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This introduces a brand new collection one Sunday a month: The Man Cave. Our two correspondents will take turns exploring way of life and tech matters from a person’s perspective.
The automobile possession lifespan for many guys? “Beater” automobile, sizzling rod, household car.
I ought to know. “Automotive Man”-ship is in my blood. My previous man courted my mom in a candy-apple pink ’67 Chevelle SuperSport. After they married, he owned a dragster he raced on weekends, storing it in our tiny storage — till my mom made him eliminate it (she wanted area for a washer/dryer).
He changed it with our household automobile; on weekends he’d be beneath the hood, tinkering. He’s been gone for years, but I’m wondering what he’d consider know-how’s enlargement into digital autos (EVs) and so-called “driverless automobiles.”
Automotive Tech: The Evolution
EVs and “driverless automobiles” (AKA “autonomous autos” or “AVs”) are not only for environmentalists or Silicon Valley tech bros — they’re mainstream: international gross sales of EVs account for nearly 20% of total car sales worldhuge. Whereas AVs are primarily within the testing part within the US, the market is anticipated to extend from nearly $14 billion to $37 billion five years from now.
Automotive Tech: The Upsides
For Automotive Guys, there’s lots to love about EVs and AVs. They’re cheaper (fewer shifting components), quieter, and higher for the planet. Absolutely electrical EVs produce zero emissions, whereas AV programs end in fewer site visitors jams and pointless braking and acceleration — saving gasoline and put on and tear. Some EVs/AVs qualify for federal and state tax incentives at buy. And yeah, these dashboards resembling airplane cockpits are fairly attractive.
Automotive Tech and Automotive Guys
EVs and AVs supply independence for disabled and older drivers not but prepared to surrender the keys. Fewer upkeep worries? Signal us up (a few of us are getting too previous to pop the hood or slide beneath the chassis for a look-see). And a few automobile guys recognize the extra bells and whistles (Heated seats? Backup cameras? Parallel parking help? Sure, please!).
Earlier than Jon Smyth, a 79-year-old in Mt. Nice, SC purchased a hybrid EV, he owned a basic mint-condition Porsche; he switched just a few years in the past. “I adore it,” he says. “I’m retired. It saves cash on gasoline. I drive 10K miles a yr. All I do is plug it in and let it cost.” Would he purchase an AV? “Sure,” he says. “I’m turning 80 subsequent yr, and self-driving automobiles will profit us older drivers.”
On The Different Hand…
Automotive know-how ain’t low-cost — they’re pricier than typical automobiles. Battery life is restricted, and the necessity for charging stations alongside the best way is daunting, though the Division of Vitality’s web site has a hyperlink (visit here) to all of the charging stations within the US.
However all these bells and whistles include an extra price — a psychic one.
Dave Bobeck of Alexandria, VA, buys and restores basic Land Rovers as a passion. He doesn’t personal an EV however favored his check drive of Land Rover’s EV mannequin. However AVs? “No,” he says firmly, as a result of they take away management from the driving force. (To not point out privateness and hacking points.)
It’s a matter of giving up independence, management, and freedom – the lure of the open street. Consider all of the street journey motion pictures — comedies, dramas, buddy flicks, coming of age — that each one happen in a automobile, on the street. Straightforward Rider, Thelma and Louise, The Blues Brothers, The Inexperienced Ebook and a whole bunch extra (A starter list is here).
Most guys of a sure age have fond recollections of street journeys taken many years in the past, heading for components unknown with a buddy and a Rand-McNally. I used to be stationed in Northern Maine within the navy. Weekend journeys with associates to Canadian provinces armed with solely a map and a questionable sense of route made for unforgettable recollections.
Having routes augmented — or influenced — by know-how (proximity to charging stations, GPS) would have been much less enjoyable…and simply perhaps, miss the purpose of all of it.
So, what’s the decision? I’m nonetheless on the fence.
My dad would have missed weekends tinkering within the storage, however Dave Bobeck notes that his group of tinkerers is hacking and refurbishing discarded EV/AV batteries, respiration new life into them whereas serving to the atmosphere. “For each automobile you retain on the street,” Bobeck says, referring to EVs/AVs, “the supplies that will have gone into a brand new automobile keep within the floor.”
I feel even my “automobile man” dad would have permitted of that.
Need extra? Take a look at Senior Planet Community and its new Man Cave Neighborhood for open dialogue and chat.
Your Flip
What’s your verdict on the most recent automobile applied sciences? Was there a street journey in your previous – and would you do it once more with an EV or an AV? Tell us within the feedback!
Shawn Westfall: A US Air Power veteran and a nationally acknowledged performer and instructor of improvisational comedy, Shawn Westfall has labored as a journalist, because the fiction editor of the Hawaii Evaluate, and as an award-winning promoting copywriter. He gained the Bazzanella Award for brief fiction; his work has appeared in Roll Name, Honolulu Weekly, and The San Antonio Specific-Information, amongst different locations.
High picture: Ivan Kurmyshov – inventory.adobe.com
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