valves with pacemaker 2003 MGM LS + 1981 cmc SC; need 1975 Chrysler Cordoba "All your lies somehow left me blind" | George Ducas | 'Lipstick Promises'

lol that use to be a joke when i was traveling for work with the energy company. I have friends in germany and there are certain stereotypes about german men's fashion that are proven true far too often and I can pick the german guy out of a lineup every time. eh, it didn't make sense to run it as a separate division. I don't see a problem with this. It's not the end of EVs, just the end of the division. It never really made sense except for ford to do battle with their dealers. This is a paper move only.

This one weirds me out. Everywhere I go, I meet Germans! In grad school ... on vacation ... on this ship. I now have a new German friend who lives in the greater Houston area. I don't have any signs on my head! They're friendlier to me than Italians.

About a week at sea after departing the Atlantic Seaboard and on schedule to dock in the Azores tomorrow. I've always been curious about these islands. I'm looking forward to this ... a lush, volcanic archipelago 900 miles from the coast of Portugal. You could definitely hang out by the pool at the beginning of the voyage. Now, it's cool and comfortable, so no one is out by the pools, unless it's the one that's covered by the dome. I'm hoping that pool weather will come back once we enter the Mediterranean. There are a lot of nice people aboard, but a few oddballls stand out. I do not include myself in that latter group.

3.04 miles and 25.6 miles in freedom units. I still wonder what they are considering an average vehicle since this is in KM. An average vehicle in Europe is different in size than an average vehicle in the U.S.

Sheetz is getting Ionna also.

Here in Washington State, there are incentives to turn your roof into a complete Solar panel with storage and the county / state will buy back any excess. I have many coworkers who have done this and now just charge their EVs for free pretty much. As one that is planning a complete remodel of the house for retirement as the wife and I have decided to stay put till we are 6ft under, the one thing I will do is change the roof into a 45-degree angle with complete solar panels and storage. The assessments are showing that I will more than be able to power the whole house and charge my EVs with no pulling from the grid, but excess that I can sell back into the grid. EV is the future, Solar charging just makes it so much better.

In many states you can sign 1 or 2 year rate contracts. That only covers the cost of the generation and not the delivery, but even delivery is set by the state and is usually once a year rate change at most. I've had green energy contracts for my house for years. It's nice to know my rate is fixed.

Yep. that's one of my biggest issues, the instability. I REALLY doubt my electricity rates will just double in a month or triple in a year or anything wild like that.

Yes, you are correct that it is the NOW for EMEA and APJ. BYD breaks down final barriers to electrification with Blade Battery 2.0 and FLASH Charging - BYD BYD has a Battery pack storage system that goes with this for areas that have weak electrical grid system. Clearly, they are not only thinking of Europe, but Africa, South, Central and North America markets long term as well as all over the Asian rim. Clearly, they are so far ahead of America due to incompetent leadership. Yes, Ford says they are still working with CATL and BYD but for products in China and elsewhere, due to Idiot47 the U.S. market will not get this technology at this time. That tends to tell me that he knows it will not come here as long as Idiot47 is in office and then all bets are off, but can Ford and GM stay independent, or will they have to merge with someone? GM Buick EVs have moved to 900V tech for 10 min to 80% charge times using China technology, but will it ever go any other place? EMEA I can see it as those countries have already allowed China in. APJ but outside of China, I am not aware that GM has moved back into any other market than the little bit they have in Korea. Interesting times for sure. Per the press release, the 8th of April 2026 the first Flash Chargers opened in Paris France. DENZA Z9GT to start Europe’s FLASH Charging revolution in April: Ready in 5, Full in 9, Cold Add 3 - BYD

You're welcome! Yep, the problem is that it isn't the future for the rest of the world. That's the NOW for China and Europe (if I remember correctly from the video). The US is soooo far behind. It does make me curious about the Ford and CATL and/or BYD partnerships that have been going on. I'm sure Ford isn't getting that technology though.

@G. David Felt I came across this video and thought you'd appreciate it. It's a long video, but with you being the tech guy that you are, you should be entertained by it all. If you wanted to skip to the charging session itself, you'll want to skip to like the 42 minute mark. I hope the link works because YouTube links don't show up in my feed on my work computer, but hopefully this does for you guys.

Without knowing specifics of their design, I'd think reducing the battery pack by the weight of the engine would yield sufficient results. You'd still have a ton of electric-only range and then you'd have your "backup genergator" for when you run out of juice. Speaking of which, I ran into a guy with a 2nd gen Volt a few weeks back while taking my kids on a walk. I asked him how he liked it and what kind of efficiency/range he was getting. He loved it, HOWEVER.. he said he almost never plugs it in. He just runs it as a hybrid. I'm pretty certain they aren't all that efficient when operated as just a hybrid. I thought that was kind of a waste of a Volt, to be using it that way. I didn't tell him this because I didn't want to sh!t on his situation or anything, but I thought it was odd to buy a plug-in hybrid then just never even utilize the full capacity of the battery. Then again, this falls right in line with a multiple studies I've read about that say most plug-in hybrid owners never utilize the plug-in capability of their vehicles.

The Americans have given up on cars, and I have given up on the Americans. Also, water is wet, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Hume talked about the problem of induction, but this continuing seems like a pretty safe bet. A low functioning theocracy is a bad thing, and what we are slipping into in the USA.

Interesting day, this 25th of April! It's a holiday in Italy, as in Festa della Liberazione - that means they liberated themselves from Mussolini ... either in 1945 or 1946 Then, I thought a little bit more and something else popped into my head: it might also be a holiday in Portugal ... this is the day that they got rid of dictator Antonio Salazar ... in 1974. It's almost impossible to forget that if you've been there because they renamed their large harbor suspension bridge from Ponte Salazar to Ponte 25 de Abril. A high functioning democracy is a beautiful thing. Cheers everyone!

Ha ... no, wrong kind of models. I brought diecast models, tho I also have a number of dealer promos I could've brought, too. Are your tentative plans to be in town just that one day? If not ... Saturday Cruise Nights begin 05.09.2026. Thank you ... was a good turn out: https://www.oldcarsstronghearts.com/ocsh-cruise-nights/2026-ocsh-steaknshake-events/ PEACE | Cort, pig and cow valves with pacemaker 2003 MGM LS + 1981 cmc SC; need 1975 Chrysler Cordoba "The more things change the more they stay the same" | Kenny Chesney | 'Summertime'

Reminds me of an incident 20+ years ago, was coming out of a Benihana in Denver and a guy came up to me and started asking questions in German. My answer was ‘no spreken ze Deutsch’.

This has interesting implications in the greater Pittsburgh and eastern Ohio region. We don't have Circle K in our area. However, our grocery store chain Giant Eagle just sold off its chain of gas stations called GetGo to Circle K's parent company. Apparently all of the stores are slated to be remodeled to the new branding eventually. Would make sense to install these during the remodel in locations where they will fit. (some GetGos can be very small and won't have room)

It's the base body style but with the 6.2L.

A lot of of the early electric vehicles were on two year leases. Especially those in the luxury brand class. Acura, MB, and Cadillac all pushed them.

Because that's when new model year vehicles tend to get released and the first large batch of 2yo ZDXes and 3yo Lyriqs should be coming off lease. Plus... there were a bunch of EVs that came out in that same time frame and there have been more than a few reports that there is a wave of EV lease turn-ins due to hit the market late summer.

I'm not sure if I'm thankful or spiteful for @Drew Dowdell pointing out the ZDX exists and now I want that, but they're a fair amount more monies than a Prologue used still (as expected as it offers a more luxurious interior, bigger battery, and more performance). I'm looking everywhere to read more on it...

After doing a bunch of research on this, it isn't so much Honda/Acura are limiting charging speeds as it is the battery pack total size directly correlates to the rate of charge they can accept. The Prologue and non-SS Blazer EV have 85kWh batteries at 288 total volts and the ZDX/Lyriq/Blazer EV SS all have the larger 102kWh battery at 345 total volts. Because of the way the Ultium platforms have multiple pack sizes that can and are linked together to make larger or smaller packs, the total pack volts varies based on the application and why the Hummer/Silverado/Sierra EVs can charge at 800v when they're still on 400v architecture. Because kW = amps * volts, the bigger packs have more nominal volts because they have more cells. Below is a Prologue example and change the 288v for the Prologue to 345v for the larger packs of the Lyriq, ZDX, or Blazer EV SS and you get 190kW for the maximum (or do the math for the other chargers, as well)

I regret Obama bailing them out at this point, and regret Chrylser getting bailed out in the 80's. The internal corporate culture will never change or adapt at Domestic Car companies/Stallantis. Walked out of a Jazz concert last night and imports outnumbered domestics by 7-8 to 1 or more in the parking lot. And the folks driving domestics were largely over 70. Other than trucks, no one I work with, am in clubs with, at my wife's church, or know socially really drives domestics. They are really so 2002...or 1982...or 1962. NOT 2032! This fits the broader pattern of the Belt and Road initiative. Everything we spend on war and a military China spends on actual domestic production and foreign development that actually helps people. The world is bypassing the USA, and that rate of bypass will only speed up as time moves forward. This video shows the changing face of warfare. Our one trillion dollar military is largely obsolete.

This is a 1yr old video I found that shows how much ahead China EVs are over the U.S. and Europe. Korea is the only country that is competitive right now, Japan is so far behind.

The rate of change will only speed up.

The collapse will cause an every country for themselves attitude and it will be the final days for ICE and OIL and the Auto Companies that caved into Idiot47, AKA American Auto Companies are going to pay big time as they continue to become nothing in the new world order of Tech EVs. American Auto Companies have gotten the last of my dollars. Awaiting to see how Kia / Hyundai does with the Truck Market here. Their Mules are still in LA for the EV9 Pickup that I would love to have to compliment my current EV9. Thanks for the Link, yes I see the video and that is freaking cool. We are so far behind when this is the future.

Interesting, but I totally get it, who cares about the badge if you get the technology, comfort and performance you want. https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/buying/76-of-drivers-say-luxury-badges-aren-t-worth-it-anymore-here-s-what-they-want-instead/ar-AA20Hs8L?ocid=msedgntp&pc=W069&cvid=69f12a480b1645319bc420ef729815ff&ei=61

I agree a hundred percent. EV tech applied to bikes, this is amazing...but seven grand. Remarkably close to what every rigid 80s and 90's MTB steel bike was. We get the formula right and then lose it in the name of god knows what. Cool video, cool channel, and too bad you can't buy this here.

Have to say that the VW/Xpeng EV lineup is pretty sweet. The jetta EV is a solid brick on wheels SUV look that I like, the others are very nice, but I am not a fan of the Coupe rear approach to EVs. Auto China 2026: Volkswagen Group Unveils Record Product Offensive and Agentic AI Roadmap for China | Volkswagen Group Nissan is also bringing it with their EVs and partner Dongfeng. The NX8 is a 404 miles of pure EV range, order it with range extender generator and the SUV covers 900 Miles. Dongfeng Nissan launches the All-New NX8 in China

Birthday Greeter for IPS V5 View File Sends personalized birthday greetings to your members automatically on their birthday. Supports three delivery methods — email, private message, and forum topic — each independently configurable with rich text messages and template tags for the member's name, age, and site name. A configurable send time, timezone, and buffer window prevent duplicate sends if your task scheduler runs more than once. Members can be excluded by group, age range, or inactivity period, keeping greetings relevant and your sending volume under control. This App can be useful when combined with the Bounce Detector app to keep your e-mail lists clean of stale addresses. When combined with Bounce Detector, a yearly birthday message can check if the e-mail address of the user is valid. Bounce Detector Submitter Drew Dowdell Submitted 04/15/2026 Category Files  

* THIS weekend, 04.18.2026. ALL welcome, rain or shine. I will be in my 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis LS with some model cars & other items. # to TEXT me is on this page, under CONTACT & LINKS: https://www.oldcarsstronghearts.com/ocsh-cruise-nights/2026-ocsh-steaknshake-events/ PEACE | Cort, pig and cow valves with pacemaker 2003 MGM LS + 1981 cmc SC; need 1975 Chrysler Cordoba "You take the good, you take the bad" | Gloria Loring | 'The Facts Of Life'

We are in interesting times and I think that those with the balls to look into the future past Idiot47 administration see change and growth as good for the EV industry.

Seeing more and more Ioniq 5 and EV6 being lease returned all with below 20K miles for around $30K which makes them a hell of a deal, and they you have the 18min recharge to 80%. L2 it at home and your sitting pretty, I think. Like you, had a vasectomy after the wife and I decided no more kids, best thing ever for us. Love my two and the 3 grandkids I have.

Haha no more kids. We wanted two, got two, and I had a vasectomy last October. I ran the numbers on keeping what I have and buying something economical to just drive to and from work and the numbers just never make sense. If I remember correctly, the numbers were something like a 6k car averaging 40mpg wouldn't pay for itself in just fuel for nearly 5 years. A more modern hybrid averaging 60mpg and costing 12k (Ionic hybrid) still doesn't pay for itself for like 6 or 7 years on just fuel costs alone. I couldn't justify a payoff period that ends when the vehicle is nearly needing to be replaced. It just makes more sense to buy what I want that is more economical.

Well, at the rate you're making kids, trade them both in on... and then get a used Ioniq 6 for commuting.

But why is it so ugly?

I did the rarest of leases, 3yrs at 15,000 miles a year. Most especially for the Cadillac Lyriq were 2 year leases at 10,000 miles a year. Of the 1.2 million EVs being returned this year, pretty much all of them are low mile 2 year leases so you should be able to find a number of good low cost deals to buy on an EV. 4,813 were ZDX with the bulk on low mileage 2yr leases. There are 28,402 Lyriq's low mileage lease returns coming back this year. https://gmauthority.com/blog/gm/cadillac/lyriq/cadillac-lyriq-sales/ Q1-2025-Kelley-Blue-Book-EV-Sales-Report-04-11-25.pdf Acura ZDX AWD Used 2024 Acura ZDX A-Spec for sale in Renton, WA 98057: Sport Utility Details - 776625051 - Autotrader Cadillac Lyriq RWD Used 2024 Cadillac Lyriq Luxury for sale in Enumclaw, WA 98022: Sport Utility Details - 772214602 - Autotrader AWD Used 2024 Cadillac Lyriq Sport for sale in Seattle, WA 98133: Sport Utility Details - 775845739 - Autotrader Kia EV9 RWD No used yet, just new New 2026 Kia EV9 Light for sale in Renton, WA 98057: Sport Utility Details - 761201098 - Autotrader AWD Used 2024 Kia EV9 Wind for sale in Tacoma, WA 98409: Sport Utility Details - 772435775 - Autotrader Kia EV6 RWD Used 2023 Kia EV6 Light for sale in North Bend, WA 98045: Sport Utility Details - 760380155 - Autotrader AWD Used 2024 Kia EV6 Light for sale in Tacoma, WA 98409: Sport Utility Details - 772435774 - Autotrader

Dead man walking in the automotive world.

I am all for the second amendment rights, I always protect my family, friends and neighbors first against someone who does intend violence. Yet based on the stupidity we have seen in the south with guns, I also feel one needs to have some common sense. Course my response was sarcastic which clearly failed to come across here, but I do remember these stupid folks who were out threatening as a peaceful protest walked by their house.

The Cadillac Vistiq is a 3 row crossover with like a 3.7 second 0-60 time. All these EV's are really faster than they have to be, they just need to get prices down and these 4 cylinder over stressed gas motors in 3 row SUVs will be a thing of the past.

The Heated Rivalry series has buried deep into my brain. The music causes feelings because I associate it with scenes in the show. This playlist has been on repeat for basically 2 months.

It seems that either your music collection ends or Bluetooth derails, but other songs you "might" like start coming through on your auto's infotainment system. I was taking my rental car back to the airport here some 1.5 hours away, this came on, and was this ever a blast from the past. I have yet to look up what year it's from. I thought I would share. . . . . Awaiting the response: "Thanks for sharing."

Very nicely written tribute for your late friend Phil. We all need more folks like this in our lives. The cream colored Monte Carlo in the montage is beautiful. The 1981 to 1986+/- coupe was a real uptick for the MC. Belated happy New Year from across the pond. I'm enjoying the much slower rhythm so far and the people have been great.

No, I'm not going to weave in any Subaru jokes. When anyone first hears this, they know it's a good song - it's sort of catchy - and the voice is stellar. But the trippy part is the black and white video itself showing a strange stage act in this grande dame type theater. The people in the play look like something right out of a Jack Kerouac or John Steinbeck novel. It all leaves you hanging as to how and why it may all fit together.