Which do you like better?

Discussion in 'General' started by bwilson4web, Dec 11, 2018.

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  1. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web Well-Known Member Subscriber

    Today I was helping a BMW i3-REx owner understand some features that she'd never used since getting the car in 2014:
    • Changing the navigation map to a flat 2D with enhanced contrast.
    • Fixing the portable gas can caps so it won't leak (some assembly is required.)
    • Driving on dynamic cruise control.
    She noticed I was driving the Prius Prime and asked, "Which do you prefer?"

    "It is like having two children, which one do you like most?" I replied and she laughed.

    The Prius Prime, 25 mile battery gives 3 stops around town before needing a charge. So I often shop where I can also get a free charge like Propst Discount Drugs in the 5-Points area or Whole Foods. I also shop in the near-by stores and restaurants. She noticed my vanity plate, "199 MPG" but is driving her BMW i3-REx to Florida tomorrow. She knows the BMW i3-REx will take five gas stops on the way down hence the portable gas cans.

    I explained the Prius Prime drove 1,200 miles from Connecticut to Huntsville and filled up once. It gets 56-58 MPG on the highway which makes it exceptionally efficient cross country. In contrast the BMW i3-REx driven EV to Nashville costs ~$24 because the two fast DC chargers cost ~$12 each for about 60 miles of range. But driving back from Nashville only cost $6 in gas. The cost of fast DC charging away from home is too expensive compared to gas.

    She asked about emissions and I pointed out that driving gas on the highway is surrounded by fields and trees that neutralize emissions. In contrast, the city has streets, houses, and buildings that do nothing to deal with emissions.

    For dynamic cruise control training, I explained that it takes a while to feel confident but 'let's do a test drive.' I drove in rush hour traffic to the city limits so she could see the display and buttons as I used them. Sure enough, a rush hour commuter steered into our lane and I braked pointing out 'you must still monitor the car' but over 90% of the driving uses dynamic cruise control. We stopped at a gas station and she drove me back in the much lighter traffic headed into town while I talked her through the controls.

    She has 55,000 miles on her 2014 BMW i3-REx but now she knows how to get the maximum from her car. The navigation map changes and dynamic cruise control makes a good car into a great car.

    Bob Wilson
     
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  3. Jimmy Truong

    Jimmy Truong Member





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  4. Jimmy Truong

    Jimmy Truong Member

    Yarn!!!

    From Tesla’s owner


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  5. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web Well-Known Member Subscriber

    Thread.

    Bob Wilson
     
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  6. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web Well-Known Member Subscriber

    Perhaps obscure but here is four year, BMW i3-REx owner who did not have a clue about advanced features of her car. All it took was a chance meeting of a mentor (me) to help her understand and master features that made the navigation display useful and do cross country trips in her car. I also solved a gasket problem with her spare gas cans.

    I hang out in forums of cars I own to pickup what is not or poorly documented in the Owner's Manual that I've already read. I also do experiments to identify and workaround the rough spots. The oldest of five siblings, I'm used to showing people the way ... which really pays off on the job (when I worked.)

    Dealers have one goal, booking the sale. But post sale training, not so much. Car enthusiasts like me have a wealth of knowledge but finding those who could benefit from our experience is hard. So this is the problem my posting described.

    Tesla does some notable work on post sales training by their staff. When they need help, other Tesla owners. Perhaps this is another advantage of having a Tesla store instead of a dealer.

    Bob Wilson
     
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  8. TheMagster

    TheMagster Member

    Do you have any data to back that up? I thought CO2 just floats straight up, so I'm not sure surrounding vegetation does much to stop it, though certainly better than a concrete jungle.

    My highway driving tends to be through the desert, so not much emissions mitigation there.

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  9. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web Well-Known Member Subscriber

    It has to do with atomic weights:
    • N{2} -> 2 * 14 = 28
    • O{2} -> 2 * 16 = 32
    • CO{2} -> 12 + (2 * 16) = 44 (heaviest)
    During the day, green plants photosynthesis converts CO{2} into sugars/starches and releases O{2}.

    The NOx are also a problem but fields have water that tends to fix the NOx.

    Bob Wilson
     
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  10. TheMagster

    TheMagster Member

    Huh, so CO2 is heavier than air? Didn't know that.

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    bwilson4web likes this.

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