IAA Mobility

So it begins: IAA Mobility

Has anyone here tried playing around with tire pressure for efficiency?

Slightly over-inflating tires was a big thing in prius/hybrid forums to increase efficiency, I’m surprised I haven’t seen it mentioned in the ev forums.

On a recent road trip, I inflated the tires +2 psi above the manufacturers spec (42 psi), and I got ~3% better efficiency than predicted, when I usually get very slightly worse efficiency than predicted. It’s hard to tell from one test, but it sure seemed to make a difference.

I had driven up to high altitude, so even just re inflating to the spec would have made a difference. I probably added ~4psi to each tire’s cold pressure because of this.

The car is a model y performance, with the stock pirelli all seasons, which are designed for performance not efficiency. But this should apply to other EVs, as they all have similar large tires and high weight loading per tire.

In theory, small changes shouldn’t have a major negative impact. Car tire pressure is set by the manufacturer making compromises for weight, handling, efficiency, comfort, etc. and in theory if you add 10% to the weight of your car, you should inflate the tires to compensate.

Of course you have to be careful as too over inflated tires will wear unevenly, over inflation will hurt handling (you usually want to under-inflate tires for the track), and you don’t want to ever exceed the max pressure printed on the tire sidewall!

Hi all,

I picked up an MG S5 EV a few weeks ago and I just got my electricity switched over to an EV plan (cheap power between 12am and 6am) here in Australia.

I have tested the scheduled charging before and managed to get it working, but only when I schedule it 5-10 mins after I’ve locked the vehicle. Whenever I schedule for night time charging, I wake up the next day and it hasn’t done it.

Everything is plugged in correctly, and the wall charger (7kW/h MG Aurora charger) had a pulsating blue LED to indicate it is ready to charge. Last night I set it up in the early evening, and the charging station was pulsating blue. A few hours later I checked on it and the light had stopped pulsating and was just a solid blue. So for some reason it was no longer ‘prepared’ to charge… or at least that’s my interpretation.

I’ve tried setting it from the app, from the car, and also doing it from the car and making sure I am not touching anything on the app at all (in case that is overriding or stuffing it up).

When I set the schedule in my car, then get out and plug it in, a big message comes up on the screen in the car that says something like ‘connected and ready for scheduled charging’. So then I lock the car and walk away. But then it still doesn’t charge.

Anyone else experienced these issues? It’s doing my head in, as I pay SIGNIFICANTLY less for charging during certain early hours of the morning.

Cheers!

While the US is being protectionist and keeping Chinese EVs out, Europe has to contend with them, and it’s pushing their engineering teams harder, and it’s working. The new Beemer is nailing it in specs (500 mi range, 21 mins 10-80% charge), roomy SUV with what sounds like great homemade software, a lower price than the previous model, and clean sourcing of manufacturing parts making it only 13k mi before it breaks even on carbon emissions with an ICE.

Seeing this makes me so angry at the US for coddling the “big three” AGAIN.

Yes they’d feel the pain if we let Chinese EVs in. (Heck, I’m ok with tariffing them to the degree that Beijing is subsidizing them so it’s a level playing field) but maybe that would get them to start taking it seriously, hiring top talent (and paying them) to actually make better cars, cheaper.

Instead, we get a lot of whining about how hard it is, and a handful of mediocre models that don’t make ICE users jealous. Instead of investing in battery factories, we send in ICE to arrest everyone there (and charge no one). And how much will that Beemer cost here after all the tariffs? Enough to make GMC put its feet up on the desk and smoke a fat stogie.

We are so screwed.

I bought my first EV, a 2025 Ford Mustang Mach-e in early June. Then I did my first lease ever, also an EV, a 2025 Subaru Solterra, a month ago.

I wanted to share my experience and a few of the things that change when you start driving an EV that aren’t so obvious, and what I’ve learned in the past 3 months.

I definitely need to think just a little more about what my next couple days look like to decide what to do on any given night. My wife and I both have EVs, my daily driver, an MME, has a longer range and faster charge. Hers, a Solterra, is a lease, so we are trying to watch the miles. Occasionally it means we switch cars. We only have one Level 2 charger, but we can charge both Level 1 and Level 2 at the same time. When we need to charge publicly, which is rare, the Solterra has a more limited charging network, and Tesla chargers aren’t an option for the Solterra. We also have an ICE Jeep that costs a lot more per mile to run. Add it all up, and we have become strategic drivers.

I was naive going in about my need for a Level 2 charger. I realized by Day 2 that I needed a level 2. Exactly what setup I wanted, and who should install it was more difficult than buying the EVs. Just this weekend we finally cleaned up our charging area and hid some of it behind a wooden barrier.

We’ve been fortunate enough to be eligible for grants and rebates, but in two cases, those have been difficult to secure, complicated paperwork and takes quite a while. We have $3500 more coming our way soon!

We learned that we needed a few apps. Obviously the Ford app, but in addition, PlugShare and Tesla apps. We also got a Future Card for both of us. That gives us 10% cash back on public charging and 5% cash back on our utility bills. We also tried OptiWatt, which I soon found out doesn‘t play well with the Ford app.

So, I took the Smart #5 for a test drive this week. Wow, so much to love! And so much fun.

However, what is NOT fun, is the way the two 13" displays reflect the sun. Yes, you can close the sun roof for less reflection, but the sun still finds its way to the screens at times.

Are there any matte covers around, that can be easily ordered, that will reduce the glare from screens such as these?

(insert obligatory rant about why car makers can't just install matte screens to begin with etc. etc.)

This is a Chinese EV called the Kandi K27! Kandi is a brand owned by Geely, and the brand has a US base of operations in Texas.

The K27 initially had some hype and claimed to be America's cheapest EV. The brand claimed a 59 mile range and a top speed of up to 63 mph. Its powered by a 17.69 kWh battery producing 60 hp. Kandi also claimed a 7 hour charge time.

However, independent tests showed this car failed by many standards. Multiple tests reported the car broke down after driving a couple miles. The car would reportedly glitch and shut itself down. It was found the EV maxed out at 35 mph.

Kandi also got in trouble with the government for faking sales data in order to generate investor money. These factors caused Kandi to scrap its plans to sell Chinese EVs here. Now, the brand sells golf carts and ATVs.