HN user
https://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/
It hasn't had a format change for at least as long as I've used it (since 2009). The gauges both reflect the industrial nature of the data as well as show the portion of the capacity being used.
The trend charts are great too, telling the story of the short, medium and long term generation sources.
The Find My network relays the lost message from the stolen phone via nearby apple devices. Airtags use this principle to locate itself despite only having bluetooth
The car integration is an underrated aspect in my opinion.
I used to travel for work and would rent cars. I would spend 3+ mins after picking up each car trying to get my bluetooth to work with my phone until I realised I could just plug in an iPod (from 2005!!) into the USB port of a MY2018+ vehicle and have my entire music library accessible through the car's interface with artwork. Just plug it in, and it would just pick up where I left off, on the podcast/album I was listening to on the plane.
I now use a 16GB 6th gen Nano set to shuffle for all my music needs in my car. I got it cheap since the battery doesn't last that long but it's fine when plugged in all the time.
One fix for input lag I have seen is to have the console in flight mode and just enable bluetooth for the controller's connection. The switch needs to undocked to enable flight mode. The WiFi connection seems to be causing interference. If you need internet access, use an ethernet connection (older switch docks require USB to ethernet adapter, OLED docks have an ethernet port built in).
Given the rapid improvements being made in electric power trains, this seems like a no brainer. Take for example a 1st generation Nissan leaf which is now being retrofitted with newer battery packs (with improved cell technology) [1]. Currently this is being done by third party companies but I imagine manufacturers are looking to capitalise on this as volumes of electric cars increase. They are definitely best placed to design and install such an upgrade.
There has been a general rise in battery electric drive train retrofitting in classic cars from 60s and 70s so perhaps we could see Toyota refit 3 or 5 year old gasoline/hybrids with electric powertrains as consumer preferences or emissions regulations change.
While Toyota have the car, they could also update a whole host of things to add value. Interiors and car technology seem to date horribly so getting the latest in car entertainment or driver assistance systems could be another potential revenue stream. Cars also undergo 'mid cycle refresh' so Toyota could do something as simple as bumper updates and swap out newer body parts. Generally the under body remains unchanged in a vehicle lifecycle so swapping out headlights and a bumper would be trivial.
The car industry has for a while been in a existential crisis regarding projections of falling sales and lower revenues. First it was the rise of ride sharing removing the need for personal vehicles, next it was the autonomous driving and now it is electric vehicles with longer service lives and improved reliability. For auto manufacturers, they have been looking for other revenue streams. Recently it has been the growth in services - namely subscription services promising vehicle feature updates and access to 'connected' features. The re-maufacture of vehicles with improved battery packs and the electric drive trains along with other vehicle updates is just another area they could create new revenue streams.
Inline skating.
It's relatively easy to get started. Buy some skates and a helmet and find some smooth tarmac (asphalt) to practise. For me, it's something always wished I could do so I thought why not learn.
I practised for a half hour to an hour after work when the weather was nice and found it a good way to de-stress, usually while listening to music. It's a good form of exercise too since it doesn't strain your joints too much. Obviously, you may (and probably will) injure yourself when you fall though you should learn how to fall to minimise injury.
If you're new, the fear of falling takes some time to get over but after a few hours you'll get the confidence to overcome this. At first you'll probably even dread going to practise but getting over that fear is intensely satisfying. Above all, you'll probably have to be okay with making yourself feel like a fool (in public). For me, this was the biggest thing I had to get over. Getting over that is liberating in itself. You realise the world doesn't end if someone saw you fall. You just get up again.
After about 10 hours I was at an okay standard and I feel after about 20-30 hours most people would be very competent. There's a high skill ceiling too so there's always more to learn and areas to develop.
The thrill of the speed and the sensation of going really fast never gets old.
The 'losers' are the one's who are buying high and selling low. Ironically in this case, it's the short sellers who can't cover their positions who are being forced to buy at the top, having already sold low.
MY recommendation would be a modified iPod 5th or 7th gen Classic if you don't mind the larger size. These iPods can be upgraded with larger batteries and flash storage instead of a hard drive making them long lasting and robust.
You can do the modification yourself on iPod with a broken hard drive or buy one on eBay already modified. (Tip: The 5th gens are easier to modify than the 7th gens since they come apart a lot easier.)
Personally, I use a 5th gen Classic with 32GB of flash and a new battery. I modified it myself with a compact flash card and a new battery. It's been in use for about 3 years and I've had no real issues.
Tesla's current vehicle portfolio doesn't suit the current market trends in Europe. Only the Model 3, S, and X are currently available. Two are sedans which are losing market share to SUV type vehicles and the model X SUV is very expensive for most consumers.
Most vehicle sales in Europe are in the B or C car segment (relatively small vehicles by North American standards). Increasingly the sales of B and C cars are moving away from hatchback models to CUVs (crossover utility vehicle) models which offer a raised seating position and more interior space. Tesla offer nothing in these segments which the likes of Volkswagen, Hyundai and Renault do.
The Model Y should do well once it launches but I can imagine competitors who can offer a lower price albeit compromising the range doing better in this segment. Given that the distances driven in Europe are on average lower, the additional range Tesla can offer is not massively compelling unless they can undercut their rivals on price.
On a slight tangent, the other threat is the increasing hybridisation of powertrains in Europe. Due to EU rules on the EU fleet -wide average Co2 levels of 95 gCo2/km coming into effect from 2021, vehicle manufacturers are now offering hybrid options on many name plates to reach this target. These PHEV and FHEV hybrid powertrains come at a significantly lower price compared with full electric vehicles with the benefit of short range electric driving only mode. Previously PHEV and FHEV were separate name plates which had unique (read: polarising) designs. Now PHEV and FHEV are pretty much available in all C car and above class vehicles in body styles not dissimilar from their combustion powertrain counterparts. These hybrid powertrains offer the short range electric only range consumers want for everyday driving with the potential for long range driving using the combustion engine all with no threat of range anxiety.
The UK also has page to sign up to volunteer for vaccine research
[1]https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/research/...
Luxury cars are very much an exercise in form over function. How easy they are to service is not a high priority like it is in every other mass market vehicle. It doesn't help they have large (often supercharged or turbocharged) displacement engines which is a challenge to package in themselves, let alone consider the ease of servicing.
Their high powered, boosted engines also puts the entire powertrain under relatively high stresses causing accelerated wear out and fatigue of components. Although some durability test takes place to pick up on issues, if a design issue occurs late into the development phase it won't be fixed, if the cost to implement a change is too high. It will just become another 'service' item which has to be changed every x,000 miles. Sometimes the required technology does not exist to allow a component to last the entire life of the car so just has to be replaced at a set interval.
Luxury cars are often used as the test bed for new technology. This new technology is often novel or experimental and has new unforeseen failure modes which the design engineer is unlikely to account for. The accelerated testing done during vehicle development picks up most issues but a few slip through and only present themselves during actual customer use. The quality of these any new components can also be highly variable especially if a new process or material is being used in their manufacture. If the supplier has poor process control this can lead to high failure rates.
Another consideration is that luxury cars (well luxury sports cars at least) aren't driven that much - most will never reach 100,000 miles - so are designed to a lower durability than most cars. There's no point in over-engineering a component but if a customer has an extreme usage profile, they may exceed the design limits of a component. Cars are not designed for the worst case customer but rather the median usage profile. If cars were designed for the most extreme customer I imagine the cars would weight significantly more or have to use expensive exotic materials.
Going there recently, I was shocked by the mechanical cigarette dispensers by every checkout lane in the supermarket and the large bags of tobacco openly displayed on shelves for sale on the other side of checkout lane.
Contrast that with the UK where tobacco is hidden behind shutters and only available from a separate kiosk area.
I wonder if having it openly displayed at checkouts removes the mystery (and hence its appeal) or just serves to make it an impulse purchase?
As someone who works in the car industry in a manufacturing plant, what surprises me is the lack of complexity in their product (especially in the powertrain i.e. battery and motors vs fuel tanks and engines) and yet their inability to ramp up their volume.
If you look at most production facilities (at least in Europe) there is usually one line which produces several models, in various body styles each with various different engine/transmission combinations and additional parts for specific emissions markets and climates. (That's just some of the complexity in the Powertrain system, there's more related to the interior, exterior, electrical systems, suspension, HVAC)
Tesla's model 3 line has virtually none of this complexity but still has issues in productions. Needless to say, if this was an established automaker producing this line, they would easily be up to full production volumes within months. (For me, this is part of the reason why people in the car industry are bearish on Tesla, they understand the challenge in setting up a whole new production line by a novice to the industry. By the time, Tesla have ramped up to a significant volume at good quality, the VAG, PSA/Opels, FCA, GM, Fords of the world would have their relatively simple (complexity wise) EVs designed and ready to ship (or almost ready to ship))
To me it seems like their current woes are a production quality issue or logistics and planning issue.
The Model S was their first attempt at volume production so should have been a good chance to resolve the basic issues, learn from their mistakes and build up good practices. The Model S was notorious for its poor panel alignment, squeaks and rattles and other minor quality issues but things had improved as the production went on. Dishearteningly though, it seems that this wasn't enough. The challenge of producing a low volume product like the Model S really doesn't compare to the Model 3's 6000/week ambitious target. Previously, they could ship a Model S and have their service centers fix all the production issues. At significant volume, you need first time through quality to be almost perfect.
For continuous production systems to work, all the processes need to keep to their 'takt time' and also be done to the correct standard (sufficient 'process capability'). Making sure your processes are capable is the hardest part and where your Six Sigma (Master) black belts are worth their weight in gold. The other thing they need is suppliers delivering on time and to spec. Logistics planning also is huge, with delays in supplier shipments potentially stopping the whole line. Supplier quality can also be an issue so having your own knowledgeable engineers working with them is key.
They have a huge task ahead and everyday they build below target, they are burning millions of dollars of revenue potential.