You’re out on a camping trip, when you accidentally leave your headlamps on. Come the morrow, you turn the key in the ignition to find it doesn’t make that reassuring start up sound. The ice trickles into your veins, your senses sharpen, your breath quickens. Your car’s battery is dead, and the ol’ flight or fight response has been activated. What to do, what to do. Lucky for you, there are a couple of options available to you. We’ll take a look at each in turn, placing them on the “screwy scale,” which, in other words, is how screwed you are. 4 levels of screwy For reference, here's are the four levels of screwy in ascending order: Level 1: Mild - two cars, one fully functional, and jumper cables Level 2: Lime and herb - one car, portable power pack Level 3: Medium - one manual car, no portable power pack Level 4: Walter White - a Winnebago in the middle of no where Screwy level 1: Mild Situation: You’re out camping with a group of friends, none of whom left the lights in their cars on. The Streetwise guy in the pack also brought along some jumper cables, you…
You could call a relationship between Tesla and Lucid Air similar to that of Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield. Both are heavy-weight boxing champions, and in case you didn't know, Mike Tyson bit off Holyfield’s ear in the legendary match in 1997. Now, CEOs don’t beat each other to a pulp in the ring – though we’d pay to see that – but they do beat the snot out of each other with words and actions. They dig deep to give us a better product, better deals, and a better price. It’s a silent war 24/7. Dethroning Tesla’s position as EV's market leader is a task that even industry veterans such as GM struggle with. Yet when slow-on-the-uptake mammoths struggle to veer in the right direction, more nimble startups seize the opportunity. Lucid Air is a kind of startup that does just that. Founded by Tesla’s former chief engineer, Peter Rawlinson, this ambitious start up proves that Elon Musk doesn’t hold a monopoly on genuine innovation. They're pushing the boundaries in a manner befitting a future leader in alternative fuels, reminiscent of Tesla itself. Specs Range Lucid Air sets a new world record as the longest distance EV with 512miles…
There's more than just being fined for speeding when you're behind the wheel in Dubai, and the UAE in general. To make sure you're aware of the different traffic violations, and how much you'll need to cough up if you do cross the lines, here's a list of 2020's main driving whoopsies in Dubai: List of traffic violations Speed violationsPlate violationsRoad violationsNon-compliance with traffic policeWrong parking and overtakingVehicle registration and traffic permit violationsViolations inside vehicleOther violations We also give you a lowdown on how to pay for your fines. Speed violations ViolationFine (AED)Black points*Vehicle retention periodDriving license blockDriving without a license5000Driving below the minimum speed limit, if any400Exceeding max speed limit by more than 80 km/h30002360 days for LVs**60 days for LVsExceeding max speed limit by more than 60 km/h20001230 days for LVsExceeding speed limit by 60 km/h1500620 days for LVsExceeding speed limit by 50 km/h1000Exceeding speed limit by 40 km/h700Exceeding speed limit by 30 km/h600Exceeding speed limit by 20 km/h300*Black points - these are not brownie points. You get these when you don't follow traffic instructions. When you commit an offense, Dubai Police will add these points to your file within 48 hours, and you'll receive an SMS notification.…
Here’s a true story. While I was studying at Kent University, my uncle and his brother volunteered to pick me up from Heathrow and drop me off at school. On the way my uncle’s brother, who was driving, missed the exit and, rather foolishly, attempted to swerve off the main road and into the little stream that would take us to our destination. As expected, there was a BANG, and the car felt off-centre, particularly at the back and right. The three of us got out of the car, and all exchanged terrified glances. Believe it or not, none of us knew how to change a car’s tire. For this chapter of Mikaniki’s Dummy’s Guide, I’ll spare you the trouble the next time you find yourself in such a predicament with a step-by-step guide to changing your tire. What you’ll need To change a car’s tire, you’ll need 3 basic items: A jack - that little mechanical device you can often find in the trunk of your car that will enable you to lift your car up so that you can get the damaged wheel off and put the spare on. The most common type is the scissor jack, while…
Elon Musk calls it mind bogglingly dumb. Japan calls it energy of the future. Whose camp should you join? Electric vehicles have basked in the limelight for the past decade as the most transformational force in the transportation industry. What started as a mockery of the Californian upstart ended in the grandiose race between industry giants to shape the future. You name it, every car company worth their salt hustles to steal Tesla’s crown. However, it’s wise to beware of tunnel vision. The author of “From Zero to One: Notes on Startups”, Peter Thiel, warns of the danger of defining your market too narrowly. An example. Railway companies ignored the rising popularity of airline companies. It was assumed that railway companies competed in the railway market, while airline companies competed in the airline market. In the 1960s, the majority of railway companies went belly up because of this logic. Turns out, both railway and airline companies compete in the transportation market. In the same vein, electric cars represent only a portion of the alternative energy transportation market, not all of it. There’re also hydrogen cars. A quick chemistry brush-up: hydrogen is an element of a water molecule - H2O. It’s…
Another month gone, another top 5 sticks the landing. This time, we enter the desert world of Mad Max with some of the wackiest rides to ever grace the big screen. Which killer vehicles made our list from this absolute non stop action packed film? H & H Ripsaw EV1 Starting off our Mad Max journey is the tank-lite Ripsaw EV1 aka “The Peacemaker.” Built by Geoff and Mike Howe, and costing an initial $120,000, it was designed to be an all terrain, all weather, beast of a machine, and infamously earned a reputation among the crew as the most dangerous vehicle on set. Equipped with a supercharged V8 engine, this big boy was capable of keeping up with a 100kph chase and required three radiators to cool it, one on either side of the motor and one at the back. The body was a mid-70s Chrysler Valiant Charger modified to allow its driver, “The Bullet Farmer”, to sit on top with space for a further 2 henchman. The Peacemaker truly showed its capabilities in the film; during the chase, while all other vehicles in the armada get stuck in a bog, The Peacemaker is the only one capable of…
Another sing along, folks! Oh, you pretty Chitty Bang Bang, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, we love you, and, our, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, loves us too... Who here doesn't remember Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the famous Dick Van Dyke flick from 1968, based on characters created by Ian Fleming (yes the Bond guy) about a washed out inventor who manages to restore a broken down Grand Prix car and fly it off-shore to rescue his grandfather, accompanied by his kids and the Truly Scrumptious Sally Ann Howes? Well, guess what. Fact definitely is stranger than fiction, as we're about to discover in this latest classic car owners post, brought to you in collaboration with Car Facts Disc, where Mark Donoghue's 80-year-old father took up his son's challenge to fully restore a 1930 Aston Martin "International" Chitty style in time to show it at the Concours of Elegance 2020, where it won the Aston Martin Prize. Wow. From humble beginnings in 1929 to being disassembled in 1963 and finally making an epic come back in 2020, here's Chassis S37's journey to glory. The looooong, long road to restoration: first spell "Introduced at the 1929 Motorshow, the ‘International’…
UAE's Fuel Prices for October 2020 have been announced. There is no surprise that the prices remain change for another month. The fuel prices in UAE have remained the same since April, when the fuel prices saw an average drop of about 10%. This marks the seventh month of same fuel prices. As before the oil prices are still relatively low and the market is still not as stable as many would like. This still means that thinks are not entirely ok. We will have to continue to wait and see what happens in the future. Here is a refresher on the prices: Super 98 price remains at AED 1.91/litreSpecial 95 price remains at AED 1.80/litreDiesel price remains at AED 2.06/litre For those people who lived in UAE before August 2017 would remember a time when the fuel price was regulated and, to some extent, subsidized by the government. The fuel price before that time, the price was AED 1.73/litre for Special 95. Sure the astute observers amongst us will say, that is still lower than what we have now. Yes, you are right but thats not the point. As stated in last month's fuel announcement, the fact that the…
It all started in late 2018, on a crisp fall morning. Alejandro Agag had a catch-up over breakfast with motor racing legend and his long-time friend, Gil de Ferran. Over coffee, the pair dreamt up the idea of a spectacular, captivating, narrative-driven adventure. This adventure – spanning across four continents – would bring attention to the most endangered habitats on the planet and raise awareness about climate change. Thus Extreme E racing was born. Extreme E race is what happens when Star Wars Pod Racing meets the Dakar Rally. If watching world-class racing elites upheave mounds of dirt and sand as they command bulky electric SUVs to the finish line sounds like your cup of tea, then you might consider buying a ticket for the upcoming Extreme E series, starting in January 2020. The best part? You can watch it from the comfort of your house on YouTube, Facebook, or other social media platforms. Voyage across four continents The journey spans across four continents and seven exotic locations, including Para Brazil, Greenland, Kali Gandaki Valley, and Lac Rose dessert. To traverse across distant corners of the planet, the racing elites will board St. Helena – a floating headquarters, inspired by…
What is a luxury? That’s a question luxury brands must ask and seek answers to on a daily basis. What’s luxury today becomes a mass-market product tomorrow, so brands must always up their game. Consider how the definition of luxury has evolved throughout the ages. In ancient China, the wife of the Yellow Emperor, Leizu, discovered the silkworm when sitting underneath a mulberry tree. As she sat there, a silk worm’s cocoon fell into her tea. When she reached to fish it out, a delicate thread spooled loose, which fostered the idea of spinning thread to make silk. The discovery ignited China’s trade activity and gave rich individuals a new way to flaunt their social status. Today you won’t surprise anyone with silk. A set of robes dyed in Tyrian purple was the ultimate manifestation of wealth and power in Ancient Rome; so much so that only the emperor could afford it. It took 10,000 sea snails called Murex to produce enough dye for one robe. Today you can browse for pics of a chihuahua in a purple sweater. In Ancient Athens, fish served as a barometer of luxury. Delicacies such as eel or sea perch signalled that you had…