Get a Job As a CR Tester, Rivian vs. Lucid, Unfair Minivan Bias
6/17/202622 min
Consumer Reports experts discuss the financial viability of EV startups like Rivian and Lucid, share EV charging best practices, give advice for hauling large audio equipment, the future of the minivan, vehicle-to-vehicle communication. We also discuss what it takes to become a Consumer Reports vehicle tester, and compare the real-world costs of driving EVs vs. hybrids and gas-powered vehicles.
Have a question for a future episode? Send us your questions or a 30-second video to TalkingCars@iCloud.com
SHOW NOTES:
0:00 - Intro
0:37 - Question #1: What's the best vehicle for hauling DJ equipment (no minivans please)?
5:17 - Question #2: Are we likely to see automakers produce more minivans like the Kia Carnival?
8:13- Question #3: Why does Rivian seem more financially successful than Lucid? What should you study to become a CR Tester?
13:34 - Question #4: What are the best practices for charging an EV?
15:31 - Question #5: Is it possible to calculate the cost-per-mile of an EV vs. a gas-powered vehicle?
18:13 - Question #6: What happened to vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X) technology that was being developed by the federal government?
LINKS:
Will an Electric Car Save You Money?: https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/hybrids-evs/will-an-electric-car-save-you-money-a9436870083/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL_YT
Test Results: Toyota Grand Highlander: https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/toyota/grand-highlander/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL_YT
Test Results: Kia Carnival: https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/kia/carnival/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL_YT
10 SUVs and Minivans With the Most Usable Cargo Space: https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/top-10-suvs-and-minivans-with-the-most-cargo-space-a6572456101/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL_YT
Owner Satisfaction: Best & Worst Car Brands: https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/most-and-least-liked-car-brands-a1291429338/top-10-suvs-and-minivans-with-the-most-cargo-space-a6572456101/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL_YT
CR Survey: Hybrids Are Still The Most Reliable Cars: https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/electric-vehicles-are-less-reliable-than-conventional-cars-a1047214174/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL_YT
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsMichael Crossen· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Welcome back to Talking Cars. I'm Michael Crossen.
Joe Veselak· Host0:13
I'm Joe Veselak.
Steve Elek· Host0:14
And I'm Steve Elek.
Michael Crossen· Host0:15
So we have a special episode this week. We are taking questions from the audience. We get so many questions emailed to us at talkingcars@icloud.com. People send in written questions, video questions, and if we pick your question, read it on the podcast, which we always do one or two on every podcast, um, you get a shirt, kind of like the shirt I'm wearing or the shirt Joe's wearing. Um, but we decided that we get so many questions that we would do a full questions episode. So here we go. Our first one is a video question from John in Texas.
John0:39
Hey, guys. It's John in North Texas. I want you to help me find a unicorn. I'm a m- mobile DJ. I've got two subwoofers. Each are, uh, just under 25 inches tall and just under 21 inches wide. Ideally, I'd love to find a vehicle in which I can place those side by side at the rear of the vehicles. We've got a 2012 Equinox. It's not, um, wide enough. We have a 2023 Sportage, and for some strange reason, the rear seats don't fold down to become flush with the cargo floor. I'd be willing to look at a small cargo van. Not really interested in a minivan, 'cause, you know, they're just not very cool. So any help you could pass my way would be great.
Michael Crossen· Host1:28
Cool. So thank you, John.