Posts from ‘Commuting’

Jul
21
Electric Cars and AM Radio

The all-electric 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 is not available with AM radio.

By Jim Flammang

At this point it’s fairly clear that electric vehicles are the future, but the road to get there is full of hurdles big and small. One of the smaller challenges, at least for a good number of traditional consumers, is this: Electric cars have a problem with AM radio. Why? Because the electric motors that power their drive wheels, propelling the vehicle, also tend to generate electromagnetic interference with AM broadcast reception.

May
14
Traffic Pet Peeves

Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast

Whether you drive a car, need a car, or just occasionally bum a ride with friends, you’ve come to the right place. Join the editors of Consumer Guide Automotive as they break down everything that’s going on in the auto world. New-car reviews, shopping tips, driving green, electric cars, classic cars, and plenty of great guests. This is the Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast.

May
07
AMC Eagle

Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast

Whether you drive a car, need a car, or just occasionally bum a ride with friends, you’ve come to the right place. Join the editors of Consumer Guide Automotive as they break down everything that’s going on in the auto world. New-car reviews, shopping tips, driving green, electric cars, classic cars, and plenty of great guests. This is the Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast.

Apr
19
Learn to Drive Stick

T-shirts bearing this design can be had at Redbubble.com.

The manual transmission is dead. I refuse to acknowledge any evidence to the contrary. The fact is, autonomous technology—even semi-autonomous technology—is completely incompatible with the manual transmission, and that is where the industry is headed.

Mar
28
Albums for a Night Drive, Road Trip: Best Albums for a Night Drive

The Consumer Guide staff picks their favorite music for long nighttime drives.

The Florida spring-break road trip is cliché these days, but it was the thing to do when my college friends and I hit the interstate back in 1984. The trip from Chicago to Fort Lauderdale is roughly 1400 miles, and our goal, alternating drivers, was to cover that distance in under 24 hours. As I recall, we arrived at our destination in about 27 hours, but made the return trip in under 24.

Sep
14
Volvo 360c Concept

Volvo 360c Concept

Where would you live if you could commute each workday in an autonomous-driving, fully-functional, connected, comfortable, mobile office space? What if the service was provided via an on-demand subscription basis? Or, what if it was provided by one employer but not another – which company would you work for?

Jul
12
Heavy Traffic

For a number of reasons, warm-weather states are considered more driver-friendly places to operate a vehicle.

As a Chicagoan, I take a certain amount of pride in my ability to complain about the local traffic situation. To that end, though I loathe to report that my 17-mile trip from Consumer Guide’s Chicago-adjacent office to the sleepy Northwest Suburbs can take me more than an hour on the wrong day, I feel a least at little satisfaction knowing that I am a statistical outlier.

Jul
10
Whitetail sticker, Commuting Hell

People will put stickers on their cars celebrating the animals they love, and the ones they want to kill.

It’s summer now, and my commute has gotten much, much easier—at least most days. Once school is out, and folks start hitting the vacation trail, the volume of vehicles on the road during prime AM and PM migration times is reduced considerably. That said, there’s no accounting for road construction, accidents, and whatever the hell it is that happens around here Friday evenings. I won’t mention snow–snow is still months way. One inch of fresh snow can easily double the duration of my normally 75-90-minute commute home.

Mar
23
Flash to Pass, Left Lane Bandits

Can a friendly turn-signal tap improve highway driving conditions?

The evidence is anecdotal, but compelling. More than ever, ambivalent drivers are flocking to the far left lane of the nation’s highways, only to travel at some speed comfortably below the organic flow of traffic.

Feb
20
-7

Tom lists the three most egregious traffic blunders he’s witnessed while commuting to and from work.

Hitting the road is more than just the opening salvo of your daily commute.

Most of us understand that when you take the wheel, you enter into a social contract obliging you to make driving as easy and uncomplicated as you can for every other driver on the road.