Got to meet some big name car reviewers tonight. I'm humbled. Plus their cocktail game is strong so I'm taking tips. 😁
Gavin Shoebridge
@kiwiev.bsky.social
Lover of potatoes, electric cars and freshly harvested memes.
Hey folks, This is your friendly reminder to stock up on flour. We're still buying last year's harvest but global supply reductions due to war/climate change/politics mean price increases are likely soon, potentially 50% more. It's currently cheap but that won't last long so get shopping.
Every time I do an overseas car trip I pack everything into one carry-on bag. No suitcases or hard cases cause the slow me down. Cameras, clothes, audio cassettes - it's all in 1 bag. Difference being that my carry-on bag is small, soft, under 7kg, and squishes under the seat in front. Super fast.
Just checked into a very fancy hotel in Sydney but it's fueling my horseshoe theory that the cheapest motels and most expensive hotels both have lights that are hard to turn off.
Off to Australia again (again) and this time I'm prepared! Gotta make a start on my latest cassette haul. 😁
The secret's out: the Germans just surprised the Chinese with this one. 805km on a charge and a feel that sets a new benchmark for EVs. The downside is that this BMW makes everything I've driven since feel agricultural. It's hard to explain, you have to watch the video. youtu.be/k7QMtb9w3ls
805km of EV range! BMW iX3 first drive
BMW calls the new iX3 a game changer. We have all heard that before, so I flew to Australia to find out whether this one earns it. The iX3 50 xDrive is the first production car built on BMW's Neue…
youtu.be
Time to tackle THE SWAMP. Which vehicle do you think will win? The Japanese Hilux EV or the Chinese Riddara EV? Place your bets!
China vs Japan: I'm putting the new electric Toyota Hilux up against the new electric Riddara RD6 from China to find out which is the better farm vehicle. This should be a fun video.
Crikey it actually worked! Just cooked a potato casserole in the electric Toyota Hilux during a road trip and it's freaking delicious. The oven dinged just as I arrived to the rapid charger. Why aren't we all doing this??!!
Taking Toyota's new electric Hilux on a road trip today. It's going to take a few hours so I might as well cook a casserole using the onboard mains power while driving. As you do.
When your EV has a fake engine sound and fake gear changes
Was driving down the main street today and saw the local op shop had a table full of audio cassettes outside. Someone donated them this morning. I bought the whole lot. 😁 They fit easily in the tray of the new electric Toyota Hilux. Apart from a mediocre highway range, it's quite a handy vehicle.
Was overseas so I missed out on the launch of this sweet little Honda EV. I love a zippy city car (Nissan Sakura, anyone?) so I can't wait to give this a full review. In the meantime, check this video out! I love the fake engine noises/gears. Bring playfulness back! www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtbm...
Honda's EV Does Fake Downshifts. I Love It | Super-ONE First Drive
YouTube video by EVs & Beyond
youtube.com
Awesome news. My former employer is still releasing videos I recorded! I'm looking forward to the Cupra Tavascan video I filmed in December last year. Shouldn't be too far away now...
Apologies for being a bit raunchy but I wanted to show off my gravy boat. I've had it for years and never used it so last week I decided to eat a small meal out of it just so I can say I did. 😅
Testing has just revealed an unexpectedly high PSC of 90 in the new electric Toyota Hilux. This reflects a 1.2% increase in tuber storage over the Riddara RD6 electric ute. I reached out to Toyota's design team for more information. Unfortunately their response was "How did you get this number?"
Really wanted to buy myself a treat (a few hundred bucks worth) after denying myself everything since 2025 but I've been paying a friend's rent for months now on top of my own mortgage and it's killing me. They're doing everything right but the job market is cooked. It's just crap all round.
I'm emailing an oil company to ask them to improve their crap EV charging. This will certainly go very, very well.
Another video done. This experience was interesting but can't talk about it just yet. Back to NZ I go as I've got an electric ute waiting for me at the airport! Long hours in this job but it's good fun. 😁
Took this neat photo over Sydney today. Almost looks like a computer game. Sim City anyone?
Something different for your Sunday: we take two cars for a blast. One is AWD and other is RWD to see if it's worth the extra cost. Enjoy: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLiJ...
It fits! Got the aluminum battery shell (we call it the taco 🌮) on its frame, sitting in the back of the Allegro. The batteries are gonna sit in it then we'll compress & secure them before connecting them together. Should be a relatively light 400v battery pack.
Bit of fun on a Saturday. Making good progress on using a stepper motor with the Arduino. I'm not convinced it'll be quick enough to to turn the Allegro's speedo however...
Thought someone was climbing into my bed with this morning's earthquake. Almost got my hopes up for a second.
Kiwis are warned that those awful gas prices we saw a few weeks ago are gonna return. Got an EV yet? Been telling you to buy a new or used one for 20+ years now. I might have been onto something aye
Only got a few months to go before we can afford RAM again
