October 23, 2023 – Page 3

Yellow Alert for Northeast due to Cyclone? Here’s what we know – EastMojo

Yellow Alert for Northeast due to Cyclone? Here’s what we know EastMojo

You only buy a Cayman because you can’t afford a 911. Do you?

“This is your car, sir,” said the salesman at the car dealership. “Really?” – replied my friend (and soon-to-be owner of a red 2006 Porsche Cayman S) in a surprised tone of voice because the car looked like new, not an 11-year-old with 67,000 on the clock. “But it’s not orange,” he whispered to me. […]

“This is your car, sir,” said the salesman at the car dealership.

“Really?” – replied my friend (and soon-to-be owner of a red 2006 Porsche Cayman S) in a surprised tone of voice because the car looked like new, not an 11-year-old with 67,000 on the clock.

“But it’s not orange,” he whispered to me.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Orange from the sun, that’s what it looked like in the picture.” I replied.

Buying a car “by eye” is not recommended.

But when there are so few options available, and if you want a manual transmission, you probably need to act fast. Nevertheless, red and beautifully prepared at the dealership, my friend’s new car looked spectacular.

Arriving at the Porsche center in Brisbane to inspect his new wheels for the first time was still exciting. For him, yes. For me, not so much. After all, it wasn’t my earnings flying out the window. I was more interested in watching him climb into the thing. With him being almost six foot five and the car barely 1300mm tall, it never occurred to him that he might not fit.

But he did, and with plenty of headroom.

Flat Six Boxer idiosyncrasy.

I almost raised my hand like a schoolboy trying to get the teacher’s attention.

“Flat six-cylinder horizontally opposed boxer,” he said, before continuing, “meaning oil is constantly lubricating all cylinders and valves. Unlike a straight or V6 where the oil is at the bottom of the cylinder. So while it helps reduce wear, oil can seep through the seals if left idling for a while. So don’t be alarmed if you see a trickle of smoke when you turn on the ignition. It happens.”

“But can’t that indicate premature cylinder wear?” I asked, eager to please.

“Yes, it can, but it’s usually noticeable on cars that are rarely used. So you drive it. He likes it. And drive it more.”

My friend and I exchanged a look. A look that said we liked his Arrow.

To chip or not to chip?

He showed us the neat little drawers and storage compartments, how the backlight works, and how to get the most out of the screen built into the dashboard. You’d think that spending sixteen grand on optional extras would include engine chipping or perhaps a shiny exhaust. But this was not the case as the previous, clearly discerning, owner had other ideas.

His focus was on the areas that Cayman buyers complained about most: the appearance of the wheels, the slipperiness of the seats, and the size of the steering wheel, which is obtrusive enough to catch your knee when you press the clutch. He wisely opted for black 19-inch wheels, premium sport seats and a smaller, slimmer, leather-wrapped steering wheel reminiscent of the ’70s, but only in the best way. And the car is immediately better because of them.

But how does it sound?

After we listened to the throaty sound of the new Panamera while waiting for documents to be signed, the rather ordinary-sounding ticking of the “six” was somewhat disappointing. It seemed no more impressive than, say, a Toyota GT 86. But it is worth to drive on a highway and to exceed a mark of 3000, as everything changes. The kickback in every gear, even in sixth, makes you grin from ear to ear. The noise of normal intake continuously increases up to the red line and, as for me, is not inferior to the roar of V8.

And for the driver.

Porsche has placed the digital speedometer in the center of the dials, however, and it’s the only gauge you pay attention to. The analog dial on the left only gives you an approximation of speed, and if that’s the dial you use regularly, it’s a dice game with death.

But what’s it like to drive?

I expected to be a little intimidated, but it turns out that driving this car is much easier than I thought it would be. Despite sitting very low, the front and rear visibility is quite wide, and the mirrors and rear quarter windows negate any blind spots. Getting through traffic is a breeze. I caught myself lingering on the sight of the luxurious curve of the rear fenders behind me and having to focus on the equally luxurious view ahead.

The cacophony emanating from the tires on any pavement is unrestrained, and every bump, crease, pothole or patch is telegraphed directly to your back, so it’s no wonder your butt starts to ache after the first three or four hours of driving.

But this isn’t a Grand Tourer.

This is a real small sports car. Once you leave the monotony of a two-lane road and hit the twisty, compressed roads that run from one side of the Pacific Highway to the interior of the Great Dividing Range, you’re quickly reminded of that. At first, the side bolsters of the new seats, especially around the shoulders, seemed too stiff, but point them down a winding stretch of bitumen and their purpose becomes obvious, especially to the driver.

True individuality comes to the fore. These roads are what this car was made for. It’s been raining, and it’s starting to sprinkle again. But there’s no loss of grip, whether it’s smooth, gravel or mixed surfaces. All four wheels stay in place like the pillars of the Harbor Bridge. The mid-engine layout and low center of gravity give the car balance and confidence. The tail wagging characteristic of 911s of yesteryear is banished along with any sense of dread.

Beware of bumps.

The only dangers a driver should be aware of are humps on small bridges. They will easily catch the underside of the front bumper, especially under hard braking. You need to release your foot in time to free up an inch or two of suspension. This will allow my passenger to unclench his buttocks and relax from thoughts of multi-thousand dollar cosmetic repair bills. If only for a second. Then you’re back on it, right foot placed and rhythmically bouncing off the road, bouncing downshifts and bouncing upshifts as the rev limiter approaches the 7000 mark.

Or at least you think so, because you’re not really looking at the dials. You’re guided by feel and sound and become one with the car. God, I could drive on these roads all year round, stopping only to pee and drain.

This is simply the best car I have driven so far.

It may not be the fastest, but its maneuverability, poise, and ease of use in everyday life allow it to top my list. And that’s for a car that was eleven years old at the time. Of course, the platform can probably handle more power, and I can see why Porsche didn’t cram more into it – otherwise it would outpace the 911, and they can’t let that happen. So is it worth the $52,000 my best friend paid for it?

Absolutely.

So what should he pay attention to?

The biggest problem with early Boxsters and Caymans was failure of the IMS, the intermediate shaft bearing. This could be the result of poor quality parts or insufficient use of the car. Either way, oil can leak out of the bearing, causing corrosion, and this debris gets trapped in the bearing the next time the car is started. Porsche replaced this part in later models, and now the problem is less of an issue. It seems to me that, given that this car is over a decade old, the problem has likely been solved, or it will not be an issue. At least not yet, anyway.

All the spigots and air intakes need to be cleaned regularly to keep leaves and other dirt out. Finally, the remote locking system is notoriously bad, and it costs $500 to replace.

With regular use, the car will sing for you as long as you take care of its maintenance. Just have it serviced every 12,000 miles or once a year and you’ll be laughing.

Finally, if you are on the lookout for a car, avoid copies with very low mileage. Such owners don’t deserve it if they don’t want to drive it, and these are the models that cause the most pain.

It’s a long road for the Chinese, who are set to overtake Tesla in electric car production, from battery gosto to showrooms across Europe.

The Chinese have a lot of promise when it comes to electric cars, they have big ambitions and also fantastic cost advantages as they manufacture the batteries and the companies are helped by the government. Several Chinese brands have big plans for Europe, but the most famous one is called BYD, and it has launched […]

The Chinese have a lot of promise when it comes to electric cars, they have big ambitions and also fantastic cost advantages as they manufacture the batteries and the companies are helped by the government. Several Chinese brands have big plans for Europe, but the most famous one is called BYD, and it has launched a real ’offensive’, hoping to sell hundreds of thousands of cars on the continent every year. Why is BYD different from other Chinese companies?

A nightmare for Tesla? Not really, not really.

In August in Shenzhen, the CEO of car company BYD gave a speech in Shenzhen to celebrate the release of five million electric cars. Wang Chuanfu, the head of the company, explained how BYD went from making batteries to making cars, citing that it took 13 years to produce the first million cars, then the next two million were produced in 18 months, and the next two million in just nine months. Amazing progress, but it can be attributed to a course of exceptional conditions.

BYD sold 431,000 electric cars last quarter, while Tesla sold 4,000 more. For the full year, the two companies could sell about 1.8 million vehicles. The big difference is due to the fact that BYD has much cheaper cars in its lineup overall, with prices between 30,000 and 72,000 euros.

BYD is a huge company, employing over 630,000 people according to its own figures.

BYD was founded in 1995 and made small batteries for cell phones and other home appliances, but has since diversified its business considerably. In the beginning, the small company copied the designs of Sony and Sanyo. The name BYD meant “Build Your Dream,” but Wang joked that it also meant “Bring Your Dollars” – a reference to investors who had to be persuaded to bring money.

In 2010, company executives said that by 2025, they wanted BYD to rank first in the world in the number of cars produced. That was a strong exaggeration, but BYD has not disbanded (or declined) like so many other Chinese companies, but has become one of the world’s top 10 largest car companies, selling 3.6 million vehicles this year.

There are two people who have led BYD to such success: a woman named Stella Li (53), who is called “Mrs. Outside” because she promoted the company a lot to investors and also convinced Warren Buffett that BYD had a future. Stella Li’s husband is Wang Chuanfu, he is 57 years old and is called the “gentleman on the inside”, he is an expert in battery manufacturing and very good at cutting costs.

In the early days of the automobile industry, BYD copied Toyota’s developments, but cut costs so much and so effectively that Toyota bosses came to find out how they could do it. BYD, like many other Chinese companies, also grew because the Chinese authorities provided generous subsidies and government agencies bought large fleets of cars.

Within two to three years BYD has turned its attention to export markets and would like to export 400,000 cars in 2024, and as for electric cars, BYD is doing very well in markets such as New Zealand, Israel, Thailand and Australia, i.e. markets where there is no national manufacturer with a large market share.

Over the summer, the press wrote that BYD wants to find a place to build a factory in Europe and plans to produce its first cars in 2025. Several Chinese car companies have already entered Europe, and BYD has the most optimistic plans.

Countries such as Germany, France and Spain have the best chance of receiving investment. The UK does not stand a chance due to Brexit complications. The plan is to have the first BYD cars produced in Europe by the end of 2025 (or 2026).

A small hatchback called Dolphin was introduced in June, followed by the Seal sedan starting in September. The company had been selling electric buses and trucks in the U.S., but sales suffered because of Sino-U.S. trade tensions.

Batteries gave it a boost.

BYD became a major company, winning a contract with Nokia in 2000 and in 2002. – with Motorola, for whom it became a supplier of cell phone batteries. BYD won these contracts by offering a very low price, and because automation was minimal and production processes were fine-tuned, scrap rates were extremely low.

In 2002, the company went public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and in 2003 it launched its first car, called the F3, which looked very similar to the Toyota Corolla but cost about $8,000, half the price of the Japanese model.

Wang applied to car manufacturing a strategy that had worked well in the battery industry: minimal automation, a large number of employees who performed simple and clean operations and were replaced every few years to avoid raising their salaries.

In 2008, one of Warren Buffett’s men came to BYD to look at the production facilities for a possible investment, and one episode during a factory visit has since become famous, as Wang is said to have poured battery fluid (and tasted a little) into a glass, wanting to impress his visitors and prove that BYD had developed a non-toxic type of battery fluid.

Americans liked what they saw, and three months later Berkshire Hathaway, one of Buffett’s companies, bought a tenth of BYD’s stock for $232 million. With that money BYD could aim high, and in 2009 the company launched its first plug-in hybrid model, and the stock quadrupled in price so that Berkshire Hathaway’s stake was worth a billion dollars. It must be said that participation has declined in recent years.

BYD launched its first all-electric car in 2010 and continued to roll out new models after 2015, especially as Chinese authorities offered subsidies and big tax breaks to manufacturers to put as many electric cars on the roads as possible. BYD has received at least several billion dollars from the government for development.

China has another advantage: many of the minerals used in the creation of batteries for these cars are found in abundance in its territory, and in some cases, 90-95% of the world’s production of some elements comes from China.

The batteries in BYD’s latest electric cars produced in Europe are built using lithium-iron-phosphate technology, which keeps prices down because they contain no cobalt and very few rare metals.

Explosive growth followed after the crisis.

In 2018, the head of Toyota came to the BYD factory, but not to win over the crowd, because BYD originally copied the Japanese brand’s models, but to learn how the small company manages to produce products with such low costs.

In 2019 BYD was going through a crisis, sales were falling, but the company found a way out of the situation by launching the first model with a new type of battery called “Blade”, which was smaller but had more autonomy. In 2020, an all-electric model called Han was launched with a promised autonomy of more than 500 kilometers and a price tag of 30,000 diolars in China.

BYD launched several models with this new type of battery, and sales in 2022 were four times higher than in 2020. As average wages in Chinese factories doubled in 10 years, BYD began automating some processes.BYD has another advantage: many cells are assembled “in-house” rather than purchased from suppliers, giving it an important cost advantage.

BYD also has the big advantage of owning lithium mines in China, so it does not need to buy through middlemen this key element for electric car batteries.

BYD is the “queen” in China, where it owns the seven best-selling electric car models, and the company has 37% of the new electric car market, four times that of Tesla. BYD had no solution for growth other than to try to enter as many international markets as possible. The cheapest BYD electric car model in China costs about $10,000, which is unattainable in Europe, where safety standards are much more serious, plus transportation costs and taxes are added.

Since 2022 BYD has entered the market of several European countries, and compared to what it was ten years ago, the quality of the company’s cars has grown a lot, more technologies have appeared on them, a lot of work has been done on the exterior design, for which BYD has attracted European designers as well.

The most optimistic market analyses show that Chinese brands could take 15% of the European all-electric car market, and BYD could sell not a few thousand electric cars a year, but 500,000.

Whether this will actually be the case remains to be seen, especially since in Europe there are more and more voices about the inadmissibility of “flooding” the automobile market with Chinese electric cars with low prices, especially since “in their own land” they have received a lot of advantages, in particular, in the form of subsidies, tax breaks and orders from state-owned companies.

What models BYD sells in European countries where it has been put into production:

BYD Dolphin, available from summer 2023, two versions:

1. from 30,000 euros, autonomy 255 km./ battery 44.9 kW.Car length: 4.29 m, mass 1,650 kg.

2. from 36,000 euros / autonomy 340 km, top speed 160 km/h, acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h: 7 seconds.Battery capacity 60.5 kWh.Car length: 4.29 m, mass 1,758 kg.

BYD ATtto 3, available from summer 2022, from 45,000 euros.Autonomy 330 km, top speed 160 km/h, acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h: 7.3 seconds.Battery 60.5 kWh.Car length 4.45 m, mass 1,825 kg.

BYD Seal, available from fall 2023, from over 52,000 euros.

Autonomy 485 km, top speed 180 km, acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h: 3.8 s.Battery capacity of 82.5 kWh.The car is 4.80 meters long and weighs 2,285 kg.

BYD Han, available from spring 2023, from 71,000 euros.

Autonomy 475 km, top speed 180 km, acceleration from 0 to 100 km: 3.9 s.Battery 85.4 kWh.Length 4.99 m, mass 2,325 kg.

BYD Tang, available from summer 2022, from over 72,000 euros.

Autonomy 360 km, top speed 180 km, acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h: 4.6 s.Battery 86.4 kWh.Vehicle length 4.87 m.Mass 2,564 kg.

Is this the way to go? Renault turns a diesel truck into an electric truck.

In a world where x1-class electric vehicles are gaining momentum, the quest for environmentally friendly transportation has reached a new frontier. Renault Trucks, a well-known player in the commercial vehicle market, has successfully converted an outdated 12-ton diesel truck into a modern battery-electric commercial vehicle. This pioneering endeavor raises important questions about the feasibility of […]

Renault’s commitment to sustainability.

Renault Trucks’ decision to convert a 12-ton diesel truck into an electric vehicle is a testament to its commitment to eco-mobility. The main objective of this ambitious project is to assess the environmental, technical and economic feasibility of switching commercial vehicles from traditional fossil fuels to cleaner electricity.

This pioneering project is the result of a collaboration between Renault Trucks and Novumtech, a forward-looking start-up specializing in battery development. Financial support for this initiative was provided by the French Agency for the Environment and Energy Management (ADEME).

Transformation.

In the process of transforming the Renault Truck D to accommodate the electric drivetrain, only “absolutely essential components” were changed. In particular, the traditional diesel engine was replaced by an electric motor directly connected to the driveshaft. The old gearbox gave way to a more efficient and environmentally friendly alternative.

The changes did not end there. The fuel tank, symbolizing the internal combustion engine’s thirst for oil, was removed and replaced with a massive 210 kWh lithium-ion battery, providing enough energy to power the converted commercial vehicle. A 22 kW on-board charger was installed to keep the battery charged and ready for use, ensuring the vehicle could be efficiently recharged when needed.

The conversion also eliminated components associated with the internal combustion engine, such as the power steering pump, suspension and brake air compressor, and air conditioning compressor. Electric alternatives were installed in their place: electric suspension and brake compressor, electric power steering pump, electric air conditioning compressor, electric heating.

Path to real-world testing.

After successfully completing the transformation process, the converted electric commercial vehicle is ready for the next stage of development. Renault Trucks’ aim is to register the modified vehicle to ensure that it complies with current operating and safety regulations. Once the necessary approvals have been obtained, the electric vehicle will be subjected to rigorous testing under various operating conditions.

This testing phase is crucial to assess the performance and reliability of the converted vehicle. It will provide valuable insights into its potential as an environmentally friendly and efficient commercial vehicle solution. Renault Trucks intends to gather data on the real-world capabilities of its electric vehicle, from range and charging infrastructure requirements to operational efficiency and environmental impact.

As the global shift to electric vehicles continues, initiatives like Renault Trucks’ conversion project demonstrate innovative approaches that can help bridge the gap between traditional polluting vehicles and a greener future. By converting old diesel trucks into clean electric vehicles, we are not only reducing emissions and fighting climate change, but also demonstrating the practicality and feasibility of such conversions.

A synergistic approach to sustainability.

This project is not only about vehicle conversions, but also about fostering collaboration and innovation. The Renault Truck D conversion took place at the Volvo Group’s CampX facility in Lyon. Renault Trucks sees this as an opportunity to strengthen collaboration between its employees, particularly the technical team in Lyon, and forward-looking start-ups such as Novumtech.

The aim is clear: to accelerate technological and commercial innovation in the commercial vehicle sector. By working together, traditional manufacturers and innovative start-ups can create synergies that foster progress and innovation in sustainable transportation.

Projects such as this one will play an important role in shaping the future of commercial vehicles. The Renault Trucks conversion project is a reminder that with determination, collaboration and a commitment to sustainability, we can find new solutions to combat the challenges of a changing world.

The road ahead.

The successful transformation of a 12-ton diesel truck into an electric commercial vehicle opens up exciting opportunities for the industry. It forces us to rethink the potential of older, polluting vehicles and demonstrates the adaptability of electric powertrains. With further testing and development, these converted electric trucks could become an integral part of the sustainable transportation landscape.

The Renault Trucks initiative is a beacon of hope on the road to cleaner and greener commercial transportation. It reminds us that the road to sustainability is paved with innovative ideas, collaboration and a strong commitment to a greener future. We look forward to seeing the results of real-world testing, but one thing is clear: the future of commercial transportation looks brighter and greener than ever before.