Arcimoto - next level scam - in my opinion

 I watched an interview today with the founder of Arcimoto, on the youtube channel called Hyperchange... and ... it really opened my eyes about toxic echo chambers.

The young guy, Gali, is a good guy. He's very enthusiastic about disruptive companies like Tesla, dives into the financials and makes (mostly) accurate videos about the whole thing. BUT he doesn't really understand the technologies and their implications in the real world.

Recently he has fallen into a trap called (Hippie) Arcimoto. He made an small investment in it and completely bought into the idea of unsafe transport, as I would call it.

Long story short, Arcimoto makes these three-wheel electric motorbikes and the CEO is spreading all kinds of misinformation about it. In the video above he talks about how great it is and at a point he says that it is safer than a Model 3, "because when you drive it, you know you'll have a bad day if you get T-boned, so you drive it carefully" and "the Tesla Model 3 has bad visibility in the rear window, so it's less safe for all vehicles in traffic.". I mean ... WTF did he smoke to claim such BS?!

If anyone knows how to contact him, please tell him I have a rock for sale, which will protect him against tiger, guaranteed.

This is a company that's going to FAIL and will have lots of blood on their hands, IMO ... because these vehicles are heavy enough to kill/cripple a bike/scooter rider, but lose when hit by even a small car.

In conclusion ... it's very dangerous to stop thinking objectively, listening to marketing garbage or people without sufficient knowledge... so ... yeah ... I UNSUBBED this Hyperchange channel, it no longer adds any value for me. 👎

These 5 cheap products will eliminate pollution in residential areas 😎👍

[1.] Cool and heat your home with mini split system AC units, separate one for each room for redundancy and to be able to turn it off, when the room is not occupied.

These usually cost 500USD/room (including installation)

[2.] Cook with induction plates instead of fire.

Single units have around 2000W of power and they create the heat (via induction) directly in the pot/pan's material, very little energy is wasted. Double, triple or quad induction cookers may require thicker wiring, as they can go up to 7000W total.

[3.] Electric water boiler.

These use between 1500 and 2200 Watts of power for a couple minutes. Really practical, they boil the water really fast. The ones with the heating element in the water are slightly more efficient than the ones with a hidden heating element.

[4.] Electric lawn mower, chainsaw and other electric tools.

Many gardening sets come with the same type of battery, so you can keep them charged up then connect them to any of the tools you want to use. They are very silent and non-polluting.

NOTE: please don't use leaf blowers of any kind, because they fill the air with particulates from the ground. In some states they are already illegal.

[5.] Electric vehicles.

Tesla Model 3 SR+ is the best value EV for 38K USD. The 35K USD version can be ordered in showrooms or by phone, but then they remove features and disable some parts.... unlockable later for a fee.

MANY people are skeptical of electricity use instead of combustibles, because in many places electricity is created by burning stuff, BUT we already know for a fact that even if the electricity is generated by burning coal, overall emissions are lower and if nobody burns stuff in cities, then there will be no concentrated pollution on the streets. BUT2 the electrical grid is getting greener every day, as more and more people and companies are installing solar panels and wind farms. If we do our part in purchasing these very cheap electric products, the 100% clean air future can come very soon (barring acts of God and forest fires).

Eli The Computer Guy is wrong, as usual. He doesn't really understand technology. Ford F-150 vs. Cybertruck

Long story short the Ford F-150 has a drag coefficient of 0.59, the RAM has 0.56 ... while the Cybertruck prototype is at 0.39, but Musk said they'll probably reduce it to 0.35 (or even below that) on the production model.

So if Ford manages to get some EV technology that matches Tesla's (highly doubt it), their electric F-150 will be about ~30% less efficient. This inefficiency means they'll have to install a much larger battery pack, add weight and in the end will struggle to come close to Cybertruck's range.

Towing is a slightly different story, as the aerodynamics of trailers is not that great. The Cybertruck will have much better range when not towing, but add to it a huge brick of a trailer and the range will drop close to the F-150s', while towing the same brick.

EliTheComputerGuy would like to buy a plugin hybrid Ford F-150, which is a bad electric vehicle and a bad gas car ... so ... it may have more range with fuel than the electric trucks, but every other spec is far worse. DON'T DO IT!!!

I STRONGLY URGE PEOPLE NOT TO BUY FORD ELECTRIC VEHICLES, except maybe the Mustang Mach-E, which is an OK, sporty electric crossover. They offer 2x less value for the money, so only buy it if you're OK with that fact, otherwise buy a Tesla! (They cost between 35K USD and 100K USD)

The Tesla Model X Long Range Plus can tow a smaller Airstream trailer about 100 miles on one charge at highway speeds, so what the 70K USD Cybertruck will do is probably 200-250 miles with the same trailer. This is not bad at all, because Tesla's superchargers are only 150 miles (max) apart (in the US) and the Cybertruck's large battery pack (180-200kWh) will charge really fast, 80% in just 40 minutes while your have some food and stretch your legs.

Linus Sebastian continues to be ignorant on Twitter - as editor and CEO of Linus Media Group

 Linus Sebastian allegedly cares about technology and accurately informing his viewers... then he goes ahead and tweets something like this:

So according to Linus, Elon is very stupid and so are the top engineers he hired to create their own audio system, infotainment system and OS for the cars.

He compares the his in-laws' Tesla Model Y to his Chevy Volt... this comparison is so stupid, I don't know where to start. Let me just say that Tesla made its own infotainment system, while GM bought whatever crap the suppliers gave them... and happened to come with better/expensive Bluetooth audio license. This kind of car design however is not sustainable, as GM never made a profit on the Volt. They kept losing money until they finally shut the program down. Outsourcing everything doesn't work... and that's what Linus seems to want here, an expensive licensing fee payed to Apple/Google (for Apple Carplay or Android Auto) or to whoever holds the license for high quality Bluetooth audio.

Long story short, I'm sure Tesla is working on it, and at some point they will upgrade the Bluetooth audio experience, but that is absolutely not a priority.

Linus Sebastian is wrong - a continuation of the F Linus promotional campaign

The greeting "F Linus" comes from a relatively recent event, when Linuses MCN wrongfully hit a lot of tech Youtube channels with copyright strikes. These channels had the same benchmark software in their videos as LMG, that was their crime. After a proper backlash from the youtuber's fans, Linus called the whole thing "drama", even though his actions were 100% wrong and could have terminated channels, taking away the creator's livelihoods. Later he tweeted that "the problem was resolved" but DID NOT apologize, nor did he acknowledge it was his fault.

This video is episode two, aka. another major public F-up from the guy who supposed to research stories, before he runs his mouth in public, misinforming millions of viewers. Originally it was in an episode of the WAN show, later got clipped to LMG clips. This time it's about his experience buying a Tesla for his in-laws.

Linus says:

1. On delivery they (Tesla employees) have this expectation that there will be something wrong with the car

A: Yes, you ignorant fool. Tesla cars made in California have to be rushed, in order to get the customer's money as quickly as possible. Any delay would cost the customer 5-15 thousand dollars more.

In the traditional car dealership model the cars have time to sit on the lot, and you pay extra for that time. It's not common practice to inspect or fix cars on dealerships lots, maybe if they are bored they do something.

2. Fix the problems before the customer takes ownership of the car

A: If you did your job, mr. CEO, editor and journalist of Linus MEDIA Group, you would have found out that Tesla delivery centers are not dealerships nor service centers. They DELIVER ~200 cars per day, so there's absolutely no time to fix more than 10-20 of them every day, especially if it's the end of a quarter. It's absolutely the best solution to not charge you an extra 15K USD to receive a ~perfect car.

3. Anti-consumer practice

A: That I may agree with to some degree... but then again, no manufacturer tests all their computers or phones before sending them out to stores and customers. A significant percentage of all consumer products arrive DOA and/or break in the first year of use. I believe it's around 20%, and that situation is far worse than the superficial issues found in Teslas (only the ones made in California).

4. Tesla's culture is to overengineer some weird solution, rather than just take the normal path

A: That is just dumb. If you knew what you're talking about, you'd know that "the normal path" here would mean extra cost to you and basically Tesla wouldn't exist, due to the astronomical cost of delays.

Luke:

1. Linus attacked by Tesla fanboys

A: Luke is no longer a journalist nor editor, so I give him a pass. He's just not a very knowledgeable person in general. He works at Float Plane and that's where his head is, you can't blame him for doing mostly his job. 

If you're still reading, be assured that this story is only about California. Teslas made in China are already the best quality cars the country, with the least customer complaints. The Texas and Berlin factories will also have excellent build quality ... hopefully they'll shut down and sell the California factory, which is way too expensive to run and a logistics nightmare.

I am so smart

 So very very smart. Big brain guaranteed. 👍

Understanding Tesla's new vehicle line-up (may change)

A lot has happened at Tesla in the past few weeks, but customers are probably more interested in the products, which are available in the US right now, the most exciting of which are the 38K USD Model 3 SR+ and upcoming Model Y Long Range RWD for only 45K USD.

Model 3:

• Standard Range RWD 220 mile 35K USD
• Standard Range Plus RWD 250 mile 38K USD
• Long Range AWD 322 mile 47K USD
• Performance AWD 299 mile 55k USD

Model Y:

• Long Range AWD 316 mile 50K USD
• Performance AWD 291 mile 60K USD

Model S:

• Long Range Plus AWD 402 mile 75K USD
• Performance AWD 348 mile 95K USD

Model X:

• Long Range Plus AWD 351 mile 80K USD
• Performance AWD 305 mile 100K USD

So these are the electric cars available right now, all capable of DC quick charging at up to 250kW at Tesla Superchargers and public charging stations (like Electrify America).

UPCOMING PRODUCTS:

[1.] As I said in the beginning of the article, Model Y Long Range RWD is coming in a few months for around 45K USD with a range of "much greater than 300 miles", as it will keep the most efficient rear motor and won't accelerate as brutally as the higher end Model Y configurations. We should expect around 5 seconds 0-60mph.

[2.] The second product coming this year is the Tesla Semi truck, which has been in development since the end of 2017, when the two prototypes were unveiled. They will most likely start production by the end of the year, but according to the CEO's tweets, they already made at least 10-20 preproduction units.

Even though the Tesla Semi was meant for transporting cargo, the price starts at 150K USD for the 300+ mile range configuration, which makes it almost affordable for towing your camper. Do realize that with its ~500kWh battery pack it can power an average travel trailer for days, maybe even weeks with the AC on and proper refrigerator, water heater...etc... The range should also be around 500 miles with a very light trailer.

[3.] Although it wasn't officially confirmed after the human mallware thing delayed things, it's an open secret that a major refresh is coming to the Tesla Model S, which will include a bigger battery, a wider body and a three-motor "Plaid" configuration, capable of much better acceleration and efficiency at high speeds.

The test mules were filmed and photographed testing at Germany's Nurburgring, achieving an unofficial record 20 seconds better than the Porsche Taycan Turbo S. They were scheduled to enter production "this summer", but then the virus came, everything got delayed and we haven't heard anything about it since. In theory, we'll see the new Model S before or at the September 22. shareholder meeting/battery day.... that makes the most sense.

[4.] The Cybertruck is coming in 2021. It's unclear where they'll make it and what the target production volume is, but the Cybertruck is the most simple to build Tesla to date. The only thing holding it back is battery supply, as even the cheapest Cybertruck will need at least a 130kWh battery pack to achieve the promised 250 mile range... and they are not starting with the base model, but with the two-motor and three-motor variants, promising 300+ and 500+ mile range .... so ... yeah...

Cybertruck 2021:

• Standard Range AWD 300 mile 50K USD
• Long Range AWD tri-motor 500 mile 70K USD
• 2022: Standard Range RWD 250 miles 40K USD

Repairing a dead cellphone battery? It is possible, but...

I still have my first smartphone from 2011, called ZTE Racer II,  which has Android 1.6, 256MB RAM, 500MHz single core processor ...etc... BUT it still works, or at least it would still work if the battery could store some power.

The battery has swollen a few years ago, but it still worked until last year, when it suddenly refused to recognize the battery, showing the message "Unknown battery status" and shutting down every time I connect the charging cable.

I had the solution in my head for a long time, but finally decided to try it, after  the phone stopped working. So here's the basic concept:

• almost every rechargeable battery in every device consists of one (or more) battery cell and a circuit board, with some electronics, maybe a sensor or two.
• if a battery cell goes bad, it can be replaced and the device will continue to function as if nothing happened.

In this video I complete the procedure with a completely different type of battery cell, harvested from a power bank:

The result was as expected, the battery is recognized, BUT because the cell is not identical, it has slightly different min/max/charging voltages, the phone doesn't display the charge state accurately.

NOTE: in this case, you have to remove the battery shell from the phone, connect the new battery cell, then put it back in. Other devices may behave differently, they won't care in which order you do it or will require some sort of factory reset procedure, or whatever.

So the end result is that my phone works, BUT cannot charge and is no longer portable, as the battery doesn't fit into the phone. If I wanted it to charge, I'd have to find a battery cell with identical voltages, capacity doesn't really matter.

If you want the phone to be portable, just like new, then you have to find a battery cell that fits inside and has the proper nominal and charging voltages. With older phones this shouldn't be a problem, because an identical or slightly smaller cell (manufactured with recent technologies) will have a bigger capacity.

IMPORTANT: if you don't care about portability and charging, then you can buy any external power bank, even the cheapest ones have at least a ~2200mAh battery inside. You open it up, solder two wires to the battery cell (not to the 5V output!!!)... and solder the wires to the cellphone's battery pack electronics. You'll be able to "charge the phone" by charging the power bank.

Louis Rossmann and Right to Repair - TLDR

Proposed right to repair legislation tends to be too complicated to understand, but this is it's main goal: let replacement parts and schematics legally enter the free market.

Louis Rossmann repairs Apple products in New York. His business has 10+ technicians, who replace monitors, keyboards and other components in Apple laptops, BUT Louis, Paul and a few others also repair laptop mainboards by replacing liquid - or otherwise - damaged components on them.

Today, in order to repair mainboards, they have to take components off of donor mainboards, which are recovered from recycling bins near Apple factories in China. They have no access to new components from Apple, nor from Apple suppliers. Not even Apple authorized repair shops are allowed to repair mainboards for one single reason: they want you to buy a new product instead.

These components, needed for repairing mainboards, hold no trade secrets nor IP (Intellectual Property). If Apple would allow suppliers to sell these SMDs (Surface Mount Devices) to repair shops, then most defective mainboards could be restored to their original condition for just tens of dollars, without compromising encrypted data on them, which could cause legal problems for Apple or for the owners. This wouldn't require Apple to spend money on anything extra, just give written permission for suppliers to sell the parts on the free market.

Proposed right to repair legislation tends to be too complicated to understand, but this is it's main goal: let replacement parts and schematics legally enter the free market.