News Roundup: Tesla cop car fail, backwards-facing Chevy pickup and when turkeys attack

Welcome to our weekly round-up of the biggest breaking stories on Driving.ca from this past week. Get caught up and ready to get on with the weekend, because it’s hard keeping pace in a digital traffic jam.Here’s what you missed while you were away.High-speed chase ends when Tesla police cruiser battery diesCalifornia police claim to be pleased with the performance of their fleet’s Tesla Model S cruiser, despite the fact that it recently outright quit on them in the middle of a high-speed chase. According to reports by The Mercury News, Fremont, California officer Jesse Hartman had to radio in during the pursuit of a “felony vehicle” to request another squad car join the chase as his Tesla was showing just 10 km of battery range. Gas-powered vehicles took over the pursuit only to give it up as the driver escalated their level of recklessness. The Tesla, which had to stop in San Jose to charge, had apparently been through two full shifts without a charge, prior to the chase.  Video footage of this backwards-facing Chevy truck in action delights the worldBy installing its body onto its chassis in reverse and swapping interior features like the dash, wheels and pedals from the front to the rear of the cabin, a Massachusetts man has successfully created a very cool and very confusing vehicle. “There’s Ron in his backward-facing pickup truck,” says the man filming the unique build drive down the road in the above video. Ron’s full-size Chevrolet C/K 1500 is completely street-legal, with turn indicators where the headlights should be and front wheels that turn from under the bed of the truck. Watch Ron and his curiosity take a left at the end of the video. Ontario man reps himself in court and wins case over speeding ticket despite multiple errorsWhen you hear stories of people representing themselves in court, they don’t usually end like this. An Ontario man who decided against using a lawyer to help convince a judge that he shouldn’t have to pay a fine issued for allegedly driving 107 km/h in a 70 km/h zone has somehow come out on top despite having made multiple rather large missteps during the proceedings. The main issue: the man forgot to deny the allegations of speeding during the correct period of the trial. Luckily for him, his errors weren’t the only ones. The judge and justice of the peace also goofed the proceedings in several technical ways, ultimately resulting in the conviction being voided. There’s a lesson here, but it’s probably not one you want to learn. New Hyundai pickup to be built on ladder-frameIf executive rumours can be believed, Hyundai’s heavily anticipated new pickup truck will be built on a ladder-frame platform, and not on a unibody like the brand’s SUVs, as initially believed. Hyundai’s Australian CEO recently revealed the news, telling an Aussie publication that Kia may be sharing the ladder-frame development action for a pickup product of their own. “We’re going down that pathway and we’re working towards it,” the CEO told Which Car.  “We just have to make sure that when it arrives, it’s a bloody ute.”Motorcyclist faces off against angry turkey at intersection in Toronto suburbIt’s nearly Thanksgiving and the birds are fighting back. A motorcyclist riding through the city of Whitby, Ontario, was confronted by a large male turkey who walked out into the middle of the intersection, circled the man and his bike several times, and then began to attack, leaping and kicking at his leg. The man defended himself in highly humane way, extending his leg to discourage the bird from attacking further. The hilarious incident was caught on camera by a fellow driver, giving us all something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season.
Origin: News Roundup: Tesla cop car fail, backwards-facing Chevy pickup and when turkeys attack

Ram recalls 6,886 trucks in Canada over driveshafts that could fail

2019 Ram 1500Handout / Ram Ram is recalling close to 7,000 pickups in Canada because their rear driveshafts could detach thanks to a bad weld. Some 6,886 model year 2018 and 2019 Ram 1500 44 trucks are affected, the automaker said. In affected vehicles, a weld in the rear drivehsaft could crack and fail, and the shaft could separate from the pickup. If the truck is in rear-wheel-drive mode when this happens, it could cause an immediate lack of propulsion. Additionally, the broken-off shaft could pose a hazard to other drivers or people nearby. Owners may notice a weird vibration or hear noises prior to the weld separating, though FCA notes only about one per cent of the recalled vehicles are likely actually affected. The automaker came across the issue last summer when it noticed a higher-than-expected number of warranty claims coming in for cracked driveshafts. Affected owners will be notified via mail, and will have their driveshaft replaced for
Origin: Ram recalls 6,886 trucks in Canada over driveshafts that could fail