Category: general

XEV YOYO

XEV Yoyo

Flew to Barcelona last month and saw two XEV YOYOs parked up by the plane. The airport staff were using them to get around airside.

I was struck by how great they looked.

The YOYO looks perfect for two people with a few shopping bags or a couple of small cases. Ideal for short journeys or running errands around town. The perfect city car.

We should all be driving around in these small, well-designed electric vehicles, like the YOYO. Not those obese, power-hungry SUVs.

They are what the future should look like.

Curious, I looked them up.

XEV is an Italian start-up with a manufacturing base in China. Much of the car is 3D printed with customisable finishings.

The vehicle has a clean, simple interior with a rear storage capacity of 180 litres.

vehicle information displayed on a screen with smartphone holder.

The neat thing is the car’s batteries are removable so you can quickly swap them out for fully charged units. The car also charges via the mains or at charging stations.

The Yoyo has a range of 150 kilometres (93 miles) according to the WLTP specification, and a top speed of 80 km/h (50mph)

The starting price is a very impressive €13,000 or just £12,000.

Absolutely love them. 

I live in London and drive a petrol car. I mainly use it for short trips around the city and rarely do journeys of over 60 miles. 

In London, there is little point (other than status !) in driving anything near a high-performance car. Speed limits of 20mph are enforced across much of the city and speed cameras are absolutely everywhere.

So the top speed and performance of the YOYO isn’t really a problem. Parking would be much easier and it would probably be much cheaper to run.

The local council have just installed electric charging points on every 3rd lamp post along my street. So, a little YOYO electric car could be a viable replacement for my old car.

The one thing I might think twice about is driving it on a motorway, especially in bad weather. 

You would, inevitably, feel vulnerable in a little, lightweight car in heavy, high-speed traffic on very wet roads. 

ClubFeet

This music video from Melbourne band Clubfeet was shot in one continuous take… Impressive. At last some competition for the SloMo guys ;o)

Time to redesign

This blog has gone a little quiet recently and I’ve decided to redesign and blog more about food, cooking and general culinary adventures.

So, just before I repaint, here’s the trusty design I’ve used for the last 6 or seven years.

Pay attention…

Pay attention to your thoughts, for they become your words, pay attention to your words, for they become your acts, pay attention to your acts, for they become your habits, pay attention to your habits, for they become your character, pay attention to your character, for it becomes your fate.

The Talmud.

Someone cut the fuel line on my car…

I noticed a flat tyre last week and thought I must have driven over a nail. On Saturday, I put the spare wheel on to take the car to Kwik-Fit and noticed the wheel nuts on the tyre were unusually loose.

I drove round the corner where another driver flagged me down saying I was leaking fuel. I jumped out to find petrol pouring from the underside of the car and pooling at the kerb. Turns out I had been trailing a line of fuel all the way down the street. Shit.

A friendly passerby, who must have been a mechanic, immediately stopped and offered to inspect the car. He looked underneath and announced that someone had cut my fuel line.

I looked under the car and this pic is what I saw:

I couldn’t believe it.

I spent an uncomfortable moment contemplating if this could, somehow, be personal. A slashed tyre and cut fuel line are a serious intent to harm.

It just seemed impossible.

Later, I Googled around and discovered that thieves cut exposed fuel lines on older cars to siphon out the petrol. It seems they tilted the car by deflating the tyre so they could get more fuel out of the tank. I think they tried to take the rear wheel off as well, hence the loosened bolts.

It was a real shock, but at least it wasn’t personal. I dread to think what could have happened. A smouldering cigarette end, random engine spark, stray firework could easily have sent me up in a ball of flames.

I reported it to the police who were very helpful, but said they couldn’t really do anything about it other than give me a crime number.

Shit.