Who Showed, Who Didn’t
The 2024 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) was notable as much for who still didn’t show up as for what we found on the show floor.
Since the pandemic shut down the show for two years, Mercedes-Benz and BMW have yet to reappear. And while Mazda and Mitsubishi made appearances in ’22 and ’23, there were a no show this year. And from Fiat Chrysler — or Stellantis — only Jeep showed up with its outdoor test climb.
The value of industry trade shows was questioned in the wake of the pandemic. They are expensive to put on, requiring the movement of large numbers of people and vehicles and booth materials. There’s no 
evidence of Mercedes and BMW suffering from ignoring this and other trade shows.
Further evidence of a cut back in show attendance were the tiny booths set up by both Volvo and Audi. Barely room for a few car. For the second year in row, Hyundai took advantage of available floor space to make its own test track. The EV track (right) remained on the first level.
EVs in the Limelight
Elsewhere, EVs remain a focus of the show, clearly an attempt to acquaint the buying public with the shift to electric driving. Volkswagen’s ID Buzz (left) made and appearance. Polestar was at the show for the first time and brought its 2, 3, and 4 models. The Polestar 4 (right) won’t be available to order for another few months with deliveries expected in 2025.
Porsche featured all four of its available electric line: the Tacan, Macan, Cayenne and Panamera (left), all open and available to crawl through. As always with Porsche, the styling is impeccable.
Acura brought its first EV, the ZDX (right), but kept it locked tight. Seems a bit short sighted if you’re hoping to generate interest.
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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.
These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.
Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.
Level 2 AC chargers installed at a residence
second image. The camera screen flashed on only momentarily, and was then replaced by what is seen on the image.
Bad example #2. My lease came with 24 months of free charging with Electrify America. This ran out a bit ago, so I have not used them in some time.
So we spotted a post on “X” recently titled “12 Reasons NOT to buy an EV” (electric vehicle), which leave internal combustion engine (ICE) powered cars as the only alternatives. We thought we’d have a look at it point by point.
– Sooo many things wrong with this. EVs are heavier, yes, but an EV of about equal size is only 15% heavier, not 50% (Camry vs Model 3)! Further, large SUVs (Escalade 7,700 lbs.) are actually heavier (25%) than most electric powered SUVs (Model X, 6,200 lbs))! Now there are hints that the writer of the piece is from Europe, where cars are generally smaller, but we don’t believe for a minute that car parks built anywhere are built to the lowest possible standards.
Level 1: This level requires only a standard 110V/120V plug found in your home or apartment. A grounded adapter, like the one shown to the right, will have been supplied with the car. Charging at Level 1 adds 3 to 4 miles of range per hour of charging.
the car, is shown to the right.
There are three standards: Combined Charging System (CCS), CHAdeMO (CHArge de(for) MOve(ing)), and North American Charging Standard (NACS). We’ll ignore the second one, which was developed in Japan, and you should as well in deciding on a purchase as it is used by only a handful of manufacturers, has only a small charging network, and is being superseded. Due to simplicity, lighter weight cabling and extensive network, the NACS standard, a Tesla creation, is slowly being adopted by nearly all auto manufacturers selling vehicles here in the U.S. However, be absolutely sure the connectors on the car are correct if you choose something other than a Tesla and wish to use its network.
adapted to charge CCS-equipped cars as well, but they are few and far between currently. Finally, the CCS network will also be transformed to handle the NACS standard.
This is a One Pedal Driving Dashboard Indicator
EV Charging Etiquette
Charging EVs While Being Considerate
We’re not the only ones to speak on this, but we’ve seen too many electric vehicles (EVs) sitting at Level 3 fast charge stations either done charging and blocking a station or charging above 80%, meaning very, very slowly. So it we will add our voice to the chorus of EV charging etiquette posts, and we’ll take that last one first.
1) Stop charging at 80%
We’ve seen more confusion about this than anything else related to Level 3 charging, and it all comes down to charge curves. Regardless of how fast an EV charges, each and every one of them slows down dramatically at 80% charge (see the image below from P3). So whatever time it takes to get to 80%, it will take up to three times that time to get to 100%. This is the least efficient way to charge on long trips. You can get half way to the next charge station in the time wasted getting to 100%!
The result is a charger that is not available to another driver, a waste of your time, and its really hard on the battery. Meaning it will shorten its life!
We understand the desire to “fill the tank” angst associated with leaving a battery 20% empty. But trust us when we say that the angst will pass with time and you’ll get along just fine at 80% and less.
2) Use the proper plug
This is essentially for non-Tesla owners. Your car determines the rate at which electricity is transferred to the battery. So parking a Chevy Bolt, which charges at 50 kW, at 350 kW charger does a huge disservice to owners of vehicles that can make use of the faster charger. Your car will not charge any faster than its rated speed, regardless of what charger you’ve plugged into.
Please leave the faster chargers for vehicles that can use them.
3) Move your EV when its done charging, not when you’re done shopping!
This is a primarily time awareness issue, and of course moving your car is again about opening a charge spot for another driver. Most EV’s get to 80% charge in 20 to 30 minutes and your owner’s manual will give you a solid heads up. Also, your car’s app may be able to tell you when charging is finished or close to finished.
So if you’ve wandered off to lunch or shopping, for the sake of everyone else, please come back to your car on time to open a slot for someone else.
4) Know your vehicle’s charge port location
Nearly all gasoline fill locations on on one side or the other in the rear of the vehicle. EVs can charge from similar locations but some are in the front! In any case, knowing which par of the car that needs to be closest to the charge cable will save some embarrassment.
Of course, all Tesla models charge from the left rear.
5) Don’t leave trash behind
One would think all EV drivers are environmentally conscious, but this turns out not to be the case. And unfortunately, charge stations don’t have trash receptacles around, since no attendant is needed! So, if you generate some trash, please be prepared to take it away with you.
6) Never unplug someone else’s vehicle
Unless its an absolute emergency, never, ever touch another driver’s car. You wouldn’t want someone to do that to you (unless you left a note allowing it!) so don’t ever do it to someone else.
7) Level 2 charger time limits
Finally, if you happen upon a slower Level 2 public charger, be aware of any posted time limits. You won’t get as much charge, but others may want a little boost too. Leave when its your time to leave.
In all cases, be considerate of other EV drivers!
——————————————————————-
Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.
These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.
Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.