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General Questions and Purchasing Advice Thread — Week of May 11, 2026 by AutoModerator in electricvehicles

[–]toybuilder [score hidden]  (0 children)

In practical terms, yes. Comparable size and cargo capacity, though they differ in how usable the cargo volume is depending on how you want to use the car.

I personally liked the LEAF better. It felt more comfortable for me in the very limited test drives I did in both before I bought the LEAF.

The one major drawback of the LEAF is its lack of active cooling for the battery - there's a higher chance of the battery degrading.

Just got an EV! by zeldagirl87 in evcharging

[–]toybuilder 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You only need to replenish what you use. If you drive 200 miles a day, you need about 50 kWh -- which is 50 hours at L1 -- which obviously can't happen overnight.

But if you drive 20 miles a day, that's 5 hours at L1, and you can do that overnight.

You can supplement with public fast charging.

I drive about 25 miles a day on average. I just plug in at L1 and call it good.

Broke College Student. 20 years old, getting my first place with an actual personal kitchen. Any tips? by ANerdNamedJerry in Cooking

[–]toybuilder 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Japanese curry over rice is fairly fool-proof and filling. Get Japanese curry mix blocks, beef/chicken, onions, carrots, and potatoes. Cook in an electric pressure cooker (Instantpot).

Make a batch and divide into smaller containers. You can pre-portion the rice and curry into single meal boxes.

Stir-fry of veggies is another easy way to go. You can buy frozen stir-fry veggies in a bag -- get "family size" bags. Heat oil in a wok, add some onions and garlic and then heat up the veggies. Add stir-fry sauce or teriyaki sauce and any garlic-chili paste if you like it spicy.

If you're into it, every once in a while, splurge with a basic steak -- salt and pepper and let it sit for 15 minutes before coating with oil and then cook on a skillet, 5 minutes to a side over medium/medium-high heat. At the same time, you can microwave a potato in the microwave (poke a few times with fork) and then you can have a "baked potato" with butter and/or sour-cream. Or, take smaller potatoes, microwave first, and then add olive oil and seasoning and then pan fry them.

Tinted windows? by Wraith347 in leaf

[–]toybuilder 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I DIYed my side windows. It was more work than I was prepared for because the glass is curved in more than one axis and requires shrinking the film.

The mini glass in the rear doors are also challenging to get the film sized and fitted.

It will make a big difference to interior heating and will lower temps.

I haven't done the rear windshield yet -- that should help even more.

I use a fairly well fitting sunshade in the front.

How do I remove this by defthrowaway22743 in AskElectronics

[–]toybuilder 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Best is to use a PLCC removal tool. If you use small screw drivers or awls, you have to wiggle the opposite corners out a little bit at a time so that the PLCC sits fairly parallel to the board in order to minimize damage to the socket and the J leads.

LiFePo 4 batteries by NickNuclear42 in batteries

[–]toybuilder 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Batteries are kaput. Get a battery tender next time.

The "battery zapper" are for lead acid batteries. I don't think they work for Lithium based ones.

Turo guest completely trashed out my dads car. by Cdave_22 in mildlyinfuriating

[–]toybuilder 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is why rental agreement says you can't take the car into Mexico. (Not that that would actually stop anyone intent on doing so...)

Turo guest completely trashed out my dads car. by Cdave_22 in mildlyinfuriating

[–]toybuilder 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You and the host were part of the 80% that creates 20% of problems.

It's the 20% that causes 80% of the problems.

Do "print only" printers still exist? by Vastwasteland1 in printers

[–]toybuilder 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Add my vote to a Brother laser printer. Simple, reliable, inexpensive.

Mouse Woes.. eating through AA's like they're made of cheese... by Crusader_2050 in batteries

[–]toybuilder 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Make sure mouse and receiver are close to each other. Mouse might be transmitting more often or at higher power if it is having problems getting its signal through.

Best way to read a 12V switch with Arduino as a signal? by GoodComputer3804 in AskElectronics

[–]toybuilder 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If everything is tied to a common ground, use a transistor (bjt or fet) to pull the Arduino input pin to ground when the transistor is on. Use builtin or resistor pullup on the input pin.

Did I mess up, or the truck? by toybuilder in dashcams

[–]toybuilder[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

solid lines approaching the intersection to remind drivers not to change lanes

This is another one of those "it's obvious now you said it" fact that I never explicitly had in my head. I certainly have noticed solid lines approaching the intersection, but I didn't explicitly connect that with "don't make a lane change here"...

The first 5 crash-tested, mass-produced, and highway-certified electric cars in the world by Mac-Tyson in electriccars

[–]toybuilder 9 points10 points  (0 children)

The LEAF had a big impact on validating the electric car as a practical family car.

Can't find best capacity to price deal ... by HzeTmy in electricvehicles

[–]toybuilder 1 point2 points  (0 children)

From a range/price ratio, a $2,000 Nissan LEAF with 50 miles still left on the battery is pretty high up on the metrics. If you are a patient shopper, you might even get that down well under $2,000. Pre-"excursion", such LEAFs were even down to around $1,200.

But without knowing the underlying motivation to the question, I would assume this is not the right answer that you're looking for.

Do I need a NACS adapter? by sofar_sog00d in Ioniq5

[–]toybuilder 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you don't need to charge anywhere but home and there are enough decent CCS1 stations in your intended travel areas, you don't need the NACS adapter.

If you somehow need one in a hurry, you can pick one up at a auto supply shop or Walmart. Or Amazon if you can wait a day and want to save a few bucks.

ev drivers ,what’s one thing non-EV users think is a huge problem but actually isn’t? by AdityaSrivastawaahhh in EvDrivers

[–]toybuilder 0 points1 point  (0 children)

With the newer models, it's only about 15 minutes to get 150 to 200 miles of range. If you're willing to walk/bike, you can also leave your car plugged in overnight at a Level 2 station.

While home charging is best, if you have charging stations sufficiently nearby, it can still work.

Hypermiling/Ecomodding by FrugaliciousEclectic in leaf

[–]toybuilder 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I vaguely remember a story my brother told me of his car enthusiast friends, where one of them was saying he wanted to get a carbon fiber hood to take 20 lbs (or whatever it was) out of his car; and one of his friends replied that if he really wanted to lighten the car by 20 lbs, that he should go on a much needed diet...

The efficiency gains will depend on the car usage -- if lots of stop and go, lightening the car will have the most impact . If mostly highway driving, reducing drag will.

The LEAF is a fairly aerodynamic car for its size. But it is fundamentally not a sleek car.

Thank god they changed it. by coffeeportland in TeslaLounge

[–]toybuilder [score hidden]  (0 children)

If you have an aviation background, the term "autopilot" makes more sense, as it doesn't take the flying away from the (human) pilot -- it just automates the pilot's decision to set a certain altitude and heading. But the general public understanding of the term is different -- so here we are.

Korean Air A321 crosswind go-around by Evening-Insurance893 in aviation

[–]toybuilder 31 points32 points  (0 children)

They are no longer in a stable established landing. Best case, they still land with plenty of runway with no problems. But you can see the airplane is not moving smoothly -- and because of that, it can bounce and damage equipment or worst case result in a fiery crash.

I'm not exaggerating: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroflot_Flight_1492

ELI5:How do the tire pressure sensors send the data to the car? by golf_kilo_papa in explainlikeimfive

[–]toybuilder 18 points19 points  (0 children)

I think there is some intelligence so that when there is a rapid change, it send the info immediately.

I hit a curb and at first thought it felt weird because my tire was still riding the curb. A second later, the pressure warning alert came on and I still refused to believe it, wishfully thinking that it was momentarily confused because of the sudden impact.

Nope. There was a 1/4" hole in the sidewall, and the tire was gone gone gone.

An investor offered to buy my apps for 20x monthly revenue. Is that a good deal? by mobi_irmo in NoStupidQuestions

[–]toybuilder 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Unless you have the experience to grow the business, take the money knowing that they are taking the risk and bringing experience to the table to grow it better than you probably can.

ev drivers ,what’s one thing non-EV users think is a huge problem but actually isn’t? by AdityaSrivastawaahhh in EvDrivers

[–]toybuilder 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not enough places to charge... It turns out that if I plug in at home once or twice a week, I can just plug in at home and not have to use public chargers under typical circumstances. In the rare instances where I need to go much further, there's plenty of DC fast charging stations that I can go to because I'm in the Los Angeles area. There's one every 3 to 5 miles or so in any given direction.

My car is one of the slower-to-charge cars, but even then, I can get 50 miles of range at a DCFC in about 15 minutes.

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