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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    I don't believe that globalism is a danger persay, but I do believe we've taken it way too far coupled with the disposable society. It's not cars where I think we've gone too far... it's the plastic fork. We as a society have decided that it is more cost/time effective to: 1. Pump oil out of the ground. 2. Ship that oil to a processing center that turns a portion of that oil into liquid Polystyrene. 3. Ship that Polystyrene to another processing facility that forms the polystyrene into a fork. 4. Cut down a tree 5. Pulp the tree 6. Ship the pulp to a processing center 7. turn the pulp into cardboard. 8. Print lettering on the cardboard and shape it into a box 9. Ship the boxes to the plastic fork factory 10. Pack the forks into boxes 11. Ship the boxes to warehouse distribution centers 12. Ship the boxes to stores 13. Drive to store to buy plastic forks 14. Use plastic fork once and throw away. F O U R T E E N major steps just so we can avoid: 1. Wash the metal Fork. I hate plastic forks and I avoid them whenever possible... everytime I am handed one at a restaurant all of those steps go through my mind. They, to me, are the biggest worst example of what is terrible about globalism.... the fact that all of that can be made cheaper (Time = money) than just washing a metal fork. The fact that Buick builds vehicles in China or S. Korea for consumption in the US is small fry by comparison.
  2. Drew Dowdell
    So what you're saying is that even the Amish are more forward thinking about energy than you are? I like the rumble of a big fat V8 just as much as you do, but I also admit that the Bolt and Pacifica Hybrid powertrains thoroughly impressed me and I'd have no trouble with either powertrain as a daily driver..... I wouldn't want the rest of the car personally because neither of them are my style, but the powertrains were good enough for me to toss the idea around in my head a bit. I think the way you present your argument is what gets the reactions you get. There are rational reasons for moving forward with EVs, there are fewer to be had for holding on to ICEs longer than necessary. EVs are going to be a growing part of the automotive landscape. What you and I think about EVs is not going to change the timeframe of that happening.
  3. Drew Dowdell
    Ford's "man" step: Chevy's step Chrysler swivel seats. Nearly every electronic shifter that isn't just a dial.
  4. Drew Dowdell
    There have been plenty of automotive options that fit that definition
  5. Drew Dowdell
    Will fossil based products still be in production in 2050? Yes, almost certainly Will their production per capita be substantially lower than today? Also yes, almost certainly Will they be the primary fuel for personal (non-commercial) transportation? No, almost certainly not. All of us here are tainted with the specialist point of view. We're all automotive enthusiasts. We see the world in Camaros and Mustangs, S-Classes and CT6es, F-150s and Silverados..... But auto manufacturers have a very different viewpoint. They see the world in Fusions, Camries, Accords, Focuses, Corollas, and Civics. Those traditional sedan sales may be plateauing, but take away the marketing malarky, and what is an Escape really? It's just a tall Focus with an inflated price. Ditto Corolla / RAV4...or even Dart / Compass So once one stops separating those models and admits they are essentially the same vehicle, you realize that the market is, by far, a whole bunch of bland beige 4-bangers. 99.99998% of people who buy those cars do. not. care. what powers their car as long as it gets them from point a to point b, is reliable, and is cheap. I know I've said it before, but the moment a manufacturer is able to deliver on that EV trifecta while being priced similar to an ICE, the countdown timer on the ICE will have started. It doesn't matter what those of us on automotive enthusiast sites think about it.
  6. Drew Dowdell
    As always. Your mileage may vary.
  7. Drew Dowdell
    oh this is totally a "lifestyle" truck option.... You know, someone who needs a 1500 to haul their kayak and 6 bags of mulch.
  8. Drew Dowdell
    As companies get better at EVs, they'll continue to be simpler to build than ICEs. That's where I expect a lot of efficiency to come from. There will be a greater percentage of common parts shared among different models.
  9. Drew Dowdell
    Reach and lifting. Having the tailgate swing out puts you 18" - 24" closer to that bag of mulch you're trying to reach without hopping up into the bed.
  10. Drew Dowdell
    A Trax EV with a 225+ mile range would be just about the smartest EV move GM could make.
  11. Drew Dowdell
    *Gently steering this back on topic without offending anyone*
  12. Drew Dowdell
    I want to repeat that I didn't ditch the gas mower for any grand ecological reasoning. It was a 14 year old Craftsman with a Briggs engine that caused me lots of trouble. I probably put more money into parts for it over the last few years than it would have cost me to buy a new one, but it was always $25 here, $45 there, so individually the repairs made sense. The last breakdown happened only an hour after I had replaced a part that I had waited a week for and I was simply fed up. I got a service to do my rentals and I had the spare Black and Decker corded electric to fill in. If I can find a new blade for it (it's enough out of balance to matter) I'll just use it till it dies and then get another electric. I have a number of other newer gas powered tools still around that won't be replaced for a long while.
  13. Drew Dowdell
    The average homeowner isn't going to need more than one battery. 60 minutes of actual mower operation is a lot of yard. Such a homeowner will be of distinctly above average income. I prefer to think of it is as being flexible. You want to talk about all the whatabouts aside from car emissions... We're doing just that. Feel free to bring up cow farts again in this thread if you want.
  14. Drew Dowdell
    lord... how much further off-topic can we wander here?
  15. Drew Dowdell
    Oh come on... Joe Biden can be really funny when those anvils fall out of his mouth.
  16. Drew Dowdell
    Yes, it's one big door, not split like the Ram. Yes, it swings out or folds down like the old wagons. I immediately saw the usefulness of it when I tried it out.
  17. Drew Dowdell
    Neat idear. I was really intrigued when I tried out the swing out tailgate on the Ridgeline.
  18. Drew Dowdell
    I know there will be a new Escalade coming soon, but realistically, they could give the current one an exterior visual refresh and a substantial interior refresh and keep it on the market a while longer. The powertrain is still more than competitive, especially now with the 10-speed.
  19. Drew Dowdell
    No no... we're just being flexible since we have a member here with a case of whataboutism.
  20. Drew Dowdell
    I bill my private consulting clients $75/hour. All that battery needs to do is save me 4.6 hours of swearing like a sailor at a gasoline mower to be worth it. It would have earned it's keep in August 2017 alone. Yes there is a higher dollar cost to these electric mowers, but time is also money. That said, I could probably do my lawn plus the lawns at my rental properties on a single charge.
  21. Drew Dowdell
    It'll run for 60 minutes on a charge and charge in 60 minutes. The natural solution is to just buy a second battery that sits on the charger while you're using the first one.
  22. Drew Dowdell
    I do like that green.
  23. Drew Dowdell
    I was hoping they'd get a bit more mileage out of the Bolt platform.
  24. Drew Dowdell
    That's the brand my Eco warrior neighbor bought and recommended to me when we were talking about me tossing the gas mower.
  25. Drew Dowdell
    They can deregulate coal plants all they want, it doesn't change the economics that natural gas is easier to get out of the ground and that it is much more efficient to produce electricity. It doesn't need to be shipped by train or barge, just build a pipeline. Just the construction of a gas plant is cheaper, and certain types called peakers can be small enough to fit in a shipping container.
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