Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

A $20k American-made electric pickup with no paint, no stereo, no screen

theverge.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

671–680 of 1001 posts

Re: A $20k American-made electric pickup with no paint, no stereo, no screen

#671

Post by mrguyorama »

bri3d wrote: post #131
patagonia wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are they making any 100% analog ICE vehicles currently? This is just a consumer products issue. Sadly.

What do you mean by "analog?" It's not possible to make an "analog" vehicle of any kind due to regulation: * It would be impossible to pass modern car emissions standards without electronic engine control. * Backup cameras are mandatory, so you need an electronic pixel display somewhere. * Lane keeping is required in Europe as of 2022, so that's a suite of sensors and computer-steering as a requirement. * AEB will be…

>Backup cameras are mandatory, so you need an electronic pixel display somewhere.

The vast vast majority of backup cameras ARE analog, including all the little one inch cubes you see poorly mounted on the back of sedans, and including the ones VW/Audi uses.

You could in fact plug their signal into a tube TV from the 50s. You might lose some overlay features.

If you want any one of:

Smooth running. Reliable start. Smooth Throttle application and resistance to all the problems we had with carbs. Airbags. Automatic management of cold weather performance.

Then you REQUIRE electronic actuators, sensors, and microcontrollers.

How many people know what a "Choke" is anymore?

Re: A $20k American-made electric pickup with no paint, no stereo, no screen

#672

Post by guynamedloren »

Perfect. Instant buy for me if they can deliver on their promises. No other car in recent memory has spoken to my minimalist frugal engineering mind like this one. Hope my 2000 4runner lasts until the Slate gets delivered to my door!

Re: A $20k American-made electric pickup with no paint, no stereo, no screen

#673

Post by SecretDreams »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #663
MostlyStable wrote: post #308

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Example #5621 that a simple carbon tax would be miles better than the complex morass of regulations we currently have.

> a simple carbon tax would be miles better than the complex morass of regulations we currently have Doesn't this just punt the morass into the magic variable of one's carbon footprint? How about this: fleet efficiency standards are stupid, anachronistic and counterproductive. Scrap them. Then, separarately, create a consumer-side rebate based on a vehicle's mileage. (Because a gas tax breaks American brains.)

> How about this: fleet efficiency standards are stupid, anachronistic and counterproductive. Scrap them. Then, separarately, create a consumer-side rebate based on a vehicle's mileage. (Because a gas tax breaks American brains.)

It's a good concept that is also ripe for abuse with anyone who has some amount of "fuck your rules" money. Same reason why fines that don't scale with income/earnings in some form often do nothing to deter "the rich".

I certainly like carrots more than sticks, but we need a couple of sticks as well.

Re: A $20k American-made electric pickup with no paint, no stereo, no screen

#674

Post by stevage »

worik wrote: post #655
seanmcdirmid wrote: post #646

Earlier quoted context omitted.

BYD could totally avoid the tariffs by making in the USA (well, they were planning a factory in Mexico, and tariffs on car parts will kill that if something doesn’t change). They already set up a bus factory in SoCal. My guess is that Chinese automakers are still hesitant about introducing their brands to Americans given politics (Volvo and Polestar are Chinese owned but I think the design is still mainly done in Swe…

> BYD could totally avoid the tariffs by making in the USA Or concentrate on the 80% of the worldmarket that is not the USA

They're very popular in Australia.

Re: A $20k American-made electric pickup with no paint, no stereo, no screen

#675

Post by mystified5016 »

DangitBobby wrote: post #628
ceejayoz wrote: post #541

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are plenty of use cases for a ~100 mile truck.

Right, but it needs to be competitive with ICE cars that travel several hundred miles per tank and fill up in minutes. Literally 0 of my friends have been willing to transition to electric due primarily to range anxiety, and that's for vehicles that achieve over 200 miles per charge. I drive an EV and even I would simply never, ever consider this vehicle based on the range.

I drive 20 miles a day and fill my tank once a month.

Or I could plug in my car every night in my garage. Where I already park and exit my car every day.

There's no competition to be had here. It's a choice between going to the gas station occasionally or not at all.

The 100 mile EV doesn't go beyond 100 miles, but that's not what it's for and not why I need it. I need a puddle jumper to get beat up and rode hard in big city traffic for 20-40 minutes a day and that's it.

Re: A $20k American-made electric pickup with no paint, no stereo, no screen

#677

Post by mulmen »

theamazing0 wrote: post #649
taylodl wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd want the mobile app to be an auxiliary, not a requirement for operating the truck. Keep the dashboard simple.

I think legally they would need to require using an app for their back view camera. All new cars in the United States after 2018 need one and I don't see how it would work without using the phone/tablet as a display.

The article says the rear camera feed will be displayed on a screen behind the steering wheel which doubles as the speedometer and charge display.

Re: A $20k American-made electric pickup with no paint, no stereo, no screen

#678

Post by the_gipsy »

mceachen wrote: post #669
smcleod wrote: post #651

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be honest most of those accessories are actually incredibly cheap at manufacturing time and several have a direct impact on safety (e.g. ensuring people don't drive around with lights off). The cost usually comes as companies use them for pricing tiers where they market them as suggested extras to ratchet up profits.

Driving with your lights off at dusk or dark gets you (rightfully) pulled over by law enforcement in CA. It's well-correllated with driving under the influence. I'm a huge fan of many car safety regulations, but this isn't one. (Sign me up for car-hiding-in-blind-spot notification lights on side mirrors, though, those are great)

That doesn't make any sense. Eliminatung DUI is not a matter of detection, and automatic light sensors save lives.

Re: A $20k American-made electric pickup with no paint, no stereo, no screen

#679

Post by pedalpete »

ryandrake wrote: post #96
taylodl wrote: post #43

I LOVE it! THIS is the kind of truck I'd be looking at to replace my 1998 Ford Ranger. Here is what could be potential deal-breakers: - Lack of a mobile app. Minimalist design is great, but I still want an app to manage charging and be alerted to any vehicle issues. - Lack of good charge management and battery conditioning. Either that, or a cheap and easy to replace battery pack. I'd really like both! - Comparable h…

> - Lack of a mobile app. Minimalist design is great, but I still want an app to manage charging and be alerted to any vehicle issues. Noooooooooo! No apps, please ! Finally a car not tethered to and dependent on your phone, and we already have our first request to app-ify it! EDIT: Ughhh, according to the video that another user posted, it looks like there's an app, and yes, "updates" go through it :( > - Lack of go…

I think you're assuming a mobile app would mean that the car is dependent on your phone. Just because an app can be connected to your car doesn't mean the app controls your car.

Re: A $20k American-made electric pickup with no paint, no stereo, no screen

#680

Post by ThinkBeat »

If I undersand the article right, it sounds like they make it with no features but that you add yourself afterwards

"We moved all the complicated parts outside the factory"

What does that really mean? You can paint it yourself, well ok, people may like that. Making it easy to service is great.

If I want electric windows is that adaptable? (It may come with electric windows) When I want to put in a stereo A navigation system? AC? (Might come with it)

It would be cool if the car was a abit "framework" so it has an open well thought out way to add and integrate features a person may want.

THe compnay and 3rd parties could offer up all sorts of cool stuff.

Post reply on HN