Seriously, Sandy Munro and Cory Steuben Q&A with EV Club of Connecticut on March 21 2023 (Video Replay)

Posted by Paul Braren on Mar 18 2023 (updated on Sep 1 2023) in

I met Sandy and Cory in late 2021, and to my surprise reaching out to their team actually worked out, after a bit of back-and-forth negotiating the details. It's a Zoom event, and if this sounds like it's something you'd enjoy, please pre-register, read onward for all the details!

Enjoy learning about the tech behind EVs? Don’t miss this special event where the @teardowntitan himself, Sandy Munro, will be joined by Munro & Associates President @CorySteuben on a very special EV Club of Connecticut event! The plan is to cover EV technology and recount tales about the many technical surprises they’ve found under the hood of your favorite EVs including Tesla, Rivian, Ford, and Hyundai! We’ll have time for open Q&A too of course, the fun starts at 4pm on Tuesday March 21st at 4pm Eastern Time. It doesn’t matter which state you live in, the EV Club of Connecticut is open to all! Please pre-register so you can join us! [registration is now closed].

Video Replay

TinkerTry YouTube Channel - March 25 2023 - Sandy & Cory, Munro's Dynamic Duo, Tackle Tricky Tech Talk with EV Club of Connecticut!

If you haven’t discovered Munro Live on YouTube yet, 350,000 subscribers already beat you to it! Munro Live features incredibly thorough EV teardowns and many great interviews with the EV industry’s top CEOs and technology leaders.

Be sure to bring your nerdiest questions about Octovalves, interior design, heat pumps, pyro fuses, build quality and more. Or just show up and enjoy this unique opportunity to ask their feelings on EV industry challenges like scaling production, OEM survival given the long road to profitability, or whatever similar EV questions you might be pondering. If you know Sandy, you know he’s not shy about sharing his opinion. His straight-shooter style has earned Munro & Associates a pivotal role in advancing the nascent EV industry, with prominent EV makers using his constructive feedback to help optimize their build processes and improve profitability. This is the nature of the business that Munro & Associates has been in long before Sandy’s more recent and well-deserved YouTube fame.

Sandy Munro to speak to EV Club on March 21
Automotive Engineer, Teardown Specialist, and Unlikely YouTube Rockstar, Sandy Munro, to Speak to EV Club.
Zoom meeting date and time: March 21st at 4 PM. Free registration at this link.

Munro has become well known for his “teardowns,” where he literally takes a vehicle apart in his facility and does a detailed engineering dissection. He has analyzed pretty much every EV in the market, along with many ICE vehicles.

Munro has been a longtime automotive engineer, having worked at Valiant Machine and Tool Company and Ford Motor Company before starting his own consultancy, Munro and Associates, specializing in lean design (according to his Wikipedia entry). Munro’s “design first” approach, attention to detail, and no-nonsense manner of communicating has enabled him to significantly reduce manufacturing cost for his clients, while improving product quality and consumer experience.

Many of us in the EV world became aware of him when he launched his YouTube channel in 2018, 30 years after the establishment of his consultancy, with a teardown of the then new Tesla Model 3. When the world pivoted to digital during the pandemic, his YouTube awareness greatly increased.

His teardowns and detailed reporting pre-date YouTube. A 2015 report on the BMW i3 ran 23,793 pages. As a stunt in 2020, Munro made the report available for ten bucks (original selling price at the time of publication was $89,000 according to Inside EVs. The download link is no longer live.)

The Munro Live YouTube channel is up to 358,000 subscribers. Join us for a conversation with Sandy Munro (CEO) and Cory Steuben (President). See you on the 21st!

Disclosure: I hold no stock and never held stock in any EV companies.

March 21 2023 Transcript

16:04:59 From Gavin Watson : tesla motor iternal plate
16:09:40 From Peter Jones : No, I’m from CT
16:10:02 From Paul Braren : Ok, everybody, please start typing your questions here!
16:11:30 From Aaron Hull : I have two questions about Sandy’s comments about the lack of repairability on the Model Y pack and the decision to use just cameras. I’m a former Tesla employee (Oct. ’13 to Oct. ’17), current shareholder, and current Model Y driver.
16:11:48 From Stanislav Jaracz : So, tell us more about Aptera. They re-added the DC charging only after the outcry. Will they be able to use SC directly?
16:11:55 From Paul Braren : Please use the Zoom button called "Reactions" then choose the raised hand, to raise your hand as you have a question to ask to get my attention if you want me to unmute you (rather than me read your question), thanks!
16:12:30 From Corbin : Hey Sandy and Corey. I’m a YouTuber covering all things related to the Korean EVs. I know you have taken a look at the Ioniq 5 on your channel last year but have you gone anymore in depth with the E-GMP platform vehicles? What are your thoughts on their platform?
16:13:38 From Jeffrey Manfredonia : I have a Rivian R1S and while I haven’t had any major issues I have been hearing a lot about 12v battery failures. Do you feel like this is a software issue and could be fixed in time or a hardware/bad design issue and is what it is?
16:18:48 From Guy Hall : Any opinions as to why the US (non-tesla) DCFCs have such a high failure rate? And slow repair rate? It's so damaging to the overall reputation of EVs.
16:19:49 From Guy Hall : I don't hear of the same high failure rates with DCFCs in Europe.
16:20:22 From Paul Braren : Here's the article they're talking about:
"Scratched EV battery? Your insurer may have to junk the whole car"
https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/scratched-ev-battery-your-insurer-may-have-junk-whole-car-2023-03-20/
16:21:41 From Monark Trivedi : If Sandy has to pick one EV from these, which one he would go with? Rivian R1S, Volvo EC90, Kia EV9 or will he wait for Tesla if they’re going to bring a van/minivan? All are genuinely big enough 7/8 seaters and not the crammed ones!
16:21:48 From Corbin : I apologize if this is a repeat but I lost connection and had to re-enter. I'm The Ioniq Guy on YouTube and I cover the Korean EVs. Did you do any more in-depth investigation into the Ioniq 5 or E-GMP platform cars and what is your overall opinion on their platform.
16:23:08 From Paul Braren : Replying to "I apologize if this ..."

I will be sure to give you the floor Corbin, SOO glad to see you here, and for helping me with my video about Ioniq 5 https://youtu.be/hhk084LFEpQ
16:23:57 From Corbin : Replying to "I apologize if this ..."

Thanks Paul. You'll have to read my question as I'm on my desktop without cam/mic
16:24:18 From Paul Braren : Replying to "I apologize if this ..."

No problem~
16:24:43 From Aaron Hull : 100%. It’s a business. I remind my students that all the time.
16:26:00 From Aaron Hull : We lived through the Supercharger “failure” from DC to MA in 2014. LOVED how this EV club rallied to prove the system worked with 7 Model S’ and their drivers!
16:26:05 From Paul Braren : a bit about EV safety vs PHEVs (not sure if source is too reliable, but you get the idea):
https://twitter.com/EVClubCT/status/1638208180193837056
https://t.co/Oym1Hc6vZc
16:28:49 From Paul Braren : Opening the North American Charging Standard
https://www.tesla.com/blog/opening-north-american-charging-standard
16:30:09 From Randy : My ? is on Tesla drive unit reliability. My 2014 S at 100k miles is now receiving its 4th drive unit. It has been gently driven mostly on long distance road trips. What’s going wrong here?
16:31:50 From DANIEL WHITLEY JR : Any comments on the new rare earthless motors?
16:34:10 From Paul Braren : Meet the Tesla Model S That Surpassed 400,000 Miles
https://www.motorbiscuit.com/tesla-model-s-that-surpassed-400000-miles/
16:34:53 From Patrick Sullivan : I have a 2014 Model S. The vehicle charges quite slowly at Superchargers. A few years ago, Tesla updated software which throttled down the rate of charge. Makes the car undesirable for long trips. Do you know anything about this and if there is a fix?
16:37:16 From Del Weston : Chevy doesn't seem to show concern for charging the newest Bolts to 100% constantly. Please comment.
16:38:05 From Peter Millman : Will solid state batteries use less cobalt and lithium?
16:41:52 From Paul Braren : The first commercial independent Tesla service organization providing engineering and aftermarket support.
https://grubermotors.com/
16:42:00 From Patrick Sullivan : Thank you. Very helpful.
16:44:23 From Del Weston : I was more focused on the currently produced Bolt.
16:45:04 From Stanislav Jaracz : Rephrasing: Why Elon isn't investing in Aptera?
16:45:41 From Barry Kresch : If you charge to 100%, isn't there a buffer, so it actually isn't 100%.
16:49:00 From Stanislav Jaracz : Oxygen is the most abundant
16:49:22 From Stanislav Jaracz : iron is the most abundant heavy metal
16:54:12 From Stanislav Jaracz : What is your opinion on ammonia as a fuel for fuel cell instead of hydrogen, particularly for ocean ships but maybe also for big trucks (18 wheelers).
16:56:08 From Paul Braren : Corbin, your questions fit in nicely next, do you want me to introduce you next, and then unmute you?
16:56:37 From Paul Braren : Stanislav, I didn't forget you, Sandy can stay on past 5pm eastern, Cory has to go at 5pm in 4 minutes...
16:56:46 From Corbin : I dont have a mic
16:56:56 From Corbin : You can ask it
16:56:57 From Paul Braren : ah yes, sorry, forgot that, multitasking....
16:57:01 From Paul Braren : no problem, I'll read it
16:58:29 From Gopal Shanker : Will Tesla's move to single casting molds make repairs of even minor fender benders exorbitantly expensive? The repair estimate for a scrape over the rear fender for my 2018 Tesla 3 is already high. ~$6700.
16:58:43 From Paul Braren : actually, maybe a speed round, Monark's question next, so we can get both Sandy and Cory's thoughts, I'll figure it out...
16:58:51 From Randy, pres, Comox EVA : My question is on Tesla drive units and their reliability.
17:05:37 From Paul Braren : If folks here have an Ioniq 5 (as does "The Ioniq Guy" and are interested in what's going on with Magic Dock, have a look at the comments under my video
First Magic Dock Tests – Charging an R1T & IONIQ 5 at a V3 Tesla Supercharger in Brewster NY
https://youtu.be/B_aNBbcmHqY
17:06:38 From Randy, pres, Comox EVA : Still like to ask about past Tesla drive unit reliability.
17:19:37 From Paul Braren : hey folks, get your mouse out and copy and paste this chat if you liked what's in it, although I'll probably eventually publish it on TinkerTry.com so you can easily find the great stuff that was discussed here. I'll have to edit out the DMs though...
17:19:46 From Romy Vreeland : I think they were taking about scooter batteries, ebikes
17:19:57 From Romy Vreeland : I read that article.
17:19:57 From Evan Finchler : Romy is correct.
17:20:17 From Paul Braren : About the firemen learning about EV safety earlier today in Fairfield CT
https://twitter.com/paulbraren/status/1638202340145545217
17:20:54 From Romy Vreeland : That's an incendiary comment!
17:21:03 From Karen Kiki Adams : Big thanks to Sandy and Corey....what a pleasure to meet you.. Luv your YouTube channel. Great work.😃🤩
17:21:27 From Gopal Shanker : Thank you.
17:21:33 From Paul Roszko : thanks Sandy and Corey….. great!
17:21:33 From Romy Vreeland : Thank you!!
17:21:43 From Gavin Watson : Thanks so much!
17:21:53 From Stanislav Jaracz : Thank you
17:22:10 From Del Weston : Thanks so much

Seriously, Sandy Munro and Cory Steuben Q&A with EV Club of Connecticut on March 21 2023 (Video Replay)

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March 21 2023 Transcript

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