Toyota And Lexus Preview 15 Electric Vehicles, Including Sports Cars
Toyota held a conference about its battery strategy and took everyone by surprise with the preview of no fewer than 15 EVs.
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I wonder if Toyota will take the stance that both Tesla and Rivian have taken with basically taking the stance you are not allowed to modify the vehicle beyond tires and rims. No one seems to be questioning ownership rights with these new EV’s. If you don’t really own the vehicle and the manufacture turns the vehicle off of their system once you modify it, the days of 4wheeling will be way more expensive in the future.
Kind of like diff or t-case gear ratios, lockers, snorkels or Long Ranger tanks? It's usually not the first owner off the lot but sometimes. And people do that to pretty young Tacos, 4Runners and 200 series, not just old junk.If you modify the engine or gas tank in a Toyota, you will definitely void the warranty on those parts, so I'm not really sure where the concern lies.
You mean what customers have been trashed by Tesla?Where have you read that you are not allowed to modify Tesla or Rivian vehicles? Many Tesla owners modify their cars in myriad ways, and Rivian owners will do the same. If you are referring to modifying things like the sealed battery pack or drive units, I would ask why would you want to do that? If you modify the engine or gas tank in a Toyota, you will definitely void the warranty on those parts, so I'm not really sure where the concern lies.
electrek.co
Kind of like diff or t-case gear ratios, lockers, snorkels or Long Ranger tanks? It's usually not the first owner off the lot but sometimes. And people do that to pretty young Tacos, 4Runners and 200 series, not just old junk.
Mods are a legitimate question IMO because the market model for EVs is to view them as appliances like a phone but enthusiasts, especially 4WD, tend to view a truck as a blank canvas rife for customizing in pretty fundamental ways. So I can absolutely imagine tinkering trying to squeeze more batteries or range or something.
I know first hand Rivian has done a lot of testing but even with the places and people they leaned on they can't have anticipated every use case so there's bound to be things unknown owners will eventually want to try.
We get it, you think there is no reason to modify. Why should that take away from modifications.I can attest to the fact people modify new or near 4x4s as I took our 2016 LC to Moab in March 2018 days after I bought it and added a lift, sliders and tires...and more than one person thought I was crazy taking it on Metal Masher and Wipeout Hill to break it in
Something to keep in mind with an EV is there are far fewer things you need to modify:
You don't need: a snorkel because there is no internal combustion engine
You don't need: lockers or gears because there is no differential and instead you have instant MEGA torque along with torque vectoring and lightning fast traction control
You don't need: tcase gears because there is no mechanical link front to rear (I'd argue almost no one adds aftermarket tcase gears for vehicles made in the last decade and almost certainly won't be available for future vehicles)
You don't need: (in the case of a Rivian) a lift kit because it has air suspension with over 6" of travel and 15" of ground clearance in the highest mode which is several inches higher than any other stock and 3.5" more than a 200 on 35s
The concept of a long range fuel tank is interesting, but I would argue the vast majority of vehicles you see on the trail do not have long range fuel tanks. I personally am not crazy about them because it seems they all need some custom work and massaging to get them to work properly on modern vehicles, and it adds a potential failure point especially with evap, emissions, and check engine lights - which in modern vehicles can put the whole truck into limp mode and disable the ability to put it in/out of 4 low like the 200 series.
Regarding range off road, something to consider is that an ICE vehicle loses energy any time braking occurs, but an EV can actually add energy back into the battery pack via regenerative braking instead of that energy getting lost via mechanical braking or engine braking. I can share from first hand experience coming down steep grades like switchbacks adds miles of charge back into the battery while also making it much easier to drive because your feet aren't dancing between the pedals. As an enthusiast, I was honestly worried about range off road. And then I did trip after trip off road in an EV, and I ended up at times being more concerned about finding gas for the 200 than an EV charger.
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I wonder if Toyota will take the stance that both Tesla and Rivian have taken with basically taking the stance you are not allowed to modify the vehicle beyond tires and rims. No one seems to be questioning ownership rights with these new EV’s. If you don’t really own the vehicle and the manufacture turns the vehicle off of their system once you modify it, the days of 4wheeling will be way more expensive in the future.
Where have you read that you are not allowed to modify Tesla or Rivian vehicles? Many Tesla owners modify their cars in myriad ways, and Rivian owners will do the same. If you are referring to modifying things like the sealed battery pack or drive units, I would ask why would you want to do that? If you modify the engine or gas tank in a Toyota, you will definitely void the warranty on those parts, so I'm not really sure where the concern lies.
You mean what customers have been trashed by Tesla?
Here is one of many examples of what Tesla does to people.
Here is Tesla turning off a vehicle tha was salvage.
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Tesla fights back against owners hacking their cars to unlock performance boost
Tesla is starting to fight back against owners who are hacking their cars to unlock a performance boost that the...electrek.co
And this:
And you can go on and on with the fact you can’t buy replacement parts for your Tesla from Tesla directly.
The Rivian will void the warranty the minute you do something that changes a mechanical part and it doesn’t look like they will open up parts to customers either.
These companies take away ownership of the vehicle from the owner of the vehicle and license the features it kind of a joke.
We get it, you think there is no reason to modify. Why should that take away from modifications.
What if you add sliders, Will Rivian let your warranty stand? What if you add armor, is that ok?
If you pay for auto pilot and sell your vehicle, should they be allowed to just turn it off?
What if you add bigger tires than they suggest, will they let you modify the computer so you can have the correct range and mph indicated reading?
There are always reasons people want to do something with what they own that a company wasn’t expecting, should they be allowed to do that?
Sorry, but the EV market takes away ownership and before anyone decides to buy one I wish they would consider this.
@mcgaskins doesn't Rivian specifically disallow different tires than stock?
And don't worry @3rdGen4R , it doesn't matter if your car is EV or ICE in a couple years, it can be remotely turned off on you. Black Mirror was the trailer for real life:
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Buried In Biden's Infrastructure Bill Is A Mandatory Backdoor Kill Switch For Your Car
Massive infrastructure bill mandates vehicular tech that is a grievous overstep of government authority.hothardware.com
"One of the most concerning things we've heard so far is the revelation that this "infrastructure" bill includes a measure mandating vehicle backdoor kill-switches in every car by 2026. The clause is intended to increase vehicle safety by "passively monitoring the performance of a driver of a motor vehicle to accurately identify whether that driver may be impaired," and if that sentence doesn't make your hair stand on end, you're not thinking about the implications."
I was asking. Abs and cameras can't be activated or deactivated over the internet.No that is incorrect information - please cite a source that says Rivian will not allow different tires than stock.
This "backdoor kill switch" is very similar to things like reverse cameras, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, automatic emergency braking - you know the things that save people's lives every dayIf people think others should be able to drive a car when they're blacked out drunk, passed out from a medical condition, or otherwise incapacitated, I would question the motivation behind that rationale. This provision isn't a breathalyzer but an unobtrusive way to be sure people are conscious behind the wheel, and I for one would prefer fewer drunk and incapacitated people behind the wheel of a car.
Matt, not digging anything you said except that is why I have a Long Ranger tank in my 200 and can add 3 gas cans with my Slee Bumper. You said you didnt like them in the 200. Mine was an easy install with no issuesAnd then I did trip after trip off road in an EV, and I ended up at times being more concerned about finding gas for the 200 than an EV charger.
The kill switch they proposed is different than even the interlock installed upon DUI conviction. They want the ability to remotely stun your vehicle to render it inoperable.This "backdoor kill switch" is very similar to things like reverse cameras, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, automatic emergency braking - you know the things that save people's lives every day
Matt, not digging anything you said except that is why I have a Long Ranger tank in my 200 and can add 3 gas cans with my Slee Bumper. You said you didnt like them in the 200. Mine was an easy install with no issues
I am hopeful for a EV cruiser one day. I was interested in seeing what the 2024 GX460 Hybrid would be like, but an EV may be interesting as well
I like new technology and know it takes a while to catch on. Heck I remember when people were making fun of my Land Cruiser with a V8 stock engine
If I could go 400+ miles on a charge and be able to partially charge it off road with panels, that would be great
No that is incorrect information - please cite a source that says Rivian will not allow different tires than stock.
This "backdoor kill switch" is very similar to things like reverse cameras, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, automatic emergency braking - you know the things that save people's lives every dayIf people think others should be able to drive a car when they're blacked out drunk, passed out from a medical condition, or otherwise incapacitated, I would question the motivation behind that rationale. This provision isn't a breathalyzer but an unobtrusive way to be sure people are conscious behind the wheel, and I for one would prefer fewer drunk and incapacitated people behind the wheel of a car.
Philip. I changed a battery in an iphone recently for my in-laws and not via apple with no issues so not sure if that is correct. Not throwing rocks, just saying I didnt have a problemI love when people use the safety as the reason to stop ownership. The same idea has been used by years by Apple to stop people from being allowed to change a battery in there phone to stop ownership. Who owns the vehicle, who owns the right to do with it what you like? I’d prefer less people were killed by guns, should we ban guns as well, for the safety of society?