NOCO GENIUS 2-Amp Automatic Smart Charger

 The Noco Genius 2 Smart Charger has an 80% 5-star rating on Amazon. I recently bought one to keep the battery on my Chevy SUV charged. I made the mistake last year of letting the vehicle sit in the garage for too long without driving it. When winter came around, the battery refused to hold a charge. I decided to get a trickle charger to make sure that didn't happen again this year. The Noco Genius 2 does that and more. It is designed for 6-volt and 12-volt lead-acid automotive, marine, and deep-cycle batteries, including flooded, gel, AGM, and maintenance-free, plus lithium-ion batteries. An integrated thermal sensor detects the ambient temperature and alters the charge to eliminate over-charging. It charges batteries as low as 1-volt. It automatically detects battery sulfation and acid stratification to restore lost battery performance. It's not just a trickle charger, it's an advanced battery maintainer.

As of this date, the Noco Genius 2 is on sale on Amazon for $49.94. I got mine in like-new condition from the Amazon Warehouse for $42.94. The unit measures 3.7 x 2.4 x 1.7 inches and weighs under 1 lb. It comes with a 56" cable plus 21" detachable cable with battery clamps. The clamps can be removed, and eye rings can be attached directly to the battery if needed. The charger is made of plastic but has a solid feel. The default operating mode is for a 12 volt lead acid battery, so there is no need to adjust settings. The charger automatically goes into a conditioning cycle. Initially, when I attached it to my SUV battery, it took a few hours before the large green light came on indicating that it was in trickle charge mode. I drove the vehicle the other day and the battery was nice and strong. I reattached the charger and this time the green light came on after only a few minutes.

I have only had the charger for a few weeks, but so far it is working well. Just like anything electronic, these things eventually stop working. But this feels like a well-built device and the company has several other models based on the same design. This is a good option if you want to maintain a battery in a vehicle that doesn't get used much. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to start your vehicle with a weak battery. A new battery can cost over $200. With gas prices over $4 per gallon, I have cut back on driving. Other things like tires, belts and hoses can deteriorate if you let a vehicle sit too long. This will hopefully be one less thing to worry about.

The first mini-roundabout in Minnesota

The first mini-roundabout in Minnesota was built at County Road 79 and Vierling Drive in Shakopee, MN in the summer of 2013.  The inscribed diameter is about 80 feet, compared to the diameter of a typical roundabout at about 132 feet. It may be the first, but it is also the worst. 

Because of it's small size, people who are not familiar with roundabouts tend to ignore the yield signs and blow right through the intersection. The problem is that they do not slow down and do not yield for people who are already in the roundabout. This happens most often with vehicles that are traveling north on County Road 79. They totally ignore the yield sign. If I see cars coming from the south, I will stop and wait, because often more than one car will blow through. I've had numerous close calls and get a feeling of dread every time I approach this intersection. If anything, they need to put up flashing yield signs to get drivers to at least slow down as they approach.

The other day I was traveling south on County Road 79 and was in the roundabout with my directional on to turn left. I saw a car coming toward the intersection from the South. The rules say that you need to yield to anyone who is already in the roundabout. But, this driver didn't even slow down. If I had attempted to complete my turn with the assumption that the other driver was going to yield, there would have been a collision. I don't know the accident statistics for this roundabout, but I have seen collision debris at this location more than a few times. This intersection is only busy during certain times of the day. Most often on weekday mornings and mid-afternoon because of the grade school just to the north. The intersection used to be a four way stop, but would often backup as parents tried to drive their kids to school each day. The change alleviated that problem, but not without hidden risks for drivers and pedestrians who encounter Minnesota's first mini-roundabout.

Florida driver plows Tesla Model S Plaid into house

 A Fox News station in Palm Harbor, FL is reporting that a Tesla Model S Plaid that was not in autopilot mode at the time of the crash, drove through a stop sign, struck an embankment and went airborne before crashing into a house. This happened before 10:30 p.m. Friday, September 3rd, 2021. Unfortunately, the crash killed a 69-year-old woman inside the residence and a 43-year-old man from Odessa, who was a passenger in the car. 

This is the first fatal crash I have heard about since the Tesla Model S Plaid was released for sale in June. This fully electric car can do 0 to 60 mph in 1.99 seconds and has a price starting at $114,490. The specs list the top speed at between 155 and 199 mph, depending on the setup. The scary thing is that the car can reach the low end of this range in 9 seconds going a quarter mile. This kind of performance was previously only available in custom built dragsters and very expensive super cars.

Even experienced drivers can get into trouble trying to manage this kind of acceleration. It is too early to know if there was some kind of malfunction with the vehicle that caused the crash. But, since the driver had 3 passengers in the car at the time of the crash, there is a good chance the driver was showing off the acceleration. YouTube has many videos of drivers showing passengers the acceleration of their new Model S Plaid. Former Tonight Show host Jay Leno, who is an avid car collector, has posted videos of the car on his YouTube channel. Although, he was at a race track when testing the acceleration.

The car doesn't look like a vehicle that can accelerate as fast as it does. It will most likely take more high speed accidents of this type before the NTSB takes any action. Tesla does have the power to limit the performance characteristics through a software update. But doing so would hurt sales of the Model S Plaid. Up to this point, Tesla has managed to brush off any negative news about their vehicles. Will this incident be different? We'll have to wait and see.