Tag: engineering

Cool, Daily Life

Electric Robot AI Bulletproof Cars

I am generally not a fan of electric vehicles. They are a very purpose-specific application that doesn’t fit most peoples lifestyles. We don’t have the electric grid infrastructure to support large scale implementation. The environmental impact of sourcing materials for the batteries is huge. And the battery disposal problem… don’t get me started. If you live in a large metropolitan area with tons of charging options, and primarily use the EV for short errands or an easy commute, then an electric vehicle might make sense to you. For the rest of us, not so much.

Having said that, I am in love with Tesla Cybertruck and have been since the concept was first introduced. The technology, an outside the box design approach, the look… I love all of it. And come on – it’s bulletproof. Something that will come in handy during the zombie apocalypse.

Sadly, it just wouldn’t be realistic for our lifestyle. We live in a mountainous region with large amounts of snow all winter. The distances between towns can be significant. And those towns are often small – as in 400 residents. Not many superchargers are being installed next to “Tackle Tommy’s Bait and Ammo” shop. On top of that, the Cybertruck is huge. It wouldn’t fit in my garage, which means I’d be dragging a charging cable outside. Not ideal in winter.

So I’ve jealously watched all the preorders and the Tesla update events knowing it wasn’t for me. Last month Tesla had their Production Release Event where the first production Cybertrucks were rolled off the assembly line and delivered to customers. Every auto YouTuber started filming review videos of the production version of the truck and I watched every one of them.

And then Mrs Troutdog surprised me. She told me that she’d entered our name on the wait list for a Cybertruck! Of course at the rate of production, my truck will come available sometime in 2030 so I have plenty of time to decide if it’s something I want. But still, the idea is still fun and I’ll be watching all the reviews, like the fanboy I am, until then.

I continue to be a huge fan of Elon Musk. The ability to reimagine automobile design is something nobody else has done. Sort of like Apple used to be, there’s a level of thinking outside the lines that everyone else tries to copy. For example, independent of the Cybertuck, I’ve been researching new vehicles lately. My current truck is 14 years old and is not ideal for longer distance travel. As I look at all the features in new cars, everyone is now copying the large display in the center console that Tesla started.

The problem is that there’s no comparison. If you’ve ever interacted with a Tesla display, it’s a masterpiece in software engineering and user interaction. It just works. The displays in non-Teslas look like the software was outsourced to a random high school kid hired off of Gigster. Compared to the Tesla, the screens look like the AOL browser from the early 2000’s.

The rest of the automotive world is playing catch-up to Tesla. The typical “new model year update” for most cars these days is a change to the front grill and slightly redesigned cup holders. There is absolutely nothing new or exciting about most other cars these days.

Unfortunately, I don’t like the sedan look of the other models of Teslas. I’m a truck guy, always have been. I tow stuff, haul things to the dump, drive down rough fire roads to go fishing, throw skis and mountain bikes in the back, and cart around a muddy dog. A truck fits what I do.

But for the first time ever… I’m considering something other than a truck. I will admit, it would be nice to be able to easily park downtown and to get decent fuel economy. The only reason I can even contemplate this, is that we’d keep the truck I already have for all those “truck” applications. My everyday vehicle would be something much smaller.

I haven’t decided how I feel about this. Does this portend other significant changes in 2024? Human sacrifice! Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria! (are you even old enough for that movie reference?) Anyway, not sure if we’ll pull the trigger on that one. That may be too much of a change for me.

Besides, if I switch to a small car for the next seven years I may not want the Cybertruck when my name comes up.

Decisions, decisions.

Motivation

It’s All In Your Head

I may have mentioned once or twice here that I ride a motorcycle. I have some experience riding on the street but very little in the dirt. I may also have mentioned once or many times that I’ve recently purchased a new ginormous motorcycle that’s in the “adventure bike” category. That means it’s perfectly capable of going both on and off road. I’m somewhat intimidated by it which makes me a very timid rider in the dirt, unsure of my abilities to stay upright. Many of my little stories are about conquering my fears and pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone. This story is about the power of the mind.

The new ginormous motorcycle has more electronics than the space shuttle and enough buttons to rival a modern airliner. So many buttons in fact, they had to make an on-line simulator to practice with. I’ve only figured out about half of them so far since it takes the majority of my limited brain cells just to stay upright. I don’t need to make things more complicated by fiddling with buttons and switches. Anyway, I was reading some on-line forums about the bike and stumbled upon a thread about something called the “G-switch”. Folks were raving about what a difference it made in the dirt for traction.

If you haven’t ridden a motorcycle in the dirt, traction is where my fear comes from. Riding around a corner and feeling your rear (or front) wheel start sliding is a very unnatural feeling and causes my stomach to pucker up. So naturally anything that improves traction is going to make my life better. I quickly opened up the manual and then the on-line simulator and figured out how to turn the G-switch on and off. Time to jump on the bike and go find some dirt!

I rode up to a high mountain lake on slippery, loose gravel and dirt roads. With the G-switch engaged it was like I was riding on rails. My tires were glued to the dirt and I rode at 2x my normal speed. What an amazing difference! With the G-switch on it was like I was a different rider. Why hadn’t I discovered this earlier?

Once at home, enjoying an adult beverage after my ride, the engineer in me decided to figure what what the G-switch actually does. What engineering marvel did those designers create when they crafted that magic switch? It took quite a bit of research to find the actual specs. And it turns out… it has nothing to do with traction really. It changes how the clutch works.

*crickets*

How in the world did I ride so well then? It’s amazing what the brain is capable of. I know there’s plenty of cute fables out there describing the power of belief, but I never thought I’d experience it. I was sure the G-switch was doing something to help me and therefore I relaxed, trusted the bike, and rode better than I thought I could. I have to laugh at myself. It will be interesting to see what happens on my next ride. Will I revert to being cautious since I know there’s no magic G-switch helping me? At the same time I now know I’m capable of riding more confidently than I have been. My guess is somewhere in the middle. Regardless, the lesson learned is that we’re all far more capable than we give ourselves credit for. But you’ll never know if you don’t try.