Building A Scratched Battery Graveyard

TOGETHER WITH

We could not be more excited to embark on a 3 city tour from April to June. First city? Arlington, TX. We will be live streaming the tonight show, but if you are close or want to take a trip to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, we would love to have you in person.

You can see more about the tour and each stop at asotux.com and even snag tickets to see the show in person!

Keep Pushing Back-Paul, Kyle, & Chris

AUTOMOTIVE

Banning Bans at the US House?

Although at least a dozen states have already pledged to ban ICE vehicles by around 2035, a SEMA-sponsored bill has entered the US House in an attempt to prevent them and any further bans.

HR1435 is being branded as the “Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act” and promoted as a bill designed to protect Americans’ right to choose the technology that powers their cars. While the matter is still far from settled, the EV market is undeniably on the rise.

Telling it like it is - Can’t we meet in the middle with hybrids, and start there?

AROUND THE ASOTU-VERSE

Word-Ro-Nymns

AIAAutomotive Inventory AdsA category of Ads on Facebook consisting of dynamic inventory displays. These ads are commonly served as carousel ads with multiple vehicles either out of the whole inventory or a pre-selected category based on the user's interest.

AUTOMOTIVE

EV Batteries: Reuse or Refuse?

💰🌗🔋

EV batteries account for about half an EV's cost and are often unrepairable when damaged. Insurance companies have adopted the practice of writing off whole EVs and sending them to scrap yards if the battery pack receives even slight damage.

♻️🗑️👩‍🔧

Well, that doesn't sound sustainable. Good observation! That is because it isn't. While recycling programs are in place, and some OEMs (Ford and GM) are working to make it easier to repair or replace batteries, other OEMs (Tesla) use a structural battery pack that, according to experts, has zero repairability once damaged.

🧾🚗📞

Anybody got a plan? Well, the plan of the insurance companies seems to be passing along the costs in the form of high premiums and then passing the recyclable materials in the battery to the scrapyard. On the other hand, recycling companies are on track to have excess capacity for years to come.

Telling it like it is - Long story short, EVs may create a friendship between insurance companies and recycling groups...if either decides to pick up the phone.

TOGETHER WITH HELLO FRESH

What's For Dinner?

Is there anything worse than heading home from a solid day of troublemaking only to hear the question, "What's for dinner?" Prepping and cooking after a long day…ugh... of course you could always have MORE fast food?

🎶*dun dun duuuun*🎶

What if everything was already waiting in your kitchen? Stress-free, healthy, pre-portioned ingredients and preparation instructions the whole fam can follow together for a good meal and even a little fun.

This is the reality of Hello Fresh. Their absolutely delicious meal kits can be delivered to your door faster than you can say, "No more greasy fries." Get started today and get up to 65% off your first box.

AUTOMOTIVE

Toyota, Rivian, and Hyundai/Kia News

Toyota's new CEO still carries a hydrogen-powered torch despite efforts to catch up in the EV race. Incoming CEO Koji Sato says the company will use full-fledged effort to stay flexible as hydrogen and BEV options play crucial roles in serving diverse markets and sectors.

Rivian's smaller electric van variant, the EDV 500, has been spotted running tests on public roads. The van is still a cargo van, but with 160 fewer cubic feet of storage space, it will be easier for the driver to maneuver. So it isn't a regular-size family vehicle type van unless you happen to have a really big family.

Statefarm and Progressive declared a few models of Kias and Hyundais uninsurable due to how easy it is to steal them. Of course, companies are working to fix the problem, but it is almost like all the media attention on the problem has brought the vulnerability to the attention of nefarious joyriders who missed the original TikTok trend. Loose lips and all that…

Telling it like it is - Toyota is keeping the hydrogen dream alive, Rivian is about that #VanLife, and Hyundai/Kia has a new reason to solve these thefts.

TECHNOLOGY

We Need Some Space

On Friday, the UK Space Agency announced support for Rolls-Royce's research that’s centered around exploring the potential utilization of nuclear power on the Moon.

The agency stated that Rolls-Royce researchers have been working on a Micro-Reactor program with the hope of creating “technology that will provide power needed for humans to live and work on the Moon.”

Sadly no, not that one. According to the UKSA, Rolls-Royce Holdings — not to be confused with Rolls-Royce Motor Cars owned by BMW — is aiming to have a reactor ready to send to the Moon by 2029.

Following two previous cancellations earlier this month, Relativity Space is preparing to undertake another launch of its 3D-printed rocket next week.

The aspiration behind launching a fully reusable, 3D-printed rocket is to decrease cost and increase access to spaceflight. The company was founded with the endgame of going to Mars and building a base there with materials found on the red planet.

Obvious next question. How long before we can 3D-print our own rockets at home??

NASA released details on when and where you can see the next two solar eclipses.

An annular solar eclipse will be visible on October 14, 2023 for those residing in the western part of the US, whereas a total eclipse can be observed in the eastern part of the country on April 8, 2024. And some lucky folks in Texas get a celestial double-whammy with both!

Telling it like it is - Wow, so space is going to get 3D-printed rockets and sustainable energy before us? At least we have Arlington.

Quick Hits

• “Good Burger” is coming back. Orange soda unconfirmed.

• Minnesota's Governor Tim Walz signed a bill providing free breakfast and lunch for all K-12 students, making it the fourth US state to guarantee universal free school meals.

• FCC orders phone companies to block spam calls.

• Twitter sets up autoreply for press requests: “💩”

History

• 1963: After being built as a fort in 1859 and becoming a prison in 1912, Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary (in California) closes. Only 3 people ever escaped (none of them were Sean Connery).

• 1980: In protest of the Soviet-Afghan War, U.S. President Jimmy Carter announces a United States boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow (John Rambo never got his gold medal in archery).

• 2006: The social media site Twitter is founded 💩 (Maybe someday it will get its own movie like Facebook, but we expect Musk to play all the roles Eddie Murphy style).

Motor Madness