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

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

#801

Post by dr_kiszonka »

cco wrote: post #731
resters wrote: post #632

This is extremely refreshing. I think that it would be possible to make something like this in the US for under $15K even. Cars and trucks are so over-engineered and come with tons of low value options intended to drive up the price. For a case in point, consider that headlights that turn on and off automatically in response to darkness (or rain) are not a standard feature on many cars, yet they include a manual swit…

I'll do you one better, car headlights should never be off while the motor is running. Just like motorcycles since the 70s (maybe 80s?). No switch at all, ignition on, headlights on, period.

I like this. Turns out a few countries require DRL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daytime_running_lamp

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

#802

Post by Panzer04 »

Animats wrote: post #771

The US is falling way behind in electric vehicles. If BYD could sell in the US, the US auto industry would be crushed.[1] What went wrong is that 1) Tesla never made a low-end vehicle, despite announcements, and 2) all the other US manufacturers treated electric as a premium product, resulting in the overpowered electric Hummer 2 and F-150 pickups with high price tags. The only US electric vehicle with comparable pri…

I don't really see how any car company can "fall behind" in EV.

Fundamentally, IMO, EVs are such a simple concept mechanically that any company capable of building a conventional ICE vehicle can build an EV.

It's glib to say that - obviously there's a lot of unsaid complexity (battery back cooling, fitting into the frame, and so on), but the actual drivetrain component is just so simple. That EVs are still expensive is to me a sign that production hasn't ramped up yet. So long as production is limited EVs will remain a luxury product - but I can't imagine that's going to continue for all that much longer with an increasing backlog of used EVs on the market and decreasing battery prices.

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

#803

Post by yugioh3 »

teruakohatu wrote: post #467
kelseyfrog wrote: post #408

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good news, it can be added. > A Bluetooth speaker holder that fits under the climate knobs is available, but there is also a soundbar that can be installed in the dashboard storage compartment. https://americancarsandracing.com/2025/04/25/best-accessorie...

Technically you could zip tie or duct tape an Amazon Basics Bluetooth speaker to just anything even a lawnmower. This looks like just one step above that. It’s a shame they didn’t add a DIN head unit slot and throw a plastic cover over it, preinstall install speaker wires. Anyone could then DIY a real stereo for less than they are probably selling the Bluetooth speaker/soundbar.

or just pre-installed dashboard speakers with an AUX input and single volume+power knob. very cheap off the shelf parts. would save customers from weird bluetooth speaker setups, and would support a wide variety of devices – from iPods to tablets to pocket radios.

no speakers and low range are the only two things I'd quibble about. and maybe the price, seems too high for what you're getting.

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

#804

Post by Animats »

loufe wrote: post #788
Animats wrote: post #771

The US is falling way behind in electric vehicles. If BYD could sell in the US, the US auto industry would be crushed.[1] What went wrong is that 1) Tesla never made a low-end vehicle, despite announcements, and 2) all the other US manufacturers treated electric as a premium product, resulting in the overpowered electric Hummer 2 and F-150 pickups with high price tags. The only US electric vehicle with comparable pri…

Did you mean to say sodium batteries instead of lithium in your "BYD did it" sentence?

No. Five years ago BYD introduced their "blade battery", which is a lithium iron phosphate battery built up of plate-like "blades" in rectangular casings.[1] Wh/L is about the same as lithium ion, Wh/Kg is not as good, and Wh/$ is better. It will survive the "nail test" and does not not go into thermal runaway.

Today, most of BYD's products use this technology. It's been improved to handle higher charging rates. Seems to work fine. Lithium-ion has better Wh/Kg, and it's still used in some high-end cars, mostly Teslas. BYD's approach has captured the low and medium priced markets.

BYD has announced that they plan first shipments of cars with solid state batteries (higher Wh/Kg) in 2027. Price will be high at first, and they will first appear in BYD's high-end cars. Like these.[3] BYD has the Yangwang U8, a big off-road SUV comparable to the Rivian, and the Yangwang U9, a "hypercar". Just to show that they can make them, probably.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIt5z4wT9RE

[2] https://electrek.co/2025/02/17/byd-confirms-evs-all-solid-st...

[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHWXx1KsvVY

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

#805

Post by BLKNSLVR »

morepedantic wrote: post #782
BLKNSLVR wrote: post #744

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Niche counter example: Parents who sit in their idling cars for (fucking) ages while their cars are facing the tennis courts thus blinding the player on the other side of the court for however long it takes them to either turn their car off, drive off, or someone to tell them turn their fucking headlights off.

How long have you been holding that one?

It's only been a recent thing, noticeably more frequent the last couple of years.

Before that I've not had to intervene at all, as far as I can remember.

There aren't that many courts where cars park facing them, but my home courts are one of them ;)

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

#806

Post by atoav »

DidYaWipe wrote: post #796
Animats wrote: post #771

The US is falling way behind in electric vehicles. If BYD could sell in the US, the US auto industry would be crushed.[1] What went wrong is that 1) Tesla never made a low-end vehicle, despite announcements, and 2) all the other US manufacturers treated electric as a premium product, resulting in the overpowered electric Hummer 2 and F-150 pickups with high price tags. The only US electric vehicle with comparable pri…

What went wrong is that the federal government didn't build or legislate a national charging infrastructure to match the scale of the interstate highway system. They could have strong-armed the states into it with a combination of funding the construction and the way they mandated the 21 drinking age: by threatening to withhold highway funds.

Isn't this lack of forward thinking somewhat the general problem now?

From an EU perspective the world as it has existed in the living memory is a world shaped by decisive US-actions. The way EVs have been approached were anything but that. Arguably neither did Germany, because of the way their politicians are entangled with the car manufacturers.

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

#807

Post by phonon »

DidYaWipe wrote: post #796
Animats wrote: post #771

The US is falling way behind in electric vehicles. If BYD could sell in the US, the US auto industry would be crushed.[1] What went wrong is that 1) Tesla never made a low-end vehicle, despite announcements, and 2) all the other US manufacturers treated electric as a premium product, resulting in the overpowered electric Hummer 2 and F-150 pickups with high price tags. The only US electric vehicle with comparable pri…

What went wrong is that the federal government didn't build or legislate a national charging infrastructure to match the scale of the interstate highway system. They could have strong-armed the states into it with a combination of funding the construction and the way they mandated the 21 drinking age: by threatening to withhold highway funds.

They definitely tried... $7.5 Billion worth. It's on pause now :-(

https://www.govtech.com/transportation/federal-funding-for-e...

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

#808

Post by IceHegel »

Animats wrote: post #771

The US is falling way behind in electric vehicles. If BYD could sell in the US, the US auto industry would be crushed.[1] What went wrong is that 1) Tesla never made a low-end vehicle, despite announcements, and 2) all the other US manufacturers treated electric as a premium product, resulting in the overpowered electric Hummer 2 and F-150 pickups with high price tags. The only US electric vehicle with comparable pri…

I think one of the biggest problems in the United States is the misallocation of ambitious people. The highly educated and ambitious people see finance, government, tech, and corporate executive tracks, as the way to convert their energies into social status.

Even startups these days seem to be a case of too many chiefs, not enough Indians.

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

#809

Post by acyou »

guywithahat wrote: post #525

The issue with this is they claim the cost savings came from not having a screen and other silly features, but that’s not where money is spent. The real cost savings came a tiny, 150 mile battery. It could easily be <100 miles loaded up after a few years of use, which means there are very few use cases for this truck, and it certainly doesn’t make sense without the tax credit. Cool idea, but there’s no getting around…

Yes, exactly. And a 150 mile battery is still not that tiny in terms of size and weight, and still probably costs more than 20k alone, (unless you source it from China.)
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