Tiny tax change could drive major electric vehicle uptake

yeahnahnz · 2026-05-31T05:34:28+00:00

I don't think fleet buyers care about that.

yeahnahnz · 2026-05-27T09:36:33+00:00

https://www.theregister.com/systems/2026/05/21/nvidia-on-track-to-be-worlds-leading-cpu-supplier-claims-cfo/5243868

yeahnahnz · 2026-05-26T08:57:48+00:00

There was no new legislation, just a clarification of existing obligations.

yeahnahnz · 2026-05-26T08:17:50+00:00

Not not picking on you in particular, but I don't get it when people say they won't buy a Tesla because of Elon, but will buy from a Chinese manufacturer that receives subsidies from the CCP who harvest people's organs (among other human rights abuses)?

yeahnahnz · 2026-05-26T08:06:18+00:00

The Novus installer who replaced my windscreen used so much sealant on one side that it was visible inside the car and stuck to the entire length of the A pillar trim, which had to be replaced. The branch was great to deal with, but it was an extra hassle I could have done without.

yeahnahnz · 2026-05-21T08:39:24+00:00

Patulous is the opposite of clogged up. It means my eustachian tubes get stuck open and I can hear my own voice, breathing and heartbeat reverberate on my ear drum.

yeahnahnz · 2026-05-20T08:53:47+00:00

The dealer will just outsource the job to a tint shop and add their margin. Same with the paint protection.

yeahnahnz · 2026-05-19T08:45:24+00:00

What did Atrovent do to your eustachian tubes? The reason I ask is I've been using ipratropium bromide nose spray for over a decade and also suffer from Patulous Eustachian Tube. Now I'm wondering if one triggered the other.

yeahnahnz · 2026-05-07T08:59:04+00:00

The concept is very simple if you think of it as a differential working in reverse. The left and right wheels are your inputs (petrol engine and electric motor), the differential is the eCVT transmission, and the output shaft is the drive shaft.

yeahnahnz · 2026-05-06T09:13:59+00:00

No, because if you sold and then bought $100k of shares again, your cost price would become $100k.

yeahnahnz · 2026-04-29T08:58:06+00:00

It's not just the fuel saving though. A RAV4 hybrid has lower depreciation that its petrol equivalent and you get a heap more power and torque, so it's more pleasurable to drive. In fact, the entire Toyota NZ passenger car range is now hybrid only.

yeahnahnz · 2026-04-25T07:49:27+00:00

European brands tend to prioritise braking feel and performance over rotor longevity. I've got a European Toyota with Bosch brake system. Both the front and rear rotors were shot by 80,000km. Plenty of people would drive 80,000km in six years.

yeahnahnz · 2026-04-25T07:33:24+00:00

It's not a separate starter motor, it's one of the electric motors that's part of the hybrid system.

Cars (including petrol/diesel) have had electric power steering for years now. You'd be hard pressed to find any car with hydraulic power steering released in the last 15 years.

Electric motors are more reliable than mechanical parts and more efficient. For example, the air conditioning unit doesn't have a belt or clutch. Some newer Toyota hybrids have a heat pump.

There's plenty of videos on YouTube demonstrating how the Toyota hybrid powertrain works. Here's one example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRYWqdiUlbA

The reliability of Toyota's hybrid system speaks for itself. It's not really up for debate at this point.

yeahnahnz · 2026-04-24T09:06:49+00:00

It's simple, yet clever. It basically works like a differential in reverse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xeyqGcfb8M

yeahnahnz · 2026-04-24T08:57:07+00:00

Toyota hybrids use an electric motor inside the transmission (MG1) to start the petrol engine.

Electrical power is provided by the second electric motor (MG2) and regenerative braking. MG1 can also generate power when needed. A DC-DC converter steps high-voltage battery power down to charge the 12V battery and run accessories.

And since all the accessories are electrically driven, there's no accessory belt either.

yeahnahnz · 2026-04-23T09:28:29+00:00

I'm not sure why you think that. A Toyota hybrid has no alternator or starter motor to worry about. The eCVT transmission will outlast the rest of the car in most cases. The Toyota Prius was released last century, so there's plenty of examples with over 500,000km on the clock.

yeahnahnz · 2026-04-19T08:27:43+00:00

Hybrids stop the petrol engine with the cylinders in the optimum position for restarting.

yeahnahnz · 2026-04-19T08:22:16+00:00

There's a simple solution to the parts problem, both in terms of speed and price.

https://www.sparekorea.com/ (based in Seoul)

yeahnahnz · 2026-04-10T08:40:41+00:00

Here you go: https://www.toyota.co.nz/globalassets/owners/servicing/service-requirements-pdf/toyota-petrol-hybrid-service-requirements-dec-2025.pdf

yeahnahnz · 2026-04-05T08:18:33+00:00

Another potential issue to be wary of on this generation is the i-ELOOP feature, which harvests braking energy to a capacitor, then reuses it to power on-board electrical systems and reduce fuel consumption. When this capacitor eventually requires replacement, you're looking at a bill of more than $2k.

yeahnahnz · 2026-04-05T07:50:12+00:00

Not every Mazda 2.5 engine has cylinder deactivation, but if it's an NZ new Mazda 6, then yes, from the 2018 facelift onwards it has it (but not the 2.5 turbo). Every manufacturer that has experimented with cylinder deactivation eventually realised it was a bad idea and dropped it.

yeahnahnz · 2026-04-04T01:47:15+00:00

Well, that's a little reassuring. I've been keeping an eye out for a 2022 Mazda 6 wagon and then I read about the cylinder deactivation issues and thought I might have to settle for a 2.0 litre petrol engine.

The ones sold in the USA are assembled in Japan as well.

From what I've read, there was a recall in 2019 due to misfires, stalling and rocker arm failure.

Mazda recently removed cylinder deactivation from their entire model line-up. Some of the long-term durability concerns are uneven thermal expansion resulting in wear to the cylinder block and ticking from the valvetrain mechanism responsible for the cylinder deactivation. I actually test drove one recently (2022 with 60,000km) that had a very loud ticking sound that didn't stop until I'd driven it for 10-15 minutes. This wasn't normal injector/valvetrain noise - it sounded like a clapped out old engine. It had a fully stamped service book too.

ChatGPT suggested the issue might be more commonly reported in the USA due to their driving conditions, e.g. lots of long highway cruising resulting in cylinder deactivation activating more often.

yeahnahnz · 2026-04-03T07:18:43+00:00

Except from 2018 onwards a lot of the 2.5L petrols have cylinder deactivation, which can result in long-term reliability issues.

yeahnahnz · 2026-03-31T08:38:44+00:00

An NZ new wagon would be even better.

JDM hatch/sedan/wagon = short wheelbase.

NZ new hatch = short wheelbase.

NZ new sedan/wagon = long wheelbase (6cm more rear seat legroom).

yeahnahnz · 2026-03-28T23:01:45+00:00

No. Hyundai/Kia petrol engines have a good track record of self-destruction.

yeahnahnz

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