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Who has or is planning to get an electric car / EV Talk
- Thread starter PracticalMac
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Yeah IIRC Rivian is the first manufacturer that has enabled matrix lights on their US vehicles. Tesla said that US DOT has some hardware requirements, though they are not forthcoming on if the newer 3's or CyberTruck meet the requirement (whatever it is).
A lot of other manufacturers have matrix lights, but still have yet to enable them in the US.
Tesla enabled matrix headlights in an update but not the auto hi dimming when a car is in the opposite lane.
I think the adaptive portion is legal here (side to side) for low beam, but as you said, I don't know any manufacturers that have enabled the always on high beam function of Matrix yet. But I could be wrong.
64 new Tesla Superchargers just opened up in Upland, CA for: GM, Ford, Rivian and Teslas.
How do I find out if they are V3 or V4 towers ?
And so close to my house - it's going to be so much better than having to go to work to charge!
How do I find out if they are V3 or V4 towers ?
And so close to my house - it's going to be so much better than having to go to work to charge!
Rivian Rolls Out Adaptive High Beams for Gen 2 Owners - RivianTrackr
Gen 2 Rivian owners are in for a treat with the latest software update 2024.27, which introduces High Beams Assist with a new Adaptive option. This feature automatically activates high beams in low-light conditions when the vehicle doesn’t detect street lights or other illumination from the...
riviantrackr.com
So what part of matrix does it do then? How many cars can it follow and block out at the same time? We have a long swooping bend near where we live and I’ve counted 7 black boxes on our polestar. I found that very impressive.
What is meant by side to side? Never heard that expression before in combination with matrix/adaptive/intelligent lights?
The US unlike the EU the matrix headlights in late model teslas are allowed to move with the steering wheel, such as a cornering light.
the side to side bit is meant to illuminate corners when turning. Though to be honest I can't say if I have seen the feature work (well or at all) in my car.
Got you. In Europe that is not something we group with matrix lights. Citroen DS did that already with normal bulbs. And many HID systems do that as well, plus then additional cornering lights. And I don’t think I can name one standard LED light that hasn’t done that.
I didn’t realise the USA didn’t even get those basic functions that have been around since the last century 😬🤷♂️
My old 2012 TDI Golf had HIDs that turned with the steering wheel (as as a part of the vehicle boot-up it moved). For whatever reason HID lights fell out of popularity here in favor of LEDs. I am sure there are other vehicles that can do the same. So far I think Rivian is the only one that does the "don't blind oncoming traffic with your high beams" part though (again from the factory and only in the US).
HID is synonymous with Xenon. Xenon lights got phased out in favor of LEDs because LEDs consume less power, lasts longer, and - probably most importantly - is cheaper.
LEDs can also operate in matrix mode, but that came about after Xenons already fell out of favor.
I do prefer Xenons though. They tend to be brighter and in the cars I’ve had them cut a spectacularly sharp beam. My euro market Tesla has the LED matrix and it is genuinely useful but I remember the Xenon/HID era fondly.
I don’t know about Europe but in the US I am glad to see the Xenon/HID headlamps die out. They may have been great for the driver but they were murder to oncoming traffic. I refused to buy any car that had them because i didn’t want to subject others to the same blinding experience.
Adaptive (lights that turn with steering input) have been legal here for as long as I know. My 2008 Audi A4 had them with HIDs.
Matrix LEDs are different because they are no longer 1 light that moves. They are a matrix of LEDs that can individually light up. The act of them acting like multiple lights is where the issue was here. I believe when high beams are on here, they were all turned on at once, or all off with low beam.
The US regulatory agency lifted the multi light restriction, but I’m not sure what else is holding up, maybe something about reporting failures?
So, now that the multi light restriction was lifted, I think the side to side acts just like adaptive HIDs, so there is no added functionality that they have to report failures for. So, I think it is easy for them to just turn it on since it functions like HID systems do. But, when a manufacturer turns the light and has to shut off individual LEDs over vehicles ahead, this is where the issue come in.
But I could be wrong.
Matrix LEDs are different because they are no longer 1 light that moves. They are a matrix of LEDs that can individually light up. The act of them acting like multiple lights is where the issue was here. I believe when high beams are on here, they were all turned on at once, or all off with low beam.
The US regulatory agency lifted the multi light restriction, but I’m not sure what else is holding up, maybe something about reporting failures?
So, now that the multi light restriction was lifted, I think the side to side acts just like adaptive HIDs, so there is no added functionality that they have to report failures for. So, I think it is easy for them to just turn it on since it functions like HID systems do. But, when a manufacturer turns the light and has to shut off individual LEDs over vehicles ahead, this is where the issue come in.
But I could be wrong.
I’ve done this a couple times in a regular vehicle. Stop for gas in Virginia, Buc-ee’s Florence SC, maybe top off border just b4 Florida. 16ish hrs ”non-stop”. But rather take 2 1/2 hr flight. lol
Well yes. A 15 hour car journey is a lot less appealing than a 2 1/2 hour flight.
People also forget that just because you don't have an ICE, doesn't mean you can't rent one. If you do a road trip 1x-2x a year and you have home EV charging, you probably still can save money by renting an ICE for those trips. You add the convenience of having an EV for 99% of your year and use a rental for those trips.
That was my original thought when I bought one, but I’ve always found more than enough chargers for my long road trips so never bothered.
As a car enthusiast, it frustrates me that EV manufactures don't seem to take performance vehicles seriously. Granted there are a few exceptions to my complaint( Taycan, Ioniq 5N), but part of the challenge in getting car enthusiasts to bite into EV's is that they are often one trick ponies and even then it can't be sustained. That is the second biggest hurdle EV's have with the car enthusiast. Biggest one is the lack of vroom vroom noises which I admit myself is something I love too with my Corvette.
Tesla is obviously once again the biggest guilty party here. Boasts about the performance of their vehicles, but it often is only in straight line performance, it isn't sustainable, it's all in the low speed regime and dies over 100 MPH, it's suspension lets it down, cooling sucks, and/or it is massively under-braked.
The latest Model 3 Performance is just another example in the sea of examples.
Tesla is obviously once again the biggest guilty party here. Boasts about the performance of their vehicles, but it often is only in straight line performance, it isn't sustainable, it's all in the low speed regime and dies over 100 MPH, it's suspension lets it down, cooling sucks, and/or it is massively under-braked.
The latest Model 3 Performance is just another example in the sea of examples.
I have a Ford F-150 Lightning. I’ve had it for about 14 months.
It is awesome! I’ve never enjoyed a vehicle as much.
It is quiet, it is fast, I rarely ever touch the brakes. Slowing down recaptures energy. Because I don’t have a lead foot, I get close to the advertised mileage. The hands-free BlueCruise driving is also pretty cool on the highway.
If I tailgate or need portable power, the truck has enough to last for eons. I’ve powered all-day music festivals with it.
Now that I have a Tesla adapter, I have so many choices for mobile charging, plus my charger at home is fast. Having a gas station at home for daily charging needs is so convenient. I’m saving money on gas and service (oil, fluids, etc). I also got the $7,500 tax credit.
Hopefully, the battery works well long-term. That’s my biggest concern. But at this point, I’m never going back to gas.
It is awesome! I’ve never enjoyed a vehicle as much.
It is quiet, it is fast, I rarely ever touch the brakes. Slowing down recaptures energy. Because I don’t have a lead foot, I get close to the advertised mileage. The hands-free BlueCruise driving is also pretty cool on the highway.
If I tailgate or need portable power, the truck has enough to last for eons. I’ve powered all-day music festivals with it.
Now that I have a Tesla adapter, I have so many choices for mobile charging, plus my charger at home is fast. Having a gas station at home for daily charging needs is so convenient. I’m saving money on gas and service (oil, fluids, etc). I also got the $7,500 tax credit.
Hopefully, the battery works well long-term. That’s my biggest concern. But at this point, I’m never going back to gas.
You do realize that the TM3P is a sub $50k car, right? For that price, there is nothing that comes close (track or strip)...
Not for me since I am outside the income cap of the tax credits, etc. Outside of 0-60, Mustang GT enters the chat. It's suspension, cooling, and brakes are much better than the Model 3's. Thus its performance is sustainable. Did you even watch the Throttle House video? The brakes overheated on turn 3 on the first lap. That is PATHETIC not to mention dangerous.
My previous 2017 Camaro SS was also a great performance vehicle for the price and it had the brakes, suspension, and cooling to go with it.
I am sorry, but there isn't excusing the crap brakes, cooling, and suspension of the M3P. Going, " Well it isn't good because it isn't some $100K sports car" is crap excuse making when there have been great performance vehicles in the M3P's price range.
The same goes for the Model S Plaid. It doesn’t have the brakes that can handle stopping its mass after it’s blistering straight line performance without fade or confidently. It too is under braked.
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The Pirellis are worse than the Michelins they used to come with. I wonder why Tesla downgraded the tires.
Yeah Telsa needs to buy either Mountain Pass Performance or Unplugged Performance and make they built the performance cars instead of trying to do it in house. And of course increase the price to match the performance improvement.