altivo: Running Clydesdale (running clyde)
Gary had another rehearsal day. Thursday he works with the Kishwaukee Ramblers, a trio he has played with for a number of years. I occasionally fill in with them when needed, but am not a regular, so Thursday is my day to do laundry and other solitary tasks. Today I wanted to take my car somewhere, as I haven't driven it for a couple of weeks. (And it's good for vehicles to be run regularly, so I try not to go longer than that.)

So I dutifully cleared the leaves off the windshield and checked the tires. The low pressure warning light came on last time I drove, and when I got home I checked and found that the pressure in all four tires was indeed 3 or 4 PSI lower than it should be. They weren't likely to all be leaking so I put it down to the sudden temperature drop we've had, from 60s and 70s wham, right into the 30s. Pumped them back up to within a pound or so of the recommended level, but I didn't want to go all the way up in case it suddenly were to warm up again. (It didn't.) Anyway, the warning light did not come on, and the tires don't look flabby, so I guess 31 is almost as good as 33 PSI. I'll push them up farther tomorrow.

Took my laptop, tablet, and phone with me and drove into town to the public library, where the wi-fi is about ten times faster than what we get at home. They actually encourage users to "borrow" their bandwidth by parking in front of the building these days, since it saves having to mask up to go into the library itself for that purpose. Ran all the updates and patches to Android and Linux in far less time than it would have taken at home, then packed things up and drove back. Total round trip about ten miles. Time saved maybe as much as three hours.

And the gas mileage on the 2016 Fusion I bought used in September when my Escape finally bit the dust (or turned into into rust, as it were) still shows on the trip meter as 28.3 mpg, which is pretty darned good for a car with 98K miles on it I'd say. It's only an interim solution until the Maverick pick-up I ordered finally comes in (April, it sounds like, if I'm lucky) but I'm finding there's a lot to like about this car.
altivo: Blinking Altivo (altivo blink)
This is something I never would have expected, but it really happened this year. I wish my Dad were still around to comment on it. (He worked for GM, actually, which would have made it entertaining.)

Some are undoubtedly aware that Ford introduced a completely new model this year (2022, since automobile/truck model years generally run six months ahead or so.) That would be the Maverick.

What? Wait, didn't they market the Maverick some 40 years ago or more? Yeah, but that was something else. They apparently have run out of names and trademarks and are recycling some that were long retired. This Maverick is a compact pick-up truck. No kidding.

Aside from not coming up with a new name, the idea seemed viable. Trucks seem to grow in size even faster than luxury SUVs. The ones that used to be single row seating utility vehicles 20 years ago have grown into super cab-crew monster trucks with huge gas guzzling engines and tires that at least seem as big as the ones that used to be on my uncle's farm tractor when I was a kid.

According to some sources, the idea was to market a less expensive truck with available off-road features and better fuel economy that might (they hoped) appeal to a younger audience who care about climate change, pollution, and (not to mention) expenses. So...

The new 2022 Maverick was born. The base model has a fuel efficient hybrid power train to help Ford with those overall figures needed to meet Federal standards, and has a price (before adding any extras) to be under $20K. Unbelievable. But they did it, came up with the designs in part by recycling ideas and parts they had already used in other models. The unibody design is based on a Bronco design. The power train (IC engine and electric motors) had already been used in the Escape, etc. They promoted this idea well, opened up a queue for "reservations" that lead to actual firm orders, and the circus train was on the road.

Their mistakes were big, though. They clearly underestimated the popularity of the idea, and were quickly swamped with orders. They also seem to have expected that most customers would opt for the EcoBoost turbocharged engine rather than the hybrid (at about $1200 more in cost) since everyone knows that truck buyers like the biggest, noisiest engines they can get. They planned to produce only 30 to 35% hybrids and the rest would have the EcoBoost engine. Production was scheduled for the plant in Hermosillo, Mexico, which has handled the Escape, the Bronco, and the Ranger pick-up in the past (and still does.)

Surprise, though. The orders that poured in ran more like 70% for the less expensive, more efficient hybrid engine. The buyers were often first-time truck buyers, but also older than the expected market slice. These were people who actually cared about pollution, climate change, and waste, who had been waiting for an affordable hybrid or electric vehicle.

Ford's supply chains for some of the hybrid parts, like the larger batteries needed, were not up to meeting the demands. Hybrid production (when it started at last) was a trickle while the plant kept cranking out EcoBoost version vehicles to meet orders only a couple of weeks old and hybrid buyers were kept waiting for months. Only now, in November, is Ford starting to move along to actually fulfill its promises to those who placed orders; and they find themselves forced to apologize for their misjudgments and poor projections.

There are good lessons here, though. Firstly, whether politicians and plutocrats admit it or not, more people do feel concern about climate change and fossil fuel consumption than expected. Vehicle buyers are not impressed only by big roaring engines and sleek designs. And, most importantly, if you announce a better mousetrap, you'd better be prepared to deliver it on the schedule you promise or you'll end up looking like a foolish skunk with stolen eggshells stuck to its face.

Edit: I should have mentioned this. The EPA fuel economy numbers for the Maverick hybrid, when they came out, were 42 mpg city driving, 33 mpg highway, and 37 mpg combined. That only increased the demand, of course. Conservative drivers like myself often can get two or three more miles per gallon than the EPA tests show, too.
altivo: 'Tivo as a plush toy (Miktar's plushie)
When I mentioned "peace" yesterday, I was premature.

Took my car in this morning for 45,000 mile service. They called mid-morning to say that it needed some filters and the rear brakes adjusted, which I already suspected so fine. I'd also asked them to check once again on the slow leak in one tire. They've tried before to locate and fix that, but without success. Now it has grown fast enough (2 psi drop in a day) that I figured they'd find it.

Another call mid-afternoon to say they had found a small nail hidden deep in the tread, and the hole was repaired. Fortunately a coworker offered to give me a ride down to get the car, or I'd not have gone until 5:30 after the service dept. was closed. Driving back to the library (about 2 miles) I found that the low tire pressure warning light was still on. Pulled a gauge out of the glove box and checked. The "fixed" tire was already down to half pressure.

Called them back and they said bring the car back. So I drove back (carefully) and they gave me a loaner car to get back to work with. About 4:15 they called again to say it was really fixed now. At least there was no pressure warning light on the way home, but it's going to bear close watching.

Work wasn't peaceful either. All day we seemed to have screaming kids climbing the walls and shelves. When their parent was with them, they never seemed to get corrected or made to behave any better than if no one was with them. Wednesday night was dead. This afternoon the last hour before closing was hell, both physically and mentally.

I'd better not wake up to a flat tire tomorrow.

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