Recent content by calicamper

Pure EVs are lousy vacation RV toy haulers. Every Friday our highways look like Mobile homeless relocation evacuation routes packed full of over loaded trucks dragging massive RVs lol. The Tesla 100 towing a tiny Hiker tear drop trailer was only able to go 80 miles between charge locations on...

Which case plugin hybrid offers a really unique combination of things a overlander would value. Increased range, bump in low speed grunt, extended ICE service range, quiet operation mode. Etc Interesting electric power source options

Also keep in mind the current Tesla HVAC is nothing like the T1 system. Yes HVAC in EVs is a big issue and it is a big difference between a $20,000 Chevy Bolt and a $45,000 T3. The critics always seem to miss the use pattern that these vehicles are targeting. 90+% of weekly vehicle use is...

No has mentioned they are heavy. They aren’t a mid sized US tow rig trailer. A few early adopters found they were too heavy for their tastes. So if you have illusions of towing with a built jeep or 4runner/Tacoma your going to be disappointed.

Just know that Toyota rotors are generally very good stuff. My LC snd Sequoia both a bit hungry on brake pads easily 100+ 1000 on the original rotors in spec and smooth.

I’m ^ with Naters Its really really hard to screw up a brake job. As in the half baked stoned kid can get the brakes done 98% of the time correctly. Something is goofy in either they never did anything the first time which I have caught dealers doing, something is goofy with the system or they...

Servicing or even replacement of a busted window can be a big challenge even with Tesla which is far more capable than the little micro custom builders. That brings up another discussion regarding overlanding and the occasional service issue which is a real concern for most people that travel...

I find it interesting that the biggest auto maker with the largest number of different vehicles that will be EV platforms in the next year didn’t make your list. The company’s you mentioned are tiny and hand built custom cars. Even Hyundai’s EV is a odd hand built vehicle that doesn’t come off...

Thanks to a big buck running head on into my stopped Expedition it spent 5 weeks in the shop fenders were untouched, radiator wasn’t leaking but $15,000 in parts and labor😳. So 5 weeks pre COVID it didn’t get used only had 1000 miles on it. Then COVID hit so today it sits at 9600 miles😆. Zero...

I think importing talent was a game plan in their big Tesla buy in. But I suspect the Tesla Talent and ideas have been way out of the Toyota comfort zone.

My neighbor was part of a bio fuel research group their focus as algae the funding for that research dried up 4 years ago. The take away was it’s possible but not on a scale that would be profitable enough. Especially today with refinery orders way down.

I live in the Brentwood region err County its sorta the fringe region of the Bay Area 44k for a 2016 😆😆😆😂😂😳🤔😆😆😳. LoL Go buy a new truck your getting the same thing only with no HS kid sloppy mods and a full warranty.

Back when Elon was hand building Electric Lotus’s Wired MAGAZINE did a really interesting interview with Elon. He explained how Tesla and the NUMI plant happened. In that story top Toyota brass were most interested in how he found the creative new ideas. IE even several years ago Toyota knew...

Hybrid mode is going to rule the off road stuff. The bump in range crawling the easy stuff and down hill stuff will really bump the jeep range. The added grunt in duel mode will make the jeeper guys pretty happy. I don’t see a down side unless payload is impacted in a sizable way or it turns...

25mi ev range is actually pretty useful not to mention all the low speed non technical stuff likely would be partial ev only. Keep in mind down hill charging and ICE charging takes place of which the auto makers are getting pretty good at energy management and recovery. Plugin hybrid jeep with...