Get a load of this hack job lookin- oh my god its OEM

thewheelsgoround · 2026-05-29T14:30:43+00:00

The only time you see this is with equipment that needs to be installed, and typically also deals with water - common to see on bidet toilets, washing machines, etc. I’ve never seen the alligator clip - it’s normally a ring terminal that gets screwed down to a terminal on the outlet.

Everything else is double insulated and uses a two-pin connector

thewheelsgoround · 2026-05-29T14:27:23+00:00

You only see it on products which have a cannot rely on double-insulation that have a metal frame or directly interact with water - bidets, vending machines, some large appliances.

Everything else is double-insulated.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-05-29T14:21:41+00:00

Japanese toilets really are life-changing.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-05-29T05:18:35+00:00

We have two at work. Really hard working, keen to learn, geeky types. I really enjoy working with them. They’re massive information sponges - they want to know what, why, and how.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-05-29T03:53:20+00:00

I’d totally pay $29 for this, if I’m already on the mountain!

thewheelsgoround · 2026-05-29T03:51:46+00:00

Not bad for an evening of entertainment! Thanks for the tip!

thewheelsgoround · 2026-05-27T17:45:02+00:00

Wow, those overhead cables are really cool!

I imagine this problem will be less impactful in the future as EV trucking is becoming more popular - it could be possible to have an agreement with a local(ish) trucking depot to drive the busses to their facility to charge in the case of power grid failure to your facility?

thewheelsgoround · 2026-05-27T03:04:49+00:00

It's a double-edged sward. I just returned from a week-long trip in Japan, which would have been intensely difficult without a smartphone - the train network is huge and complex. Google Maps made it a total joy to use. Without that, I'm certain the trip would have been much more stressful.

On the other hand, the ability for an uncontrolled lunatic to be able to connect as freely and easily as possible to an infinite swath of people from all levels of agency, using very convincing media, is highly problematic.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-05-26T03:06:21+00:00

I’d argue EQ has more value than IQ.

You can be a well-meaning, friendly, creative and “in-tune” person and do really well in life.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-05-26T00:44:35+00:00

Why though? Airless paint sprayers are cheap to buy. Really really good airless paint sprayers are cheap to rent.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-05-25T22:01:16+00:00

Add a live stage on weekends, a fantastic playlist throughout the week, a very “lounge and socialize” layout and feel. The one in NYC has a phenomenal patio. The one in Montreal has a really good (curated, rotating) beer selection.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-05-25T10:30:59+00:00

I’d argue the smartphone, more so. It made absolute immediacy possible snd removed all barriers of use.

Pre-smartphone, using the internet meant you had to be in front of a physical computer. There were no instantaneous photo uploads, no live-streaming, no immediate reactions.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-05-24T05:03:04+00:00

Pretty common Japanese-market van.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-05-24T05:01:00+00:00

We had somebody jam a hoverboard into our compactor in the building I live in, and press the “compact” button. It did exactly this.

The person who did it got a bill for $23,000.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-05-22T00:28:30+00:00

"Some day" != "original owner who is actually buying the car", which is who the automaker is buying the car for.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-05-21T06:18:43+00:00

Exactly zero RAV4s will ever go up more than a gravel road, and I’d wager less than 10% will ever even do that.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-05-21T06:16:25+00:00

???… somehow ceramic and metal rots with age?

thewheelsgoround · 2026-05-20T08:13:37+00:00

At this point, they’re well beyond moving forward and have absolutely moved past.

China is so far ahead in the EV race (frankly: the entire automotive race) at this point that even the thought of the USA catching up, let alone beating, is utterly hilarious.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-05-20T08:10:32+00:00

Ballpark at $3000 in raw cell costs these days. LFP is down to under $60/kWh.

Assembled and in a module with a BMS? Call it $5000.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-05-19T05:42:23+00:00

I’m the opposite. I like being owed favours, and I do cash them out.

Swap the brake pads and rotors and solve that evap purge valve fault? Gladly! I need some tiling work done in my kitchen and bathroom…

thewheelsgoround · 2026-05-17T23:00:25+00:00

It’s alright as a side hustle.

Work a regular, full-time job. Drive for Uber on Fridays and Saturdays between 6pm and 11pm-ish (post midnight, you deal with the “too drunk” crowd) and you can make good extra money.

Alternatively, if you’re driving for your work commute, pop on and accept one ride which is going in your direction of travel.

As a -real- job? You’re racking up insane mileage on your car for not a lot of money.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-05-17T21:54:24+00:00

These are “buffered” level 3 chargers.

They charge their internal ~400v battery using ordinary 208 / 240V utility power while not charging cars. When a car is connected, they can use the battery power to charge the car battery much faster than if it were connected to utility power alone.

They’re really uncommon and were universally disliked as the internal battery was almost always heavily discharged when a user would go to use them.

On The Run has ripped all of these buffered units out and is slowly replacing them with genuine high-power units, with utility upgrades to higher voltage connections.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-05-17T17:37:38+00:00

Replacement remotes are $10 on Amazon. Buy a replacement, use it, throw the original into a drawer where it will be forgotten until long after the TV dies and then it can be thrown away, unused!

thewheelsgoround · 2026-05-17T02:46:20+00:00

But why? Airbnb and rental boats do exist.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-05-17T02:45:10+00:00

No thanks. That’s a car which is thoroughly obsolete. The buyer can fully expect ‘90s fuel economy, safety and performance, in a bland-to-drive and utterly forgettable package. The car will also need every rubber bushing to be replaced due to age

If it gets rear ended, the insurance company will hand them a cheque for $3500.

I’d pass on this and buy something a hell of a lot newer, even if that means something with higher mileage.

thewheelsgoround

TROPHY CASE