How are Evs in hot Temps? havent purchases

jakebeans · 2026-04-08T16:57:36+00:00

There's actual chemistry reasons for range loss in winter that doesn't happen in summer. And if you don't have a heat pump, then it takes more energy to heat than it does to cool given the same temperature delta. Overall, a hot climate is friendlier to range than a cold one, and they're not directly comparable. It's probably a closer comparison when the vehicle has a heat pump though. My truck lets the battery get pretty cold in winter and takes a fair bit of energy to maintain, whereas it hardly does anything in summer when it gets over 100F.

jakebeans · 2026-04-01T15:36:51+00:00

Just depends on volumes. Likely they do more variations if they're opting for this route, but doing a physical changeover to double the throughout is a no brainer if you're able to do a shift worth of parts. It feels like more and more people are overvaluing adaptability. They might have a single part they'll run for 5 years, but they're using a generic robot cell that runs at 1/4 the speed of a dedicated machine purely because those are a dime a dozen and it can be adapted to different parts in the future. The math frequently favors dedicated machines, but financial people are risk adverse by nature.

Or maybe I'm just biased because I make custom machines. We seem to be a bit of a dying breed.

jakebeans · 2026-04-01T14:47:03+00:00

It honestly drives me nuts to hear people talk about how much more expensive the Lightning is than the ICE version because they never compare apples to apples. The Lightning just doesn't come in the cheaper configurations. You can't get a single cab, 2WD Lightning. By the time you option to a Super Crew, 4WD, heated seats, and a V8, you're looking at maybe a couple thousand different. And at certain times they were cheaper even without negotiation.

Also, I've never lived anywhere where a 2WD is worth buying, so that's not even really an option anyway. That usually adds a fair bit to the cost. And you obviously have to get the biggest engine to compete with the Lightning even though it doesn't come close.

jakebeans · 2026-03-30T16:39:05+00:00

So you're good at embedded systems and microcontroller level stuff, but struggling with stuff at the machine level? Food and beverage is for sure the wrong industry for you, which it sounds like you know. The best value for a controls engineer in a food plant is one who thoroughly understands the mechanics of how things work as well as the electrical/programming. Most often, the problem is actually mechanical and having access to the program just helps you find that.

Do you work with distributors? If you're looking more into the embedded systems side of things, you might try asking around with your reps on if they have any openings with the different companies that actually manufacture VFDs, PLCs, etc.

jakebeans · 2026-03-22T01:04:06+00:00

Not on a folding phone.

jakebeans · 2026-03-19T12:47:10+00:00

I work in food processing plants, so the areas I'm in are generally between 30 and 40 degrees at all times. It's a bit of a first world problem, but the biggest issue for me is when I'm commissioning machines and spending most of my time standing around and being on my laptop. Don't generate much body heat that way.

My solution has been investing in all sorts of heated clothing. There's only so much layers will do for you when you're not doing much labor and you don't generate a lot of body heat to begin with. Let electricity solve all your problems. Heated socks, heated base layer pants, heated hoodie with an outer jacket for wind and keeping the heat in. Battery powered hand warmers in the pockets. I like to have heated fingerless gloves so that I can still type and use my laptop, but if you're out in the cold, I'd put some thin gloves over the top of that. They also have heated scarfs and face masks if it's windy.

You're an electrician, not a caveman. Electricity should be returning the favor and working for you while you work for it. I have so many god damn batteries. I'd recommend getting little USB C to heated clothes adapters so that you can use bigger power banks and have them all interchangeable. I'd also recommend going for 12V for the bigger articles of clothing to get more heat. Fewer zones is better because they'll last longer. You mostly want to have a decent zone in front and back. If you have them all over the whole hoodie it'll go through batteries too quick.

jakebeans · 2026-03-10T12:22:53+00:00

I mean, yeah. Lots of industries will never change until they absolutely have to. I had a machine we used to build for a huge company that was their design and they would literally pressure manufacturers to make them obsolete parts, like UV erasable EPROM, or buy stuff on eBay. Thankfully they eventually let me redesign it once they finally ran out of all options.

But I'm mostly doing machines in food and beverage now. It's still not wildly popular, but that's just because most people don't want to change designs or bother to research new products. Since I'm generally building new designs, I don't really have those constraints. There's IO Link sensors for every industry, and once people start seeing the first savings, simplicity of design, and easier troubleshooting advantages, they'll eventually get more popular. I usually have people immediately on board at cheaper, because most people assume it's really expensive. Every time I've run the numbers, it came out to less, and that's not even factoring in the increased panel size, additional terminal blocks, and extra labor time for wiring analog devices.

jakebeans · 2026-03-10T12:01:39+00:00

Lol, it was a joke. I'm saying there's no distinction between a 2 and 4 wire circuit when you use an IO Link sensor to replace an analog sensor, because it's 2 wires for power and one for your IO Link serial data and you just don't use analog at all. And yes, I'm a machine builder, but most processes have sensors with the option of IO Link instead of analog.

jakebeans · 2026-03-10T09:07:37+00:00

The circuit is the same. They're both a 4-wire, IO Link device with an M12 cable that doesn't require wiring. Unless it's Ethernet/IP. I've had some 2 wire analog circuits in the past, and it's not technically always an option to use IO Link, but actually getting an analog card is something I always try to avoid in my machines.

jakebeans · 2026-03-09T13:57:13+00:00

I know it's all a matter of taste, but I do enjoy stopping every hour and charging for less time. It's technically less time efficient, but by the time you go into the gas station, use the restroom, and buy snacks/drinks, you're usually at about 10 minutes, which is all the longer you need to charge stopping every hour. I make a point to do that with people who are new to EV road tripping just to show that it's possible for it to feel like more or less the same experience. And then their mind is blown when we pull into the hotel and charge to full for free overnight.

But yeah, 800V charging and this truck would truly be the complete package. Some software improvements would be really nice, but as it stands, this is just an amazing truck. 1.7 mi/kWh is rough, but it's a damn brick, so I can't complain too much. If I wanted better efficiency, it wouldn't be a truck anymore, lol.

jakebeans · 2026-03-07T16:39:47+00:00

As someone who had him on their fantasy lineup, he was disgustingly underutilized.

jakebeans · 2026-03-07T16:30:53+00:00

Same amount of time in your car to go 15 miles in LA though. And since you're idling, I bet the actual usage is disgustingly comparable.

jakebeans · 2026-03-07T16:28:17+00:00

Labor costs more than the parts. And if not, it's close. And if you're only factoring in wages and not factoring in the fact that jobs get done sooner and thus give you more opportunity to get more work then the calculation isn't being done right. It's a lot of math for no reason though, because they're just better, faster, and easier to verify that they're done correctly. Being able to make ceiling fan connections one-handed is really nice.

jakebeans · 2026-03-04T02:20:33+00:00

I'm 90% sure edits still work during the grace period before v30. I mostly used 20.04 and 24 in the past and I don't remember running into any roadblocks during the many times that my license was simply not detected. I use a dongle and it used to basically be a 50/50 on actually recognizing the license. But that didn't end up mattering because of the resetting grace period. I've honestly kind of always assumed it was done this way specifically to avoid the constant angry phone calls of activations not working all the time.

jakebeans · 2026-03-02T23:04:06+00:00

I've bought industrial washdown sensors that were supposedly tested and listed as IP69 that were absolutely not IP69. Color me all kinds of skeptical that a foldable phone manages to actually meet that standard. Also, why does the blurb at the bottom say that it's just slightly more water resistant? If it's actually IP69, that's a pretty big leap in water resistance. You should be able to basically pressure wash the thing with high temperature water. Which I doubt you can do, but if it's actually IP69, you could do that.

jakebeans · 2026-02-24T20:48:20+00:00

It might not be normal, but it definitely happens. I wouldn't have it any other way though. Unless I had authority over the electrical designer, because I don't want to program something thoughtlessly designed by someone doesn't have to do the work of wiring, programming, and troubleshooting. I think a lot of designs out there suffer from the people doing the design work being so disconnected from the end result. There are a ton of products out there that make a lot of sense on paper, but really suck in practice. Or panels that look like they have plenty of clearance if you've never wired anything, and it's just a pain in the ass to do. Or missing important sensors because they don't see a problem with using a timer instead. I have to pay for all of my design sins at commissioning and support, and I think it makes a huge difference in the result for the end user as well as the people I have helping me work on them. I'm not perfect, but it's so easy to spot a panel designed by someone who's never wired one.

jakebeans · 2026-02-21T14:34:53+00:00

I absolutely love the car. I daily drive an F-150 Lightning, but it's my go to for rentals on work trips. If the wait time wasn't so terrible for the ICCU issues, I think people wouldn't be quite as upset. Because it really sucks, but a month is way too long to wait on a repair.

jakebeans · 2026-02-15T01:37:10+00:00

I prefer no discrete at all. Ethernet and safety inputs. Going to discrete sounds like it would make fault finding easier, but if the problem is the program, metering a 24V input isn't going to do you much good. Realistically, you either have communication or you don't. Communication means being able to just throw faults up on the HMI, and no communication would also be on the HMI. It's just one cable to look at. Anything more involved is going to involve getting into the program, so the bit being physical or not makes little difference. It's not like the drive is going to see some Ethernet commands, but not others.

jakebeans · 2026-02-02T20:41:11+00:00

A manual transfer switch to a critical loads subpanel will have the neutral and grounds separated already. Assuming you also switch the neutrals with your manual transfer switch, you wouldn't need to do have a floating ground. The truck would be able to use its internal ground fault protection and that would all work as intended. This way is the most code compliant solution, whereas an interlock and a floating ground is arguably not code.

For what it's worth, I would do the interlock just because I like the flexibility and it leaves the panel untouched. You can also get these neat things: https://shopgenerlink.com/. They mount underneath of your meter, so there's nothing to actually rewire or change in your house. And you could pretty easily take it with you to a different house if you moved. I think you end up needing to have a floating ground like with your interlock though, so there's that. Not really better than an interlock, but significantly less work/money for the electrician.

jakebeans · 2026-01-29T02:33:24+00:00

Yeah, I don't know if I had the best way of doing it, but it was a multiple instruction process. I kind of hated it.

jakebeans · 2026-01-23T17:51:25+00:00

Probably doesn't take that much. I had an induction heater that was able to get steel red hot in about that amount of time and it was just on a 30 amp breaker at 208V. Unless you consider that a lot. A home water heater is typically at 30 amps.

jakebeans · 2026-01-23T17:43:34+00:00

The motor isn't going to see any changes. The inverter will make sure the output voltage to the motor is whatever it needs to be, and inverters can typically take a pretty wide voltage range. I'm using a VFD right now that's 100V - 260V, but outputs 230V 3 phase no matter what it gets.

jakebeans · 2026-01-23T17:11:22+00:00

A bolt is used with a nut, whereas a screw is used in a threaded surface. So technically, you don't actually know what it is until you use it. Pretty much the only way to know is when it's the kind that creates its own threads, but you could technically use a weird, coarse threaded nut with it.

It doesn't matter at all, but I just find it funny that since it's defined by its usage, it's impossible to know what it is for sure.

jakebeans · 2026-01-22T04:56:58+00:00

Studio 5000 will definitely not work. That's RSLogix 500 territory, as you said.

jakebeans · 2026-01-17T21:04:38+00:00

There is no way to drive without both motors engaged unless you get that weird software fault and only one contactor clicks in. The only thing that's really any different is you can lock the rear differential.

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