car

When an engineer wanted to cross Africa by car, he invented a wooden. It would be the beginning of its end

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In one of his picturesque life, Tony Howarth had a revolutionary vision: Create a perfect car for Africa. A cheap, resistant, easy to repair and that could be made locally with sustainable materials. His project, baptized as ‘Africar’, promised to change transportation in the African continent forever. However, what began as an altruistic dream It ended up becoming a legal nightmare which led its creator directly to prison. From a filmmaker to engineer with a mission: to manufacture the perfect car for Africa Image: Silodrome Howarth was not any businessman. Graduated in Engineering from the University of Cambridge, had developed since childhood A passion for mechanics which led him to build his own fuel injection system for his motorcycle when he was barely ten years old. However, it was his recognized career as a photographer and filmmaker that led him to devote himself to this peculiar project. And is that Howarth has traveled more than 130 countries, experiencing in the first person the difficulties of African land roads. During his trips through Africa in the 70s, Howarth realized that Western vehicles were not designed for the extreme conditions of the continent. Earth tracks, deep potholes and the lack of specialized workshops turned any breakdown into a capital problem. In addition, the programmed obsolescence of the Western car industry made the spare parts more and more difficult to achieve. An inspiration of the Ford Model T Image: Silodrome The concept of Africar was inspired by the legendary Ford Model T, a vehicle that had been designed precisely for the roads without asphalting from Rural America of the early twentieth century. Howarth understood that what Africa needed was something similar: A simple, durable and that could be repaired by local mechanics No need for sophisticated equipment. Its design was revolutionary for its simplicity. The chassis was built with stainless steel tubes to avoid corrosion, while body panels could be manufactured with local materials such as laminated wood impregnated in resin, aluminum or even plastic. The chosen engine was the Citroën GSA Boxer Propulor Refrigated by air that offered reliability and ease of maintenance. An expedition that changed everything Image: Lancslive In 1984, Howarth built three prototypes of Africar for an ambitious expedition that would be documented by Channel 4: A journey from the Arctic Circle to the African Ecuador. The three vehicles-a ranchera, a pick-up and a six-wheel model-demonstrated their worth crossing thousands of kilometers of extreme land. During the journey, Africar exceeded evidence that left a Land Rover Series III that accompanied them. Their long -running independent suspension and their high distance to the ground allowed them to overcome obstacles that stuck more conventional vehicles. The fatal error Image: Lancslive The success of the expedition opened the doors to investment. In 1986, Howarth founded Africar International Limited in LancasterEngland, and began to capture capital of private investors. However, He made a mistake that would end his project and, later, in prison. Concerned about the dependence of the Citroën engines, which could be obsolete at any time, Howarth decided to invest the money of investors in developing their own engine. It was a logical decision from the technical point of view, but catastrophic since the financial. The funds were exhausted before completing the development, and the clients who had paid in advance did not receive their vehicles. The situation became unsustainable when investors discovered that the prototype shown in a Christmas presentation of 1987 was actually an empty shell: without engine, with the doors stuck and still wet paint. A bitter ending and a legacy that endures Image: Silodrome In July 1988, the Police intervened and Africar International Limited ceased its operations. Howarth fled to the United States in a desperate attempt to get the financing that saved the project, but it was useless. In 1994 he returned to the United Kingdom, where He was arrested immediately. Tony Howarth declared himself guilty of a fraudulent crime and five to obtain goods through deception. Was sentenced to 15 months in prison. In his own words, the prison experience “was like being in a British boarding school.” Although Africar never manufactured in series (it is estimated that only one and six specimens of production were built), Howarth’s idea did not die with him. His concept has inspired other African entrepreneurs, such as the creators of the Mobius in Kenyathat resumed the vision of a car designed for the region, despite Its economic difficulties. Cover image | Silodrome In Xataka | The list of 2025 most reliable cars has left us the most unexpected surprise: the best car does not have Toyota or Honda

A quick look at the ten best -selling car brands in the world offers a dramatic conclusion: China has already won

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17.29 million. That is the amount of electric cars and plug -in hybrids that, according to Autovista24they were sold last year. Suppose we take all those cars and reduce them to ten. What brands would be the most popular? Surely, don’t surprise us to find Tesla, Byd or BMW, but what will get attention is that of those ten cars that we have in front, six are Chinese. Of course, it has all the meaning of the world. The cast. According to the data of EV volumeslast year the electric cars represented 62.5% of the total electrified vehicles sold globally. PHEV, AKA plug -in hybrids, 37.5%. It is a sensitive change compared to the previous year, when the percentages were 69.3% and 30.7%, respectively. Why does an electric car have less autonomy than the announcing The list. The crown, of course, is for China byd with a 22.2% market share. It follows, and from afar, Tesla with 10.3%. It is the maximum exponent of the Western electric car, since BMW, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz just add up to 8% between the three. The rest of the brands are from China, as reflected in the graph shared by Rest of the World: Global Electric Car market share | Image: Rest of the World Normal. That China leads this ranking is completely normal, especially if we take into account that, So far this year58.1% of electric car records and 70.1% of plug -in hybrids have been in China. In the United States, which is the second country in the ranking, the figures are 9.5% and 5.2%, respectively. Spain does not appear in the electric cars ranking, but in hybrids with 1.6%. China had, and has everything necessary to eat the electric car market. Has a government that offers incentives for adoptioneconomic resources that They are invested in high -level infrastructure, competitive prices derived from the two above factors, supply chains and, something important, The production of about 80% of lithium batteries. International expansion. The most obvious success case is that of Byd, which in just a few years He has managed to overcome Tesla In sales. In China, meanwhile, Tesla is the third best selling brand with a 5.9% share. Byd dominates with a 31.4% quota followed, very far from Wuling (6%). The next natural step was, of course, expanding to the rest of the world and that happens, in the first instance, through Europe. The company’s idea is that 50% of its sales come from our market, which is why it wants to establish factories in Hungary and Türkiye. Other brands such as Omoda, Jaecoo and Mg They have also opted strong for our borders. Best -selling electric cars worldwide | Image: Highway24 The best selling is still Tesla, but … The photo changes even more if we look The best -selling electric cars listbecause on that list only one brand competes (and strong) against China: Tesla. Elon Musk’s signature stays with gold and silver thanks to his Tesla Model and and Model 3that so far this year have been the best -selling Bevs. All others are signed by Chinese brands, highlighting Byd, Geely and, curiously, Xiaomi, whose Xiaomi Su7 It has been the sixth best -selling electric car of the year. Cover image | Byd In Xataka | The 35 cheapest electric cars that can be purchased (2025)

Back to V8 or walk to the electric car. And that says everything about how the industry is

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“The electric is the future” The words are from Koji Watanabe, head of HRC (Honda Racing Corporation), the division of the Japanese firm in charge of developing the technologies that their teams (and those that hire them) use in the competition. Yeah Formula 1 goes back To the V8 engines, they leave. That is what the Japanese wanted to make clear. Right now, the company does not have an official car inside the championship but supply its engines to Red Bull. In 2026, They will do the same with Aston Martin And they have not ruled out having more customers for the future. But his role in the historic competition can have an expiration date. It all depends on the direction of the sport. The FIA (International Automobile Federation) wants to back the path to the electrification that took formula 1 in 2014. Its bet: Back to Combustion Motors V8. Some teams are for the work but others like Audi or Honda (this as supplier) do not want to hear about the matter. And the dispute threatens to put the sport up. “We didn’t come for this” The first thing we have to know is what is the current situation. The 2026 season will be a year of changes, we will have new chassis in cars and new power units. These power units will finally be maintained as a hybridized turbo. Of course, the weight of the electrification will be greater and the fuel will have to be 100% sustainable from 2026. This regulation should be in force until 2030. The problem is that since the arrival of the V6 Turbo hybridized in 2014 Fans have been complaining that something has died with The end of the V8 and V10. In 2021, despite everything, the regulations of these engines froze to prevent that Honda’s exit will leave Red Bull behind. The background problem is that new engines are giving bad results in simulations. To the point that There is spoils slower than those of Formula 2. The reason is that electrification will become 45% of the total power that a car can deliver (it is currently in 20%) and it is even believed that in a circuit like Monza, the pilot would have to lift the foot at the end of line so as not to end the battery and run out of electrical power for much of what remains circuit. That is especially important next year, since the electric motor will go from delivering a maximum of 120 kW (163 hp) to 350 kW (475 hp). Run without power electric at the end of a line is to be sold for the rest of the return with a very slow car. The way of driving and understanding the car changes radically. “The engine changes completely when braking and curves to produce additional energy, directly feeding on the battery. Therefore, the engine assumes the task of a generator at specific times,” explains Hywel Thomas, responsible for the development of Mercedes engines to Auto Motor Und Sport. That is, at times, the car will act as a series hybrid. That is why some manufacturers have long been moving threads to return the sport to larger engines and reduce the electric weight. He came to talk about returning to the V10whose devastating sound is iconic. Finally, they are pressure to return to the V8. That movement has not liked Honda, who consider that “electrification is a fundamental element To move towards a sustainable future, “making it clear that they do not wait for them if this happens. And he didn’t like Audi either. The company of the four hoops will have a car next year on the grill but the Germans say that ” Hybrid power units It was a key factor “for the company to launch into the pool. They have stressed that “the new regulation was planned for 2026 and beyond”. Returning to V8 is a setback for brand investments just over two years seen. And his message was clear: the V8 “was not for what we came here.” A message that clashes frontally with a good part of the manufacturers. In Motorpasion They collected months ago Ferrari, Ford and Cadillac (Ford will supply Red Bull engines and Cadillac will have its own equipment) They already supported the idea of returning to the V10 engines. And, without committing, Mercedes launched the message in China that “we have an open mind. We are prepared for any engine.” Everything this mess tells us about the industry What is being played with the next big change of regulations is much further than simply, the engines that the cars will use in the competition. It is no accident that Honda and Audi, firms that in their street cars are betting on the electrificationoppose the return of large V8 engines, in the worst stage for them, V10. Nor is it accidental that firms such as Ferrari, Ford and Cadillac support this second scenario. Or that Mercedes does not see him with bad eyes. Already in 2023Christian Horner, Mandamás de Red Bull that recently has been firedhe said that “maybe we return to some V8 or V10 that are totally sustainable. It would be fantastic!” This supposed sustainability goes through the use of 100% synthetic fuels, an idea that would have to go hand in hand if you want to reduce the electrification volume. The key here is that F1 is still seen as a laboratory. The jump to hybridization with the V6 Turbo was designed for manufacturers to explode what they learned with the MGU-H in its street vehicles. However, this component is really expensive and has barely had development out of the competition. With this failure in mind, Ferrari, Ford and Cadillac press to return to the V8 engines. The Italian company aspires to Synthetic fuels are part of its essence in the future. And it also has in mind continue developing large engines combustion since they will allow you to continue selling … Read more

make Tesla the most hated electric car manufacturer

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Until a few months ago, Tesla was considered one of the most admired and innovative companies in the automotive industry, highlighting among the brands preferred by consumers. However, a Recent study It shows a radical change in the public perception of the brand that reveals that Tesla has become the manufacturer of electric vehicles most hated by consumers. Something that I would explain the fall in the delivery of vehicles of 14% that Tesla has registered In your second quarter accounts. They are not cars, it is their brand. This change in consumers’ opinion is largely linked to consumer’s fed up for constants Failure promises of the brand regarding functions such as FSD (Full Self-Driving) and, above all, to Elon Musk’s political role. The study ‘Electric vehicle intelligence report’which survey more than 8,000 people in spring and summer of 2025, has revealed that Tesla occupies the last position of popularity in a list of 19 manufacturers of electric vehicles. 39% of respondents have a negative opinion about the brand, a percentage that exceeds that of other electric car manufacturers such as General Motors, Kia or Ford, who share only 13% of negative perception each. Buyers have lost their trust. The report indicates that “Tesla’s brand reputation continues in Declive. The industry leader remains in serious Consumer problemsas demonstrated by the lowest positive net perception (-13) registered in our data to date, as well as the highest total percentage of distrust (48%) and the lowest intensity of trust (-19) among all brands of electric vehicles surveyed. “ In this context, no matter if Tesla builds tomorrow the Best market electric carif it does not come back to Gain trust of its potential buyers. Tesla is not interested. The report highlights the skepticism of consumers towards the proposals of the brand fruit of the unfulfilled promises that your CEO He has been doing for decades and have not yet materialized. The result no longer shows interest in Brand news. When asking the participants for the new Robotaxi service That the brand is testing in Austin, most respondents initially did not know the service. After reading An informative article Posted in The Wall Street Journal50% expressed rejection of service use and 53% were concerned about Your safety and reliabilityafter the Mortal accidents with autopilot and that they are taking the company before the courts. A turning point. According to The annual survey Harris poll 100 axios, in 2021 Tesla enjoyed An enviable reputationrecognized as the ninth brand most appreciated by the American public. This remained well into 2024, at which time it fell to 65th of 100, coinciding with the political positioning of Elon Musk when he announced that he would support the Donald Trump’s candidacy. From that moment on, Tesla’s popularity did nothing but fall. After the role of Musk at the head of Doge’s cuts, Tesla’s reputation has not stopped down and is now in 95 of 100. Spacex starred in a similar decline. Not only consumers, but also shareholders. The report also asked Tesla’s shareholders, revealing that 61% of participants want Elon Musk Stop getting involved in politics and concentrate on the direction of the company. 51% of Tesla surveyed shareholders want Musk to spend more time to Tesla. When asking them about Musk’s political role, 12% ensures that they prefer to remain involved in government activities, while 43% consider that Your Doge departure It was positive for Tesla. In Xataka | The return to Elon Musk’s policy has been very celebrated by Tesla investors. For investors to losses, of course Image | Flickr (Gage Skidmore), Unspash (Dmitry Novikov)

Mazda wants to reinvent the electric car with an electric car that is not entirely electric. In China they have improved the idea

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An electric that is not electric. Or that, at least, it is not completely electric. In Spain we are not very accustomed to seeing extended rank electric cars, a proposal that makes a lot of sense in some conditions and that they want to exploit in China. A proposal that Mazda already put on the table. What is an EREV? Extended Ranger Electric Vehicle, for its acronym in English. Or extended autonomy electric vehicle, How we know him in Spain. They are particular electric cars because they are halfway between the plug and electric hybrid. In general, it is a car designed by and to be used as an electric car on a day -to -day basis. Unlike a plug -in hybrid where when the battery is over the car works like a hybrid to use, the idea with the EREV is to always have the feeling that we are using an electric car. It would be something like an electric with a “emergency” combustion engine. Mazda is clear. Although in the market we have seen some other incursion, perhaps the company that has emphasized the system is Mazda. Although the Mazda 6e He is going well in sales and can be a hard rival for him Tesla Model 3 In Europe, the Japanese have insisted on several occasions that they are not completely clear that the future must be exclusively electric. He Mazda Ionic spfor now, only a prototype, affects this idea of extended autonomy electric. Designed for completely electrical use but with a small rotary engine that allows you to pull it when you need to work with gasoline. If, for example, we want to leave the weekend and make a mountain port. Although it has not been a great success, the idea has already explored it with the Mazda MX-30an electric of very contained autonomy (just over 200 kilometers on the highway) to which a rotary engine that recharges the battery when it is emptied. Thus, the engine acts as an electricity generator but is still decoupled from the wheels so the touch is the same as with an electric. Works in that case as a series hybrid. Why do they insist? When Mazda has influenced the disadvantages of the electric car, he has emphasized two issues: Large batteries are more expensive: Following Toyota’s philosophy of 1-6-90Mazda specifies that a battery to give autonomies of hundreds of kilometers forces them to make prices more than they would like. Large batteries are heavier: and that threatens its philosophy of Light Sports rather than powerful. That is why they prefer to explore the combination of two engines (thermal and electrical) for a possible new sports launch and that is why they bet on a rotating, very compact and low weight engine. In China they buy it. Mazda is not alone in this idea. As we said, in Europe we have already seen cases such as Mazda MX-30 but in its day BMW also tried with a BMW I3 Rexa car that was undoubtedly an advanced in his time. In Spain you can also buy the LEAPMOTOR C10 REEVa Chinese car distributed by Stellantis that has this peculiar technology. And in China these cars are the most common. They are vehicles that enter the Nev category (which in the country covers plug -in hybrids and electric). They have a multitude of options and even It has been rumored that the next Xiaomi will set up this structure. The advantages, as we said, smaller batteries (lower price) and electric touch. Or take it to the next level. But the last step of an EREV is to ensure that yes or yes, it becomes an electric for 99% of situations and that the combustion engine really provides support exclusively in emergency situations. This is what It will present the Chinese company IM Motors next August. Your proposal It is that of a 66 kWh battery car, equal to or superior to many electric cars that are already sold as an option for day -to -day Peugeot E-3008 It exceeds it by little, with 73 kWh). It is what they call an outstanding “super rank” car because, without intervening the electric motor, I would already deliver 450 kilometers of autonomy (according to the Chinese homologation cycle). And with all the advantages of an electric. Because the idea is not only that the car works almost as an exclusive electric vehicle or that the touch of it is the electricity even if it has a combustion engine pushing, the battery may work at 800 voltsso extremely high recharges are expected. The recharge power has not yet been revealed but the 800 V batteries allow to exceed 250 kW, powers that in Spain are unusual and available at a few points but are more than usual in China. In fact, IM Motors will be the company that offers the extended rank electricity with the largest market capacity but only a few months ago than Catl already put on the table The same structures with 4C ultra -grape load, that is, that can multiply the battery capacity by four. n The case of IM Motors, will have to load more than 264 kW of power to match the load of the catl option. Photo | Im Motors and Mazda In Xataka | Hybrid, plug or electric hybrid: which to buy depending on the use and advantages of each

Tricks to use car air conditioning in the most efficient way

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Summer, 40 degrees in the shade and desire to return home to throw us the deserved nap that we all deserve when we come from taste a paella. The same one that can be indigented if we ride in the car and do not apply some simple tricks to cool the cabin as soon as possible. Here is the difference between cope with the return home or make the car seat a real hell. First of all, be foresee. You cannot always but it is evident that the longer the car passes in the shade, the better it will go later. Keep in mind that if there are extreme temperatures on the street, these are much higher inside our car, overheated without an escape to come out all that hot air. Therefore, before leaving the car to his fate, he tries to leave it under a shadow and, whenever possible, with the parasol placed. The RACC calculates That when the sun makes its own, the interior temperature of the car can rise at up to 20 degrees. Especially in those cars with black upholstery. Then, A parasol helps reduce temperature Interior in up to 11 degrees, what we like to reduce the suffocating heat as soon as possible. Also, small Offtopic, Heat can damage the dashboard materials. The windshield makes of magnifying glass and the temperature that the upper plastics reach can be very high. With a parasol we will reduce the risk of premature wear such as the steering wheel “peel” and lose part of the plastic or break the leather that covers it. The Japanese “trick”. Some time ago what was called as “the Japanese trick” was viral. The truth is that I could carry the word “trick” but The Japanese thing seemed a bit free. Anyway, the case is that it works. If you get to the car and you are burning, it is a good idea to lower the windows and open the doors for a few minutes. Thus the hot air will escape little by little from the inside. To accelerate this process, what we can do is take a couple of doors and “fan” with them the car. Moving them with some momentum we will generate a current of air that will lower the temperature faster. Click on the image to go to the original post “The first thing, go down the windows”. If, on the contrary, you want or need to get the car as soon as possible, Juan José, one of the Ebenezer workshops mechanics that follow more than 300,000 people in Tiktok, more than 300,000 people, recommends That “the first thing, when riding you, is to lower all the windows of the car.” The council follows the same logic that before but is applied in motion, during the first meters, the car in progress generates an air stream that will help the heat escape from the interior and the temperature is reduced as soon as possible. What is recommended is that when we win speed, Let’s keep the driver or passenger window open and the opposite. If we keep all the windows at the same time open or only one of them we generate that annoying noise caused by the displacement of the air inside the car. The air, up or down? It is one of the big doubts. Juan José recommends putting the cold air down, “towards the feet” because “the cold air weighs more and the hot air will tend to climb and go through the windows.” Indeed, Cold air weighs More so it is interesting to put this system into practice as long as we keep the windows of the car open a few meters. In this way, it will help air the interior. Of course, then Juan José talks about climbing the cold air to the roof. Although in the video it is not mentioned, this should be done when we have already closed the windows. The idea is that the air that escapes for them is hot and if we have them open and put the air to the ceiling, it will escape part of that cold air. With them closed, the cold air “falls” to being denser and cools before the air conditioning. Maintenance. Finally, do not forget that all this works as long as we have done adequate maintenance. Before going on a trip, it’s always good take an eye on filters To have them in the best state, which will help us to cool more and breathe a better quality air. Likewise, if the car cools little, it may be due to problems with the load of air conditioning gas. Similarly, it is important to review it before summer because, if you do not, you can find that All workshops are completely full. Photo | Verse engine and Xataka In Xataka | Solving one of the great debates of the summer: if the car consumes more with air conditioning or not

Hybrids have become the best selling car in Spain. Now we know how much it costs to change your battery: a lot

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35.35% of the cars sold in Spain are hybrid. Last yearthe category of hybrids is the one that enrolled most vehicles and right now no other shades in our country. With June datain our country 254,604 hybrid cars have enrolled, by the 192,447 gasoline cars, the second category most purchased in our country. That has been possible by the little trick of the Microhíbridosthat add a small electric battery of very small dimensions, which slightly reduce consumption but, basically, allow manufacturers electrify models with very little investment. That investment, however, adds complexity to the whole. That is, greater problems if we have to make a repair. Because it is not only to replace a battery. In relation to its size, changing the battery of a hybrid is very expensive. And contrary to what we would expect, we will have to leave more money the smaller the battery. Small battery, large cost That is what the International Energy Agency That it states that last year, the average price of a 20 kWh battery pack for a plug -in hybrid had a cost similar to a 65 kWh electric car battery. This is explained for various reasons. The first is that in the report itself it is highlighted that the price of batteries for electric cars in China has been significantly reduced, falling the cost by 30%, compared to 10-15% on average that has fallen in Europe and the United States. Taking into account that China is the country where more electric cars are boughtthis has significantly decreased the average global price of batteries. The second reason is that the battery, large or small, have components that do not vary and, in addition, those of a plug -in hybrid need higher energy and energy density requirements because they are required more power (in relation to their size), which makes the product more expensive. The problem is that, as our partners of Motorpasionthis scale in reverse. The battery of a hybrid is more expensive to that of a plug -in for the same reasons indicated above. Adding that, in addition, many plug -in hybrids are bought (they enter the electric category), which reduces its price global medium. But non -plug -in hybrids are not bought so those prices are not reduced. And everything gets exaced when we get to cars Mildhybrid Or light hybrids, those that carry a small battery of 48 volts (or even 24 volts) and are already indicated as hybrid vehicles. In that case, the average cost of battery replacement is 2,000 euros but in some cars it approaches 3,000 euros if we add the labor. In MotorpasionThey put some interesting examples with 48 volt batteries. For example, within the Volkswagen Group, changing the Audi A6, A7 and Q8 or their sports versions S and RS entails an expense of 3,000 euros, of which 2,500 euros are taken by the battery. In a Volvo XC60, the change in this component entails the disbursement of about 2,000 euros. Prices are not as expensive as in non -plug -in hybrids but when we look at the price to disburse in relation to battery size. For example, the 1.2 kWh battery assembled by the Renault Clio, Captur, Arkana and Symbioz (But also the Dacia Jogger and Duster) It costs 3,500 euros in the official network of the brand. And if we go to the battery that rides the Renault Rafale1.7 kWh, we are already talking about about 4,000 euros. That is, the KWH price of this last case is 2,352 euros but, as we have seen, with that money in some cars of the Volkswagen group we would not change the 48 volt battery and in the case of the Volvo XC60 we would barely have money. In addition to all of the above, it must be taken into account that the replacement of the batteries is usually carried out in official workshops, so the cost of labor is usually superior. At the moment, there are not many independent workshops that are specialized in this type of breakdowns and although the data says that They are growingthe offer remains limited. Photo | In Xataka | I’ve been trying electric cars for years. I bought one of combustion for a single reason

China has broken the electric car deck with brutally fast recharges. So much that autonomy is already the least

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When Jim Farley returned from China, several lessons were brought under his arm. Almost that it doesn’t matter when you read this because, with each visit to China of the Ford CEO, Farley always takes care of airing everything he has learned there. Among what has been learned, one day he questioned the real importance of the unacabable autonomies for an electric car. Taking into account that the battery size of an electric car remains a Too much spiny matter When lowering cars, Farley pointed out that his strategy for the future went through Manufacture small electric electric Because as soon as the price was put more battery. “If you have batteries like that, you can’t make money,” argued In reference to gigantic battery cars, the same ones that promise autonomies of many hundreds of kilometers and that, in the face of the future, promise to reach 1,000 kilometers between recharges. Farley has been a critical voice with those gigantic electric cars but is not the only one that has been expressed in those terms. Mazda, for example, made the same reflection Some time ago, focusing that large batteries raised the costs of the car … and its weight, a red line that the Japanese company has always tried to dodge. Although the approach was not exactly the same in the form (the Japanese study incorporating extended range versions With engines Combustion rotatingas they have done with the MX-30), in the background they did show that the bet should be another: contained autonomies but with systems that will stretch them in a simple way. Either with very fast recharges or, in the case of Mazda, with a small combustion engine that can save you at any time. In China they think something similar. While there are two clearly defined paths and one of them is committed to huge batteries, others are clear that they must get the fastest possible charges to offer an attractive electric car to the general public. Byd is one of them. But it is not the only one. More kilometers or faster When last week we attended the presentation of the Mazda 6eI felt that the press conference we attend with a bittersweet aftertaste and a more or less clear idea with everyone with whom I spoke. The completely electric Berlina, which Mazda has created with Changan, is sold with a 68.8 kWh battery or a second of 80 kWh. This last option seemed ideal for those who wanted Use your car to travel comfortably. If we suppose a consumption of 20 kWh/100 km, the first will not reach 350 kilometers between recharges and the second one would touch the 400 kilometers of a single sitting. However, the first battery can be loaded at a maximum of 165 kW of power, going from 10 to 80% in 24 minutes. The second, on the other hand, cannot do it at more than 90 kW, limiting that rapid recharge from 10 to 80% to 47 minutes. The general impression, so I talked to the fellow journalists, is that we would all sacrifice those 50 kilometers of autonomy if that would allow us to stop almost 25 minutes less when plugging the hose. Everyone seemed to us that a 90 kW recharge is not up to a car with aspirations to be an electric supervent. In ByD they have a similar impression and their bet is determined: Ultra -grape rechargesat the pace of filling a gas tank even if you have to stop once more. Although for now, They assured usits 1 MW recharge was mainly intended for heavy transport, they aspire to be an attractive solution for their own customers, with launches of more cars (right now they have two that admit this power) that can make use of these loaders. His approach is that the by and tang l can recover 400 kilometers of autonomy in five minutes. I would dare to say that the vast majority of drivers need or prefer to make a small stop before covering that distance. Huawei is one of them. The technological presented a few months ago A 1.5 MW recharge. Again, it is a very interesting formula for heavy transport but, to put it in perspective, a car with a large 100 kWh battery could be completely filled in five minutes if it did not have the obvious power restrictions so as not to be completely damaged. In spite of everything, if a manufacturer offers energy accumulators as resistant as those of Byd, filling a battery of this size should not take more than 10-15 minutes. Although Byd has filled headlines since he presented this load system, they are not the only ones. In April, Catl also presented a recharge system capable of overcoming that of the company of Stella Li, vice president of Byd than in Coach has defended these recharge systems against Autonomies of a thousand kilometers and said they aspire to bring them to Europe. In the interview he said that “they don’t give me more than 300 kilometers because I don’t want to pay the cost (of a greater battery).” Although I understand why Stella Li defends this approach, I also understand that Western manufacturers continue to prefer to offer much higher autonomies in order to sell as a purchase value. Perhaps 300 kilometers are fair but firmly believe that more than 350-400 kilometers of autonomy are needed in an electric car if the recharge network is powerful enough. I believe it with loaders of more than 150 kW, let’s not say with those plugs (and cars) that allow recharges at 1,000 kW. Despite this, There is something cultural In Stella Li’s words. You have to understand that China is a country so big that long trips They are usually done by plane or bullet train. The cities are so large that they favor adoption to the electric car because it is the environment where its virtues are more valued: without noise, without vibrations and … Read more

The Ave to Andalusia seemed a perfect alternative to the car this summer. Has encountered a problem called Toledo

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We are on July 14, summer trips to the south of Spain multiply. High speed had to offer a quick exit to the sea from Madrid, connected to Malaga by trains of up to three different companies. But, in what we have been from the month, the problems have multiplied until thinking that the usual is already suffering some type of delay. Catastrophic misfortunes. In case their own problems were their own, this weekend Spanish high speed has suffered more and more delays. Even for reasons that have nothing to do with the trains themselves. Catalonia and suspensions or delays caused by heavy rains They are a good sample of this. But the worst part, again, takes Andalusia. The Autonomous Community has had a first look in July to forget. After 15 days in which the delays have been a constant, yesterday, Sunday, July 13, A fire next to the tracks Among the Cordoba municipalities of La Marota and Santaella cut the circulation again. In total, only Renfe already registered 10 modifications at his schedules. In the afternoon, at 5:49 p.m. they pointed out that The circulation would gradually restore. Own problems. The fire next to the tracks has only been the drop that has filled the glass of a weekend that had already registered problems on Saturday. An incidence in the Adif facilities again caused delays in trains that were directed on the way Andalusia or Madrid. Again, a good handful of trains recorded delays of more than an hour on the ferrous roads of the Andalusian region. The incidence in the facilities was found in the vicinity of La Sagra (Toledo), where at the beginning of July the biggest Ferroviaro problem was recorded in these first two weeks of the month. 13 hours arrested. Julio began his journey in summer in a very worrying way in southern Spain. Thousands of passengers (it is estimated that more than 16,000 people) were affected by a problem in the lines that extended for more than a day. The problem caused a collapse in the high -speed line that resulted in the suspension of services and The stop (without assistance) of more than 13 hours of a train that ended up meeting the night. Over there, An old woman had to be treated For respiratory failure. Many reproaches … Since that stop happened in high Andalusian speed, the government, Adif and Ouigo have been sent Cross messages for the problems caused. The origin of the fault He was in a disconnection of an ouigo train with the signal recognition system, mandatory to continue operating. His stop forced to stop the trains that circulated below. The cluster of vehicles caused an over -line over the line that resulted in a fault of a Renfe train. The latter did not unwill for a problem in their own systems that force disconnection to avoid breakdowns in case of over -overdraft. Ouigo has not rejected his involvement in the incident but he did defend himself from The words of María Jesús MonteroMinister of Finance and Vice President of the Government, to whom open microphones captured her criticizing the company. The French blamed Adif that Insphorastructure had to endure unforeseen Like these. … And few solutions. After the chaos of the first days of summer, Adif announced that he would carry out an emergency action on the line and that he got to work to identify the weak points of the Andalusian connection. A movement that Ouigo pointed out how insufficient. Those actions They were going to be carried out in La Sagra. Yes, exactly at the same point where the over -the end of the month of July was produced that ended with all the circulation stopped for more than 13 hours. There, ADIF plans to perform an emergency action by changing the location of various elements of the catenary. Two weeks later, trains stand up again in the same place. Photo | Nelso Silva In Xataka | Ouigo has partially retired from Madrid-Barcelona. Then, prices have struck in Andalusia

I thought I had a problem with the ABS of my car, but it caught me in surprise to see that it was something completely unexpected: rats

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The ABS light flashing on the dashboard is never a good sign. Almost none Witter of the dashboard It is, but when the engine witness also adds, you start imagining four -digit figures in the workshop budget. The funny thing is that when I took my car to fix it, I discovered something that I never imagined what would happen: The rats ended up biting several cables Internal of my car. The initial diagnosis. When I arrived at the workshop with the warning lights on, the mechanic, after an inspection of the car, assured me that I could change everything The ABS system. A new one for my Seat Ibiza TDI 1.9 of 2005 can be a rather important expense, one of those expenses that you think if you better pass it, since it is dangerously approaches the price through which I could sell the car today. The price of the second -hand and scrapping ABS system, the thing changes. One can lead normally if the ABS does not work, but it is a risk for security, since it compromises the emergency braking and we do not have that help that the car gives us at critical moments, allowing our brakes to end up blocking. The real problem. After almost a week in the workshop and a more detailed inspection, the mechanic discovered the authentic cause of the failure: the ABS system cables and some that communicate with the engine They had been bitten. It was not a normal wear or component failure, but the rats had been roying the car cables. For a rat, gnawing cables and objects that are in its path is their day to day, since their teeth do not stop growing throughout their lives and need some means to polish their teeth. What a pity they had to run into my car. Unexpected, but in a way, relieved. What seemed like a serious problem with the brake system and the emergency light of the engine was solved with a cable repair. The joke came out for about 120 euros. A considerable relief compared to the complete change of the ABS that initially the mechanic had raised. From the workshop they repaired the damaged cables and the dashboard warning indicators were turned off. The background problem. Now the real challenge is not in the car, but in the garage. It is a private garage under a floors building where several vehicles park. Days before I had already seen a rat that was shot from under my car to a hole that is right next to my parking space. From the workshop they recommended preventive measures such as spraying in the vain motor or placing camphor balls, especially useful when the car remains a long time stopped. Of course, this should be done with the car standing and cold. I bought the spray as a temporary measure until they finished solving the hole in the garage. And now what. The priority is to cover the garage hole where the rats access, since the alternative remedies will be of little if the problem persists right next where I appear. Fortunately, it seems that garage insurance will cover the workshop spending, which good news for that part. In addition, we are already mobilizing the community to solve the problem of rats. I could have changed their garage directly, although things are not currently to make this decision lightly. We will see what everything is left. Cover image | Michael Fusert and Svetozar Cenisev In Xataka | The best -selling cars in 2024 and 2025 in Spain

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