EV and hybrid
Charging connectors, high-voltage safety, hybrid cooling and the 48-volt systems that sit between a starter motor and a hybrid.
- Guide48-volt mild hybrids: what the belt starter generator doesIt replaced the alternator with a motor and made the accessory belt load-bearing in both directions. What a belt starter generator does, and how it fails.788 words
- GuideNACS, CCS1 and J1772: which EV adapter you actually needFour connectors, two currents, and adapters that only work one way round. Which EV charging adapter fits which car, and what no adapter can ever do.985 words
- GuideR1234yf and R134a: why an A/C service costs more than it used toDifferent refrigerant, different fittings, mildly flammable, and several times the price per pound. Plus the oil mistake that destroys an electric compressor.811 words
- GuideThe hybrid battery cooling fan, and the maintenance nobody doesMost hybrid packs are cooled by cabin air through a small intake behind the rear seat. It blocks with dust and hair, the pack runs hot, the bill is a pack.743 words
- GuideWorking around a high-voltage system: the orange cable ruleOrange means several hundred volts of DC, and DC does not let go. What the service disconnect does, why you still measure, and which tools are actually rated.760 words