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Episode #12 – Driving Long-Range EVs and Snow-Bound Muscle Cars

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Episode #12 - Driving Long-Range EVs and Snow-Bound Muscle Cars
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After a week off due to busy schedules, Dan and Sam are back. In the garage, we’ve driven the Genesis G80, Honda Civic Sport hatchback and a Chrysler Pacifica that went back smelling like a bunch of Deadheads had hit the road in it. Sam went to California to drive the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV on some of the same roads where he first drove the Tesla Roadster nine years earlier and finds that those that don’t want to wait for a Tesla Model 3 should be taking a serious look this new entry. Dan, took the Pacifica north to Portland, Maine to bomb around in the snow with an all-wheel-drive Dodge Challenger GT. We also answer some reader messages and play an interview with GM designer Stuart Norris. Links: Leave The Brake Pedal, Take The Bolt – Driving Chevrolet’s New EV ABG First Drive:… Read More »Episode #12 – Driving Long-Range EVs and Snow-Bound Muscle Cars

Episode #11 – A Refreshed Pony, Mazda Loses The Plugs & Don’t Forget Your Key

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Episode #11 - A Refreshed Pony, Mazda Loses The Plugs & Don't Forget Your Key
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This week Dan has been driving the Dodge Charger Rallye AWD and finds that despite the age of the platform the big FCA sedans are still surprisingly good. Sam finds the Toyota Corolla is a solid car that provides basic but utterly uninspiring transportation. For 2018, the Ford Mustang gets a mid-cycle update with design, powertrain and technology changes and Sam chats with vehicle engineering manager Tom Barnes. Mazda looks to dump the spark plug for its next generation SkyActiv engines and we provide a gentle reminder to bring your key fob along even if you can start your car from your smartphone. Finally, Sam talks with Delphi VP engineering Jim Zizelman about dynamic skip fire technology and autonomous driving.   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 #11 – A Refreshed Pony, Mazda Loses The Plugs & Don’t Forget Your Key

Buick Envision, Genesis G80, North American International Auto Show logo, CES logo

Episode #10 – CES and NAIAS recap

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Episode #10 - CES and NAIAS recap
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Sam walked a metric ton of miles around CES and then again at NAIAS, and we talk about what he saw and heard. We talk about the presentation by Ford’s Mark Fields at CES, Detroit Auto Show highlights, and we answer some of your questions, too.

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

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

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?

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.

Episode #3 – Jaguar Goes Electric, Mazda Goes Diesel and Who Knows AutoPilot

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Episode #3 - Jaguar Goes Electric, Mazda Goes Diesel and Who Knows AutoPilot
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  In this round, Dan and Sam drive the Volkswagen Beetle Dune and the Mazda3 Hatchback. Sam went the Los Angeles Auto Show/Automobility LA where he saw the reveal of the second generation Mazda CX-5, the Jaguar i-Pace and sat down with Ali Vahabzedeh, founder and CEO of on-demand, commuter van-ride service Chariot. They also discuss what drivers think AutoPilot means.   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