Extra, Extra....Read All About It!

[R1TVT]

Well at least scout is being the bigger man and is building their own platform.

Not really - that is intentionally how the platform is meant to work.

Just like Scout, VW will be able to build their own U/I and experience on top of R2's Zonal Architecture, which is the foundation or platform that sits underneath what you see on your screen, or how you might adjust a drive mode, or update a setting... That is what is meant by underpinning, and what makes the platform very attractive - particuarly since VW was struggling with SW.

VW will have a unique set of requirements for their brands and vehicles (compared to Scout), but both Scout and VW can leverage the platform to build and tune to their individual vehicle needs. The platform enables that, and in both cases makes development much easier. This is a very good thing for Scout based on their timeline and based on the comprehensive capabilities of the R2 platform too.

 

[BeerParty]

https://insideevs.com/news/761865/rivian-zonal-architecture-development/

Some more information about Rivian's Zonal Architecture

 

[Chuckles]

There’s been some reporting about vehicle production being affected by the new Chinese restrictions on the export of certain rare earths materials to anywhere in the world.

see for example this report:
Auto companies face shortages due to China's rare earth restrictions

I work for a company that uses neodymium magnets in some audio transducer products. We can no longer source the material because it all comes from china. We can’t even get it via another country because the Chinese ban is worldwide. We cannot replace neodymium with another material.One of our most popular products is now indefinitely out of stock.

When production lines stop, workers get laid off and I think these Chinese material export restrictions are going to hit more factories around the world in the coming weeks and months.

Neodymium is also essential to EV motors. Might it be possible that this new Chinese policy, reacting to US tariffs, will eventually stall EV production, both in the US and elsewhere?

Ramping Up Rare Earth Mining In The USA

Ramping Up Rare Earth Mining In The USA - Autoline Exclusives - Autoline

The U.S. relies almost exclusively on China to get rare earth minerals, even though the U.S. could be almost self-sufficient. […]

www.autoline.tv

 

[Chaparral]

Ramping Up Rare Earth Mining In The USA

Ramping Up Rare Earth Mining In The USA - Autoline Exclusives - Autoline

The U.S. relies almost exclusively on China to get rare earth minerals, even though the U.S. could be almost self-sufficient. […]

www.autoline.tv

Unfortunately, when it comes to neodymium magnets there is still almost zero production in the US. The company featured in the video (USA Rare Earth) are rapidly building capabilities but are still many years away from shipping actual magnets. Ramping up mining is the easy part, the hard part is processing. Right now the USA Rare Earth company are still figuring out how to do it in their lab. The lab only opened a few months ago. They have a long way to go. The mine in California, which has been operating through Chinese investment, does some initial processing but still has to send material overseas to complete the processing (and up until a few months ago was sending almost all the material to China).

Processing in the US will take years to develop but the supply problem is very short term. My company has already had to stop manufacturing one of our audio transducers. It seems very likely that other manufacturers will also have to stop production of critical parts.

 

[THil08]

This guy sums up on why electronic door latches are dumb. A+ to this guy.

 

[dreamweaver]

This guy sums up on why electronic door latches are dumb. A+ to this guy.

I did not know Rivian door latches are electronic with the override so close. Yes. Why do electric latch? I wonder what percentage of Rivian owners use the override over the electric latch?

 

[strider]

I did not know Rivian door latches are electronic with the override so close. Yes. Why do electric latch? I wonder what percentage of Rivian owners use the override over the electric latch?

So I have not watched the video, but will chime in my my $0.02 based on 15 years of Tesla ownership (plus a 6-month dalliance with a Volvo XC40 EV). I can only speak to the S, X, and Roadster - I have never owned a 3 or Y (but have driven them as service loaners). The model S has retracting door handles for minimizing drag. They motor out when you approach the car and motor in when you walk away. It would be difficult to build a mechanical door handle that did this.

On the Model X, all of the doors are motorized. So as you walk up the door can automatically open or you press the door handle and it opens (you can choose which way you want it to work). Then when you get in the car and step on the brake (assuming you have a key on you) the door closes and the car starts. You can also open and close any of the other doors from the driver's seat (old hat for the rear doors in modern minivans). To get out you press a capacitive button on the handle. So again, having a mechanical door pull in this would be difficult. There is a mechanical override right in the armrest and the only person who uses it regularly is my 80-year father. The car grumps when you do this because if you open the door quickly the window doesn't have time to index down. With the button the window indexes down, and then the door pops open. Finally, I love that everyone can get out of the car and with a single click of the keyfob the car will close all of the doors and roll up all of the windows. I will be sad to lose that with the Scout.

As for the Roadster (and Cybertruck) it doesn't have regular door handles at all, you press a button to unlatch and pull on a cutout in the door. The same as Corvettes have had since the C6 (2005?).

Winter weather here is pretty mild, although we have our share of ice storms. My cars are always garaged but I have been out in sleet and with a 1/8" or so of ice built up the car had no problem breaking the ice to open the door.

All that being said, one huge benefit of electric doors is that they can't be slim-jim'd (good for preventing theft, bad if you tend to lock your keys in the car).

 

[dreamweaver]

So I have not watched the video, but will chime in my my $0.02 based on 15 years of Tesla ownership (plus a 6-month dalliance with a Volvo XC40 EV). I can only speak to the S, X, and Roadster - I have never owned a 3 or Y (but have driven them as service loaners). The model S has retracting door handles for minimizing drag. They motor out when you approach the car and motor in when you walk away. It would be difficult to build a mechanical door handle that did this.

On the Model X, all of the doors are motorized. So as you walk up the door can automatically open or you press the door handle and it opens (you can choose which way you want it to work). Then when you get in the car and step on the brake (assuming you have a key on you) the door closes and the car starts. You can also open and close any of the other doors from the driver's seat (old hat for the rear doors in modern minivans). To get out you press a capacitive button on the handle. So again, having a mechanical door pull in this would be difficult. There is a mechanical override right in the armrest and the only person who uses it regularly is my 80-year father. The car grumps when you do this because if you open the door quickly the window doesn't have time to index down. With the button the window indexes down, and then the door pops open. Finally, I love that everyone can get out of the car and with a single click of the keyfob the car will close all of the doors and roll up all of the windows. I will be sad to lose that with the Scout.

As for the Roadster (and Cybertruck) it doesn't have regular door handles at all, you press a button to unlatch and pull on a cutout in the door. The same as Corvettes have had since the C6 (2005?).

Winter weather here is pretty mild, although we have our share of ice storms. My cars are always garaged but I have been out in sleet and with a 1/8" or so of ice built up the car had no problem breaking the ice to open the door.

All that being said, one huge benefit of electric doors is that they can't be slim-jim'd (good for preventing theft, bad if you tend to lock your keys in the car).

Until the final statement, “bad if you tend to lock your keys in the car,” I was fully engaged. I intentionally leave my keys in the car frequently. When my key fob and keys are left in my Lincoln console, I use the concealed keypad on the B pillar to lock the vehicle. This action locks the keys in the console and disables the key fob. To unlock, lightly touch the B pillar, and a keypad appears for entering an unlock code. Naturally, this method could also be applied to electric door handles and locks.

 

[strider]

Until the final statement, “bad if you tend to lock your keys in the car,” I was fully engaged. I intentionally leave my keys in the car frequently. When my key fob and keys are left in my Lincoln console, I use the concealed keypad on the B pillar to lock the vehicle. This action locks the keys in the console and disables the key fob. To unlock, lightly touch the B pillar, and a keypad appears for entering an unlock code. Naturally, this method could also be applied to electric door handles and locks.

I appreciate the background. I meant in the accidental sense in which you would have to call a locksmith to retrieve your keys (or pry the window out just enough so you can fish around with a coat hanger. I never owned a vehicle with such a capability. I went from a Jeep TJ (manual everything) to a C6 Corvette (keyless entry and it would honk at you if you closed the door with the keyfob in the car), to Teslas.

 

[dreamweaver]

I appreciate the background. I meant in the accidental sense in which you would have to call a locksmith to retrieve your keys (or pry the window out just enough so you can fish around with a coat hanger. I never owned a vehicle with such a capability. I went from a Jeep TJ (manual everything) to a C6 Corvette (keyless entry and it would honk at you if you closed the door with the keyfob in the car), to Teslas.

Yes the Lincoln will beep, and refuse to lock if you lock the door and close it with keys inside.. You have to use the B pillar keypad to lock and disable.

 

[Chavannigans]

Apple WWDC 2025 was today.

At 20:00 they start discussing CarPlay and the new Widget and Live Activity features.

 

[J Alynn]

So I have not watched the video, but will chime in my my $0.02 based on 15 years of Tesla ownership (plus a 6-month dalliance with a Volvo XC40 EV). I can only speak to the S, X, and Roadster - I have never owned a 3 or Y (but have driven them as service loaners). The model S has retracting door handles for minimizing drag. They motor out when you approach the car and motor in when you walk away. It would be difficult to build a mechanical door handle that did this.

On the Model X, all of the doors are motorized. So as you walk up the door can automatically open or you press the door handle and it opens (you can choose which way you want it to work). Then when you get in the car and step on the brake (assuming you have a key on you) the door closes and the car starts. You can also open and close any of the other doors from the driver's seat (old hat for the rear doors in modern minivans). To get out you press a capacitive button on the handle. So again, having a mechanical door pull in this would be difficult. There is a mechanical override right in the armrest and the only person who uses it regularly is my 80-year father. The car grumps when you do this because if you open the door quickly the window doesn't have time to index down. With the button the window indexes down, and then the door pops open. Finally, I love that everyone can get out of the car and with a single click of the keyfob the car will close all of the doors and roll up all of the windows. I will be sad to lose that with the Scout.

As for the Roadster (and Cybertruck) it doesn't have regular door handles at all, you press a button to unlatch and pull on a cutout in the door. The same as Corvettes have had since the C6 (2005?).

Winter weather here is pretty mild, although we have our share of ice storms. My cars are always garaged but I have been out in sleet and with a 1/8" or so of ice built up the car had no problem breaking the ice to open the door.

All that being said, one huge benefit of electric doors is that they can't be slim-jim'd (good for preventing theft, bad if you tend to lock your keys in the car).

Our past Acuras had key fobs and if you depress the unlock for a couple seconds it rolls down all windows and opens sun roof. Hold it again (or lock-I forget) and it puts them all up again so that function would still be possible, just not the doors themselves

 

[dreamweaver]

Apple WWDC 2025 was today.

At 20:00 they start discussing CarPlay and the new Widget and Live Activity features.

I really liked the 2 minute F1 opening. Good music, a lot of fun.

 

[dreamweaver]

Our past Acuras had key fobs and if you depress the unlock for a couple seconds it rolls down all windows and opens sun roof. Hold it again (or lock-I forget) and it puts them all up again so that function would still be possible, just not the doors themselves

Yes Lincoln has been doing Global open/close (windows) for sometime. It is a great feature.

 

[Chavannigans]

Not exactly "News" but quite a few articles in the FAQ section of the main Scout site were updated this week.

 

[Chavannigans]

It looks like the Glass roof will also get a powered shade.

 

[dreamweaver]

Not exactly "News" but quite a few articles in the FAQ section of the main Scout site were updated this week. View attachment 7010

Thank you for keeping track of the fluid Scout story, and sharing it.

 

[THil08]

Starting to get nervous that we are all falling for a scam and that we are gonna be buying “jelly bean off-roaders”. Seems Rivian is the one behind the spare tire carrier. So much for originality Scout.

 

[Chavannigans]

Starting to get nervous that we are all falling for a scam and that we are gonna be buying “jelly bean off-roaders”. Seems Rivian is the one behind the spare tire carrier. So much for originality Scout.

This is an outrage!

How dare Scout use a spare tire carrier like that. Its unthinkable!

No other car companies have ever performed an engineering marvel like a rear mounted spare tire carrier for the masses.

Rivian started it all in 1924 with their Model T.

I hope Jamie was prepared for the unveiling of this scandal!

 

[dreamweaver]

Starting to get nervous that we are all falling for a scam and that we are gonna be buying “jelly bean off-roaders”. Seems Rivian is the one behind the spare tire carrier. So much for originality Scout.

The patent application in question was published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on Dec. 28, 2023, and originally filed by Rivian June 28, 2022. It's titled "Spare Wheel Containers for a Vehicle," and mainly deals with uses for the space inside a spare wheel mounting assembly hung off an SUV's tailgate.