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Sam Abuelsamid

The Tech Guy #1571

This week’s EV car news is that TESLA is shutting down all of their dealerships, in the hopes that reducing the overhead will translate into reducing the price tag on their vehicles. Now if you want to buy a Tesla, you can do it online and Tesla will deliver it to you. As for servicing, Tesla will likely have some service centers open in major areas, but they may also do a service at home program where they come to you to do any servicing. In other Tesla news, Elon Musk says that Tesla will have full self-driving by the end of the year. But Sam says that doesn’t mean you can crawl into the back and take a nap. This week, there were two autonomous crashes with fatalities when people took their hands off the wheel. What three words is a new navigation idea, where… Read More »The Tech Guy #1571

Episode #099 – Live From The Sub-Continent

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Wheel Bearings
Episode #099 - Live From The Sub-Continent
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This week, location and schedule constraints meant that the show was recorded in two parts. Sam talked with Rebecca while she was on vacation in India and then picked up later with Dan back in his native time zone. Sam drove the Hyundai Kona Electric and Rebecca describes transportation in India. Tesla made some news just hours before recording by finally releasing the mythical $35,000 model 3 and simultaneously announcing the closure of almost all of its stores. Being in India gives Rebecca some insight into why Ford’s adoption of What3Words is meaningful. Meanwhile back in New England, Dan has been driving the 2019 Volkswagen Golf SE and pondering the big Detroit plant investment announcement that Fiat Chrysler made this week. Dan and Sam also dive into the new Polestar 2 and we get an update on US availability of the Volkswagen Arteon. For automotive… Read More »Episode #099 – Live From The Sub-Continent

Episode #098 – Look Both Ways Before Crossing the Street

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Wheel Bearings
Episode #098 - Look Both Ways Before Crossing the Street
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This week we’re talking luxury as Rebecca drives the Maserati Levante, Dan has the Mercedes-Benz E450 and Sam relaxes in the Kia K900. At the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, Anton Piech, son of Ferdinand and great grandson of Ferdinand Porsche launches his own car company with an electric sports car. Ford has more trouble with emissions and fuel economy testing, Elon Musk proves again that he shouldn’t have a twitter account as Tesla General Counsel bails after less than two months at the company and IIHS tests pedestrian detection and braking systems. A reminder not to rely too much on technology to save you. For automotive engineers and developers that want to develop their skills in AI and working with Nvidia processors we have a 20% discount code for the Nvidia GPU Technology Conference Silicon Valley. Check out the sessions at https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/gtc/topics/automotive-and-transportation/ and use the promo code MCXNAVIGANT when… Read More »Episode #098 – Look Both Ways Before Crossing the Street

The Tech Guy #1569

This week’s topic is high capacity chargers for electric vehicles. Battery range and charging are the biggest challenges facing EVs. Where are the charging stations? Sam says that navigation systems often have charging stations built into the route your driving, and based on your EV, they will also draw a circle around the usable range of your electric vehicle before you need to get a charge. But Sam says that it costs a lot of money to install high capacity, high power charging stations, especially in rural areas. The Tesla Supercharger is coming with 120KW charging capacity. The Electrify America is three times that. So you can get 80% charge in about 15 minutes. That kind of advancement will help make it easier to buy an EV. The other issue is charging connectors. Tesla has a proprietary connector, so you’d need an adapter to use… Read More »The Tech Guy #1569

2019 Kia K900 – The Self-Made Entrepreneur Of Luxury Sedans

One of the recurring storylines around Tesla is the rarity with which new automotive brands launch and succeed in a self-sustaining way. In fact, while it’s not exactly common, it does happen with some degree of regularity. Case in point is Kia. While the company traces it roots back to 1944, it was really only in the early-1990s that it ventured outside of South Korea under its own name. While the early models were to say the least not very good and the company went bankrupt in the Asian financial crisis, it persevered. Hyundai took a controlling interest in 1998 and it’s been uphill for both companies ever since. The 2019 K900 is yet more evidence that fantastic luxury cars don’t have to come from Europe, America or Japan. Read the rest of the review at Forbes Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you… Read More »2019 Kia K900 – The Self-Made Entrepreneur Of Luxury Sedans

The Tech Guy #1567

Sam joins Leo to talk about the new EV Truck … the Rivian. It’s a full sized pickup that’s electric. There’s also an SUV. Leo hears that Ford is planning an electric F150. Sam says it should be coming in a few years. The hybrid will be out in 2020. But the Rivian just got $700 million in investment, and the lead investor is Amazon. Low volume production begins in 2020, but Sam says we won’t really seem them until a few years down the road. It’s also getting into automated driving through Aurora. Aurora has been working with Volkswagen and Hyundai, and Sam says that Amazon is going to have its own automated trucking fleet that’s full electric, down the road. Couple that with drone delivery, and the shipping business is about to undergo a serious seed change. But Sam says that the real… Read More »The Tech Guy #1567

Episode #097 – Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics

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Wheel Bearings
Episode #097 - Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics
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This week our intrepid trio has been tackling everything from mainstream to super-luxury. Rebecca went to rainy Palm Springs to sample the Rolls-Royce Cullinan and more from BMW before returning home to the 2019 Kia Forte. In between, Sam had the 2019 Mazda CX-9 and Dan drove the 2019 Lincoln Nautilus which leads into a discussion of who is doing luxury right. In the news, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration fudged the numbers to show Tesla Autopilot was safer than it really was. Jaguar Land Rover debuts a new inline-six gas engine with mild hybrid capability and that leads to a response to a listener question on V6 vs I6. Finally, Dan and Sam talk with Ford Super Duty chief engineer Mike Pruitt about the new 2020 heavy duty pickups and the new 7.3-liter V8. For automotive engineers and developers that want to develop… Read More »Episode #097 – Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics

The Tech Guy #1565

The news lately is that electric vehicles have a hard time in extreme cold weather. Sam says it’s because a lot of its power is being used to heat the cabin and that dramatically cuts into your driving range. Sam says the best option is to preheat your car overnight during an overnight charge. That’ll cut down on the amount of battery life you lose on a cold day. 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 #096 – Live From Chicago

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Wheel Bearings
Episode #096 - Live From Chicago
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This week Sam and Rebecca call in from Chicago, home of the biggest little auto show in America. Before arriving in the windy city, they both drove the 2019 Mazda CX-5 with the new 2.5-liter turbo. Meanwhile Dan has been commuting in the Mitsubishi Mirage G4 and while we may mock it, we also acknowledge that there is a place for cars like this. Rebecca shares her thoughts on the revived Chevrolet Blazer. The crew discuss the new Ram 1500 Multi-function tailgate, the ginormous Chevrolet Silverado HD, the 30th anniversary Mazda Miata and more. For automotive engineers and developers that want to develop their skills in AI and working with Nvidia processors we have a 20% discount code for the Nvidia GPU Technology Conference Silicon Valley. Check out the sessions at https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/gtc/topics/automotive-and-transportation/ and use the promo code MCXNAVIGANT when you register for the savings. Links… Read More »Episode #096 – Live From Chicago

Video Special – Hands-On Tech #1 – Leo and Sam Drive the Jaguar i-Pace

TWiT has a new show called Hands-on Tech and for the first episode Leo Laporte and I drive the Jaguar i-Pace. You can subscribe to Hands-on Tech here Jaguar i-Pace 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