Making a lemon cake using one of the recipes that came with my 1960s mixer.

Neighbour was throwing out some shelving and offered it to me. Finally got somewhere to put all the car related stuff I've collected over the years from various press events. Can't use them because it feels wrong, can't sell it because they're sentimental, but at least I can now display them.

Fabricator's currently laser cutting metal for the battery box and in the meantime I'm editing the current video so that when we get the wheels spinning on full battery power you'll not have to wait long for the next chapter in this EV conversion saga. Hope everyone's having a positive weekend.

Breakfast in your mid-40s be like

Oh my god yes 😄

I absolutely freaking love the analogue clock in the GWM Cannon Alpha Ultra (yes, they actually named it that).

Sorry car lovers but this gorgeous, soft, puffy velour is better than your hot, sticky, adhesive poly vinyl chloride 'fabric' and you know it. Yuck. Give me this fabric any day:

Day 1 of filming's done. Too early to pick a winner and there's more challenges ahead but my early favorite is currently the GWM Alpha Ultra (foreground). The name sounds invented by Jeremy Clarkson but it's actually bloody luxurious inside! Don't let that exterior fool you!

From the same people who promised you hydrogen comes the new double drill bit! Sign me up! 😄

Apologies to anyone who's sent me an email recently. My inbox is overflowing like the coolant reservoir in a Daewoo Matiz.

I get cranky when I'm in Auckland. The vibe here is off.

Got the ultimate PHEV ute showdown underway! One of these vehicles will be the outright winner in a series of fun challenges so place your bets... 🍿

When a staunch EV hater experiences electric acceleration this can actually happen to them. Be safe out there.

The IM6 be thirsty.

Holy tubers, the IM6 holds a high charging speed for ages. Full review coming soon. 🥔

Last week the Dongfeng Box charged 10-80% in 42 minutes. Well done to those who guessed correctly. You win a potato 🥔. This week I'm charging the new IM6. Place your bets on how quickly this one charges!

You're greeted with an unexpectedly posh start-up every time you get into the IM6. 🎩

Okay.

Look what's just been spotted doing road testing in Australia. Could the Rivian 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 be coming to NZ & AU? 🧐

Heh

Now, I'm not a trained fanologist, but I suspect screwing fans to the roof of your EV and hitting the highway might not break the laws of thermodynamics in the way you'd hope. 🤔

okay.

Quite a bold claim.

Lab test results are in with the IM6 having a PSC of 55. While not a bad figure, it would be much higher if the designers had given the car a glove box. 😐

Got the new IM6 in my driveway at the moment. It's an intriguing car with unusual styling and software which could use some polishing, but throwing this gadget-laden Chinese sofa to 100 km/h in 3.4 seconds is good fun, won't lie. 😀

Reversing camera in the Dongfeng Box has no signs of automotive glaucoma (pay attention, Honda 😅). Efficiency is also stupidly good. In city-only driving, this 4-wheeled microbe used 9.8 kWh per 100 km. It's been fun driving this thing, but but now I have much more unusual car to collect...

Trying to enjoy an audio cassette on the train but it's all bunched up. Kids today have no idea of the cassette-related hardships us 1980s kids endured. 😅

How long do you think it'll take to charge a Dongfeng Box from 10% to 80% on a 300 KW hypercharger? Place your bets. 🍿 On a related note, I've had the '80s hit 'Living in a Box' stuck in my head for a bloody week now on repeat. Make it stop. I beg you.

Another great video from months ago was this ride-along in a battery powered New Zealand police car. We even pulled someone over for speeding. This easy to watch video actually took MONTHS to organise. 😬 www.youtube.com/watch?v=VykB...

The algorithms HATED this video and it was restricted (and flopped), but I still think it's a really fun watch. Especially for the electric vs combustion challenges. Guaranteed enjoyment from this free entertainment or your money back! 😄 www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oDX...

PSC results for the Dongfeng Box have just come through at 58; not bad for its dimensions, though the glove box design lets it down slightly. For comparison, the Honda e:N1 is a much larger vehicle but only holds 3.4% more tubers. 🥔

Good news. Just spoke to a local appliance repairer / electrician and he reckons he can fix my retro oven and certify it too. I just need to find a sliiightly larger car than a Dongfeng Box and I'll drop it all off. 😅

Really want to get my retro oven fixed and installed but I need to find someone who can repair these elements. The ceramic connectors are all broken. Anyone know an electrician in NZ with the skills to mend or modernise this? Preferably in the North Island. Not having any luck. 😔

I'm really enjoying having this little Dongfeng Box in my driveway. Sure, I wish my Dong Box had better performance, but as a city car it's surprisingly fun to drive. Hope you all enjoyed the off-road video featuring the new Riddara electric ute. It's doing pretty good on YouTube. 😎

Got the lawns done running on sunshine. Feels good. 😎 Life's busy lately so I got a quote to get the lawns done but the quote was $140 each time. So I'm gonna do them myself but put that money in an envelope each time and treat myself at the end of the year.

Enjoy. 😎 www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZdL...

Now that's a lot of hyper chargers. The Bombay Hills charging hub is resembling a high-powered, renewable Stonehenge. 😁

Accurate 😄

Ugghhh. It's going to be one of those days.

Mistakes were made

Seeing as I'm now old I thought I'd better get some suitable wheels. Carbon neutral too. 😅

I admit I'm not a qualified blessologist, but is using holy water to bless high voltage equipment OSHA approved? 🧐

Reminds me of all that "Clean Diesel" marketed to us a few years ago. Can't believe so many of us fell for it! 😄

Rare footage of me at the computer after Everything Electric in Melbourne.

If you missed Everything Electric in Melbourne over the weekend, here are my favorite bits, from electric police cars to EV conversions, plus an interview with Robert Llewellyn while exploring. Check it out & share it if you want to see more long-form content like this. ❤️ youtu.be/YVmC_MWQGtM?...

On the internet no one knows you're actually a horseshoe crab.

Having dinner with the incredible crew of Everything Electric after the successful Melbourne show. Looking forward to the Sydney show in March 2026.

In a different Uber, this time it's a Toyota BZ4X. Driver said that he loves the space. His previous car was a Polestar 2 which he also loved (as do I) but it's a bit small for Ubering.