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Re:With the 745-Mile Solid-State Battery, Toyota Just Became... by thomastjeffery on Sunday July 23, 2023 @01:28PM (#36837534)
You're talking about a gearbox. Those aren't generally used in EVs, because an electric motor will happily put out tens of thousands of RPMs with plenty of torque at low speeds.
Re:With the 745-Mile Solid-State Battery, Toyota Just Became... by darkclouds on Sunday July 23, 2023 @05:38PM (#36840126)
They arent in EV's the motors are wound to deliver a certain characteristic of a motor, but EV's nearly all have fantastic RPM abilities with max torque available through the entire rev range.

Toyota I think have announced they are simulating a gearbox in one of their new EV's which in my opinion is an admission that EV's are much harder to control because the need to feather the accelerator becomes a necessity unless the rate of acceleration is dialed back by the manufacturer. And then extra acceleration performance sold as an in car purchase like we are now seeing in some cars with heated seats can be sold unless the owner doesnt know someone who can hack the vehicle management system.

But just like many people complained about the brakes of the mk1 and mk2 VW golfs and polos, and porsche's in the 964's and earlier ie pre-ABS brakes, what those people complaining about is exactly how you want your brakes to work like if you dont have or need ABS. I could apply the brakes in such a way, I could have the front passenger side wheel locked up, but the remaining brakes not locked and then feathering the brakes so as to not flat spot the tyre.

Its virtually impossible to do that in todays ABS braking system world and I would always switch the traction control and other systems off because I could react faster than the systems could. Although I have to admit the Mercedes AMG S63 has for over a decade now, have a better braking system which enables the rear end to slide out a bit more around roundabouts in certain conditions, like what is today known as drift mode.

Re:With the 745-Mile Solid-State Battery, Toyota Just Became... by seanmcdirmid on Sunday July 23, 2023 @05:41PM (#36840152)
> which in my opinion is an admission that EV's are much harder to control because the need to feather the accelerator becomes a necessity unless the rate of acceleration is dialed back by the manufacturer

Are you speaking from personal experience here? The accelerator takes some getting used to, but most people adapt in like 30 or so seconds. What Toyota wants is something on an EV that simulates a manual transmission...for people who like sports cars, they like shifting. Sort of like EVs that put a subwoofer under your butt to simulate voom voom engine sounds. These are niche products.

Re:With the 745-Mile Solid-State Battery, Toyota Just Became... by darkclouds on Sunday July 23, 2023 @06:04PM (#36840349)
No not driven an EV yet, I havent seen any that I like, and I hate driving big heavy cars, because they tend to slide off sidewise on bends, so anything over 1500kgs is pushing it for me, which discounts virtually all EV's.
Re:With the 745-Mile Solid-State Battery, Toyota Just Became... by seanmcdirmid on Sunday July 23, 2023 @07:31PM (#36841135)
They are heavy, but the very low center of gravity makes sliding off on bends very difficult.
Re:With the 745-Mile Solid-State Battery, Toyota Just Became... by darkclouds on Monday July 24, 2023 @03:36AM (#36844244)
So how exactly does the higher mass of EV's and lower centre of gravity change the centrifugal and momentum force?

I think Pirelli and Michelin will like to know this one as will half of the experts in physics!

In racing, there is something called Marbles. Now this is debris, typically rolled chucks of rubber thats peeled off tyres on a race track, but on the open road, this will typically be aggregate, chunks of stone that has been released from the road surface.

You find this on the edges of roads or on the outer edge of roundabouts.

These are an absolute nightmare to drive on, but if you have a lightweight car you can drive on these parts of the roundabout fast enough to undertake people who cut across to the inner lane of the roundabout, even in the wet.

I would not dare attempt that in an EV, the car would just just slide off the road. I dont care for the lower center of gravity that much, in fact if its too low it starts to affect the suspension and handling, where the suspension hits the bump stops.

Front wheel drive diesels have this problem over the front axle, where their suspension bottoms out on the bump stops.

Re:With the 745-Mile Solid-State Battery, Toyota Just Became... by yourusername on Monday July 24, 2023 @07:45AM (#36846320)
You're describing undertaking people on roundabouts on wet gravel. Maybe the problem here is your driving style and not so much the handeling of EVs.
Re:With the 745-Mile Solid-State Battery, Toyota Just Became... by darkclouds on Monday July 24, 2023 @07:41PM (#36855765)
Maybe its what I've had to do to avoid people from crashing into me. I've even had someone release what looked like a small deer in front of my car one time from the central reservation armco barrier on an unlit part of a dual carriageway. I think they were hoping I wouldnt see them, and the use of a deer enables a car crash whilst being able to blame it on "wildlife"!

There really are some right royal nutters living here, thats why I hope the porsche night vision system can record these events besides showing up on the dashboard.

Re:With the 745-Mile Solid-State Battery, Toyota Just Became... by seanmcdirmid on Monday July 24, 2023 @12:03PM (#36850114)
> I would not dare attempt that in an EV, the car would just just slide off the road.

Ok, hold up. You have:

1. roundabouts, ok, no problem, we have lots of those, I've never had a problem in an EV.

2. Gutter curbs around roundabouts. Yes driving in those is bad, you'll get a flat tire pretty quickly that way (no matter your car). I used to ride my bike in those and got flats all the time.

3. You want to race around other people in the round about. Ugh, this isn't the USA is it? I'm guessing Russia or China, or some other developing world country?

I think this is a niche case, like doing donuts or drifting.