Technology is getting crazy

New Mickey

The user formerly known as mickey
Joined
Jun 6, 2017
Location
Utah
TDI
2015 Passat
So I already have my Road Trip Machine. 2015 Passat TDI. I needed a Stop and Go machine. I've been driving Uber and Lyft and my TDI only manages 36 mpg doing that. ("Only...")

Solution: 2019 Honda Insight Touring. 55+ MPG in town on regular unleaded. (Actual cost of fuel on the highway is lower than feeding the diesel, too, but I'll pretend I didn't notice that.)

The 2015 VW is as loaded as you could get way back in those days, but it's a Model T compared to the new Honda. So much electronic stuff it's hard to believe.

Today I got stuck in a HUGE traffic jam on the freeway in the Honda. It took over an hour to move 2 miles. I had the Lane Keeping Assist and the Radar Cruise Control on.

I dozed off at one point and woke up a good half mile further down the road. Still sitting behind the same car. The Honda just patiently kept following the guy. Roll...stop....wait....roll....stop....etc....

It was surreal. I'm not sure it's a good thing or not.

-mickey

p.s. For those who yearn for simplicity the Insight DOES offer some. It has no transmission. (Literally. None.) So no DSG fluid to change. Nearly all of the "braking" is electromagnetic, if you're doing it right, so I'll probably never wear those out. Electric steering. Electric air conditioning, so no belt to change.

Annual oil change, and rotate the tires once in a while. That's it. SHOES need more maintenance than that.
 
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2.2TDI

Veteran Member
Joined
May 1, 2011
Location
TDI
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I dozed off at one point and woke up a good half mile further down the road. Still sitting behind the same car. The Honda just patiently kept following the guy. Roll...stop....wait....roll....stop....etc....

It was surreal. I'm not sure it's a good thing or not.
As much as I believe automation is good, I do think there's a limit. Luckily you weren't moving and when you did it was at very slow speeds... Try this scenerio at highway speeds and see how well it turns out

Therefore, no, all this stuff that is being implemented is not good. Autonomous things are supposed to make our life easier, not run our life. What I mean by this is people are lead to believe these systems are there to perform the duties the human normally would, therefore the human doesn't have to pay attention to what's going on. While this is partially true, it doesn't mean we as humans can go about falling asleep behind the wheel or whatever other scenerio you can think which takes away from the task at hand, in this case driving the vehicle

Planes have been automated for years, and the automation is very, very good. So good that some say what's the point of pilots, planes can do almost everything on their own. Some have argued reducing the crew from 2 to 1 pilot... While there is very good and sufficient reason and evidence that these things are possible, it is not there yet. I for one don't trust automation, there have been enough aviation accidents due to pilot complacency and trust in the auto pilot system and I have seen first hand where I've programmed the autopilot to do something and it just went ahead and had a mind of its own. There of course is an explanation for these things (like the sequence of inputs) which lead to automation having this "mind of its own" but this is why we as humans are still needed to focus at the task at hand. When machines will be able to learn on their own, then maybe we can forget about the task at hand (like driving a car)...
 
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IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
I'm not sure how the economics of buying a new car to drive for Lyft or Uber makes sense. Financing costs, insurance, taxes, etc., are all more expensive on a new car. And the car will lose value pretty quickly as you'll accumulate more miles than average.

FE is important, but the overall cost of ownership of an Insight must be higher than it is for a '15 Passat.
 

2.2TDI

Veteran Member
Joined
May 1, 2011
Location
TDI
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I'm not sure how the economics of buying a new car to drive for Lyft or Uber makes sense. Financing costs, insurance, taxes, etc., are all more expensive on a new car. And the car will lose value pretty quickly as you'll accumulate more miles than average.

FE is important, but the overall cost of ownership of an Insight must be higher than it is for a '15 Passat.
The topic is about new technology in cars, not about the economics of buying a new car for uber or lyft
 

Jetta SS

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2006
Location
Grand Bay, AL
TDI
'98 Jetta
I've been stuck in traffic recently and had the sore left leg to prove it (clutch). So that sounds good to me.

This setup seems reliable and efficient, but since I like to keep my vehicles for a long time. Wonder how a generator and wheel motor swap compares to a transmission and halfshaft swap? Or belt changes compared to accessory drive motor replacement?
 

jmodge

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 18, 2015
Location
Greenville, MI
TDI
2001 alh Jetta, RC2 w/.205's 5speed daily summer commuter and 2000 alh Jetta 5spd swap, 2" lift, hitch, stage 3 TDtuning w/.216's winter cruiser, 1996 Tacoma ALh
Or what and how to discharge amperage holding circuits before repairs and maintenance, let alone tooling and troubleshooting guides or software, education for service techs. All will be passed to the consumer, probably lead to people renting rather than owning and more mass transit.
And then the Terminator movie becoming reality, grab your guns, traps, and fishing poles. Head for the woods and use your old cooking oil to run your TDI
 

Powder Hound

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 25, 1999
Location
Under a Bridge, Crestview, FL, USA
TDI
'00 Golf 4dr White 5sp, '02 Jettachero 5sp, Wife's '03 NB Platinum Gray auto(!)
... For those who yearn for simplicity the Insight DOES offer some. It has no transmission. (Literally. None.) So no DSG fluid to change. Nearly all of the "braking" is electromagnetic, if you're doing it right, so I'll probably never wear those out. Electric steering. Electric air conditioning, so no belt to change.

Annual oil change, and rotate the tires once in a while. That's it. SHOES need more maintenance than that.
I don't do that much even for my shoes... maybe that explains my expanded waistline...
But seriously, it sounds like you have a good thing going. I hope the winter road salt doesn't spoil the calculations.


Cheers, and give my regards to Mr. Bitsko. Or however that last name is supposed to be spelled.


PH
 

Oberkanone

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 16, 2001
Location
NW Indiana
TDI
13 Jetta TDI Premium manual "gone"
Insight

The topic is about new technology in cars, not about the economics of buying a new car for uber or lyft

I've been driving Uber and Lyft and my TDI only manages 36 mpg doing that. ("Only...")

Solution: 2019 Honda Insight Touring. 55+ MPG in town on regular unleaded.
I'm interested in the Uber / Lyft economics also.

Touring is the trim I'd buy if purchasing an Insight. There is a lot to like. Leather trim seats and the shift selector are two items I'd change. Prefer cloth and prefer a more traditional shift selector or different location higher on the dash.

Enjoy the Insight and I for one would enjoy hearing of your ownership experience.
 
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