The TechMobility Podcast
Welcome to The TechMobility Podcast, your ultimate source for authentic insights, news, and perspectives at the nexus of mobility and technology. We're all about REAL FACTS, REAL OPINIONS, and REAL TALK! From personal privacy to space hotels, if it moves or moves you, we're discussing it! Our weekly episodes venture beyond the conventional, offering a unique, unfiltered take on the topics that matter. We're not afraid to color outside the lines, and we believe you'll appreciate our bold approach!
The TechMobility Podcast
Gaming Meets Driving, Forklift Racing's Global Appeal, and the Shift in EV Charging Technology
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What if your car could be your next gaming console? Tune in to the latest episode of the TechMobility Podcast as I, Ken Chester, guide you through the breathtaking advancements in automotive technology. We spotlight Mercedes-Benz's game-changing partnership with Boosteroid, transforming vehicles into mobile gaming hubs equipped with high-end experiences, all accessible via the MBUX infotainment system. Imagine a future where autonomous cars seamlessly stream games, movies, and live events, turning every drive into an entertainment marvel. The prospect is not just about riding; it’s about revolutionizing your travel experience into a thrilling adventure.
But that's not all! Shift gears with me as we explore the adrenaline-pumping world of forklift truck racing—a sport as wild as it sounds. Born in Germany in 2005 by Linde Material Handling, this quirky competition has captured the imagination of fans worldwide. From its precision-driven beginnings to a modern-day contest with fresh contenders like Belgium, forklift racing is a testament to human creativity, competitive spirit, and the unexpected ways culture can evolve. Coupled with a nostalgic nod to the Nissan Altima's evolution, we chart the intersection of tradition and innovation in the automotive realm.
To cap off our journey, we examine the future of wireless EV charging and the shifting tides of the certified pre-owned vehicle market. Discover how industry giants like Tesla and Hyundai aim to eliminate the hassle of plug-in chargers, making the convenience of wireless charging a reality. Meanwhile, as supply chain challenges reshape the CPO market, manufacturers expand their offerings to include older models, ensuring budget-conscious consumers have access to reliable vehicles. This episode is a treasure trove of insights on how technology is redefining mobility, catering to both the luxury of convenience and the practicality of affordability. Join me for a ride into the future of automotive innovation!
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Speaker 2:I'm Ken Chester. This is an article from Automotive News and it states how Mercedes and others aim to make cars mobile entertainment hubs. We have talked around this subject over the last few years how automakers are looking to make more money after the sale of the vehicle to kind of keep you tethered, and part of that if, for example, like you're a GM customer, you probably have an OnStar subscription for safety and you have perhaps a SiriusXM subscription, those are ways that they can continue to make revenue long after the vehicle is sold. But now a group of automakers want to take this to the next level. In the case of Mercedes-Benz, they have actually teamed up with an outfit called Boosteroid. Teamed up with an outfit called Boosteroid, the world's largest independent cloud gaming provider, to enable immersive in-car gaming. Let's talk about that Immersive in-car gaming. They want to make the vehicle as much a part of the game that you are interacting with, like being in the game, literally in the game. What they're really preparing for is the day when vehicles are fully autonomous. Right now, the Mercedes plan is you can play these games, but only when the vehicle is stationary, not when the vehicle is moving. But someday with full autonomy, maybe in 10 to 15 years. You have the ability to play movies, interactive games, heaven knows what else all while they are making money streaming into the vehicle or they're selling commercials and you're getting it free, but you're getting bombarded with a lot of commercials. And now I'm sure they believe, and with some knowledge, that people would pay with a lot of commercials. And now I'm sure they believe, and with some knowledge, that people would pay not to have the commercials. It's the same model that you see on any app that's free that has commercials. You can opt out of the app. Pandora comes to mind immediately, where you have a free model where you have a bunch of commercials and limits to what you can listen and limits to what you can listen and limits to what you can do, and a paid prescription subscription where you don't have those limitations.
Speaker 2:I fully expect that, with all the sensors and all the video that is available in the vehicles that are in marketplace now and coming, that this will be a thing. What I'm curious about, as these vehicles get more and more sophisticated, with their displays across the dashboard, where it's all digital now anyway, would they be able, through an over-the-air update, to reverse engineer, say, a vehicle sold in 2025, and it's 2030 now and they've got this thing going full hog. Can you get an over the air update that would allow your 2025, 2026, 2027 vehicle to have access to this? That it may not have been available when your vehicle was new, but now it's available. Much the same way your cell phone gets updated, or your software, your computer, gets updated. I mean we've talked about vehicles being computers on wheels for some time now. Hey, your cell phone gets updated, or your software, your computer, gets updated. I mean we've talked about vehicles being computers on wheels for some time now. You already got Wi-Fi. You got umpteen different cameras in and outside the vehicle, sensors galore. It's coming. It is coming.
Speaker 2:The big issue right now. They said that, starting in 2025, Mercedes vehicles in North America, South America and Europe with the automaker's third-generation MBUX infotainment system, will be able to download the Boosteroid app. Then occupants can access over 1,000 Boosteroid games on the Mercedes-Benz infotainment display screen. Now, right now, because it's not autonomous, they can play while the vehicle is parked using a gaming controller or a smartphone, and the article remarked that this is the first time that high-end games, rather than simple arcade games, would be available in a car. But I've got to tell you.
Speaker 2:Automakers have been trying to do entertainment in car since the invention of the radio. Most people don't remember the DVD decks and the CD decks that used to be in vehicles, particularly for the kids, and you'd have a literal deck in the vehicle that kids could pop in, or the parents could pop in a CD or a DVD and the kids could watch TV or watch a program while mom and dad's driving. To get around the question are we there yet? Hopefully, because they're too busy watching their favorite video to ask that question. So this is not new. What's new is the fact it's going to be streaming. You won't need a DVD, you won't need any material beyond the software app in order to access these games, and automakers, in the last five years anyway, have been telegraphing that. This is where they want to go. They want to bring entertainment in the car. Let me take this a step further. With Hyundai, looking at a full window display the front windshield display, with the concept of maybe making all the windows displays the side windows, the rear window Can you imagine in maybe 20 years, what an immersive watching your favorite movie, being at your favorite concert, even if they streamed it live, can you imagine not needing to be at the concert but having about as close an experience as you could have in your vehicle, no matter where you are on the planet.
Speaker 2:You paid to have that access. Much the same way you pay for access to an NFL game online Now, maybe you pay for access to an NFL game online Now, maybe you pay for concert tickets, but your vehicle is the immersive experience and it's like being there, only you're not there. Let that settle for a minute because, honestly, they're just starting here. They're just starting with the dashboard, but if you could turn all the windows into the venue and give you a venue-like experience much the same way right now, today and this is just a small example, but in the Cadillac models, if you're backing up and there's a vehicle, the sensors tell the car. The car rattles, the seat rattles the driver's seat. They give you a different, not just an audio or a visual cue, but now a sensual cue of a physical cue that hey, there's something coming on behind us.
Speaker 2:Can you imagine the next level of going, what they mean by totally immersive? They've got a captive audience. It could be totally awesome and, like anything, can be abused. I'm going to let your imagination run a little while and think what else could be like that. But as far as entertainment is concerned, this is just the start and it's not just Mercedes. Let me give you the numberscedes expects the in-car gaming market to show significant growth potential in the coming years. They expect global gaming total gaming, not in-car gaming, but total gaming industry is projected to reach 321 billion dollars, that's with a b for 2026. There are approximately twice as many gamers worldwide as there are vehicles on the road, they think, presenting a great opportunity for automakers.
Speaker 2:My question is you know how many of these gamers actually be willing to interact with a game in a Mercedes? Because you're talking about income level, you're talking about intellectual level. I'm not sure that the audience they think they're going to reach is the audience that they will reach with this, but I will tell you that it is easy to see that this is just the opening salvo in a whole flood of entertainment opportunities. Entertainment invites, programming. I mean, it's just a flood and as people continue to be mobile and we move towards an autonomous future somewhere out there, then this is an opportunity that will continue to be broadened, exploited. They'll add more and more to it and you'll be able to pick anything anywhere and it will even add to the concept that I've said.
Speaker 2:It puts a whole new spin on if you could live anywhere, where would you live? And if your vehicle could be a virtual concert hall without you having to travel halfway around the world to go to that concert, but yet have almost the same experience in your car or truck or SUV. What does that do to concert venues? How does that change that in the future and any other event? Just food for thought, because I see this as just the beginning, just the start of where they could go with this, particularly in an immersive interactive experience.
Speaker 2:Germany was the leader in forklift truck racing until recently. You are listening to the TechMobility Show.
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Speaker 3:Social media is the main place to be these days, and we are no exception. I'm Ken Chester of the Tech Mobility Show. If you enjoy my program, then you will also enjoy my weekly Facebook videos, From my latest vehicle reviews to timely commentary of a variety of mobility and technology-related topics. These short features are designed to inform and delight you Be sure to watch, like and follow us on Facebook. You can find us by typing the Tech Mobility Show in the search bar. Be sure to subscribe to our Facebook page.
Speaker 3:Social media is the place to be these days, and we're no exception. I'm Ken Chester of the Tech Mobility Show. If you enjoy my program, then you will also enjoy my weekly Instagram videos, From the latest vehicle reviews to timely commentary on a variety of mobility and technology-related topics. These short features are designed to inform and delight you Be sure to watch, like and follow us on Instagram. You can find us by typing the Tech Mobility Show in the search bar.
Speaker 3:For those of you that listen to podcasts, we have just the one for you. Hi, I'm Ken Chester. Tech Mobility Topics is a podcast where I upload topic-specific videos each week. Shorter than a full show. These bite-sized programs are just the thing, particularly if you're interested in a particular topic covered on the weekly radio show. From Apple Podcasts to iHeart Radio and many podcast platforms in between, we got you covered. Just enter Tech Mobility Topics in the search bar, wherever you listen to podcasts.
Speaker 2:It has dual airbags, an energy-absorbing steering column and front and rear crumple settings. But unlike other luxury sedans, this one starts under $14,000. Because you shouldn't have to spend your life savings on a car that could very possibly save your life the Nissan Altima. It's time to expect more from a car expect more from a car.
Speaker 2:That commercial was 30 years ago in 1994. Nissan had introduced the Altima as a replacement for the Stanza in 1993. There was nothing like it on the road at that time. It was an amazing little car. It was a performance car and it was a compact passenger car, family car. Nissan tried to make it a luxury car. That was a stretch, but it was an amazing ride and that first generation was incredible until they messed it up when they redesigned it in 1998 and just totally they wandered for about three years until they came out with the 2002 model. That put the Altima back on track and has been on track ever since.
Speaker 2:The Nissan Altima. What they will do to try to sell a car. Back then airbags were the thing and everybody was promoting safety in the early 1990s. So you hear a lot of commercials that talk about airbags and seatbelts and things like that. Right then, because at that time safety sold, kind of came full circle, didn't it? Regular listeners know that I cover just about anything and everything that moves on this program at one point or another.
Speaker 2:But I just recently found out about forklift truck racing. Forklift truck racing it's a real thing, pioneered in Germany. They had teams from China and Belgium, and next year even the United States and Canada will send teams to compete. This is topic A. Yeah, I'm talking about the same kind of forklift that you're expecting to see in any warehouse Moving stuff around that Human controlled forklifts. Only when they say racing, that's sort of a misnomer, because what they're to do is they are to put together. The team has put together a precise palette of things that they then have to move through obstacles, and the one who gets it to the other place through the obstacle course in the least amount of time wins. And for many years.
Speaker 2:This started in 2005, actually, so it's relatively new as a sport, if you want to call it that, and it was actually started by a company, a forklift manufacturer, called Linde Material Handling. And they call and you win something called the Stapler Cup, and they started this to celebrate a profession that doesn't often get much attention. They call the competitors forklift heroes and they walk on stage amidst a cloud of smoke with songs like Baja Men's who Let the Dogs Out blaring. And at first it was only a German event, and then they added an international competition three years later, in 2008. Those in the know said that the competition has gained attention online and now has big fan bases in the United States and Asia. There are viral memes and international watch parties. I'm telling you I didn't know anything about forklift truck racing until the last week or so, so I'm real late to the party, did not know. But that's the beautiful part about my research that I research these things for you so that when I find out, I share it with you.
Speaker 2:Still held in Germany, although changes are coming, and the article that I read was making some parallels to German manufacturing and the throes of what's going on now in Germany and this competition. There seems to be some parallels, for example and the article opens up with the economy isn't the only sector in Germany buckling under pressure from global competition. Germany's home team was recently knocked out of the Stapler Cup, the world's most prestigious forklift racing event. Wait a minute. World's most prestigious forklift racing event. Wait a minute. There are other forklift racing events hold in asafisburg, germany. This is from the wall street journal. The germans had long taken pride in their dominance of forklift truck racing, a skill they attribute to german precision, but that era is coming to an end, just as german industry is losing out to competition from China. And as Volkswagen, the country's largest employer and I'm talking 50,000 plus folks in one factory in Wolfsburg is planning to close German factories for the first time ever.
Speaker 2:And while Germany beat China in the 2024 forklift driving contest, they lost out to the underdogs and eventual gold medalists. Can you believe it? Belgium? Germany lost to Belgium in the semifinals of something that they take a lot of pride of and their ability to be precise and precision and accurate. Germany lost. Let me paint the picture for you of what they're up against.
Speaker 2:This one competitor is named Benjamin Danker. He climbs into a 5.5-ton forklift that is, 11,000-pound forklift Buckle the seatbelt over his lid holes and sped off across the arena. His goal to complete an obstacle course requiring his four-person team to build a tower made of foam pieces and move it across the finish line within nine minutes. Deliver the tower faster than the Chinese drivers and the Germans would move one step closer to winning the stapler cup. One step closer to winning the Stapler Cup.
Speaker 2:Germans have long sat comfortably atop the world of competitive forklift driving. A point of national pride. Can you imagine National pride driving a forklift? But okay, there's songs, tattoos and, believe it or not, fully functioning kids' models dedicated to the humble industrial vehicles. The best drivers are treated like rock stars, but Germany's supremacy is under threat from the same forces sparking existential angst in the national economy competition from abroad. Underlying that new reality is a change to the Stapler Cup.
Speaker 2:Organizers announced, ahead of this year's competition in October, that it would drop German from the name and allow foreigners in its prime time individual competitions. They promised the start of quote a new era of forklift sports. Forklift sports plural. It's a forklift, and I mean full disclosure. I've operated a forklift Sports. Forklift Sports plural. It's a forklift, and I mean full disclosure. I've operated a forklift and yeah, it does take some accuracy and a forklift is not particularly an accurate vehicle. I'm here to tell you, having driven one, having operated one, it is not the most precise vehicle to drive. Takes some doing is not the most precise vehicle to drive. Take some doing.
Speaker 2:This year's competition drew teams of forklift driving teams from 11 countries, 11. Now the competition sports director believes that the Germans have gotten too comfortable and he's ready for Germany's dominance to be challenged, even if it means that his countrymen are no longer at the top of the podium. I am looking forward to that. I want a real competition. He said Sometimes too much confidence can be dangerous Can be dangerous.
Speaker 2:The Stapler Cup, just to give you a kind of a little bit more information, has four main events. Just to give you kind of a little bit more information. Has four main events male and female driver, individual events and two team-based competitions corporate and international. China's national team, which last participated in 2019 and came in at second place, practiced for two hours a day in a month leading up to the competition. But Belgium. Belgium won Belgium, while an individual made it from China. The national team was knocked out on the first day of competition. After getting past China, germany advanced to the semifinals, along with the Netherlands, Slovakia and Belgium.
Speaker 2:Imagine, in the not-too-distant future, plugging in an EV to charge. It may not exist. Welcome to Wireless Charging. This is the Tech Mobility Show.
Speaker 2:Do you listen to podcasts? Seems that most people do. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. If you've missed any of our weekly episodes on the radio, our podcast is a great way to listen. You can find the Tech Mobility Podcast just about anywhere. You can enjoy podcasts. Be sure to follow us From Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio and many platforms in between. We are there. Just enter the Tech Mobility Podcast in the search bar. Wherever you listen to podcasts.
Speaker 2:Social media, it's the place to be. We're no exception. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. Several times a week, I post to TikTok several of the topics that I cover on my weekly radio show. It's another way to keep up on mobility, technology news and information. I've built quite a library of short videos for your viewing pleasure, so be sure to watch, like and subscribe. That's the Tech Mobility Show on TikTok. Check it out!.
Speaker 2:While the nation's EV charging infrastructure is nowhere near complete, wireless charging the technology that could someday make today's plug-in charges obsolete isger closing to commercial viability. This is topic b, with all the money currently being spent by both public and private organizations the government, private business utilities, other companies like evgo and electrifyify America and companies like that all spending money to build out a network of plug-in chargers for EVs and plug-in hybrids across the United States. Imagine a day where plugging in your EV is a thing of the past. Welcome to wireless charging. The speed, power, density and efficiency of wireless charging is increasing, while at the same time, engineers are finding ways to reduce weight. In August, automakers and suppliers established standards at making wireless charging work uniformly, regardless of vehicle brand or charging equipment manufacturer. Automakers, including Tesla, Stellantis, Hyundai and Volkswagen, are interested in giving their EV customers the option of cutting the charging cord. The charging cord, While wireless charging won't eliminate the plug, at least not right away it would give drivers the option of simply parking over a mat to charge their vehicle battery pack. Anything that automakers can do to eliminate the friction of owning an EV, they will do. And right now, having to get out in the rain, having to get out in inclement weather to plug in your charger if it's a public charger or remembering to plug it in when you get home, Not something that that, if you've got a gasoline vehicle that you have to do. I mean, you get a gas gauge. It says fill it up. You go, you fill it, you're done with an EV. You fill it, you're done With an EV. This is something would typically happen either at home or if you live in an apartment or an area where you cannot plug it in at your residence, then you're going to use a public charger. Imagine if all you had to do was drive over it, park, activate an app and it starts charging. What a deal.
Speaker 2:I know that commercial fleets right now are looking at that, particularly school buses and municipalities or public transit agencies that have buses or other vehicles that go according to an established route. Imagine if, since they sit the idle a lot, they come to a stop where they're going to be there 10 minutes. Imagine if there was a charging pad right there for the EV bus or whatever, and it sits there and it gets a charge. It doesn't have to worry about charging even at the end of the day, because maybe it has four or five areas where, particularly if it's a driver change or a shift change, where it could sit there and get charged and take a charge, particularly with where the wireless industry is going, they're heading in the same direction as the plug-in chargers. Right now, the goal is to charge as quickly as possible and as little time as possible to give you the greatest amount of charge. The wireless industry is looking at 15 minutes. That's where they're going. They believe that, with the technology that they're currently developing, that they will only be limited by the battery management systems of the vehicles that are electric, their ability to take that much charge in that short a time. And I think that's a matter of algorithms, logarithms and software tweaks, really from the vehicle side, Because honestly and I mentioned this and I've said it over and over and over and over the EV industry is evolving at a lightning speed.
Speaker 2:The cost of batteries have come down, the time to recharge is dropping, the number of public chargers is growing. All of this is happening in real time In the realm of public chargers. Because they have to be built, sites have to be scouted. Because they have to be built, sites have to be scouted, permits have to be gained, you have to connect to the grid. All that takes time, so it's not something like okay, we got the money, flip a switch, we're there. In the next five to 10 years, as this build-out continues, in 10 years, this will not even be an issue. Continues In 10 years, this will not even be an issue.
Speaker 2:The bigger issue, though, is what if wireless catches on and they find a way to actually come in at a lower cost than even the plug-in chargers, now that all you have to do is line it up, drive over it. It gets a light. You're lined up, press start and it starts charging. You don't have to get out the car. You don't have to get out the car. You don't have to do anything, which, from a security standpoint, is awesome, Particularly if you are in a place that you don't know that may be a little sketchy that you're unfamiliar with. You don't have to worry about exposing yourself to any risk. Stay in the car, Lock the doors, You've pulled over it and it starts charging. What a deal. This is where they're going.
Speaker 2:AE International Standard J2954, that's the standard by the Society of Automotive Engineers finalizes a method of ensuring that the pad on the ground will work with the receiving pad on the vehicle, that the pad on the ground will work with the receiving pad on the vehicle, regardless of manufacturer, and that the vehicle is aligned properly over the pad for efficient charging. You won't have to guess at it. The way that they're designing this now is when you are properly aligned, you will get a light in the vehicle saying that you are aligned with the pad and then software initiates. Just like now you initiate, you never have to get out of your vehicle. That is awesome. The alignment component, experts say could someday be used by autonomous vehicles to self-park accurately over charging pads. Correct alignment of transmitting and receiving pads obviously maximizes efficiency. This is so cool. Sae said that the new standard provides the missing link that is preventing commercialization of wireless charging. Right now they're doing a test of just 11 kilowatts, which is not very much, but they're working with it to just get it up and then they're going to scale up. The team that's doing this test, the SAE's Wireless Power Transfer Team, said the standard has demonstrated wireless charging up to 11 kilowatts with 93% efficiency.
Speaker 2:Here's an important thing, because this is a question I asked. I said okay, and you're probably asking it too. This is great in the Southwest and where it's dry and where there's no snow. But how does it work in wet and snowy weather? I've got an answer for you. According to the Society of Automotive Engineers, their lab and field tests show that the system also works in snowy and wet conditions. That's the thing. Of course, I'm wondering how we'll do in mud and uck and all that yuckiness that tends to attach to the underside of a vehicle if you're coming through the storm and you've got salt and sand and all that stuff. Will this pad be robust enough to deal with all of that? Article doesn't deal with that, but that's a question I ask because I live in the upper Midwest. This is a real thing, but I'm excited. I'm excited because, while they got their act together on the wireless side, on the plug side we're still dealing with two standards this Tesla and everybody else, but there's not one standard for everybody. You're looking at the other automakers, adapting, offering adapters to be able to use the Tesla network, but I don't hear and I don't see why a Tesla owner would want to use the other network, because the supercharger network is actually up more often and faster and more consistent and already built. Wireless charging it's soon to be a thing coming in the next five to 10 years and it could really change the whole thing of EV charging Just totally change it. Dealers will be having a hard time finding used vehicles to certify in the next several years.
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Speaker 2:To learn more about the Tech Mobility Show, start by visiting our website. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. The website is a treasure trove of information about me and the show, as well as where to find it on the radio across the country. Keep up with the happenings of the Tech Mobility Show by visiting techmobility. show. That's techmobility. show. You can also drop us a line at talk at techmobility. show.
Speaker 2:Did you know that TechMobility has a YouTube channel? Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the TechMobility show. Each week, I upload a few short videos of some of the hot topics that I cover during my weekly radio program. I've designed these videos to be informative and entertaining. It's another way to keep up on current mobility and technology news and information. Be sure to watch, like and subscribe to my channel. That's the Tech Mobility Show on YouTube. Check it out.
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Speaker 2:Social media is the place to be these days, and we're no exception. I'm Ken Chester of the Tech Mobility Show. If you enjoy my program, then you will also enjoy my weekly Instagram videos From the latest vehicle reviews to timely commentary on a variety of mobility and technology-related topics. These short features are designed to inform and delight you. Be sure to watch, like and follow us on Instagram. You can find us by typing the Tech Mobility Show in the search bar.
Speaker 2:A recent article in the automotive trade magazine automotive news said that finding used vehicles to certify will be more challenging in the next two years for dealerships that participate in those programs. Seems to me that we're still feeling some of the lingering impact of the pandemic. This is topic C. For those of you who may not be familiar with what they call certified pre-owned vehicles, let me explain it to you. Certified pre-owned was a program that was originally launched by Lexus, actually in the late 1980s, and it was a novel idea that most every auto manufacturers has adopted now. But basically it was vehicles novel idea that most every auto manufacturer has adopted now, but basically it was vehicles that met certain parameters. Typically they were off-lease vehicles that were two years old or newer, with less than I believe originally 24,000 miles would qualify to go into this program. Into this program, the dealer, which would be certified by the manufacturer to do the actual inspection, would take the vehicle through a hundred or more point inspection to make sure it was up to par, change the oil, change the filters, make sure the vehicle was good enough and then it would earn the certified status. Typically, at launch that vehicle would run you $1,200, more than a two-year-old vehicle that wasn't pre-certified, but it came with an extended factory warranty and the peace of mind because it wasn't backed by the dealer, it was backed by the automaker, meaning if you bought a two or three-year-old certified Lexus pre-owned, you get an extended warranty from Lexus and the peace of mind that typically a used vehicle. Back in that day you had a 30-day or 3,000-mile warranty and that was it. You drove it off the lot, baby, once. That was 30 days and 3,000 miles, whichever came first, that was it. You drove it off the lot, baby, once that was 30 days to 3,000 miles, whichever came first, that was it. That's the only warranty you got. Then we got into these extended warranties that dealers like to sell, which I've always told you were questionable, and in fact we've reported here where one such extended warranty company got fined by the FTC for deceptive advertising.
Speaker 2:Certified pre-owned being from the factory, certified by the manufacturer meant that you had peace of mind, and it really depends from manufacturer to manufacturer 120, 140, 240 different points that it checked in that vehicle to make sure it passed mileage, damage a lot of different things, which would exclude these vehicles. So a three-year-old Lexus LS that is certified theoretically would be better than a three-year-old Lexus LS. That wasn't. All the automakers all of them have adopted a similar program Again. Typically they were looking at two to three-year-old what they call off-lease vehicles, vehicles that were leased that came up off a lease at the end of 24 months, 36 months usually, with between 24,000 and 36,000 miles on them. These were the type of ideal vehicles that would be worthy to go into, certified pre-owned. Obviously, any that had extensive damage or extensive wear would get excluded. But the cream of the crop went into the program and both dealers and consumers won. And I paint this picture for you because where we are now is a shortage of those vehicles, and automakers and we've reported here, like Honda and Toyota, have actually gone deeper into their pool to certify older vehicles with higher miles and in some cases Toyota is certifying 10-year-old vehicles with 120,000 miles on them. If you ever wondered whether or not a Toyota was a deal, that's your example that the automaker would be at a point where you could certify a vehicle 10 years old with that kind of mileage and still extend a factory warranty, factory warranty on them. And they're digging deeper like that because they can't get the cream of the crop, vehicles that were the bread and butter of certified pre-owned. So they're getting deeper.
Speaker 2:Toyota that I just mentioned extended their program to allow for certification of vehicles to up to 10 years old and with 60,000 to 125,000 miles on odometers. I'm not telling you anything I have not said in person. So I'll say it again. And I've always said with a Toyota you start to make your money, you start to get the value out of a Toyota in the second $100,000. First $100,000,. If you trade it with less than 100,000 miles on it, you're doing the dealer a favor. You're not getting the value of the car or truck or SUV you bought. Toyota's just recognized that. Did I mention 10 years old and 125,000 miles? And this is what they call silver certified, which accompanies its gold certified tier for vehicles up to six years old and up to 85,000 miles. Honda has a similar program and, believe it or not, so does the Ford Motor Company, where they are certifying older vehicles.
Speaker 2:And again, I think it's an excellent idea, particularly if you don't have the money to own a two-year, three-year-old vehicle or a new one and you're looking at a five, six, seven-year-old vehicle. Would I pay a little extra money to have an extended factory warranty and have it certified pre-owned? Yes, I would. That program would be worth money all day because the automaker is standing behind the vehicle. And oh yeah, I should mention this. In the case of Toyota, any vehicle with an open recall would automatically be excluded from the program even now, so you don't have to worry about getting a vehicle that may have some risks. What a wonderful way to exclude all the unknowns for those of us that could not afford a two or three year old vehicle, certified or not.
Speaker 2:Now you have a growing number of automakers that are saying you know what we can offer you a vehicle that we've inspected, that we will stand behind, with an extended warranty for you 60, 70, 80,000 miles. In the case, like I said, of Toyota, 100,000 miles Honda has a similar program. You can't lose with this. You can't lose with it Because, again, the factory is backing the vehicle, again the factory is backing the vehicle and they expect this issue to continue to be for at least two more years. Because, of course, back in the pandemic between factory shutting down and the chip shortage out of the Far East, the number of vehicles that were being leased got significantly shrunk and, as a result, those vehicles coming off lease is a pool way smaller than automakers have been accustomed to and, as a result, it shrank certified pre-owned.
Speaker 2:So as they scramble to meet customer demand, because there's a demand for this, it makes sense they're looking at older vehicles, they're looking at higher mileage vehicles and I think that's great for the consumer. I think it's probably the best thing I've heard for the consumer, you know, particularly a consumer that doesn't get the advantage of spending that kind of money. And if your money's tight, certified pre-owned in an older vehicle is the only way to go and remember Ken told you because it is important when you're looking for every advantage to make your money go as far as it can Certified pre-owned 6, 7, 10 years, 120,000 miles, 125,000 for a Toyota Worth looking into if you're in the market.
Speaker 2:This brings us to the end of our visit. Be sure to join me right again here next time. This has been the Tech Mobility Show.
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