Archive for June, 2020
How will Self-Driving Vehicles co-exist with Ridesharing?
In one corner of the ring, we have the arch nemesis of taxi drivers and motoring manufacturers – the ridesharing phenomenon. In the other corner, we have the antihero of all ‘motorheads’ – the self-driving car. But as consumers and pundits alike take sides in this battle to determine the future direction of driving, is it possible the two will co-exist and operate in harmony?
On the one hand, ridesharing has been around for several years now and is far from a new concept. As each year goes by, more and more players look to penetrated this market, and car pooling has long been a community thing in the likes of the US, allowing people to share costs, and reduce the burden on the environment, by riding together. In the US alone, more than 15 million consumers are anticipated to use P2P transportation each year.
With this head start, we’ve seen a change in consumer perception – moving slowly towards acceptance. Governments (and airports) have also been required to keep up to speed – from the US to Australia, more states are legalising ridesharing, which is encouraging the entry of further businesses to offer services. Of course, there are still some governments that oppose the operation of ridesharing services based on a financial arrangement – but even in these locations, the public often has a differing viewpoint.
But for all its growth, will the P2P ridesharing system inevitably reach a point of maturity and saturation? Is that the point at which self-driving vehicles are best placed to enter the market?
For its part, fully autonomous vehicles are, realistically, years away from becoming accessible to the public – let alone mainstream. Although countless manufacturers, and tech companies, are working on various iterations with some capacity for self-driving, there are still numerous hurdles for businesses to clear before being in a position where they can begin to market fully autonomous vehicles – from public infrastructure to vehicle development, driver education to local regulations, there are still challenges ahead, even after years of work.
When fully autonomous cars do eventually get through the rigorous testing hurdles in place, they will be limited to a niche audience – ultimately, those who want the convenience of being transported from point to point. Even more relevant, however, this audience may be further divided into those that want their own vehicle and privacy, and others who may be open to sharing.
Thus, it is this dilemma which will test manufacturers as to whether the ridesharing concept and self-driving car can co-exist in harmony, not least of which the consideration that it could come at their own detriment. After all, a ridesharing concept is only going to decrease the number of vehicles on the roads and reduce ownership levels, which in turn pushes down production volumes and hurts manufacturers profits. Will they be able to make up their lost profits elsewhere? Unlikely. What could turn out to be just as likely, however, is a case of ‘survival of the fittest’, where those with a finger in each pie come out on top – in which case, our motoring future could be shaped by tech giants. Tesla has already transformed itself into one, what’s stopping others from doing the same?
One thing is for certain, driving for the mainstream consumer won’t be the same in the long-term future!
Winter Is Coming…
OK, it’s the stark truth (groan!) that winter isn’t just coming; it’s already here by some accounts. Unless you’re one of the people who consider winter to start properly on the shortest day of the year, aka the winter solstice coming up on June 21. No matter when you think that winter starts, there’s no doubt that it’s getting colder and the days are getting shorter (more noticeable in some states than in others) so you will need to get your car ready to cope with the conditions.
To stay safe while driving in winter, here are a few small but very important tasks you need to take care of so that you can drive as safely in winter as you do in summer (and all other times of the year)…
Update Your Wiper Blades. At this time of year, there will be more rain and there will be more condensation getting all over your windows. In some parts of the country, there could be frost on the windscreen as well. There are few things as annoying as switching on your windscreen wipers (or having them turn on automatically if you have rain-sensing tech in your vehicle) only to find that the wipers aren’t as hard and sharp as they ought to be. This is blimmin’ dangerous for your visibility, so change your wiper blades sooner rather than later.
Clean Your Windscreen Inside And Out: When the sun is higher in the sky, you don’t really notice the filmy grime on the inside of your windscreen as well as outside it. However, when the sun is at a lower angle, as it does during winter at the beginning and end of the day, especially in the more southern parts of the country, any dirt on the windscreen can cause problems with sunstrike. Although there’s absolutely nothing you can do about the angle of the sun as you drive short of moving to the Northern Territory or the top of Queensland, you can make sure that your windscreen is properly clean to reduce the visibility hazard. Dirt comes back like an embarrassing disease, so keep a soft cloth in the glovebox for emergency cleans.
Check Tread Depth: That complex pattern that forms the tread of your tyres is designed not just to provide enough traction and grip to let you turn a corner or stop without skidding. It’s also designed to channel water out through all those lines so you don’t aquaplane. A tyre with its full tread depth can shift around 30 L of water per second. If the tread isn’t quite as deep, that’s a lot more water down there between you and the road, reducing friction during stopping. Winter is certainly not the time to have worn tyres with barely legal tread. No excuses now – it’s not like you have to put on ice tyres (in fact, given that these don’t perform very well in the wet, you probably shouldn’t).
Check Your Antifreeze: You want to make sure that things are flowing freely in your radiator system during winter and not just because it stops your radiator from seizing up and being damaged, which spells death to a car with an internal combustion engine. The radiator system is what drives the interior heating system of the car. If you’ve ever ridden in an old car that didn’t have a properly working heater, you’ll know how important having good cabin temperature is in winter.
Stash A Throw In The Boot: If your car heater is working, it’s easy to forget how chilly it is outside on a nasty cold winter day. If you have stop and wait in your car for any length of time, whether you’re doing a little stargazing or whether you’re waiting for the breakdown services to arrive, running your heater for ages is an easy way to flatten the battery. Keep one of those cheap polar fleece throws in the boot as an extra layer to keep you warm in these situations. You may think that you’ll never use it but there will always be that one time when someone gets soaked through or forget a jacket, and it will come in handy.
As always, drive to the conditions and take extra care when it’s wet or icy!
Car Review: 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed PHEV.
This Car Review Is About: A vehicle from a mainstream car maker that provides a technology still all too rare. Hybrid tech of its own right is becoming widespread, however the plug-in part is still uncommon. The Outlander from Mitsubishi is an all too rare opportunity to sample an option in drivetrain tech that perhaps could become a little more common with time. In PHEV form it’s strictly a five seater too.
How Much Does It Cost?: The Outlander falls into the medium SUV category. There are three PHEV variants, being the ES and ES ADAS (higher trim levels) and the Exceed. This starts from $56,390 plus on-road costs. At the time of writing, a drive-away cost of $60,390 was advertised.
Under The Bonnet Is: The opportunity to drive, theoretically, up to 54 kilometres on a battery only run thanks to a pair of electric motors, one front, one rear connected to a single speed transmission. Otherwise there is a 2.4L petrol engine that charges the battery, and backs up the electrical drive in uphill runs or when the battery is low on charge. There are two charge ports on the right rear quarter and a separate charge cable that plugs into the standard home plug outlet. When the PHEV was first released five years ago it came only with a 15A cable. Thankfully Mitsubishi listened. There is also an app that allows a driver to monitor charging progress and set charging times.
The petrol engine produces 94kW and 199Nm, with the electric engine adding its own 60kW and 70kW via the front and rear mounted motors. Consumption is rated as 1.9L/100km and the tank size is 45L. Our overall figure finished on a creditable 5.8L/100km, and most of that was from charging on the go. The battery itself is of a Lithium-ion mix, with a 13.8kWh capacity, voltage of 300, and 80kW maximum output for the generator. Charging time (80%) on the DC fast charger is is 25 minutes, with seven hours on the cable for home charging.
On The Inside It’s: Time for an update. We’ve reviewed three PHEVs and the Outlander platform is aging. Gracefully, yes, but aging. The ergonomics are no longer suitable and the look and feel is obviously older compared to its opposition. There’s been barely any changes since the last model and that’s minor tweaks to the centre console around the fore and aft drive selector, a rejig of the touchscreen and the way the seat material is laid over the frames.
The dash is a slab, there are buttons hidden by the steering wheel including the Start/Stop and information button, and it’s all just a bit out of step with the competition. Faux grey coloured carbon-fibre is laid on the passenger side of the dash, the centre console and underneath the aircon controls. There is the usual assortment of cup and bottle holders, plus auto headlights and auto wipers.
Cargo wise there is 463L of space, down slightly on the normal five seater. This is thanks to a slightly higher cargo deck that sits over the battery and houses a compartment for tyre goo in the case of a puncture, plus the plug-in charger cable and indicator box. The rear axle houses a motor also, and this contributes to the height as well. There is a 12V outlet for this area though and the rear door is powered.
Five seats is what the Outlander PHEV packs, and they’re also in need of an update. This is more to the material used as padding, as there’s more a sense of sitting on, not in, the pews.
On The Outside It’s: Getting closer to the angular shape of siblings AS, Triton, and Pajero Sport. There’s still the rounded, slightly bulbous shape that’s wrapped Outlander for well over a half decade now, but the nose has the look of the rest of the team. One would expect that the next update will drop the ovoid look and bring it more into line with the others.
Wheels are high gloss alloys and of a 25 spoke design. Rubber is 225/55/18 and from the Toyo Proxes range. Access to the two charging ports is via a flap on the right rear quarter, with fuel on the left rear.
On The Road It’s: A good mix of electric propulsion for, as it turned out in the real world, around 45 kilometres. The driver’s display has a graphic that shows the charge level of the battery and any regeneration charge being fed back in. It’s a push button start system and there’s a couple of faint clicks and whirrs as the system gets ready. A flick of the drive selector to the right and a fore or aft movement for Reverse of Drive, and that’s as complicated as it gets.
Unless the right foot is super heavy or heading uphill, the PHEV is a purely electric vehicle. There’s virtually no noise from the drivetrain, but plenty from the rubber, even on smooth road surfaces. As the charge level drops and heads towards maybe 10%, the petrol engine kicks in and tops up charge ever so gently. On the fly a driver can press a console tab to charge or use a Save Battery mode which entails the petrol engine kicking in and out as required. The swap-in and swap-out is almost seamless, with bare hints of vibration and a dull background drone the indications of the change.
The steering is leaden, heavy, and as the drive indicators don’t show torque split, it feels as if it’s a heavily front wheel drive oriented machine. The suspension is also super tight, with most of the smaller road surface niggles absorbed by the tyre sidewalls, not the suspension. The brake is also numb, a curious sensation given the regenerative ability of the system itself.
Acceleration is somewhere between not bad and slightly leisurely. A dry weight, befoer passengers etc, of just under 1.9 tonnes would have that effect… Even when the petrol engine kicks in, it’s an easy-going, unhurried affair. The single speed transmission does a sterling job too, coping admirably with the demands of either or when it comes to switching between the two power sources.
What About Safety?: Ultrasonic misacceleration Mitigation System is standard in the Exceed, as are Blind Sport Warning, Lane Change Assist, and Rear Cross Traffic Alert. Adapative Cruise Control with a simple push button to adjust, and a 360 degree camera system are also standard. Seven is the count for airbags.
What About Warranty And Service? Warranty is five years and capped price servicing applies. Service intervals are 12 months or 15,000kms. Conditions and further details can be found here.
At The End Of The Drive. Mitsubishi deserve accolades for their PHEV push. Hyundai have the Ioniq, itself an attractive proposition with electric, hybrid, and PHEV, variants Toyota doesn’t offer a PHEV. And with a real and usable range of around 40km, the Outlander PHEV is absolutely ideal for city running, and with the occasional dip into the petrol tank by using the engine to charge on the go, an easy 60+ , more than enough for most users, it’s perfect. But expect that on any other route consumption will increase.
There are other areas of mild “concern” too. The steering has no life, the dash is really showing its age, and the exterior is now the only member of the current Mitsubishi that lacks the truly hard edged “shield grille” design. And at $60K, buyers will look towards newer and competitively priced products, irrespective of fuel savings.
Outlander PHEV details are here.
Points On The Dial: 2021 Jeep Compass Released.
Jeep has announced release details of their forthcoming Compass range, complete with updates and a new entry-level model. There are also changes to the back of house procedures for service.
Models and Pricing Structure.
The Night Eagle is the new addition and kickstarts the revamped range. Power comes from the 129kW 2.4L TigerShark four, driving the front wheels via a six speed auto. It’ll start from $36,950 (plus ORC) and has optional Premium paint at $645. The same engine will power the Limited via a nine speed auto and all wheels will be spun. $42,950 (plus ORC) is the starting price. A black roof will be available at $545.
The S-Limited comes in next with the same drivetrain and starts from $45,950 (plus ORC) and will have the black roof and a dual-pane sunroof at no charge. the levels trim out with a diesel powered Trailhawk at $49,450. Peak power here is 125kW and it’s the tried and proven 4×4 system. The sunroof is a $1,950 option. The Premium paints are listed as: Vocal White, Brilliant Black, Grey Magnesio, Mojave Sand, and Minimal Grey.
Night Eagle comes well specified for an entry level vehicle. It will feature Blind Spot Monitoring and Rear Cross Path Detection. There will also be, as standard, Forward Collision Warning Plus, and Jeep’s Parksense Rear Park Assist System. There will also be a ParkView Reverse Parking Camera. Wheels are 18 inch alloys, there will be seven airbags, digital radio and Android & Apple apps.
Limited ups the ante, with an even more comprehensive list. The drivetrain has the Jeep Selec-Terrain Traction Management System and will roll on 19 inch alloys. Leather pews will seat the passengers, with the driver having a 8 way powered unit whilst looking at a 7.0 inch display screen, and sound will come from a premium 9 speaker setup including a punchy subwoofer. 
Engine ignition is via a Start/Stop system, with extra safety coming from front and rear park sensors. Driver assistance is from the Parallel and Perpendicular Park Assist. Exterior changes also see Bi-xenon headlights and LED rear lights, plus the rear tailgate is powered.
Head to the S-Limited and there is 19 inch Granite Alloys, and Granite Crystal exterior highlights. Inside there will be black leather seats and stitched in Tungsten Accent. Exterior choices can be from the standard Colorado Red or choose from the Premium paints listed earlier.
Trailhawk has the fabled Trail Rated badging, and will feature Jeep’s Active Drive Low 4×4 System and the Selec-Terrain with Rock Mode. In order tp deal with getting dirty, there is the Off-Road Suspension with Raised Ride Height. It will have bespoke fascias for each end and the black anti-glare bonnet decal. The tow hooks are hi-vis red. Getting dirty doesn’t mean pain is a given, so Jeep ensure a return journey by fitting four skid skid plates and Hill Descent Control. All weather floor mats and a reversible cargo mat are also standard.
For peace of mind, Jeep has realigned its service rates. A Capped Price service list is now standard, with each new Jeep model purchased having the first five services set at $399 when serviced at Jeep dealership.
Head to the Jeep website for more details.
Level 2, 9 Help Street