8 Signs of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Carbon monoxide poisoning is the accumulation of carbon monoxide molecules in your bloodstream. The poisoning is caused by prolonged inhaling of carbon monoxide (CO) in a poorly ventilated place. Vehicle exhausts are common emitters of CO, and leakage of the gas can cause slow but serious poisoning to cars‘ occupants without proper ventilation. Exposure to high levels of carbon monoxide causes severe tissue damage and even death.

What is carbon monoxide?

Smoke emitted from a car’s tailpipe | Ina Fassbender/picture alliance via Getty Images

Carbon monoxide gas is colorless, tasteless, and odorless. The gas is produced from the burning of wood, gasoline, or any carbon fuel. If the carbon fuels burn under insufficient oxygen, carbon dioxide is produced. Carbon dioxide has little or no effect on a body’s systems. However, poorly ventilated areas, like the engine of your vehicle, cause incomplete combustion that produces poisonous CO, the Mayo Clinic explains.

If you’re exposed to too much carbon monoxide in an enclosed space, your body replaces oxygen with the inhaled poisonous gas. Your red blood cells transport the toxic CO from your lungs to your body’s cells. 

Because your senses don’t detect the gas, your body cells and tissues get poisoned without warning. Continued exposure to high levels of CO leads to irreversible cell and tissue damage and eventually death. However, before major damage is done to your organs, you will experience the following signs.

Signs of carbon monoxide poisoning

A person exposed to carbon monoxide poisoning may experience the following eight symptoms depending upon the level of exposure:

Mild exposure

  • Dull headache
  • Weakness
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea or vomiting

Medium exposure

  • Shortness of breath
  • Confusion
  • Blurred vision

Extreme exposure

  • Loss of consciousness

University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics calls carbon monoxide poisoning a silent killer for intoxicated or people poisoned in their sleep. Intoxicated people could die or suffer irreversible brain damage, while people poisoned in their sleep might never wake up.

First aid for CO poisoning

If you are exposed to mild levels of carbon monoxide or your loved one is exposed to mild CO poisoning, get them fresh air immediately. You can ensure there is enough oxygen circulation by doing the following. Open the car windows or doors or move away from the carbon monoxide area. Any place that has sufficient oxygen will help you deal with the mild symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. 

If the patient is exposed to medium carbon monoxide levels, move them away from the carbon monoxide source or turn off the source. For unconscious patients, turn off the carbon monoxide source and check for injuries before moving the patient to a safer area.

Perform CPR and call 911 for help if you are alone. Extreme levels of carbon monoxide poisoning require high-dose oxygen treatment. You can only get oxygen treatment in a healthcare facility. Consequently, rush the patient to the nearest healthcare facility after CPR.

How to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning

Carbon monoxide poisoning happens in a car or at home. To prevent poisoning in your car, avoid warming or leaving your car idling in the garage. Carbon monoxide from your car can accumulate in the garage and cause poisoning. Have your exhaust checked regularly to prevent carbon monoxide from leaking into the passenger area.

If you decide to keep warm in your car on a winter’s day, ensure that the exhaust is clear. A blocked exhaust pipe may force carbon monoxide back into the car. You can also install a carbon monoxide detector to warn you when carbon monoxide reaches a poisoning level.

RELATED: Is It Bad for the Environment to Let Your Car Idle?

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Lada Made an Electric Car and Boy Was It Ugly

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Russian automaker Lada once got in on the electric car scene in 1998, debuting a somewhat terrifying design at the Paris International Motor Show. It’s gawky, round, and surreal. And while there are incentives to buy an electric car in Russia, this isn’t exactly what we meant. For better or worse, here’s a deep dive into an ugly electric concept car we’re glad never entered production.

1998 Lada Rapan Electric Car | Konstantin Zavrazhin/Getty Images

Behold, the Lada Rapan electric car

It’s my job to remain unbiased, to see every vehicle as it is and hesitate from bashful comments… but holy smokes just look at it. Moe Szslack, the bartender from the Simpsons, is the first thing that comes to mind when I look at this. And the whole shtick is that Moe has a hideous face. This is no exception, but there has to be some design philosophy behind it, right?

Well, there’s a reason the front end was designed with a sort of “bulge” to it. While the Rapan was built to be all-electric, the engineers wanted to leave room for a gasoline engine that’d make it a hybrid instead. Thus, the lip at the front. On top of that, it was thought that early electric cars encompassed design creativity. They were new and, therefore, required a unique look to them. Though the Rapan may have gone a step too far.

Okay, we get it, the thing is ugly. But how good of an electric car is it, and can those numbers make the Rapan’s design forgivable? The short answer, probably not.

The specs and speeds of the Lada Rapan

Lada Rapan Electric Car Concept
1998 Lada Rapan Electric Car | Wikimedia Commons

While very little is known about this one-of-one electric concept car, using modern technology, I was able to scrounge some original web pages from the 90s and translated the Russian text to English. In other words, we’re transcribing the features of this car like one would transcribe the old testament, and hoping it’s accurate.

The battery 134-volt nickel-cadmium battery was paired to a 25 kW, or 33 hp electric motor. For perspective, we’ll compare this to the infamous EV1 of the same-ish era. That started with a 312-volt lead-acid battery paired to a 137 hp motor, and makes the Rapan look plain silly.

Because of the larger battery pack, the first-generation EV1 could get up to 80 miles per charge, whereas the Rapan could only get 60. Not only that, but you’d only achieve that 60-mile maximum range if you cruised at 25 miles per hour. The EV1, however, could handle highway speeds and still keep the range up, adding more miles as it went along according to this archived Car and Driver report.

But perhaps the most laughable numbers of the Rapan are its acceleration times. To get from 0-30 km/h, or 18 miles per hour, took five seconds. And getting up to 60 km/h, or 37 mph, took fifteen seconds. According to this archived site, it had a top speed of 55 mph, but for all we know, that may have taken a lifetime.

What happened to the Lada Rapan?

AVTOVAZ Museum and Design Center
AVTOVAZ Museum and Design Center | Lada

For better or worse (but really for better), the Lada Rapan was never meant to enter production. It was a simple publicity stunt, showcased at a global fair, and then tucked away at Volga’s Design Center (second car on the right in the photo above).

Did it pave the way for global electric cars? Probably not. But I had to look at this ugly electric car for longer than I would’ve liked, and now you all had to as well. You’re welcome.

RELATED: The Ford Comuta: Ford’s First Electric Car

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2022 Chevy Bolt EV and EUV: Which Bolt Should You Buy?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

You may be familiar with the Chevy Bolt EV, a small, electric car aimed at the budget consumer. But for the 2022 model year, Chevy is introducing a radically redesigned Bolt, as well as a Bolt EUV. While the two are similar in style, their shape sets them apart. The Bolt EV retains that hatchback look, while the EUV blends the EV with an SUV to make something different. So how do the two cars compare?

2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV | Chevy

The 2022 Bolt EV is the cheaper option

With the brand new look comes a brand new price, with the 2022 Chevy Bolt EV starting at $31,000. The Bolt EUV is $2,000 more, starting at $33,000. But what’s more impressive is that the Bolt is down $5,500 from the previous model year (2021 Bolts starting at $36,500). We even went in and fully specced out a 2022 Bolt, with premium colors and all, which ended up costing just $300 more than a base model 2021 Bolt.

And with all the packages, you get adaptive cruise control, wireless phone charging, and a seven-speaker Bose audio system rather than the six-speaker standard one. And speaking of standard features, the Bolt EV is loaded with them: a 10.2-inch touch screen with a rearview camera, remote start, and Wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto.

If you opt for the 2L trim, the standard features just keep getting better. You can equip the car with Surround Vision, and overhead look at your car and any obstacles around you. There’s also lane change alerts with blindspot detection systems. In other words, the Bolt is loaded!

And we haven’t even talked about the range yet, an impressive 259 miles per charge. DC fast charging is still limited to 55 kWs, which means you can only get 95 miles for half an hour of DC charging. But when plugged into a Level 2 220 volt outlet, the Bolt takes a reasonable 7.5 hours to charge. Leave it overnight, and worry about it in the morning.

So the bolt EV is good, but it’s also a bit small. If you’re looking for a bit more space, then putting down some extra dough for the Chevy Bolt EUV may be worth it.

The Bolt EUV is slightly bigger and slightly better

2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV Electric Car
2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV | Chevy

You’d think that, because of the increased size, the 2022 Bolt EUV is bigger on the inside than the Bolt EV, but it’s really not. Both have 40 inches of headroom in the front and roughly 38 inches in the rear. Legroom is about the same in the front as well, at 44 inches. The only major difference is the three extra inches of legroom for the rear passengers, shooting up from 36 in the EV to 39 in the EUV. Granted, there are roomier vehicles than the Bolt lineup.

You’d also think cargo space would improve from the 6.2 extra inches the Bolt EUV has over the EV, but it’s actually the opposite. The Bolt EV has 16.6 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded up, whereas the EUV has 16.3 inches. That extra length seems to have gone to the rear legroom, as the trunk capacity with the seats down is an even 57 cubic feet across both cars.

So what’s the point of the EUV if it’s essentially the same car? Same interior space, same 200 horsepower motor, same battery pack (with 10 miles less range due to its increased weight). The difference lies in the interior features, which the EUV has more of.

The major technology the EUV has that the EV doesn’t is Chevy’s SuperCruise, their Level 2 Autonomous Driving System. Available as a $2,000 option, SuperCruise allows the driver to take their hands off the wheel, though they still need to keep their eyes on the road. Along with all the other features of the Bolt EV, and more comfortable cabin due to a longer wheelbase, the EUV is great for cruising. But which is best for you?

Which Chevy Bolt is right for you?

2022 Chevy Bolt EV and 2022 Chevy Bolt EUV Electric Cars
2022 Chevy Bolt EV (top) and 2022 Chevy Bolt EUV (bottom)

The two cars are remarkably similar in style, shape, and technology. The real deciding factor is if you want that extra SuperCruise technology or not. Sure, it’s nice to have the option to take your hands off the wheel. But if you’re a penny pincher like me, the Bolt EV already comes with everything you’d need at $2,000 less.

However, if you want your rear passengers to be comfier, and your general driving experience to be a bit more refined, then the EUV would be the way to go. It’s a matter of how much space matters to you, and whether or not you’re willing to sacrifice it to save a few bucks. But there’s no denying that things are looking up for the next generation of Chevy Bolts.

RELATED: Some Disney Magic Can’t Hurt the 2022 Chevy Bolt EUV’s Release

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The Truth About Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Despite varying opinions, the future of driving is electric. Many experts believe that our global environment has reached a tipping point. Those experts believe that if we do not make significant progress in reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, there will be irreversible harm to the environment. That is why Toyota is committing its resources to develop battery EV and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

To help get some eyes on their efforts, Toyota partnered with popular science YouTuber “Physics Girl” (her real name is Dianna). Toyota provided Dianna with a brand new Mirai hydrogen fuel cell car. Dianna then went on a 1,800-mile road trip to learn as much as she could about hydrogen fuel cell technology. She realized that she had some misconceptions about hydrogen, which were quickly debunked.

How hydrogen fuel cells work

Toyota Mirai fuel cell | Toyota

Like many emerging technologies, there are a lot of common misconceptions about hydrogen fuel cell technology. A major misconception is that hydrogen fuel cell cars are “burning” hydrogen. The truth is that hydrogen fuel cell cars are electric cars. Hydrogen is just the source of electricity.

When the driver presses the throttle pedal in a hydrogen car, hydrogen is sent from one of the tanks to a battery cell. Oxygen gathered from the car’s intake system is also sent to the cell. Inside the cell, the hydrogen comes in on the “anode” side of the cell, while the oxygen comes in on the “cathode” side of the cell.

Hydrogen is always bonded with something, so when it enters the cell, it hits a platinum catalyst that breaks the bonds and frees the protons and electrons. That process generates electricity which drives the electric motors. Meanwhile, the Hydrogen rebonds with the oxygen in the cell and becomes water.

How is hydrogen fuel stored in a fuel cell car?

A transparent illustration of the hydrogen fuel cell tank storage in the Toyota Mirai.
Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell tanks | Toyota

While fuel-cell cars do not burn hydrogen, hydrogen itself is a high-energy, combustible gas. Engineers must take care of how hydrogen is stored in a vehicle subject to the elements and accidents such as car crashes. Specially designed tanks take on the task of safely storing hydrogen fuel.

To make sure the tanks are up to the task, Toyota puts them through rigorous testing, including crash tests, dropping them from a crane, putting them on top of an 800 degree Celcius fire, and even shooting at them with armor-piercing rounds sourced from the U.S. military.

What is it like driving a hydrogen fuel cell car?

The Truth About Driving a Hydrogen Car | Physics Girl YouTube

According to Dianna, driving a hydrogen car is a lot like driving an electric vehicle. That is because a fuel cell car is an electric car. It just uses pressurized hydrogen tanks as its source of energy rather than a battery.

The main caveat to using a hydrogen car for daily use is that since hydrogen has not been widely adopted yet, it requires the user to plan around their refuels. Hydrogen is not very widely available, and even established hydrogen fuel stations can experience shortages or entirely run out of their supply by the end of the day. The California Fuel Cell Partnership website provides users with a map of all the hydrogen fuel stations in the state and keeps track of their hydrogen supply status.

What is the truth about hydrogen cars? It is early days, and currently, a few concessions have to be made. But as long as innovation continues, hydrogen cars could be just as common as battery EVs are today.

RELATED: 1 Way to Get Into a Toyota Mirai Is Through Lyft

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