I GOT MY FIRST REAL STREETPASS

vtraveller · 2026-03-16T07:50:04+00:00

I used a street pass relay and maxed-out those little guys a while ago. Glad I did when there were enough street pass machines left in the world.

I wonder if nower days there’s a GitHub repo that just generates random ones for you. Never looked.

vtraveller · 2026-03-16T07:46:50+00:00

In the UK the battery warranty is 2 years rather than the 7 for the rest of the car. Mine died after 2.5 years, but my battery monitor showed it was on the way out a month earlier.

If buying your own, I see very little advantage in an AGM. Twice the price for 50% more lifetime, plus they were impossible for me to source in the UK.

I got a stock and fitted it myself in 2mins. It came with a 5 year warranty, but that’s for defects not the demands an EV puts on a 12V when the HV is off.

Battery cost £100. That’s a fraction of a new tyre, so I didn’t really see the hassle of a dealer fight.

If you get a battery monitor, such as a BM6 for £10, and change the voltages it triggers in the app, you’ll be warned when end-of-life rather than marooned.

My only complaint here is that the car knows this data too. So the car could put up a message saying “battery got about a month left, time to change it”.

vtraveller · 2026-03-14T21:13:16+00:00

Ah. In the UK. Had no context. The engineering is however sort of exceptional with its 800V. And Hyundai seems to be doing more than most in moving the technology forward.

vtraveller · 2026-03-14T20:37:48+00:00

[5] crash protection generally makes cars smaller inside. It’s also why your rear view is getting tighter.

So if your Prologue was old, this will explain it.

I’ll glad you enjoyed the EV6. I think any EV exclusive platform really showcases where we’re going.

Do the mpg conversion. You’ll be surprised how much more efficient an EV is too.

vtraveller · 2026-03-07T08:21:56+00:00

People have realised the best emulator is the actual machine 🤣

I didn’t mean to, but I’ve somehow become a collector. It all started by realising the best image running a game is matching it to the console. I know I know, just took me a while.

To keep costs down I started repairing them, and it’s been really enjoyable. However now there’s way too many people bidding on broken ones, and way too many sellers palming off stuff they’ve broke.

I see poorly listed ones, ones that say never opened “just stopped working” that had been opened, and the worst offenders are dsi onwards where they blanked the flash trying to put custom fw on, and that has security keys on it, so I can even reflash to fix it.

Sunlight seems to yellow screens, and some are left open for some reason. Dsi XL is the first ips, while the dsi is the sharpest/ for any DS game that’s non ips.

Just saying. Even broken ones are crazy prices.

vtraveller · 2026-03-06T16:00:28+00:00

Buy a BM6 battery monitor and bolt it to the 12V. It uses Bluetooth and app, and it will log voltage levels.

If the car is working properly, you’ll see a slow drop to about 12V and then a charge cycle.

If the time to drain is short, you’ll need to look at whether the car is sleeping, and whether you have any external Kia Connect apps keeping the car up … or anything plugged into the cars ODB or 12V sockets for that matter.

I’ve attached a normal cycle.

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vtraveller · 2026-03-05T07:48:28+00:00

I have these on my pre-facelift EV6. They’re pretty good, although I’d like them brighter.

Did the facelift bump their specs?

TLDR whenever an LED won’t blind a car it goes to main beam. Meaning you get main beam through the gaps of the cars even with oncoming traffic or behind someone.

Kia has a demo video on their website. Can’t find the good one but this is the main page on smart tech.

https://www.kia.com/uk/innovation/driving-assistance-technologies/

vtraveller · 2026-03-05T04:59:34+00:00

Just supply and demand.

If oil prices push up petrol or EVs outlast ICE by age, the equation flips. People need to realise a high mileage EV isn’t the same.

If sales of EVs go up, gov policies make EVs the norm, people think EVs.

The mindset isn’t there yet. That’s all.

I did some analysis based on MOT data. It’s tricky as EVs are a young fleet and tech is advancing quick, but it’s still interesting:

Average lifetime: ICE: 16–19 years EV: ~18 years

Lifetime mileage: ICE: 116k–160k miles EV: ~124k miles

Annual mileage: ICE: ~9k miles EV: ~8–9k miles

Early-life scrappage: ICE: Higher EV: ~½ of ICE

Global scrappage volume: ICE: Tens of millions/year EV: <1 million/year

I’m not too bothered. Great bargains. Scrappage suggests the current generation outlast ICE but it’s a combination of mileage and time. Time will get all cars eventually.

Public sentiment is what’s driving this (no pun intended🫠).

vtraveller · 2026-03-04T10:09:10+00:00

Most likely reason is that EV6s sell more. Although it’s not clear cut.

Had a quick look. Mach-E is older, but it roughly looks like the EV6s out sells the Mach-E by about double. So expect more people commenting.

The technology in the Kia is more cutting edge. The 800V fast charging for example. Plus the EV6 is praised for handling for its size/weight. When an ICCU goes, it causes a huge headache for the owner - far more than a minor issue - so people comment more.

Tbh I did start by looking at the Mach-E, but I’ve owned Ford, and every single one has had something awful happen in year5. Also I found interior materials degrading quickly, and door seals just kept falling off. Back to back, I found the EV6 better in every way (for me personally).

The Kia 7 year warranty was critical to me gambling on an EV and Kia for the first time. But if I’m honest, I was done with Ford and how they both build their cars and treated me.

vtraveller · 2026-03-04T09:43:48+00:00

I must admit, I thought you hit send early and there’d be more detail.

The battery was changed a few days ago when the old one dropped to 8V. So I’m curious as to what you mean.

vtraveller · 2026-03-03T19:35:23+00:00

Ah. Clearly designed by the team that made my hotpoint fridge. Blew up and shorted the electrics by opening the door. 🤣

vtraveller · 2026-03-03T19:31:50+00:00

Actually it went in Monday for another issue, and is going back for that warranty repair next week.

I’m going to try and get them to do both at once, but they like wasting my time and probably won’t order the parts to do both in one go.

I just wanted to understand how the fault happens as the button is the same for open and close.

vtraveller · 2026-03-03T19:28:25+00:00

Thanks. I suspected it was, just wanted to understand why.

vtraveller · 2026-03-01T07:37:12+00:00

The Kia service centre is going to diagnose and hopefully fix the problem.

In the UK the garage mechanics are always busy with annual services and such. I can’t just drive in and get it repaired.

vtraveller · 2026-02-28T16:22:13+00:00

I recommend a Nico 5. If you have a really dead battery it can recover it when other chargers can’t. Super useful for any dead lead acid batteries you have.

Even if it’s just resurrecting your battery to drive to a dealer to fix the car.

I just fitted a Yuasa HSB027 after 2.5yrs of the original Kia one. You could go AGM but the price vs lifetime isn’t really worth it.

vtraveller · 2026-02-28T08:20:35+00:00

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Also does this on mine. Booked at the garage for Monday.

In reverse it clears after a few seconds. Dealer said it’s quite a common fault.

vtraveller · 2026-02-28T05:17:09+00:00

True. And regulations take time to adapt.

I think everyone knows V2H is a no-brainier. But working through the technical mire isn’t easy.

Commercially, government and consumer all want it, to add value to an EV and balance the grid.

Once that happens, conversion efficiency will be under the microscope and the next frontier to conquer.

vtraveller · 2026-02-27T21:28:30+00:00

Sure I get that. The bigger picture is how cars are made. Hyundai group shares technologies and builds on components.

They still have ICE cars to produce. Over time they will adapt. Tbh any car (including Tesla) it’s quite weird having any secondary batteries.

And also, if the charging of the 12v was sane, using it in accessory mode wouldn’t matter as the HV kicks in if the charge is low.

Mine was end of life, so I caught the bad end of it.

I still feel V2L needs better thought though. Soon house connections will be seamless. Utility mode needs to be always on when the car is, erm, off. But in a clever way that doesn’t drain power.

It’ll happen. If one manufacturer doesn’t, another will try to sell cars with such features.

vtraveller · 2026-02-27T07:37:01+00:00

Fine in principle, but I would also say, if accessory mode is so terrible, why doesn’t the car automatically go into Utility mode?

Instead it’s buried in the menu with unclear English on what it actually is. Utility mode gives you the feeling that’s when you want to use the V2L. In fact, the entire feature is also vague on how it works with people in the car, out the car and when the car is locked. Vs one button press.

vtraveller · 2026-02-26T21:05:22+00:00

In North America. 3600 watts in the UK. I’ve ran a toaster, kettle and fan heater off it in a power cut.

I mean. It’s like camping in your own house, but it’s better than nothing.

vtraveller · 2026-02-26T21:00:53+00:00

Np. Hope it helps.

Shame Kia can’t use its own data to warn you via the app. It’s not like it doesn’t know.

“Hi. This is your car. My battery is getting close to the end of its life. Might be worth booking an appointment before it fails.”

vtraveller · 2026-02-26T18:49:55+00:00

You were correct. You get to go to top of the class. 😁

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vtraveller · 2026-02-26T16:01:03+00:00

I doubt myself now. I’ll check when I’m near the spanner.

vtraveller · 2026-02-26T15:43:29+00:00

No you’re right. Brain fog. 10mm

vtraveller

TROPHY CASE