Something we are going to lose (2 May, 2022)

[aardvark_admin]

This column is archived at: https://aardvark.co.nz/daily/2022/0502.shtml

What will happen to the legions of folk who currently enjoy tinkering with their cars or even completely rebuilding them into their dream rides?

What will they do once the transition to EVs is complete and everything is black-boxed to oblivion?

Will we find it harder to interest young people in mechanical engineering when they are no longer exposed to its wonders by way of working on their own cars?

Will it be simply too dangerous and unproductive to try and work on or enhance your EV?

Will manufacturers continue to lock down the parts and the information needed to work on these vehicles to the point where it becomes impossible anyway?

Will those lazy Sunday afternoons spent polishing ports, fitting performance exhaust systems and other hot-up components be just a memory for the history books, in the era of the EV?

[hagfish]

I think this is already well under way. A modern internal combustion engine is a sealed box with a 'Check engine' light. Checking the engine requires hooking up the diagnosis machine via its proprietary port (unless you don't mind voiding your warranty and/or bricking your car. It's not like they need a valve-grind and a re-bore every 30.000 miles, these days.

Perhaps a silver lining of the war in Ukraine is that natural gas production is disrupted; so neon production is disrupted; so they can't run the lasers they need to make the chips that go in the sensors that go in the clean rooms that make the chips that go in our absurdly-complicated cars. Maybe the Morrie Minor will roll again! They'll certainly be popular if we get in the way of a decent CME.

[aardvark_admin]

Maybe the Morrie Minor will roll again! They'll certainly be popular if we get in the way of a decent CME.

I was thinking that it would be a great idea to buy an old banger now (while there are still around) and spend a bit of time bringing it back to life as insurance against "bad things" happening.

Something with points rather than electronic ignition and a carburetor rather than fuel injection.

On second thoughts... a reliable old diesel may be a better option because you can run that on vege oil long after the petrol supplies have dried up.

[GSVNoFixedAbode]

Maybe the Morrie Minor will roll again! They'll certainly be popular if we get in the way of a decent CME.

I was thinking that it would be a great idea to buy an old banger now (while there are still around) and spend a bit of time bringing it back to life....

Best of both worlds: saw a project the other week of taking an old Classic Mini, whipping out the engine and replacing it with batteries and a 'Tesla kit'.

[phill]

still plenty of opportunity for petrol heads to pretend they are great motor engineers
they dont even have the problem that it has to be ready for monday morning anymore

hobby diddling with ice motors will be a thing for decades to come

it just wont be done on the family transport vehicle

[aardvark_admin]

Come on Phill, how log will it be before the environmentalist extremists demand that petrol be a prohibited substance and how long before the ElfinSafety Nazis declare that ICE emissions are just too dangerous to be allowed in the modern (padded walls) world?

I mean, the latest thing the world's do-gooders are embarking on is the global regulation and restrictions on the use of sand. Apparently we're running out of the stuff to meet the demands of concrete and glass so it *must* be regulated, restricted and controlled -- for our own good.

There will always be people who want to throw a spanner in the works of everything.

[phill]

no doubt the most popular mod will be to run it on pure ethanol
way cheaper than that petrol stuff you can only get at the chemist

motor vehicles ( much to the shock of the bogan type petrol heads ) are not a habitat
so unlikely to be protected by environmental law

only sharp sands are suitable for concrete and they are the ones found at the beach

[aardvark_admin]

only sharp sands are suitable for concrete and they are the ones found at the beach

Yep river and beach sands are the one that the environmentalists are in the process of regulating and protecting.

Because, as we've seen with Carbon Credits... if you find a way to make people pay, environmental issues just go away

[Malcolm]

You don't need electric cars to stop people doing their own repairs. Try swapping the oil filter on any modern car without access to the encrypted scan tool only sold to authorised service agents. See how well the car runs after that. The days of the local mechanic are pretty much over. Access to first party parts and ECUs keep people locked in to only the authorised dealers.

[Perry]

Maybe the current, fashionable, "right-to-repair" focus-of-the-moment will be our salvation?