In the news, we discuss a Ford Raptor being forceably removed from blocking an EV charger, Tata searching for electrification partners for Jaguar Land Rover and the official name of Ford’s new EV, the Mustang Mach-E. We wrap up with a couple of listener questions.
We’re driving mainstream compacts, luxury sedans, and the $100,000 Ford Shelby GT500. Topics include the seemingly imminent merger of FCA and PSA, and the surprisingly reasonable price of the new MINI Cooper SE EV.
This time around, the whole crew is on the call to talk with Bryan Salesky, CEO and co-founder of Argo AI. Argo is the company developing the production automated driving system for Ford and VW and Bryan shares his thoughts on testing AVs in multiple cities, lidar, HD Maps and much more. Links Argo AI 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
For this special episode Sam sat down with Jim Farley, Ford’s president, new businesses, technology & strategy to talk about has been learned about mobility services, automated driving and brands. Links Ford’s Jim Farley On Building Mobility Technology, Services and Brands 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
With Rebecca bogged down in a big project that helps pay the bills, Dan recruited his friend George Kennedy from the Boston Globe and CarGurus to fill the third microphone. Sam spent time with the Honda Civic Touring sedan and then took a road trip to Pittsburgh in the Hyundai Veloster N. Dan drove the new Subaru Legacy and has thoughts on the big touch screen. Then we dive into a bunch of electric vehicle stories with Volvo introducing its first, the XC40 Recharge. Toyota showed the world a new, better looking second-generation Mirai and Bosch announces silicon carbide chips that will make EVs more efficient. The Fordpass app will give drivers of Ford’s upcoming EVs easy access to a huge network of charging stations. As we recorded, news broke that GM is considering reviving the Hummer brand for its upcoming electric truck. Links Volvo… Read More »Ep. 126 – Volvo Gets Recharged
With the whole crew back in action, Sam has been driving the Lexus LS500h. Rebecca samples a couple of luxury SUVs in the form of the Audi Q8 and Volvo XC90 T8. Meanwhile Dan learns that you can trail-brake a Toyota Sienna minivan before jumping into the Subaru Ascent. In California, PG&E has been shutting down power to try prevent wild fires and it’s impacting EV drivers. Tesla has released a less than fully baked Smart Summon feature and AAA tests a bunch of other driver assist systems that serve to demonstrate that human drivers need to stay alert. Links California Power Outages Consumer Reports takes on Smart Summon AAA ADAS Study 2019 Lexus LS500h review 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
This week as Dan helps the kids with homework, Rebecca and Sam perform an automotive duet. Sam drove the Honda Civic Type-R for a week while Rebecca had the Toyota Rav4 hybrid and Cadillac XT4. The timing of Rebecca driving the Cadillac was fortuitous as Sam had just returned from driving the new Lincoln Corsair and we dive into the differences between the two. In the news, Canoo unveiled its first product, a small electric van that will be offered by subscription only. Amazon ordered 100,000 electric delivery vans from Rivian and Acura unveiled a new ad campaign that focuses on driving. Finally, Hyundai and Aptiv team up on automated driving. Links 2020 Lincoln Corsair first drive Hyundai and Aptiv team up on AVs Amazon orders 100,000 Rivian vans Acura’s new ads Canoo debuts without paddles Honda Civic Type-R Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon.… Read More »Ep. 124 – What’s Premium
Rebecca has been off cavorting on a new Lexus yacht before coming home to move some stuff in the Toyota Sienna. Meanwhile Sam has enjoying the premium cabin of the Kia Telluride and Dan does a bit of four wheel drifting in the Audi Q3. Rebecca and Sam each got to try out the 2020 Ford Escape in gas and hybrid form and found it has shifted more toward its Focus sibling. Sam also got to check out the interesting new user interface of the upcoming Byton M-Byte during his latest jaunt to Silicon Valley. Links 2020 Ford Focus 2020 Ford Focus Hybrid Byton User Interface 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
This week we have lots of vehicles to talk about. Rebecca drove the Mercedes-AMG GTC Roadster to the US Open, and the Honda Accord Hybrid in SoCal. Sam discusses the Mazda CX-5 Diesel and the base Volkswagen Atlas. Dan shares his take on the Toyota 4Runner. Then we dive into the Porsche Taycan and how we evaluate vehicles. Sam also discusses the cool new Drive Labs video series from Nvidia that gives an introduction to how multiple neural networks work together to power an automated driving perception system. Links Porsche Taycan More Porsche Taycan Nvidia Drive Labs 2019 Mazda CX-5 Diesel review Mercedes-AMG GTC 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
Sam has been driving the Lincoln Navigator, Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, and Jeep Gladiator. Rebecca escapes a ticket in the Honda Civic Sport and Dan has been road tripping in the Cadillac XT6. We talk Monterey Car Week 2019 and the death of Ferdinand Piech
