THAT’S BRAVE: Small-scale protests break out in Iran over cost of living. “The protests come after DW Persian reported that many Iranians, including cancer patients, were forgoing or delaying critical treatment as healthcare costs become increasingly unaffordable. The prices of some medications had risen by 120%, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported. Some medications had increased in price by as much as 543%, German news channel Deutsche Welle (DW) reported.”

IMPRESSIVE:

MACARTHUR PARK IS CLONING IN THE DARK: Adam Carolla: Los Angeles is “number one in artist renderings. You say whatever you want about your city, we’ll kick your ass with our renderings. Our actual product is shit, but if you want a bullet train or a park or a  bridge, we got a rendering, and it’s amazing. Except we’ll never realize any of it:”

LEFTISM IS BAD FOR PEOPLE AND OTHER LIVING THINGS: America’s Bad Cities Are Costing You. “Does crime reduce the extent of agglomeration economies? To a major extent, yes, and we know it thanks to a suite of different disasters—bombings, fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.—, to random events that displaced populations—the Mariel Boatlift, Japanese internment, close elections that appointed discriminatory mayors, etc.—, to the historical period known as the Great Migration—the mass movement of African Americans from the southeastern U.S. to the rest of the country’s urban areas. My replication package deals with all of these, and they produce convergent results, but for this article, I’ll just talk about the clearest example.”

Some fascinating stuff at the link.

AN IDEA SO CRAZY IT JUST MIGHT WORK: Carmakers Have A New Idea to Boost EV Range: Add a Gas Engine.

EV sales remain depressed since the Trump administration removed a $7,500 incentive last year and rolled back regulations driving a more electric market.

Two primary concerns have kept Americans from buying EVs en masse: the higher cost of battery-powered cars, and concerns over range—specifically, the availability of charging. In theory, EREVs solve the range and charging problem, while offering other advantages for bigger vehicles like three-row SUVs. Those require large batteries that can struggle with long recharge times. The setup is popular in China’s high-tech auto market, where even Ford and General Motors offer EREV vehicles not sold in the U.S.

Most plug-in hybrids on the road today are essentially gasoline vehicles with a battery shoehorned in to provide a small amount of all-electric range. EREVs flip the concept. They are designed first as electric vehicles, and the engine solely acts as a generator for the battery, with no mechanical connection to the wheels.

The setup saves some battery costs compared with full EVs and eliminates the need for gas-car parts like a transmission. EREVs also drive like EVs, including instant acceleration even when the battery is drawing from the generator.

EVs need to offer the range independence of gas cars.