Lithium-ion battery safety is mad science

In this episode I take a look at why 'net zero' is pretty much a fantasy.

In this video I answer the following viewer question on heavy towing:I'm trying to see through all the negativities that us Australians seem to pile on any product that comes out of China. I have to admit I'm finding myself joining the masses of flinging shit at everyone and everything these days. But I like the GWM Canon Alpha PHEV!!! And I'm not embarrassed to say I want one and I don't care what my mates say. My wife is crook, seriously. So we bought a brand new caravan, we can no longer camp in a tent together. I retired to look after her.What next?? I drive a 2016 SR Hilux 6 speed manual that was initially set up for touring. We've done the likes of the Canning Stock Route, and so in the past so we're not like the Chardonnay caravan park mob, no offence to them. But we do have our reasons to buy a van. My Hilux on the other hand is now overweight, wrongly set up to tow, etc, etc, etcetera John.Our van weighs 2 tonne, our tow vehicle is a little heavier that’s a tick. Our tow vehicle is just a little agricultural in comfort. The suspension is set up to carry weight, so towing she's a bit rough. We love her but the Canon is so appealing in many ways:Hybrid, towing capacity, super comfortable, coil sprung rear end, affordable for a retiree, when we're not touring we can use the electric drive around town. Also if I do decide to head off alone I can do moderate off road tours to my favourite places without a worry.I hope you're still awake John. We want to tow in comfort in a vehicle that is reliable and safe that's the crux of it. Your thoughts please.

After decades of life-support, South Korean shot-callers will strap Ssangyong ‘Straya into old sparky, on the morrow, whence it will be lit up, and then resurrected, kinda like Jesus, and henceforth be known as KGM AustraliaKGM Australia's first major achievement, tomorrow, will be to launch a glorious new slogan - where would we be without those? “Korean built to last.” With no punctuation, but hey.“Korean built to last.” Guaranteed to resonate so powerfully with all 12 or 13 Australians who buy one in coming months. Well done, solving the company’s major strategic issues as a top priority.In other news, there’s a new Actyon. Less hideous than previously (not hard). Bit of a Land Rover rip-off on the styling, but hopefully more reliable than an actual Land Rover. Still gutless, though - because some things never change.

In this video I respond to the best comments on the channel over the past month.

Hyundai Australia says it's getting a ute - finally. The Hyundai ute options are: One: Hyundai’s Mighty Boy - the Tucson-based Santa Cruz, which is too small and would be outrageously overpriced here.Two: They could attempt to re-badge the Tasman. (This is gunna be their preferred option, surely, because it’s the only available ute in the same segment as Hilux, Ranger, et. al.)Just a few minor hurdles there: They’ll have to take the ‘smashed crab’ aesthetic out of the pointy end, and give Eugene Levy his eyebrows back on the profile ... probably do-able, so far.But they’ll also have to solve the powertrain problem. See, Tasman’s diesel is objectively underpowered, especially in the mid-rev range. This is a fact. Therefore, A) it can’t take the fight effectively to Ranger and Hilux, and B) when Chris Bowen’s efficiency standard really ramps up to proposed 2030 levels, that engine won’t be especially tenable. The other option is the Hyundai Silverado. A twisted freak of the automotive world, certainly, but they might conceivably pimp out Hyundai Australia's new ute to GM, which is currently massaging-up a plug-in hybrid Silverado.This might be possible seeing as Hyundai started sleeping with General Motors in New York on September 12 last year. GM’s Mary Barra and Big Sister’s Euisun Chung consummated the unlikely union after exchanging vows to hook up casually from time to time, because they both love money. Only one small problem with any upcoming Hyunderado. There’s 200-230,000 Ranger-sized utes being sold here currently. But only about 11,000 big, honkin’ redneck specials.And as much as I love me a big, honkin’ redneck special, this far smaller Silverundai segment is not the one to play in if you’re Hyundai, hoping against hope to get Hilux and Ranger worried.If you already had a somewhat cloned hybrid Tasman, and it was going gangbusters, a Hyunderado might be a ripping range-topper to deploy after that.Plus, the Silverado 1500 you can buy today from GMSV is roughly $150,000 with its honkin’ 6.2 V8 and complimentary Moonshine Bandits playlist. Add a plug-in hybrid powertrain … and any future Hyunderado hybrid is gunna be nudging $180k. Which is a lot of hoot for a Hyundai ute.This is far from being a done deal, I'd suggest.

Get a great deal on home solar (or add a quality battery to your existing setup): https://autoexpert.com.au/solarSave thousands on a new car: https://autoexpert.com.au/contactIn this video I answer the following viewer question on heavy towing:Forgive me if I've contacted you the wrong way about this, but I watched your YouTube vid on the Ford Ranger Super Duty and really appreciated your honest approach and obvious expertise. I thought the Super Duty was going to be the answer to my Towing Weight dreams, :) but that is the context of my question really..... I just want a solid answer to the below (rather than dubious answers (ie opinons) from Facebook warriors who don't really KNOW what they're talking about.My question - If the manufacturer confirms a van towball weight of 170kg at a TARE of 2600kg, could it be considered generally safe to tow the vehicle loaded to its ATM of 3300kg, with the towball weight still at 170kg (ie the extra weight evenly distributed across the vans axles)I just want to be clear as Ive seen so many people say Towball mass rule of thumb is 10% of ATM, but of course that (330kg) starts eating into our Disco 4 payload Big Time.......My guess is the answer to the questions is "Yes". But as I said, I really appreciated your honest view and use of the actual physics that determine towing characteristics.Thanks in advance for your help and keep up the good work!

Chinese battery manufacturer, Sungrow, has never had a thermal runaway of an operationally deployed battery. I went to China to find out why.

My mate Adam Morris from ReDriven - https://www.youtube.com/@ReDriven - is a self-confessed kei truck fan-boy. He gushes. (It's that dignified...) So, he recently got jammed into the 400kW RAM 1500 Limited for some reorientation therapy. I'm not sure it was entirely consensual, but hey...ReDriven's excellent kei truck review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFOUOFIda5QAnd the earlier S-Class takedown/reality check: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrU9fD7-m7Q Adam's co-conspirator, Jim, over at ReDriven is a fully qualified professional mechanic with years of experience - so you typically get two perspectives in every video.Make sure you check out ReDriven and give the boys a sub. I love their work.

This is a technical deep-dive with Toyo about EV tyre replacement

This video is a technical deep-dive into modern engine oils and filters, aimed at the home car maintenance DIY-er.