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Episode #9 – A look back at 2016 and ahead to 2017

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Episode #9 - A look back at 2016 and ahead to 2017
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  ‘Twas the night before CES, and in Dan and Sam’s houses, we jumped onto Skype with clicks of our mouses…to talk about what happened during 2016 and make predictions about what 2017 has in store. Of course we talked about Tesla, Faraday Future, autonomous technology, emissions and fuel economy standards, and more. We finished up with a bunch of great questions, too. Check it out! Add the RSS Feed to your favorite podcatcher – https://wheelbearings.media/feed/podcast Subscribe in PocketCasts – http://pca.st/tMO4 Subscribe in Google Play – https://goo.gl/fazd4D Subscribe in iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wheel-bearings/id1174442079 Follow the show on TuneIn – http://tunein.com/radio/Wheel-Bearings-p930642/

Wheel Bearings Podcast episode 8

Episode #8 – Psuedo-SUVs, Self-Driving Minivans and Expensive Tesla Parking

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Episode #8 - Psuedo-SUVs, Self-Driving Minivans and Expensive Tesla Parking
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This week, Dan is disappointed by the Volvo S60 Cross Country and Sam is somewhat impressed by the Cadillac XT5.  Will the minivan see a resurgence thanks to autonomous ride hailing? Will every new minivan in the future be self-driving? Will Uber’s self-driving cars work better in Phoenix than San Francisco? Will Ford follow its second-generation autonomous Fusions with Transit Connects? Will expensive parking charges be enough to get Tesla drivers to move their cars once they are done charging? Autonomous Ride-Hailing May Hail the New Era of the Minivan VW to Reveal Autonomous Electric Microbus Concept in Detroit Uber Moves Self-Driving Volvos to Phoenix Ford Rolls Out 2nd-Gen Autonomous Fusions Parking a Tesla at a SuperCharger Gets Expensive   View at Medium.com Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like to chip in toward the cost of producing… Read More »Episode #8 – Psuedo-SUVs, Self-Driving Minivans and Expensive Tesla Parking

2017 Volvo XC90 T8 – The Big Swede Gets Plugged In

The launch of the second-generation XC90 marked the beginning of a new era for Volvo a couple of years ago. The XC90 is the first model to ride on the company’s all-new scalable product architecture (SPA), the first all-new platform to come from Gothenburg since Ford sold the Swedish brand to China’s Geely in 2010. After initially being available only with boosted four-cylinder engines, the XC90 is now the first regular production plug-in model Volvo is offering in America and I recently spent a week driving one. Read the rest of the review here Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like to chip in toward the cost of producing and hosting it you can join at https://www.patreon.com/wheelbearingsmedia

Episode #7 – Arrogance Is No Way To Get People To Accept Self-Driving Cars

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Episode #7 - Arrogance Is No Way To Get People To Accept Self-Driving Cars
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After a brief delay due to some personal scheduling issues (ok it was all Dan’s fault!) [it was totally my fault – D], Dan and Sam are back with another vibrant discussion about the week in vehicles and transportation. In the garage we talk about GM’s shifting crossover strategy with the 2017 GMC Acadia and Honda growing the Ridgeline into a real truck. Then the talk turns to cars that talk to each other, the Google cars project transforming into Waymo and Uber behaving badly yet again (big surprise there!). Finally, in Q&A Sam gives tries to give a brief explanation (or at least as brief as Sam can be) of how the Volkswagen diesel emissions cheat worked and why engine accessory electrification saves fuel. NHTSA Moves Ahead with the V2V Communications Regulation Uber Behaves Badly In San Francisco Waymo Is Spawned From the Google… Read More »Episode #7 – Arrogance Is No Way To Get People To Accept Self-Driving Cars

NHTSA Moves Ahead With V2V Mandate

More than two years after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) first issued an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking to mandate vehicle to vehicle (V2V) to communications in the U.S. the agency is finally ready to move forward. Following an extended comment and testing period, NHTSA today published the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for what is expected to become Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 150. Read the rest of the article on Forbes Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like to chip in toward the cost of producing and hosting it you can join at https://www.patreon.com/wheelbearingsmedia

Episode #6 – Making Maps, How Many Speeds is Enough? Who Do You Trust?

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Episode #6 - Making Maps, How Many Speeds is Enough? Who Do You Trust?
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This week Sam doesn’t let a cold stop him from talking with Dan about the Volvo XC90 T8 plug-in hybrid and the Kia Cadenza. The news starts with Mobileye’s efforts to build high-definition maps for autonomous cars, the latest automatic transmissions from General Motors and Ford. The discussion then veers off into George Hotz open-sourcing his Comma One hardware and software before tackling the latest prognostications from Ford futurist Sheryl Connelly. The show wraps up with some listener e-mail from Zack and Jonathan. With Self-Driving Cars, We’re All Cartographers Ford’s futurist foreshadows consumer trends to watch in 2017 Here is the 2017 Ford Trends Report George Hotz is giving away the code behind his self-driving car project Chevrolet’s First 9-speed Auto Debuts in 2017 Malibu   Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like to chip in toward the cost… Read More »Episode #6 – Making Maps, How Many Speeds is Enough? Who Do You Trust?

2017 Audi A4 2.0T Quattro – Autobahn Born and Bred

In Episode 5, Dan and I discussed the 2017 Audi A4 and now my full written review is available. Read the full review here [portfolio_slideshow] Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like to chip in toward the cost of producing and hosting it you can join at https://www.patreon.com/wheelbearingsmedia

Episode #5 – Do We Need Another Oil Crisis? How About A 1,000HP Electric Luxury Sedan?

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Episode #5 - Do We Need Another Oil Crisis? How About A 1,000HP Electric Luxury Sedan?
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  This week Dan and Sam shift from SUVs to cars as we discuss the 2017 Ford Focus Titanium and Audi A4 Quattro. Then Dan wonders aloud whether we need another oil crisis to get us moving toward cleaner, more efficient vehicles, and energy in general. On the topic of efficiency, Lucid Motors announced this week that they would locate the factory to build their 1,000-horsepower electric luxury sedan outside of Phoenix. In a final nod to the efficiency and technology theme, Sam talks with Ford’s Michael O’Brien about the upcoming EcoSport small SUV and Mary Gustanski, vice-president of engineering at Delphi about 48-volt electrical systems and autonomous vehicles. Lucid Motors is the latest Silicon Valley EV Upstart Ford EcoSport Revealed Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like to chip in toward the cost of producing and hosting… Read More »Episode #5 – Do We Need Another Oil Crisis? How About A 1,000HP Electric Luxury Sedan?

Episode #4 – Staying Entertained, Informed and Engaged in the Car

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Episode #4 - Staying Entertained, Informed and Engaged in the Car
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In Episode 4, Dan and Sam talk about a pair of updated SUVs, the Nissan Rogue Hybrid and Mazda CX-9 before getting deep into why GM delayed the launch of SuperCruise on the Cadillac CT6. While SuperCruise will monitor the human operator to make sure they continue paying attention while not driving, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto provide means to keep the driver entertained. As much as we might want to use smartphone based infotainment, it’s likely to be a dead-end technology. Finally, your humble hosts tackle some listener emails about visibility and opining on cars we haven’t yet driven.