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Polestar eliminates the rear window in latest electric car

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Re: Polestar eliminates the rear window in latest electric car

#111
post #44
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Recessed with hydrophobic cover, heater element, mechanical redundancy (or better, zero moving parts), electronic redundancy, and software testing. Solved! These are all entire industries that already power society-vital functions. Embrace it!

So much complexity to do the same thing as a mirror and a window…

Sure - but as the article points out there are safety and efficiency wins by removing the rear window. Anyways if it’s a terrible decision I’m sure the reviews will point that out.

My point was just that the Luddite “computers are bad” argument is silly when all modern cars and planes and everything else is fly-by-wire. If computers fail, the world fails - good thing engineering isn’t just a faf and reliability engineering actually works!

Re: Polestar eliminates the rear window in latest electric car

#112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not true in general because you happen to live in the one place in the US that it's not true? Everyone can live their life in the way of their own choosing, cool, thanks it’s very, very possible to be free without owning a car. If you live in one specific place and stay there.

But I don’t “happen” to live in NYC. I wasn’t even born here, I chose to live here. While NYC is pretty rare in the US a walkable dense city isn’t rare worldwide. My point is that freedom can come in different forms. A car is one route to one form of freedom but counter to the OPs assertion I’m absolutely not missing out not owning a car. I’ve just taken a different path, one that’s available to others too.

I chose to live here.

Congratulations, but this doesn't have anything to do with what they said.

My point is that freedom can come in different forms.

No one said anything about this.

They just said cars give people freedom of movement which is true. You're anecdotes about riding the subway doesn't impact this in one way or the other. I think you're making the common blunder of someone pointing out an effect and then misunderstanding that to mean only that thing has that effect.

Re: Polestar eliminates the rear window in latest electric car

#113
post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I can't think of many real negatives. Since I got a parking camera in my car, I don't use the rear view mirror at all during parking. I can see those negatives every time in rain, dirt, snow...

Don't you face comparable problems with a dirty window as well?

They are not comparable to a camera, no.

Re: Polestar eliminates the rear window in latest electric car

#114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But I don’t “happen” to live in NYC. I wasn’t even born here, I chose to live here. While NYC is pretty rare in the US a walkable dense city isn’t rare worldwide. My point is that freedom can come in different forms. A car is one route to one form of freedom but counter to the OPs assertion I’m absolutely not missing out not owning a car. I’ve just taken a different path, one that’s available to others too.

I chose to live here. Congratulations, but this doesn't have anything to do with what they said. My point is that freedom can come in different forms. No one said anything about this. They just said cars give people freedom of movement which is true. You're anecdotes about riding the subway doesn't impact this in one way or the other. I think you're making the common blunder of someone pointing out an effect and then…

OP said that I’m missing out by not having a car, my point was simply that I know I’m not missing out. I’m honestly kind of amazed we’re now four posts deep in what was a not particularly important comment chain, perhaps I should expected a snark-filled response when I invoked the dreaded letters “NYC”, I should have known better.

Re: Polestar eliminates the rear window in latest electric car

#115

This feels like a regression, mirrors are really high resolution and are great with depth perception

On the flip side, camera rear view can have automatic gain, so you can see much better in the dark. It can also have a better view due to placement. And as a bonus, no need to adjust between drivers. My car has both in a combined unit, flip down for regular mirror and up for camera. While I initially thought it would be a gimmick, it didn't take me long to realize I preferred the camera view. That said I wouldn't wan…

Why is there no need to adjust between drivers? If the mirror/screen is set for me, my wife will still need to adjust for optimal viewing.

Re: Polestar eliminates the rear window in latest electric car

#116
post #101

Driving without a rear window isn’t a big deal - see, for example, nearly every cargo delivery van on Earth. I have to imagine the stubborn refusal to add standard physical controls back to the cockpit has more potential for trouble than an impeded rear view. I wonder if there’s NHTSA data on this specifically for passenger cars? Maybe incidents caused by blocking the driver’s rear view (with furniture or people or w…

Let me ask you this, how much do you drive? Although I don’t drive much anymore, just daily to and from work, there were periods I would have to drive 250-800km twice per week to get to site(Sweden is a pretty big country). The rear view mirror is absolute advantage. It’s the only way to know wtf is going on right behind you.

Well, for one, I believe they’re using a digital mirror so the practical purpose of the rear view window is still present.

I actually don’t use the rear view most days when driving. I’m planning to put a camper on my truck that would block the rear windows. Been giving it a test to make sure I’m okay without the read.

For the most part, I don’t really miss it. I have found that some small cars that ride my bumper tend to disappear - or at least require more visual searching.

The situation that I miss it the most is when I’m stopped at a light and visually checking that a car behind me isn’t going to come barreling into me.

Re: Polestar eliminates the rear window in latest electric car

#117
post #92
post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I hire one if I need it. Which is about 4 times a year max. I live in London UK and have a really damn good public transport system that stops outside my house, a bicycle and a massive airport on my doorstep. Incidentally I'm actually on a bus on the way to pick up a hire Polestar at the moment because I have a funeral to get to on Monday...

(Brit living in SF here) Given that this forum is slanted towards America, you have to appreciate that the quality of public transport in London is nothing like what we have here in the US other than New York City. You're not wrong about London (I never owned a car when I lived there and that was a decade before Uber) but your worldview is skewed. If you look at American history from the last century, in cities like…

If you live in any decent large city in Asia it's not an issue. I haven't owned a car in 12 years since I've moved to Singapore, then Bangkok and then Hong Kong. I wouldn't need a car in Tokyo, Seoul, Osaka, Taipei, Shanghai or Shenzhen either. Gosh, many people in Melbourne or Sydney don't have one.

Whose worldview is skewed then exactly?

Re: Polestar eliminates the rear window in latest electric car

#118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I chose to live here. Congratulations, but this doesn't have anything to do with what they said. My point is that freedom can come in different forms. No one said anything about this. They just said cars give people freedom of movement which is true. You're anecdotes about riding the subway doesn't impact this in one way or the other. I think you're making the common blunder of someone pointing out an effect and then…

OP said that I’m missing out by not having a car, my point was simply that I know I’m not missing out. I’m honestly kind of amazed we’re now four posts deep in what was a not particularly important comment chain, perhaps I should expected a snark-filled response when I invoked the dreaded letters “NYC”, I should have known better.

I think you should have expected something when you thought you taking a subway means there is no point to anyone being able to drive anywhere they want.

Re: Polestar eliminates the rear window in latest electric car

#119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OP said that I’m missing out by not having a car, my point was simply that I know I’m not missing out. I’m honestly kind of amazed we’re now four posts deep in what was a not particularly important comment chain, perhaps I should expected a snark-filled response when I invoked the dreaded letters “NYC”, I should have known better.

I think you should have expected something when you thought you taking a subway means there is no point to anyone being able to drive anywhere they want.

Strange because that’s very obviously not close to what I said. But you’ve clearly started at a conclusion then worked backwards from there, so who am I to correct a work of fiction?

Re: Polestar eliminates the rear window in latest electric car

#120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you should have expected something when you thought you taking a subway means there is no point to anyone being able to drive anywhere they want.

Strange because that’s very obviously not close to what I said. But you’ve clearly started at a conclusion then worked backwards from there, so who am I to correct a work of fiction?

They made a general statement, you said it isn't true because it doesn't apply to you. I'm not sure what else you expected.
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