Teslas' Estimated Range Does Not Reflect Driving Conditions
Not surprised at all that this is the approach Tesla have taken. I've very quickly gone from being a fan to not caring about Tesla at all anymore. And that happened before Musk took over Twitter X. The EV space is moving on, self-driving is nowhere near being achievable from what I've seen and range anxiety / battery health are probably the biggest concerns that are not close to being addressed yet.
What I will say though is that no car in the history of the world has given an accurate range projection (as far as I'm aware). This is not unique to Tesla, but this is awful:
Tesla models get less than half their estimated range.
My own recent experiences with claimed range are tied to two mild-hybrids. Both achieve around 70-75% of the manufacturers advertised economy. Both also adjust their predictions based on recent driving experiences. If I've taken a long journey, and achieved better economy, then the claimed range will be longer than if I've been driving around town.
One car is fairly consistent with what the claimed range is, the other (newer) is pessimistic on a full tank and a little optimistic on half a tank but it basically averages out. Why Tesla wouldn't go this route confuses me. It's surely an easy algorithm for them to implement and to present something tied to reality. WLTP is fine, but I'd much prefer that manufacturers had a pessimistic view on the range available than presenting an optimistic and unrealistic picture that no-one can really achieve.
Take this Mercedes concept vehicle, the Vision EQXX. They shot for 1,000km and hit 1,008km with 140km left in the tank. That is how you address the range of your car.
Posted 28th Jul 2023 @ 09:13
Apple slams UK surveillance-bill proposals
Weakening encryption is not an option, however, maybe one messaging service should take the lead and let politicians/officials use an unencrypted version and then do the obvious... leak the data in all it's glory.
Nothing would be more powerful. Either that, or the government in question needs to propose in verbose detail exactly how this can be achieved. Maybe it's not impossible but it certainly seems that way at the moment without the clear risk of a back door getting into the hands of the wrong people.
While our privacy might be important, too many people seem to think it's a luxury we can do without.
Posted 20th Jul 2023 @ 14:41
Lewis Capaldi on Hot Ones
Even after all these years, Hot Ones continues to be one of those shows I just can't get enough of.
The best episodes are the ones with the biggest characters and/or the ones where the guest suffers and Lewis Capaldi brings both to the table here in a great episode of Hot Ones (in it's 21st season).
Posted 10th Jul 2023 @ 08:20
★ New Mercedes-Benz CLE
I'm a Mercedes fan, but I have very mixed feelings about this new model that seems to effectively replace both the C-Class Coupé and the E-Class Coupé.
The Mercedes-Benz CLA is one of my favourite cars, only that it would be too small for us as a family car despite the fact it has 4 doors. The outgoing C-Class Coupé is a shrunken version of the E and S-Class versions, but from the side and rear looks inferior. The E-Class and S-Class Coupés on the other hand look mature and balanced.
With this model sitting somewhere in the middle, it has a CLA inspired nose (which looks great) but the C-Class Coupé profile. It's a good start but with a just about adequate finish, which is the same as one of the cars it replaces.
I'm sure it will grow on me and will probably look better in the flesh, but it's not for me.
Price: ~£45,000
Posted 6th Jul 2023 @ 13:17
@cchana on Twitter, Instagram, Mastodon and now, Threads
I've just updated the footer on my portfolio site with a link to my Threads profile. Not sure how much I'll us it, I'm holding out for Bluesky but we'll see.
Posted 6th Jul 2023 @ 11:09
★ Great Typography with Modern CSS
I haven't seen a video on web typography as good and as clear as this one in a very long time. Kudos to Ben (Some Antics) and Mike Mai on their approach and the conversation itself really opened my eyes to a couple of things that just weren't on my radar or I had completely misunderstood.
When I get some time, this is going to help bring a massive round of improvements for typography in SkeletonCSS.
Posted 6th Jul 2023 @ 08:02