Mundane News

R181

Grumpy old man
Skijoring is a new one to me and I never thought Biathlon was big in Canada
You are correct in that Biathlon is not big in Canada but we do have some athletes involved in it. I know years ago, they were using Anschutz Biathlon rifles and possibly still do.

I have seen people Skijoring locally and presumed it was for the fun of it.

Bob
 

Smiffy

Forum GOD!
I live out of town and on a quiet road, I see very little traffic and almost everything comes to me instead of me having to go out. Today I went into town, I am just amazed at the huge number of silent electric cars there are around and the massive number of Chinese cars, they all seem to be in the style of Range Rovers but with chrome grilles, why an electric car needs a grille at all is a question to me let alone something that dominates the front of the car.

Last time I looked into this I heard that insurance premiums for Chinese electric cars were prohibitive because the smallest of accidents would mean a write off.
 
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Northam Saint

Forum GOD!
I live out of town and on a quiet road, I see very little traffic and almost everything comes to me instead of me having to go out. Today I went into town, I am just amazed at the huge number of silent electric cars there are around and the massive number of Chinese cars, they all seem to be in the style of Range Rovers but with chrome grilles, why an electric car needs a grille at all is a question to me let alone something that dominates the front of the car.

Last time I looked into this I heard that insurance premiums for Chinese electric cars were prohibitive because the smallest of accidents would mean a write off.
Our Skoda Elroq EV has low speed E Noise built in. It’s a sort of hum and clearly audible. Insurance wise ours was no different than a petrol or diesel. You are right though I have heard some high quotes for Chinese EV’s
 

R181

Grumpy old man
Canada is about to begin allowing a certain number of Chinese EVs into the country. We will just have to wait and see what the score is on the insurance angle. It will be interesting to see what happens then.

Bob
 

TobyC

Patriot
In recent years China recorded several fire-related incidents involving new energy vehicles. The data recorded by the Chinese Fire and Rescue Department of the Ministry of Emergency Department on 3rd April 3,640 electrical vehicles caught fire in the first quarter of this year, 32% higher than earlier. This means there are about 7 electric vehicles prone to catch fire daily.According to Car News China, when comparing the numbers mentioned above to the past two years there have been 86 electric car fires reported. Once this news was out there was a lot of contemplation amongst the people of China about the decision to purchase Electric Vehicles.

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Experts are warning about the risks of connected cars built in China. At the Australian Financial Review Cyber Summit earlier this week, cybersecurity expert Alastair MacGibbon cautioned that millions of imported connected devices—including EVs—could become tools for hybrid warfare if China really wanted to.



MacGibbon, a former national cybersecurity adviser who is now the chief strategy officer at CyberCX, described modern vehicles as “listening and surveillance devices” thanks to their cameras, sensors, and constant internet connectivity. But his biggest concern was the potential for nefarious interference at the software level.



“Take off the safety features of household batteries so that they overcharge. Take off those same safety features for electric vehicles. Just turn them off from the manufacturer so that those vehicles explode,” MacGibbon said, warning that EVs could be turned into “ticking time bombs.”



He also suggested fleets could be disabled simultaneously in major cities during peak traffic, causing widespread disruption.
 

TobyC

Patriot
Chinese automakers have been expanding rapidly in Australia. Last month, four brands—BYD, Great Wall Motors, MG, and Chery—all ranked among Australia's top ten sellers for the first time.



The European Union is also investigating the growing tide of Chinese EVs, though its focus has so far been on pricing practices and subsidies. Cybersecurity, however, is quickly entering the debate as connected car infrastructure grows.



The United States has already taken steps to protect itself from potential threats. Rules proposed by the Biden administration, which will take effect for the 2027 model year, prohibit certain Chinese software and hardware from being used in connected vehicles. The U.S. government has also imposed high tariffs, effectively creating a 100% duty on Chinese EVs in an effort to protect the domestic automotive industry.
 

Vacumatic

Testy
I thought that the high premiums were down to the difficulty of obtaining spare parts and that impacts caused terminal (no pun intended) damage to the motor and drivetrain.

But no such thing as a small fire when it comes to vehicles, every fire will be a total loss.
 
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