Sohan MurthyAmericans: please give us an affordable, practical, small EV with decent range
American car companies: here’s a $70,000 EV truck that weighs 6 tons lol
<zero EV trucks are sold>
American car companies: wow americans aren’t ready for EVs
Mark Anderson@sohan Living in rural Washington state, we need an EV truck that can haul a trailer and come in somewhere around $50K. We do not need whatever Tesla is trying to jam in our charging station.
Stefan@sohan I agree so much. it's really depressing.
Conley Edwards@sohan The Leaf has been out for almost 15 years now, basically what you're describing - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_Leaf
Eugene@Conleyedwards @sohan the air cooled battery and terrible warranty was a mistake. But yes.
lorddimwit is now @We looked at the Leaf. The steering felt super loose, it can only do one high-speed charge a day due to temperature concerns, and it used a charging plug that was rare in the US and becoming rarer. It’s a shame, because I would’ve enjoyed having it.
(I realize the “one high speed charge a day” thing is almost certainly enough, but the unusual plug was a legit problem.)
Tom Harrington@Conleyedwards @sohan Nissan is ditching the Leaf https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/14/23219044/nissan-leaf-phase-out-discontinue-ev-pioneer
tuban_muzuruuh... we just got a brand new Chrysler Pacifica hybrid. We love it. All-electric isn't for us, but hybrid is. Hybrid EV will be where things are going for a decade I guess, until the charging infrastructure is in place.
deutrino@tuban_muzuru I've heard there's a DIY / hacker kinda scene around the Chrysler Pacifica hybrid?? or maybe it was an EV model? @sohan
This is our second Pacifica. The first one had issues with some predicate logic: if you turned it off somewhere the connectivity was dodgy, the entertainment/map system wouldn't reset - and we had to pull and reset the appropriate fuse to get it working again.
Chrysler's side worked great. Whoever engineered that entertainment interface should be beaten with a big stick.
The current Pacifica is a joy.
@tuban_muzuru good to know! I'm highly interested in vehicles that contain a large battery and are big enough to chill out and work remotely in. wish I could remember the details but hearing there's an online DIY community around a vehicle like the Pacifica makes it interesting.
We work remotely quite a bit - I go here and there, flying my drone and taking pictures - taking meetings, checking email. Bigbig luggage capacity.
The Pacifica has 12 USB ports and 120 volts at about 150 watts. We use our phone hotspots, though you can get it through the vehicle...
But for coding, I'd get a hotel room.
@tuban_muzuru this is practical info delivered in a far denser form than anything I've read about the Pacifica, thank you!
Mike Fraser@sohan Not entirely accurate. Chevy spent a lot of time, money, and research on electric vehicles, starting in rhe early 00s. The Chevy Volt was the result. An amazing piece of engineering and a step forward in electric drive trains. After the Volt, the Chevy Bolt ticked all the boxes of a small, affordable, long-range electric car. After massive investments, both cars had flat sales. The next logical step was a pivot to electric trucks and suvs. Chevy literally bet the co. on electrics.
caffeinatedgeek 🇺🇦🇨🇦
@atomicbird @mike @sohan the issue isn’t demand, it’s profit margin. Auto makers currently make more money selling ICE SUV and Trucks.
Mark Shane HaydenCar companies:
We tried making them reach 100km/h in 2 seconds...
We tried making them use complex mobile apps to do things like open their doors and recharge...
We gave them Advanced Telemetry that collects GIGABYTES of their usage data every month so that we can teach Auto Pilot to drive badly on their behalf and also Optimize their Marketing Experience...
We tried adding quirky features such as light shows when they turn on, replacing the entire dashboard of controls with a giant touchscreen tablet, ice boxes in the frunk, 240V power plugs so they can use their welders on the go and even a Virtual Whoopie Cushion...
...and we even tried to make a giant steel pyramid on wheels...what a statement!
We gave them all of that value for a mere $99,999! How could anyone refuse!?
Clearly society is not ready to accept EVs yet.
Robin Capper
Magister Endomain@sohan "Sorry, the Chevy Bolt actually outsold the Tesla Model 3 but... It's an outdated (read: not truck) design that Americans just don't like, so we're discontinuing the model."
generationX@sohan replace American with German and it is true as well. They only sell EV with all features no barebone car. Do you need a electric window lift or electrically hight adjustment for a seat? Cars could be more affordable and reliable without all that electric failure prone stuff. And better for environment as well...
Bill Woodcock
Waterloosunset@sohan exactly
George Liquor, American@sohan I am so goddamn sick of the car companies trying to force suburban goddamn tanks on us !
Give me a new iQ that's all electric and I'm golden !
Ken Kinder 
@sohan Mustang Mach E — small EV, great car, and selling well AFAIK.
John Wells@sohan For real! If Honda started selling an electric version of the Fit/Jazz in the US I’d have a reservation put in immediately if not sooner.
I want something that can fit in my garage with plenty of room to spare and that list is depressingly short and composed mostly of discontinued models.
Darwin Woodka@sohan BUT YOU WANT THIS HUGE ASS SUV DON'T YOU
Frances LarinaYes but also can we maybe put pressure on Democrats to repeal the Obama Administration's mpg rules that rewarded American carmakers for only selling larger and larger vehicles, mostly "trucks" (the definition was greatly loosened) for the last decade and a half?
Phil Landmeier@sohan Don't worry. The Chinese will fill that need before long and US automakers will miss the boat again. The Arizona desert will be filled with unsold 6 ton SUVs.
mmalcThere are at least some now or soon:
https://www.ayro.com/
https://www.canoo.com/
https://www.aptera.us/
DaveOfTheNui@WainuiTrailerTrash @sohan
Umm, no.
The first company was founded in 2006 went out of business in 2011.
The new company (founded in 2019) is currently ramping up for production.
Sk@tterBr@iNz@sohan if only there was a billionaire EV evangelist with manufacturing capacity who could focus on business and stay away from social media. If only.
@sohan I dream with a vehicle like this: https://aptera.us/ super efficient, or that's what they promise. I live pretty far from shops and I need to use a vehicle to get down to the town to get food, a vehicle like that would fit perfectly my needs.
MWT
Giles Edwards@sohan While we're declaring our vehicular desires, I would be interested in an EV which was not "smart".
Battery, motor, and just the ('90s-era) typical doo-dads, if you please.
Peter Brett@gilesforyou @sohan Yes, this is exactly what I want out of a car. As few electronics as possible.
The simplicity of the electric drive system (we had electric cars before gasoline cars!) provides an opportunity to build cars that are incredibly simple to repair and maintain, and will last basically forever.
@krans @gilesforyou @sohan
Same, the last thing I want in any vehicle is touch screens and "infotainment" unit's that need data collection policies.
Same, the last thing I want in any vehicle is touch screens and "infotainment" unit's that need data collection policies.
Solarpunk Station@WainuiTrailerTrash @krans @gilesforyou @sohan
From one of my colleagues:
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/05/a-minimal-motoring-manifesto/
From one of my colleagues:
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/05/a-minimal-motoring-manifesto/
@solarpunkgnome @WainuiTrailerTrash @krans @sohan Thank you kindly. I imagine a vehicle not unlike my first car—1982 Oldsmobile Delta 88, maroon—but electric. Power everything. Bench seats front and back. Reaaaaallly big trunk.
@gilesforyou @WainuiTrailerTrash @krans @sohan
My first car was a 79 Diplomat wagon. Fake wood. It was like driving the comfiest couch ever. Miss it a lot except the lack of traction control. Lol
My first car was a 79 Diplomat wagon. Fake wood. It was like driving the comfiest couch ever. Miss it a lot except the lack of traction control. Lol
@solarpunkgnome Nothing a couple of sand bags and a few chains wouldn't fix.
The station wagon, as a species, was a thing of wonder.
Fair enough!
Wagons have always been my favorite. Planning to convert my 50 Country Squire to an EV someday. It's a two door wagon which makes it a bit of an odd duck, but it's nifty, if I do say so myself.
Jarf@sohan I got a bolt ev this February with the tax credit. It was about 20k given all the incentives. Sadly they are discontinuing it. It’s perfect for my use case
standev
Badger AF (he/him) DEMOCRACY@sohan We sell so many of these behemoths because 1) Americans are brainwashed into thinking bigger = safer, 2) gas is pretty damn cheap in America vs. other countries (due to our low taxes) so there's little incentive to drive smarter, 3) Americans also are brainwashed into thinking it's their god-given right to drive ginormous beasts, 4) margins are incredibly much higher for trucks and SUVs.
Car manufacturers are creating and feeding the market of dumb Americans.
Majnūn 🇺🇦@sohan
And it may randomly catch fire.
And it may randomly catch fire.
Erik Ableson@sohan @lisamelton Meanwhile Mini, Fiat, Renault, Dacia et al. are selling like crazy here in the EU 🤔
Klaudia (aka jinxx)@sohan European car companies also went for bigger and bigger cars, ignoring the smaller roads, narrower city streets and smaller parking garages here. It's ridiculous, seeing cars that take up one and a half parking spaces. 🤦♀️ All I want is a normal size EV with with a long range.
Kevin Leecaster@sohan
The Chevy Bolt is available for $30k.
The Chevy Bolt is available for $30k.
Doug BostromThe Bolt is exemplary of this problem.
"They want large cars."
"They're buying our small car."
"Cancel the small car."
Market imaginary giant EVPU.
@Doug_Bostrom @sohan
Yeah, but thankfully there are enough Americans willing to go with what we have available such that EVs made up almost 10% of all new small vehicle purchases in 2023. I think that will help convince manufacturers to start putting out new models for the laggards still driving fossil fueled vehicles hopefully.
Yeah, but thankfully there are enough Americans willing to go with what we have available such that EVs made up almost 10% of all new small vehicle purchases in 2023. I think that will help convince manufacturers to start putting out new models for the laggards still driving fossil fueled vehicles hopefully.
Fingers crossed! GM did reverse the Bolt decision due to backlash, it's true.
There will be a gap in Bolts and the next one is slated to be larger but progress in fits in and starts. :-)
@Doug_Bostrom @sohan
Since Biden's electric vehicle charging station network is just starting to get built out, it might work out better that quite a few Americans have put off switching to EVs so that they didn't get buyers remorse so easily.
Full Charge: The Economics of Building a National EV Charging Network | The White House
Heather Boushey, Chief Economist, Investing in America Cabinet The President’s modern American industrial strategy seeks to address market failures that prevent the U.S. economy from serving the nation’s economic and national security needs, including by building a clean energy economy. Transportation accounts for the largest share of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions (about a third), with…
Taco@sohan I mean… maybe having a fringe right securities fraudster as a frontman for the industry wasn’t a good idea after all…
Que@sohan don’t forget how dealers were playing games and adding 10s of thousands of markups to them. FAFO.
Jim Vernon@sohan $70,000, lol. I saw a bunch of F150 Lightnings just sitting on a Ford lot with window stickers that said $95,000.