Electric Car Battery Or Puppy?

TOGETHER WITH

Hint: If you read this email before you head into work today, grab some donuts and coffee along the way. Promptly take them to the detail department. Trust us.

See, fun ideas come in Friday emails too!

Keep Pushing Back,-Paul, Kyle, & Chris

DEALERS

Family Promises With Metrowest Subaru

Metrowest Subaru will partner with Subaru of America to donate $85K to Family Promise Metrowest as part of its Share the Love campaign.

Family Promise Metrowest helps families navigate housing instability and financial insecurity. Through partnerships like this, FPM provides access to housing, employment, childcare, and education to people in their community.

Some of the dealership's team will also join FPM for a Walk to End Homelessness in April, where the unprecedented check will be presented.

Telling it like it is - Children in this community will grow up feeling secure because of this partnership. Do we need to say more?

AUTOMOTIVE

Ford Confirmed Battery Fire (Singular)

Ford confirmed its F-150 Lightning production/delivery pause is due to potential battery fires.

During a pre-delivery quality inspection, one vehicle "displayed a battery issue" (translation: caught fire?). No fires have been reported by customers.

A spokesperson for the brand says they believe they have identified the root cause, but a full investigation could take a few weeks.

Already reeling from a down quarter, the effects of the pause may linger over Ford for some time.

Why do lithium-ion batteries catch fire? Smartphones and EVs alike have been named as the cause of spontaneous battery combustion in stories before. After reading a paragraph of technical information several times, we feel confident saying this: a battery catches fire when a stressor (internal short, excessive heat, overcharging) causes it to release additional oxygen, which provides food to a fire waiting to happen in the chemical, energy-rich environment of a Li-Ion battery.

Telling it like it is - Ways to prevent possible battery fires include not overstimulating, spending time in the shade, and plenty of rest between activities. Oh wait, that is the rules for taking care of a new puppy…

TOGETHER WITH IMPEL

This is an Article

Don’t ask a vendor why their platform is so great; ask a dealer.

Erick Kirks, Marketing Director at Johnson Automotive, shares his first-hand experience with Impel’s Sales AI platform. “The AI’s ability to automatically engage with every online shopper, even after hours, frees up our people to focus on what they do best - building relationships with customers over the phone and in the showroom.”

Watch Erick’s full interview, and learn how Impel is driving Johnson’s business forward!

AUTOMOTIVE

Dreaming About AI, Drop-Tops, and The Sun

Jidu, a Chinese EV startup, plans to incorporate a ChatGPT-like product called Ernie Bot into their cars’ user interface and driver assistance tech. The combined tech aims to improve user interactivity and enhance the driver experience.

2030: The Bert Bot becomes an optional windshield wiper management AI add-on, so Ernie doesn't get lonely? We can dream.

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Due to the overwhelmingly positive feedback of their 2022 prototype, MINI revealed this week that they will produce a limited run of their Cooper SE Convertibles, an all-electric hatchback with a drop-top. Sorry, the rest of the world, they are only making 999 of them, and they're destined exclusively for the European market.

Does this mean if we give positive feedback hard enough, we can get Apple to bring back headphone jacks? We can dream.

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A solar EV charging company premiered the world's first DC-to-DC rooftop solar-powered hybrid bidirectional EV fast-charger (say that 3x fast). Enteligent chargers use rooftop solar panels to charge EVs three times faster than the best home AC chargers available today.

Cool, but maybe when the EV is fully charged, you could send some of that energy into the dryer so our laundry is done three times faster? We can dream.

CULTURE

What’s the Deal with Cold Plunges?

Getting ready to jump into the weekend? How about going for a cold plunge? DCE (deliberate cold exposure) seems to be all the rage these days, but is it really beneficial? Or is Big Ice just trying to push their agenda? We decided to look into it.

🧘‍♂️ Potential Advantages:-Pain relief. -Stress reduction.-Boosted immune system.

🥶 Potential Risks:-Cold shock.-Physical incapacitation.-Hypothermia.

Some studies suggest that there may be advantages of CWI (cold water immersion), especially when regularly repeated. Unfortunately, those findings are largely anecdotal, and there is yet to be any definitive scientific data to verify the claims. However, there are some very real cons that, especially when combined with water, can create potentially dangerous situations.

🌟 A few best practices:-Never cold plunge alone.-Clear it with a doctor if you have existing medical conditions.-Studies say 50-59°F is the optimal temperature.-Beginners should aim for no more than 15 mins. -Maybe don't do it at all?

Telling it like it is - We're still split. Are you team "DCE is the truth" or team "No thank you, please"?

Quick Hits

• Tesla recalls hundreds of thousands of vehicles over concerns its Full Self-Driving feature could cause crashes.

• Seacrest out. Ryan announced yesterday his departure from the morning talk-show Live with Kelly and Ryan and will be replaced by Kelly Ripa’s husband, Mark Conseulos.

• Winnie the Pooh is back with a terrifying twist.

History

• 1911: The first electric starter was installed in a Cadillac. Up until that point, cars still had to be started with a crank.

• 1930: The dwarf planet Pluto was discovered by Clyde W. Tombaugh, a 24-year-old American with no formal training in astronomy.

• 1972: VW Beetle outsells Ford Model T