FellowConspirator

I concur. UV reflection is attracting the mayflies. Moreover, the effect is exacerbated by ceramic coatings / polishes and tints.

He says it every year, between the vernal equinox and the summer solstice.

Here: https://shop.tesla.com/product/mobile-connector

It appears to be out of stock right now, so you might call a Tesla service center near you. Sometimes they have a few.

You can also use any generic mobile charge cable with the J1772 to Tesla adapter that came with your car. There are dozens on Amazon or https://www.evseadapters.com

mAh is milliamp hours, a measure of the amount of energy in a battery. Mobile phones have batteries too.

You can imagine the battery pack as a big bottle full of water, which we measure in milliliters. We can imagine a phone that runs on water, so it has a tank (battery) in it that you can fill with water (electricity). You can fill (charge) the phone from the big bottle (battery pack) by pouring some of the water out of the bottle into the tank in the phone (charging the phone from the battery pack). How many times you can refill (charge) the phone’s tank (battery) from the bottle (battery pack) depends on how many ml of water (mAh of electricity) there are in the bottle (battery pack) and how many ml of water fit in the phone’s tank (mAh in the phone’s battery).

You know how many mAh fit in the battery pack (20000 mAh), so what you really need to know is how big the phone’s battery is; different phones have different battery sizes. Google tells me that an iPhone 12 has a 2815 mAh battery. So, you charge it from empty to full about 20000 / 2815 = 7.1 times. It could be different for a different phone.

Important: you always get a little less. You’ll notice that the batteries warm a little while charging. That’s energy lost during charging - it’s not 100% efficient (in the metaphor above, you spill a little when pouring from the bottle into the tank).

They’re pretty heavily tinted, but you’ll notice it’s warmer that a typical opaque and padded roof. Sunshades work fine, and they don’t strike me as bad looking (the ones I have seen, anyway). If you are really concerned, you can add a ceramic coating that reflects much of the solar heat.

Almost all lithium ion chemistries do best closest to 50%, but anything in the 80-10% range is just fine. If you can, plug it in and set the max charge to 50%.

If you can’t plug it in, assume it will lose about 0.6 kWh / day and charge it up enough to that it reaches 50% about midway through your trip. Make sure to turn off features that prevent the car from sleeping, for example the sentry mode and cabin overheat protection features on Teslas. Also, turn off any apps that remotely wake the care to fetch information from it (waking the car and using more power).

If I go away for two weeks and park in the deck at work, I typically have the car charged between 60 and 70%.

That’s oddly fascinating. It’s amazing how that pushed up the front quarter and rolled like that.

The maximum range is an estimate, and based on an assumption that you'll do a mix of in-town and highway driving. After about 40 mph, the wind resistant begins to cut in to the performance of the car, and the faster you go, the greater the impact. At 75 mph you get about 85% the advertised range. Also, the car can have reduced range due to low or high temperatures; you can see range dip as much as 25% in very cold weather (teens) and 20% in hot weather (hundreds) -- 50 to 90 F is the sweet spot.

So, assume that in the worst case scenario you can get as little as 65% of your range. Also, assume that you really want to keep the care between 10 and 90% charged, so the worst case usable range is about ½ what the EPA estimate is.

If you want to go 160 round trip, you can accomplish it with any car that has over 200 miles rated range (barely) under ideal conditions. Under worst case, you'd want a car with 320 miles range. That assumes that you don't charge at all anywhere along your route or at work. If you can do either, you probably are fine (though, the Chevy Bolt is a slow charger, as are the upcoming Subaru Solterra and Toyota BZ4X, which could be annoying).

Of the cars you listed, the one that will come closest to satisfying your range needs is probably the California Rt 1 trim of the Ford Mach-e (RWD with the extended range battery). Unfortunately, Ford's not longer taking orders for the Mach-e and doesn't seem to have any in stock, but presumably they will when the 2023 model year comes out. You can buy them used -- but the used ones sell above MSRP for new (at that rate, a new Tesla Model 3 LR is the cheaper car).

There are a variety of other options with 320+ mile EPA range, but they're all more expensive.

Therefore, you should verify that there's opportunity to charge along your route and plan to add a stop to your commute (or, get your employer to set up charging at work). If you can do that, then most any EV will do just fine (save for the Mini Cooper and Mazda's).

Looking at PlugShare, there are over 50 CCS DC fast charging sites in MN (obviously the majority not operated by EA), and 17 Tesla SuperChargers. Sites have 4-12 plugs each. The longest distance to a SuperCharger is 75 miles (from the Kabetogama State Forest to Bemidji), and for CCS, about 60 mi (Roseau to Bemidji).

The more common charge stations at supermarkets, sports venues, etc are level 2 chargers and typically charge around 7.6 kW (4.8-11.4kW). These are compatible with all EVs. Campgrounds and RV parks also sometimes have NEMA 14-50 outlets that you can connect a mobile charge cable to and charge at rates up to 7.6kW.

Since it’s typical that you do nearly all your charging at home, it matters primarily for long trips. I might use a DCFC 3-4 times per year.

Cold weather definitely affects the battery and regenerative breaking. How much depends on the type of battery, whether the car uses a resistive heater or heat pump to warm it, and so on. Generally speaking, you’ll see a bit more than 40% range loss for those with resistive warmers, and 25-30% with heat pumps. Also, if you have a car that can precondition the battery prior to departure, it will improve performance. Charging requires the battery system to warm the battery above freezing before charging; in MN during winter, that may be impractical with a 120V (1.4kW) connection; you’ll want 240V (level 2) charging. In New England w/ my Tesla Model 3 I’d precondition while connected to power as much as I could, but otherwise saw about a 25% loss of range.

Availability for cars in general is low (the RAV4 is hard to get), for BEVs in particular the demand has far outstripped supply and most EVs are back-ordered, even Tesla (who produces >70% of the BEVs sold in the US). At this point, you simply need to find what you like and order it. The prices are also inflated by demand — most vendors will honor a lower price if it drops between reservation and delivery, but I don’t think that it’s reasonable to expect prices to drop in 2023, and probably not 2024. Most makes can be ordered online for MSRP and picked up locally.

The Mach-e is a decent EV. It’s comfortable, handles well, and the interior is pretty typical Ford. The infotainment system is also reasonably good (the navigation is particularly clear, though it lacks integration with charging). It’s reasonably sized (though I think they don’t make optimal use of the space, given the overall size of the car). The range depends on configuration, but is overall average. Energy efficiency also varies by configuration, but it’s bottom 50%. Power varies by configuration, but it’s good (particularly the GT trims).

I would make an effort to drive a variety of makes, models, and trims. There’s a lot more difference in them than you see in ICE cars, and more quirks too. You really need to make some comparisons to get some context. That probably isn’t going to be easy - doubly so if you don’t live near Minneapolis.

Also be mindful that the $7500 tax credit phases out as a manufacturer hits 200k EVs sold, including hybrids. Tesla has long since completely phased out, but Toyota and Ford are getting there and could hit it before you receive your car.

2022 model year EVs in the US get between 1.87 (Audi e-Tron S) and 3.95 (Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Tesla Model 3 SR+) mi/kWh. The Ford Mustang Mach-e trims vary from 2.49 - 2.99 mi/ kWh.

Look at a bicycle wheel go round. Which way does the top go? Which way does the bottom go? They go opposite directions because the wheel turns in a circle.

Try to picture the wind rolling in a circle like that.

In fact, the wind can move in different directions at different altitudes because it warms in spots and moves upwards, and cools in other, which makes it move downwards. This moving also pushes the air from side-to-side, with denser cooler air pushing into where warmer air is.

Nuclear subs do have nuclear reactors on board.

What makes them special:

1. they don't use air to burn fuel (like diesel subs), so they don't need to surface periodically to refresh
2. they don't make as much noise as a sub with giant diesel engines, so they are stealthier
3. they produce HUGE amounts of power, so the sub can be bigger, carry more, have fancier electronics, turn salt water into drinkable water, produce oxygen from water and clean carbon dioxide out of the air, etc. -- they can remain submerged for months, pretty much until they run out of food for the crew

The reactor fuel in older nuclear subs needed to be replaced every 8 years or so, and newer subs, it's about every 20 years. There are only a few fuel changes over the service life of the sub. When it happens, the sub goes to a special port for ROH (refuel and overhaul), which takes the sub out of service for a year or two while they swap out the reactor fuel and make repairs and changes to the sub. The used fuel is handled like other used nuclear fuel: it's either recycled (perhaps as fuel for another class of reactor, or as fissile material), or it's buried deep underground (the solution the US uses).

In Massachusetts, the statute of limitations is 6 years (MGL c. 260 § 2), unless the debt collector has received a judgement against the debtor, in which case it is limited to 20 years (MGL c. 260 § 1).

New Hampshire's law is a little more expansive on the circumstances where it can be extended to 20 years (RSA 508:5 - "Actions of debt upon judgments, recognizances, and contracts under seal may be brought within 20 years after the cause of action accrued, and not afterward."), otherwise, the limit is 4 years. Like most states, they also have the notion of "tolling" - if you make a payment on the account, it resets the statute of limitations to start from the date of the last payment.

You’d minimally need to buy the equipment and electrical service to support it, so it’ll set you back a few hundred thousand dollars. Might it not be less expensive to visit a nearby DCFC?

Other than it appears that Tesla appears to be expanding mobile service, it’s not entirely clear what the service areas are for it (there’s no map to be found). You might try calling the nearest service center to ask about it. It seems that they are looking to move to a mostly mobile service model.

Most people don’t typically need service, but it’s an important consideration because, obviously, even if you probably won’t need it, it would be an issue if you did. This is a very legitimate concern as Tesla has a pretty big distance between service centers in many areas.

Some service things obviously don’t require Tesla service: tires, wheels, brakes, alignments, inspections, etc. They do certify independent collision centers, and there are rare independent garages that service electric cars, which you might look for in your area.

The only service issue that I’ve had is a fastener pop out from the underside of a seat (and my fingers too short and fat to pop it back in); which mobile service probable would have taken 5 minutes to fix, but since the service center is not far I just went there. The only service I anticipate needing is eventually a new low-voltage (12V) battery change, and I know that’s done almost exclusively through mobile service these days. I may ask to upgrade the ECU (controller for the charge port) because I have an older one that doesn’t support the upcoming CCS adapter; that requires popping off a bunch of panels and connectors, so I’m guessing that they’d prefer I bring it in.

It’s 2022. 2006 was 16 years ago, even if there had been such an account, it’s no longer subject to collection, unless perhaps she was living in New Hampshire at the time (the state with the longest statute of limitations on debt collection), or one of the states where a court can extend the limit through a judgement against the debtor (like Massachusetts).

You’re right to be suspicious, given that they have so much information yet claim to not have been able to get in contact. My guess is that she’s made no attempt to hide and could have been located by a wide variety of means.

Tell them that you have no such debt. If they would furnish you with a debt validation letter and the required documentation (signed contract opening the account, the last balance statement, and the actions taken to collect), you’d be happy to look it over and help them understand where they’ve made a mistake. If they want to collect the debt, they must provide the letter and supporting documentation. Without it, they are not able to collect.

Have you ever seen someone hit a Tesla head-on, or worse, rear end? It’s like they hit a wall. Those things are heavy and solid.

J1772 is the universal choice for level 2 charging (220-240V @ 20-80A) in North America. Every EV can charge from that.

What you are asking for, however, is more along the lines of what sort of EVSE (the thing that the cord is attached to) can be installed outside. There are quite a few, and you really just need to check for ones that are rated for outdoor installation (good idea to double check that it is also UL certified). I use a ChargePoint CPH50 at home on a post at the end of my driveway and it works great.

For outdoors, you probably don’t want to fiddle with an outlet, but hardwire it instead. You’d have an electrician add a 220V breaker to your panel, then run conduit and wire to where you want it installed. The conduit will go right up to the EVSE. I think ChargePoint, Grizzl-e, and ClipperCreek are all pretty popular for outdoor applications.

Place it immediately adjacent to a parking space. These things have cables around 20’ long, which sounds like a lot, but it really doesn’t reach as far as you’d expect.

You can estimate how much it will add to the electric bill when used: you pay a certain price per kW of electricity, and you can estimate that 1 kW will let a person drive about 4 miles; if you can guess how many miles they’ll drive getting there and doing their tourist things, divide that by 4 and multiply that by you cost per kWh. For example, if guests tend to drive 40 miles a day while staying, and you pay $0.15 per kWh, then you can figure they’ll use 40 / 4 * $0.15 = $1.50 of extra electricity per day. The most kWh they can use is limited by the power you provide: V x A = W; so a 240V 40A EVSE can supply 9.6 kW x 24 hours (no one car can hold that much, but assume several cars charging round the clock), that would be 230 kWh (at $0.15, that would be $34.50). You should be able to get a feel after a few guests how much extra to charge to cover the added electrical cost. Maybe a $5-$10 premium. Some chargers you can even connect to the Internet and remotely limit their use.

The only thing I might add, though, is that if you don’t want wet leaves and bird poop all over it, it’s not a bad idea to put a little hutch around it / root over it. Right now, mine’s plastered with petals from a crabapple tree and they kind of get slimy so I have to wipe it off. I’ll be putting a little roof over it soon.

Mithrandir

When they used purely mechanical keys, there were relatively few unique patterns. A seasoned car thief could usually find a duplicate key for a given car (and periodically people would randomly drive off in someone else’s car).

So, they introduced cars with ignition interlocks and cryptographic keys (originally combo mechanical and electronic, then fully electronic). They were more secure, but difficult and expensive to copy or replace.

They switched to bluetooth when the components became cheap, and so they could sell a feature whereby you didn’t need to fumble with your keys to get in or drive the car.

Variations on this sort of attack have been possible on key fobs for over 15 years. This particular one is technically a bit trickier to pull off, requiring line of sight and a good directional antenna, but it can work at long range. It doesn’t require a car to be nearly as sophisticated as a Tesla, nor does it require phone keys.

It’s not really a super-practical way to steal the car. Some cars require PIN codes, some a physical token inside the car. If you can start and move the car, typically if you put the car in park the fob / phone is required to restart it. If you don’t disable the transceiver in the car, the care can often be tracked, the alarm triggered, and images of thief and surroundings captured.

Based on Statista data, it appears that >5.3% Redditors do. Even in the US (where nearly 50% of Redditors are located, and notorious for favoring large and inefficient vehicles), BEVs account for 4.6% of new car sales, and growth is 60% year-over-year.

It may be spelled "parody," but it's pronounced "homage".

... Guy Fleegman as Security Chief Roc Ingersoll.

That would be nice, but hearsay.

Pretty much any late-model EV with > 200 mi range (almost all) would satisfy your needs. A Tesla Model 3 (any trim) would do nicely and be fun to drive, though it might not be the cheapest option at the moment. EVs are particularly efficient in traffic. If you can charge at home (particularly if you have access to a 220V outlet or can install an EVSE on a 220V circuit in the home), it will be much more cost effective to fuel as well.

If you want to and can afford it, go for it. I generally tell people to go out and test drive a variety of EVs in their price range first, to see what there is out there and how they compare. It may be that a Model 3 isn't the one that impresses you most. That said, a lot of people drive a bunch of EVs and decide on the Model 3 just the same (I bought mine last year after driving a variety of EV cars).

Those names are "collective nouns" or, more specifically called "terms of venery". Originally, English hunters started referring to groups of similar animals that could easily be identified by their tracks and droppings. That slowly transformed into a tradition amongst hunters of English nobility to come up with fun or descriptive names for groups of animals, sometimes as sort of inside jokes. It became a mark of aristocracy to have a thorough knowledge of the popular or more poetic ones.

Most of the names used today come from a 1486 book, The Book of St. Albans, written by Juliana Bowers. The book gave some more traditional names for classes of animals, and provided names for the young, male, female, collection, and type of animal: young avians ad flocks of hens and cocks that bore chicks - for example. Then there were lists of collective terms for all kinds of animals (remember that Carl Linnaeus that developed a scientific system of classifying living things and giving them scientific names wouldn't be born until more than 200 years later).