Jeff Danziger for January 19, 2024

That’s when cars had generators, not alternators.

When the weather got really, really cold, my dad would put a 100-watt light bulb under the hod of the car, cover it with a tarp, and run the cord through the basement window. And that was in the 50s.

First car had that problem. Weak battery and failing alternator. Try to remember park on an uphill .

Here’s a idea for Friday…remember your first car.

You smiled, I saw that, you did.

I wonder if Mr D has an E-car?

It was a cold day 1963 in Kansas City MO when I worked at Hallmarks Cards Inc. I had a 8 year old. Hillman. Stater motor needed replacement. I had to wait a week before it would be available.People were amazed to see me use a crank to start it.

Gee, if only the human race had some means other than automobiles for getting from Point A to Point B…

What’s a ‘clutch’?

Your next car.

Google: aptera solar electric car

YouTube: Aptera motors

YouTube: Aptera Owner’s Club

We used to take our car batteries inside the house to keep warm so they could start the cars in the morning.

I have an old ‘53 Plymouth Cranbrook that can be started that way. I got a push off once from a truck when the car choked down. It’s outside rusting away, but it can still be restored, I guess. By the way, it had a 6 volt battery and flat head 6 cylinder engine.

It’ll be much better with sodium ion batteries replace our current stock of lithium ion. SI is cheaper, stores more energy, charges faster and weighs less. There are also solid state batteries coming that will revolutionize the EV industry.

In the early days of the internal combustion engine many said they liked that a horse would start in any weather.

After some quick and un-scientific research (u-tube) it appears that, in very cold weather, the batteries will refuse to accept charging. The frigid batteries can’t take a charge and the charging software knows it.

Some very upset tesla owners in Chi-town lately.

I wonder if Elon dungheap Musk was aware of this weakness?

Diesel fuel will gel in cold weather.

@sevaar777-I always thought that “alternator” and “generator” were the same thing…

A fun game most folk will never experience. Truck I learned to drive in, 1946 Chev.. was notorious for not starting once it was warm. I always parked on a hill and carried a rope. On more than a few occasions when pushing was not an option I would jack up a rear wheel, give the wheel a few wraps with the rope and give a good pull. Compression on my truck meant it did not take much to turn the engine over.

My EV did better in the below zero weather here than my neighbor’s diesel truck did.

People forget that ICE vehicles have issues with the cold too.

The vast majority of cars sold in the U.S. have had automatic transmissions for decades. Last year, 1.7 percent of new vehicles sold in the US had manual gearboxes, according to data from J.D. Power. You cannot “just roll the thing down the hill and pop the clutch”.

Before computer (ECU) controls, it was possible to run a car without a starter battery even installed (once you jumped it off another vehicle). The alternator could make enough power to allow the engine to run, although not at peak performance and not supporting much accessories drain (like headlights or AC). Today the ECU requires a power source before it will allow the engine to operate.

The cartoonist placed “EV” on the front of his car, trying to make people think that this is solely an EV problem. He misleads you.

That’s how I snuck out of the house!

nope … i’ve popped a clutch on cars with alternators…alternators have been around since about 1960…,, (yep… family auto business since 1955…lol)

Strange how the country with the highest percentage of EVs is Norway – well known as a tropical paradise!