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Ford F-150 Lightning: Fast Truck, Slow Computer

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Re: Ford F-150 Lightning: Fast Truck, Slow Computer

#461

Post by fastball »

kensai wrote: post #451
nemothekid wrote: post #425

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The F150 issues can literally be fixed if Ford decides to install a quicker one on MY23. I’m unconvinced the problem can be fixed by “installing a quicker computer”. The functionality here isn’t materially different from what Tesla offered almost 10 years ago at this point. If nearly 10 years of hardware advancements couldn’t close the gap, a marginally faster computer next year won’t do it either.

The unavoidable Tesla comparison sorry, I am not convinced. What functionality is better? Not everybody is interested in fart apps or Steam games or other questionable "extra" functionality. OK, let's just say that Tesla has better software. It lacks however in other departments, such a build quality. But fact of the matter is here the following: if one reads The Verge article, his complains are mainly about the slow…

You can write programs that run very well on underpowered hardware. The fact that they haven't does not indicate that they "just didn't buy a fast enough computer", it indicates that the quality of their software is low.

Sure, for MY23 they can upgrade the hardware, but probably also they will add more functionality to their software. And if they're not careful (which it seems like currently they are not), those features will require more compute, causing the software to remain slow regardless of hardware upgrades.

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning: Fast Truck, Slow Computer

#462

Post by m000 »

cmrdporcupine wrote: post #182
Dig1t wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I completely agree with your conclusion, this is why I feel that European tech companies can't compete with US ones at all. They just refuse to pay enough to attract the best engineers.

Well here's a North American company clearly not willing to pay competitive software engineering rates even within the continent, and trying to take advantage of sub-regional low rates. Like, they're not in Toronto, but just west of it, and companies there are paying less, so, hey, they should pay less, too, right? You get what you pay for. This is what happens when HR drones are allowed to do naive "compensation ran…

> Like, they're not in Toronto, but just west of it, and companies there are paying less, so, hey, they should pay less, too, right?

Hiring managers should really read [1], posted previously here in HN. TL;DR: It is not where you or the candidate are located. It is whom you're competing against for hiring talent.

[1] https://blog.pragmaticengineer.com/software-engineering-sala...

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning: Fast Truck, Slow Computer

#463

Post by m000 »

ceeplusplus wrote: post #459
rasz wrote: post #398

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Europeans use weird tricks like charging two digit margin on medication, socialized education, and taxing fuel to pay for road maintenance.

They also use weird tricks like underpaying health staff (doctors and nurses make 40% of what they do in the US, look at NHS salary tables), relying on US defense subsidies, and taxing everyone making over 100k at insane rates. We already have "socialized education" in public schools in most blue states if you make under 120k. The financial aid is generous enough that you aren't paying any tuition. The 70k sticker pr…

> doctors and nurses make 40% of what they do in the US

Oh, those US nurses living the high life.

> relying on US defense subsidies

It's more like "keeping the US defense industry afloat by buying expensive gadgets we don't need".

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning: Fast Truck, Slow Computer

#464

Post by Shacklz »

kelnos wrote: post #388
assttoasstmgr wrote: post #355

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This. The OP wrote: > They tried to lowball him badly. Like 1/2 the rate he asked for (contract) and probably 1/3rd or 1/4 what we made at Google FAANG arrogance never ceases to amaze me. It's like these guys live in a different universe blissfully unaware of the world around them. Did it ever occur to him maybe Ford is paying normal average human salaries and not grossly inflated Google wages? Remember Ford (and thi…

I think that's besides the point. If a qualified developer can get paid more elsewhere, they'll go elsewhere, and Ford will end up with marginally- or un-qualified developers. That's just how the job market works.

Only if money is the only thing you're optimizing for, which isn't necessarily the case for everyone.

I once went for a job because of the money alone - it was the worst experience of my life and made me realize that money is not worth optimizing for beyond a certain point of comfort.

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning: Fast Truck, Slow Computer

#465

Post by hef19898 »

WatchDog wrote: post #458
hef19898 wrote: post #402

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not how unit costs and margins are calculated.

I don't think I described how unit costs and margins are calculated.

>> The unit price of the cars isn't really relevant to the cost of developing it's software. A low cost model that moves sells a lot of units, can likely afford to spend more on software compared to a high cost model that moves only a few units.

You didn't? Of course software costs are part of the unit costs for each car produced, just how those development costs are actually allocated is up to Finance (accounting and controlling) to decide. And of course those costs are relevant, as all the other costs of a car maker.

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning: Fast Truck, Slow Computer

#466

Post by barrenko »

ceeplusplus wrote: post #247
megablast wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What a strange comment. Ford is a us tech company. Most people in Europe don’t want to leave.

> Most people in Europe don’t want to leave Sure, but most people aren't skilled white collar tech workers with in demand skills who could be earning 3x post-tax salary in the US. Health insurance is essentially free or cheap at any good tech company. EU pensions are underfunded (just like US ones) and as a high paid tech worker you're better off with maxing your 401k anyways. If you look at the nationalities in any…

The US is also funding medical research of most kind.

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning: Fast Truck, Slow Computer

#467

Post by jonasdegendt »

bergenty wrote: post #280
Dig1t wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I completely agree with your conclusion, this is why I feel that European tech companies can't compete with US ones at all. They just refuse to pay enough to attract the best engineers.

How does Europe make it work? Lower salaries, higher cost of living. Is it just that so many essentials are handled by the government? Or are they still coasting on the colonial wealth (this doesn’t seem likely)

From a tech workers perspective in Western Europe, we have relatively high wages compared to the median, but it's just heavily taxed. For reference: when I started my first tech job 5 years ago, I started off at a pay higher than my mom who's 30 years into a career in public services. I started off in the highest tax bracket from the get go too.

These high taxes are indeed used to run a lot of public services such as schooling, infrastructure, socialized healthcare etc. As such there's a high degree of wealth re-distribution since the people that don't/can't contribute as much still get the benefits of all of these public services.

As to the higher cost of living, I personally feel like we tend to have access to the staples at a similar level of purchasing power as Northern Americans, but our disposable income doesn't stretch remotely as far beyond that. Automobiles are far less accessible, a new iPhone would eat up a substantial amount of my monthly take home, etc.

Just my anecdotal and very top level two cents right here.

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning: Fast Truck, Slow Computer

#468

Post by isametry »

nine_k wrote: post #104
Rooster61 wrote: post #7

It's incredibly frustrating to me that buying a vehicle with a pushbutton, working, reliable interface is becoming increasingly impossible to do. Why is UX so horrifically bad in the vehicle space? Is it poor management decisions or a shortage of good UX engineers? I get that lumping everything into the touchscreen can be a cheaper option to build, but I'd GLADLY pay for a different option. I don't understand it.

I wonder if third-party infotainment with buttons and otherwise ergonomic, reliable UI is legally possible. If so, it could be a viable business?

The upcoming "next generation" of Apple CarPlay strives to be exactly that: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/06/apples-next-generati...

Funnily enough, given the… mixed results Apple's UI team has been putting out recently, it remains to be seen how "ergonomic and reliable" the UI actually ends up being.

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning: Fast Truck, Slow Computer

#469

Post by srg0 »

misiti3780 wrote: post #254
eneumann wrote: post #48

As a cyclist, I'm super excited about one day being run over by one of these things. The giant vehicle trend is getting a lot of people killed. And why does any vehicle need to accelerate that quickly? It's irresponsible on public roads. I would really love to see acceleration and speed limiters on vehicles.

Not sure why you are so concerned with acceleration.... If you're on a bike, it doesnt matter if you get hit by a truck at 30, 45, or 60. You're most likely dead anyways, adnd if you survive, there is a good chance you wish you were dead.

If you hit a pedestrian:

    at 40 mph there is a 90 percent chance they will be killed.
    at 35 mph there is a 50 percent chance they will be killed.
    at 30 mph there is a 20 percent chance they will be killed.
    at 20 mph there is a 2.5 percent chance they will be killed.
Source: https://www.roadwise.co.uk/using-the-road/speeding/the-chanc...

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning: Fast Truck, Slow Computer

#470

Post by rocqua »

sleepydog wrote: post #203
Dig1t wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I completely agree with your conclusion, this is why I feel that European tech companies can't compete with US ones at all. They just refuse to pay enough to attract the best engineers.

Are there any professions in European countries that are paid as well as US tech workers, for similar levels of skill and/or education? Moreover, if EU tech companies are not willing to pay the best software/hardware engineers what they're worth, where do they all go? Not everyone wants to live in the US or work remotely.

Teachers?
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