whatever grabs my attention
Last year I bought the number one selling plugin-hybrid vehicle sold in America, and I even got a $7,500 tax rebate for the purchase. And before you try and guess, I’ll say that nope it wasn’t a Prius, it was a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4xe. It’s ridiculous that a 5,000lb tank with the aerodynamics of …
Continue reading “What it’s like to drive a plugin-hybrid for the past 6 months”
Today I was driving past an auto body shop that specializes in collision damage and I couldn’t help but notice the three Amazon trucks parked out front. It reminds me of the time my uncle got a job at UPS, driving a truck and doing deliveries about 20 years ago. He hated it at first, …
I just returned from a 48hr jaunt to the San Francisco Bay Area, starting up near the Portland, Oregon area. I drove down in one day, and back the next day, on a route I’ve taken probably 50+ times over the last 20 years since I moved from there to here. In a gas car, …
Continue reading “Lessons from my first 1,300 mile road trip in an EV”
I am a fan of Apple’s CarPlay. I think it can make driving safer while keeping you informed of new calls and texts, and entertained with podcasts and music, all without having to take your eyes off the road or ever feel the need to pick up your phone while driving. It’s pretty good software, …
This week I took a quick solo road trip to Moab, Utah to explore some trails and see the southwest under a light dusting of snow (it’s hot as heck in Moab 6-9 months per year). I know every guidebook says to only go there March-October, but I’d been watching the weather for weeks and …
In February of 2020, I plunked down a deposit on the Rivian R1S, a 3-row full electric SUV soon after the Rivian truck was announced and truck prototypes were shown at various events. I’ve owned nearly a dozen different trucks over my life but as I’ve gotten older I’ve come to appreciate off-road capable SUVs …
Continue reading “First thoughts from a Rivian R1S test drive”
A couple years ago, I started seeing ads for “cell phone booster” antennas for cars and trucks around the off-roading/4×4 world as a way to stay connected while out in the middle of nowhere, but I was deeply skeptical. How much better could your phone signal be after paying a few hundred bucks for a …
Continue reading “Surprisingly good tech: The weBoost Drive Reach cell signal booster”
I just uploaded the newest episode of Stepside, which is our last show of this year plus it’s also our holiday spectacular, aka we didn’t have an agenda or plans and about 3/4ths of the hour is Joel sweating through his next truck purchase, which he’s already been sweating over for a year. I think …
I drove on freeways for 8 hours today and often I was driving next to the same three cars for an hour. So then I had an idea. 1. Everyone gets a Raspberry Pi that runs off a 12v cigarette lighter in their car 2. Every car-based Pi connects to a car’s stereo via Bluetooth …
The new Prius mules are looking a heck of a lot like the Lexus small-SUV hybrid rx330/350/400h series.
A Whole Lotta Nothing 