Posts

Showing posts from 2025

Electric Motors, Internal Combustion and Rotational Motion

Image
These are some really old kitchen mixers. People buy them and restore them. Usually this means paint, maybe replacing a frayed cord. Vast majority of the time, the motor still works. You don't need to touch that part. The job is mostly cosmetic. Do you know why? Because they are electric. It won't have rusted rings, or worn out valve seats, dried out gaskets or a clogged carburetor. Electric motors have two parts, one of which moves. The stator and the rotor. You apply current, a magnetic field is created, and the shaft spins. They make instant power, lots of it, reach incredible RPM, and can operate for decades without any maintenance. Literally perfect for turning something, unlike reciprocating motion of pistons, powered by flammable liquids catching on fire.  As such, there's no carbon building up, no filters to clog and replace. No oil to get dirty and break down by being in contact with a 3,600F flame front, and no metal-on-metal contact, prevented only by a thin film...

Should I Sell My Car Because I Don't Like Elon?

Image
     If Elon insulted me DIRECTLY - like, reposted this and called me the C word, and said you're the worst human being on earth, and every planet in our solar system, and then banned me from X - I would still not sell my Tesla.      The company already got paid, so what exactly would it accomplish? Besides uproot my daily life, nothing. Maybe I'd switch from their insurance to Geico or something. Unless it cost me more. If Tesla was cheaper, I'd stay with them too.      Why? Because I'm not an impulsive toddler, or a celebrity who cares more about attention than they do about anything under 100k. They spend more than that on a publicist every year, who writes their posts and arranges various stunts. Like "selling" a Tesla, that their lease was ending on anyway.       Here's the difference. They will actually get that attention, for a week. You won't. Cheryl Crowe made headlines. Nobody will give half a crap that Alex sold...

EVs vs Water

Image
By now you've probably seen videos of Teslas blasting through some serious water. Doesn't that sound bad, given that they are EVs?  The battery is considered a "sealed" unit, but water can still get inside. Tesla batteries have vents to account for pressure changes from heat and atmospheric changes or altitude. A quick blast through a deep puddle is usually okay, but prolonged or deep submersion can get some water inside. Cybertruck has "wade mode" which pressurizes the battery case for up to 30 minutes. Per Tesla, it can safely wade up to 32 inches of water.  Water ingress is often accompanied by physical damage to the housing from an earlier incident - perhaps hitting a brick on the road. Moisture inside can result in corrosion and failure of affected packs after several months. In fact, water damage is one of the main reasons for premature total battery failure in EVs.  Since batteries heat up during charging, this actually helps dry them out when moistur...