If you didn’t read through the thread, I’ll summarize here: the Tesla owner was driving their Model S P85D on the highway, when the car begins to beep and warn that he needs to pull over immediately due to some power issue. Immediately after warning, all controls lock up, and the car comes to a halt, in the middle of a six-lane highway, leaving him no time to try and steer the car onto the shoulder, out of traffic.

The car will not budge from this point; it won’t go into neutral, the parking brake won’t release. It’s no longer a vehicle, it’s an immobile bit of sculpture blinking its hazard lights in the middle of the highway. //

Also, based on this tweet, it looks like the tow driver didn’t get the car rolling, either, and just pulled it up, with the rear wheels still locked, onto the bed: //

This particular incident involved a Tesla, but this is really an industry-wide problem with EVs. Every EV has some way to get the car into neutral, but based on the research I’ve done so far, all of the major EVs sold require the car to be at least partially functional to access the controls to get it into a tow or free-rolling mode, as these are usually accessed through the cars’ center-stack touch screen. //

All EVs should have a mechanical, unpowered, easily accessible emergency way to get the drivetrain disconnected from the wheels so the car can be moved if dead. I don’t necessarily think this is easy to engineer—if it was, I suspect at least a few EVs would have such a setup—but I do think it’s important. //

While we’re at it, we should mandate that all doors and trunks and whatever can be opened from the outside even if the main and 12V batteries die. Tesla Model 3s don’t have emergency releases for the rear doors, for example.

Powered by a Jet Engine, the Chrysler Turbine Car Could Run on Perfume or Tequila

With a jet engine adapted for automotive use that could gobble up almost any flammable liquid, the Chrysler Turbine Car was one of the most revolutionary vehicles that ever roamed on American roads.

A California Highway Patrol officer pulled over a vehicle on Friday that had a satellite dish bolted to the car's hood, and the device appeared to be one of SpaceX's Starlink antennas.

"Sir I stopped you today for that visual obstruction on your hood. Does it not block your view while driving?" CHP of Antelope Valley wrote in a Facebook post about the incident.

CHP added that the motorist replied: "Only when I make right turns."

The former-plane-turned-RV draws plenty of attention when it's out on the highway.

It's not every day you see an aircraft rolling down the highway, and if you did, you'd be forgiven for thinking there's been some kind of in-flight disaster followed by an emergency landing. However, in the case of the Fabulous Flamingo, what you'd actually be looking at is a custom-built RV put together by Gino Lucci and his son Giacinto.

I don’t throw around the word “hero” lightly. It’s an important, powerful word, and as such I hoard it like a miser, choosing to dole it out with all the associated ceremony to people who do things so trivial and tedious and absurd that it would make an absolute mockery of the word. This is one of those times, and Gareth Wild is a hero. A hero who parked in all 211 spaces in the parking lot at his local Sainsbury’s. //

Oh, and for our non-UK readers, Sainsbury’s is a popular supermarket there, and they’ve actually come up on Jalopnik before, since they keep a fascinating collection of photographs of their parking lots over the years, featuring some wonderful old British iron. //

Me: First question, I guess, is why?

Gareth: I wanted to try this because I enjoy finding fun in the mundane and there’s nothing more mundane than the weekly food shop. It dawned on me after going shopping there for some years prior that it’s the sort of daft project I’d enjoy, like the worlds most boring Panini sticker album.

from the so-much-for-shutting-the-guy-up dept
Tue, Oct 29th 2019 9:38am — Tim Cushing

Longer yellow lights are on the way, thanks in part to a man a state government agency once forbade from criticizing red light cameras without a proper license.

As The Newspaper reports, the Institute of Transportation Engineers -- which develops standards for managing all aspects of driving under the US Department of Transportation -- has agreed with recommendations made by a team of engineers that found ITE-approved yellow light timing standards reduced public safety and resulted in more accidents. //

An ITE panel concluded in September that a team of engineers who objected to the practice were right on the fundamental issue: drivers approaching an intersection to make a turn under certain conditions can neither safely stop nor legally proceed without risking an automated ticket.

The appeal of ITE yellow light timing standards was brought by a group of engineers that included an engineer who the Oregon Board of Engineers once infamously claimed wasn't an engineer. //

Jarlstrom was fined $500 by the Oregon Board of Engineers for practicing engineering without a license. Jarlstrom does, in fact, have an engineering degree. He's just not licensed by the state. The Board took this to mean it could tell Jarlstrom to stop presenting his red light camera research to public entities. A federal court disagreed and Jarlstrom obtained an official apology from the Licensing Board.

His criticisms of red light cameras (and the consequent shortening of yellow light times) were correct. ITE guidance allowed city engineers to shorten yellow times on left/right turn signals by approving a calculation that shaved 5 mph off the speed limit solely for the purpose of determining yellow light timing.

The research presented to ITE showed this made things much more dangerous for drivers approaching turning lanes during a yellow light. It created a "dilemma zone" where drivers were given two options, both of them bad: make an unsafe stop or get a ticket.

I think one of my favorite states of mind is something I call appreciative bafflement: A state of confusion so deep and profound that you’re genuinely impressed and appreciate the efforts taken to make such confusing, deeply fucked decisions. The Lancia Gamma, especially the fastback Berlina version, is a car full of this sort of bafflement. Let’s talk about this lovely weirdo. //

the engines themselves were pretty good, save for the one ridiculous Achilles’ heel that is the initial source of my gleeful bafflement: They decided to drive the power steering fluid pump off of one of the two camshafts — you know, the things that open and close the cylinder valves.

If you start up your cold engine with your steering wheel turned all the way to one side or the other, the load from the power steering pump could be enough to break the camshaft/timing belt, which would make the left bank of cylinders completely lunch the top end of the engine, leaving you stranded and soon to be broke. //

Normally, ancillaries like the alternator or A/C compressor or power steering pump are driven off the crankshaft pulley. I can’t think of any other car that drives a pump off the camshaft and has a cam belt setup like this, and here’s why, according to the Gamma mavens over at Lancia Gamma Consortium:

Gammas have an unenviable reputation when it comes to their toothed camshaft drive belt, and not without reason! The camshaft serving the nearside (left- hand) pair of cylinders also drives the power steering pump. A lack of development, in early cars in particular, showed itself when unsuspecting owners would start their Gammas on a cold morning with the steering on full lock. This would cause the cambelt to break / jump with the load from the steering pump, resulting in one pair of cylinders firing-up whilst the other pair tried to destroy themselves, at the least causing bent valves. Later models have revised belt tensioners, but are still known to suffer from this problem.

The first way:
1) Disconnect the Negative battery cable for two or three minutes then reconnect.
2) Start truck and let idle till it reaches operating temperature.
3) Turn truck off for 5-10 seconds.
4) Fire her up and drive her the way you want.

The second way:
1) With the key out of the ignition
2) Disconnect the Negative battery Cable.
3) Put the key in the ignition and turn it as if you where trying to the START it.
4) Release the key and leave it in the “ON” position and let it sit for 10- 15 min
5) Remove key from the ignition.
6) Re-attach the negative battery cable.
7) DO NOT TOUCH THE THROTTLE when starting the truck for the first TWO times!!!
8) Start truck and let idle till it reaches operating temperature.
9) Turn truck off for 5-10 seconds.
10) RE-START the truck but DO NOT TOUCH THE THROTTLE!
11) Let the truck return to normal idle (500-600 RPM’s)
12) Turn truck off, and then start her up and take her for a LIGHT test drive… NO WOT testing yet.
13) After driving around the block letting your computer LEARN the new air flow turn her off one last time…
14) Fire her up and drive her the way you want.

The third way:
1) Pull fuse #19 or #23 or #31 (vehicle year dependent)
2) Close door and buckle seatbelt (technically you don't have to buckle the seatbelt, but it helps to stop all unnecessary chimes)
3) Put key in ignition and turn to "on" and wait until all chimes stop (on...not start!)
4) Turn key to start and hold until you hear 2 chimes (I think it was about 15 seconds or so)
5) Turn key off
6) Re-install fuse
7) You're good to go

... and last. This is from a past DT thread:

You can do what is often called a "hard dump".

We (techs) often do this when we need to totally reset the ECU and either don't have the proper tool close by (too lazy to walk to toolbox and get it) or just are "in a hurry".

First, disconnect positive+ battery cable at the battery and ground it to the chassis. Yes, the POSITIVE CABLE.

Wait a few seconds, 30 won't kill ya.

Now reconnect the positive cable. Careful, no sparks now.

Get in the vehicle, turn ignition key to on (run) position, now depress fully and release the gas pedal 5 times to set the TPS to WOT. (Make sure the floor mats do not keep the pedal from going WFO)

Turn the key to off, wait a min, and you should have cleared everything in the ECU except for the factory programming.

The hard dump does not effect the (factory) alarm, the only thing I noticed is my radio presets, as this method came from a working Chrysler tech, I doubt if there are any negative effects

First, this meme from the Tesla bears is false. They do buy Tesla cars, in reasonable numbers. Second,

We've just discovered that the Tesla Model 3 is actually the safest car ever tested by the NHTSA, but you might be surprised by the 2nd and 3rd safest cars. //

Based on the advanced architecture of Model S and Model X, which were previously found by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to have the lowest and second lowest probabilities of injury of all cars ever tested, we engineered Model 3 to be the safest car ever built. Now, not only has Model 3 achieved a perfect 5-star safety rating in every category and sub-category, but NHTSA’s tests also show that it has the lowest probability of injury of all cars the safety agency has ever tested. //

NHTSA’s previous tests of Model S and Model X still hold the record for the second and third lowest probabilities of injury, making Tesla vehicles the best ever rated by NHTSA.

DOT 3 is the most common type used in cars and trucks today. DOT 4, however, is gaining popularity due to widespread use of anti-lock braking systems and traction control, which benefit from DOT 4 fluid’s lower viscosity. //

#Are DOT 3 and DOT 4 brake fluid compatible?

Yes, DOT 3 brake fluid is compatible with DOT 4 brake fluid. However, DOT 4 offers a higher boiling point.

DOT 5.1 is used in high-performance and heavy-duty applications due to its high boiling point. It’s compatible with DOT 3 and DOT 4 fluid.

DOT 5 brake fluid is silicone, meaning it doesn’t absorb water. It’s not compatible with the other brake fluids and is used mostly in classic cars that remain in storage for long periods and need a brake fluid that doesn’t absorb water.

Brake fluid is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs water (except silicone-based DOT 5 brake fluid). DOT 3 fluid, for example, can absorb up to two percent water every year. Moisture can enter the system when you remove the reservoir cap to add fluid, through worn seals and even through the rubber brake lines themselves. Thus the fluid’s wet boiling point is the number that more accurately represents what’s really going on in your vehicle.

Since brake fluid can wear out, it’s vital you change it periodically. Otherwise, not only will your brakes become spongy and unsafe, the moisture will slowly corrode metal components.

A good rule of thumb is to change the brake fluid every other year in passenger vehicles, and at least every year in racing vehicles. The AAA says 88 percent of motorists overlook brake maintenance, so you’re not alone if you haven’t changed brake fluid in awhile, like since you bought your vehicle.

Watch now: How to bleed brakes

Tesloop drove a Tesla Model X for 409,000 miles and spent $29,000 for maintenance and repairs. Is that a lot? It depends on your point of view.

Germany is on the brink of recession as its auto industry slumps. Tesla and the rise of electric cars are putting pressure on VW and BMW //

The sweeping electric car pivot that's being led by Tesla is starting to have an impact on Europe's biggest economy - Germany, by striking at its backbone, the automobile manufacturing industry. | //

• Germany is on the brink of recession after growth slowed to zero in the last quarter.
• The economy is being dragged down by a seismic slump in car manufacturing.
• The Tesla effect – and the shift to electric vehicles – is leaving Germany in dire straits.

John Carrier leads the MIT Sloan Executive Education program Implementing Industry 4.0: Leading Change in Manufacturing and Operations. He also teaches in the F1 Extreme Innovation series, a collaboration between Formula One and MIT Sloan Executive Education. A native Detroiter who sees the world through a lens of systems thinking, Carrier recently watched the film (twice) with process improvement in mind. Here are three business lessons that “Ford v. Ferrari” demonstrates with historical accuracy and a touch of Hollywood flair.

Lesson 1: Don’t adopt new tech until you know what problem you are trying to solve

To test the aerodynamics of the GT40 prototype, the original Ford engineers put a large, heavy computer with attached sensors into the car. The Shelby team ripped out the computer and instead taped strings over the surface of the car, then observed the exterior of the car to see how air traveled over and around the vehicle. "Often the best model of the system is the system itself," Carrier says.

Another takeaway from this example is that the strings make the issue observable,

Unlike a computer printout, the streamers provided direct and immediate visual measurement of the entire system. Indeed, the very presence of the computer in the car distorted the performance of the system, as it significantly increased the weight of the car.

Lesson 2: Flatten your decision-making.

In the movie, Ford’s decision on the Shelby program went through the classic “15 middle managers,” visualized by a red folder circulating the Ford’s Dearborn, Michigan, headquarters, known as the Glass House. The red folder is the perfect analogy for the “hidden factory” of middle management. (A “hidden factory” is any activity or set of activities that reduce the quality or efficiency of operations but are not initially known to managers or others seeking to improve the process.)

Shelby eventually shortens the feedback loop by insisting he report directly to Henry Ford II.

“Paraphrasing a conversation I once had with Jay Forrester, the father of system dynamics, the purpose of middle management seems to be to turn the message 180 degrees while adding a time delay — the absolutely optimal way to destroy the performance of any system,” Carrier says.

Lesson 3: Learn from others.

In the Daytona race, Shelby bet his company to the Ford Motor Company on his driver, Ken Miles, winning — even against another Ford team in the race. Meanwhile, the Shelby team observed that the second Ford team in the next pit bay was having much faster pit stops. Shelby discovered they were utilizing NASCAR pit crew members.

“The lesson here is simple,” Carrier explains. “Look outside your own team, company, and/or industry for better ways of doing what you’re doing.”

Spoiler alert: In the case of Ford, all their hard work and lessons learned paid off. The GT40 MK II defeated Ferrari at Le Mans in 1966, capturing first, second, and third places. And they won again the following year.

Teslas are among the safest cars on the road, and part of this is due to their suite of active and passive safety features. From Autopilot’s capabilities to standard features like Automatic Emergency Braking, Tesla’s electric cars are designed to avoid accidents, or protect its occupants in the event that a crash is unavoidable.  //

Every year, Swedish insurance company Folksam releases the results of its annual study on the country’s safest cars, a list that was dominated this year by the Toyota Rav4. To determine which vehicles make the cut, Folksam stated that it must be able to analyze actual crash data from an ample number of collisions.

This proved problematic for Tesla’s electric cars, as the company’s vehicles simply did not crash often enough for Folksam to get enough data. This year, for example, the insurance company only recorded seven accidents from Tesla’s vehicles, which is simply too few. //

Elaborating further, the Folksam head of research explained that its safest cars list is published primarily for car buyers looking to purchase used vehicles. When asked by an electric car enthusiast on Twitter why vehicles in its safest cars list require an ample number of real accidents to qualify for the firm’s rankings, Folksam responded that it actually acknowledges Tesla, which it lists as one of its recommended new cars. //

Teslas are among the safest vehicles on the road today. The electric car maker’s Q2 2019 vehicle safety report showed one accident for every 3.27 million miles driven with Autopilot engaged. Vehicles without Autopilot but have Tesla’s active safety features engaged recorded one accident for every 2.19 million miles driven, and cars operating without Autopilot and active safety features enabled recorded one accident every 1.41 million miles. In comparison, the NHTSA recorded one accident for every 498,000 miles driven.

The Model 3, Tesla’s more affordable vehicle yet, has also set records with its safety features. After garnering a perfect 5-star safety rating from the NHTSA, the electric sedan also granted a perfect score by the Euro NCAP in all four of its tests’ categories. //

“Tesla has done a great job of playing the structural benefits of an electric vehicle to its advantage. The Tesla Model 3 achieved one of the highest Safety Assist scores we have seen to date,” he said.

Vehicle rear view Mirror adjustment

Less obvious than it sounds. //

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) published a paper in 1995 suggesting how outside mirrors could be adjusted to eliminate blind spots. The paper advocates adjusting the mirrors so far outward that the viewing angle of the side mirrors just overlaps that of the cabin’s rearview mirror. This can be disorienting for drivers used to seeing the flanks of their own car in the side mirrors. But when correctly positioned, the mirrors negate a car’s blind spots. This obviates the need to glance over your shoulder to safely change lanes as well as the need for an expensive blind-spot warning system.

The only problem is getting used to the SAE-recommended mirror positions. The cabin’s rearview mirror is used to keep an eye on what is coming up from behind, while the outside mirrors reflect the area outside the view of the inside rearview mirror.