So many cars today have electronic door poppers instead of traditional handles. Most of the time, these work fine, but so many people have found themselves in trouble when their vehicles have either lost power or they need to escape quickly. Automakers have implemented many different mechanical releases for electronic door poppers, but the best one might have come from Dodge.
Yesterday, Matt wrote about the incredibly important process of figuring out where the emergency mechanical releases are in a new car. It’s always better to find out when things are calm rather than when the car is on fire, sinking into a pond, or baking in the summer heat. The problem is that mechanical releases aren’t standardized, so two different cars will have two different releases. V10omous made a fascinating comment:
The Viper has the best design I can think of. If there’s no power, you just pull the handle *farther* to open the door mechanically. Intuitive, easy, and seamless.
Nlpnt concurs:
It’s what you’d do while panicking anyway.
How it works in a newer Viper is that a light pull activates the micro switch. Pull farther, and the latch yanks the cable. It’s the best of both worlds! It’s not even that bad in older Vipers, either:
@ecoboostkilla Open the doors on a viper? ???????? #viper #dodgeviper #doors
David Tracy is super excited about the new Slate Auto truck and is calling it a really huge deal. Jatco Xtronic CVT may not be impressed:
If this doesn’t turn out to have a Xtronic, then you’ll be the biggest liar in Autopian history, David, because you got to witness the release of the most sophisticated transmission ever built, the Jatco Xtronic CVT. Nothing can top that and you know it.
We closed out last week with a story about our lovely photographer Griffin riding the legendary Shinkansen. Our readers really nerded out with this one! OttosPhotos:
Just wait at a station for a Shinkansen to come through; that’s the exciting part.
Otherwise yeah, it’s smooth, comfortable, spacious, clean, and quiet. No need for noise canceling headphones. The food is miles beyond your typical airplane fair. No long security lines either.
I’m headed to Japan next month, and am looking forward to the multiple Shinkansen rides I have planned.
Canopysaurus:
It is not generally accurate to say bidets are cool; some are heated.
Subsea_EV-VI:
Yep. The remarkable thing about the Shinkansen is just how unremarkable it is to ride.
The best way to experience the speed is to be on a platform when one is passing at full chat- the whomp of displaced air is impressive.
MegaVan:
I always felt the sign that says “Please, be mindful of creating too much noise (keyboard typing, etc)” – tells you what you need to know.
The keyboard noise is more disruptive than the train.
Have a great day, everyone!
Top image graphic: Dodge
Mercedes, I really appreciate how you understand what I have to say is important and should be highlighted. You have my respect. Thank you.
Na. She is just falling for your propaganda, and I won’t stand for it.
Evil plots and brainwashing people is my people’s thing. We don’t like competition.
High-speed rail is great. I had the fortune of taking 4 separate high-speed trips in Spain in March (that country, I soon learned, is second only to China in total miles of high speed rail…not per capita, actual total). That was across 3 separate carriers, since Spain deregulated their rail almost a decade ago and immediately started welcoming Italian and French operators to their lines.
6 hours in first class on an Iryo train (Italian Frecciarossa 1000) from Barcelona to Sevilla was a treat. The seats were massive, an only about 10% more cost than paying for “basic economy plus luggage” — big breakfast, snacks, large leather seats that unfortunately didn’t recline, but were comfy enough. We broke 300kph several times and you’d never know it.
We also took Renfe (national carrier) in tourist class from Sevilla to Madrid; plus a 27-minute daytrip to Segovia on Ouigo (SNCF/France).
Not a single one of those trains, even the short one, failed to break 250kph on the open sections. Like the Autobahn, though, the shorter routes tend to be more speed restricted due to population density, etc.
How did you know how fast you were going? Do they have a display or were using a GPS app on your phone?
not sure about that specific train line, but most high speed rail will have a display in some if not all cars bragging about how fast you are going
Yep, like Scotty said below, they have a live readout on the overhead screens — similar to what an airliner might have shown 15 years ago (before personal seatback monitors).
I also failed to mention that the cost was comparable or lower than airline flights, and door-to-door travel times are very close to the same — since train stations are usually better located and require a lot less hassle to get to your final destination compared to the airport (mild security, short taxi rides, etc).
And that’s before we even get to the environmentalism part…