We have the Subaru variant. It’s not low tech enough. The dash is awful and the infotainment could be better.

People want even cheaper tech. It’s possible, the Corolla hybrid was a good example that was ahead of its time. That ford escape hybrid was close too. A lot of hybrids get this right now that I think about it.

The slate is going to be the first real contender in this space. I hope it does well.

My family has a 2019 Nissan leaf and the infotainment center feels like it's from 2012, so I wouldn't say it feels like a smartphone.

Yeah I might get a used slate someday.

Lmfao I got a real good chuckle out of that

It's got that "one easy trick/for a limited time only" energy

Happy reddit can fuck off day

That ford escape hybrid was close too.

What the Escape may have hidden from its cabin interior it amplified in its power train for tech complexity (and cost to repair!). A very common failure on the Escape Hybrid was its ABS/HCU (Anti-Lock Brake System/Hydraulic Control Unit). The cost for this one part is $5500. I suppose that might be fine if it rarely failed, but that wasn't the case. It failed often and just the cost of that part could economically total the vehicle.

What ICE car did you buy that fit your desire?

It’s got a mount where you can stick a phone or tablet if you want, but nothing built-in.

I'm not sure how that will be road legal in the USA because after the passage of a law in 2018 all vehicles under 10,000 lbs require a backup camera.

"Today’s final rule requires all vehicles under 10,000 pounds, including buses and trucks, manufactured on or after May 1, 2018, to come equipped with rear visibility technology that expands the field of view to enable the driver of a motor vehicle to detect areas behind the vehicle to reduce death and injury resulting from backover incidents. The field of view must include a 10-foot by 20-foot zone directly behind the vehicle. The system must also meet other requirements including image size, linger time, response time, durability, and deactivation."

source

Do you mean by this that Canada isn’t getting a range of cars, just the larger 4WD utes and SUV style car?

Others mentioned it too, but a nissan leaf is as basic a car as it gets. There used to be many of them on the roads. I guess people who can afford having a car with a limited range that can only be charged in a facility or a garage (which excludes long range commuters and apartment dwellers), want to get a truck or a cool car with gimmicks, not a basic car.

The price is part of it here, but it’s a lot more than that.

Home owners here strongly lean towards solar installations at home, backed by either a battery installed in the garage or an EV. Some renters take part in this as well, if they have solar. This prevents power loss during blackout plus save a fortune in fuel costs.

So the car is part of the entire home energy equation, plus cheap transport. This is important here for many because as you are probably aware there can be some distance to travel even in urban areas; it’s not uncommon for a commuter to drive 4 or so k to a train station then catch it into town for work, for one example. That person would be all over a BYD Atto for under 20k

they can put the backup camera display integrated into the rear view mirror, many models of cars had this before the built in tablet computer became ubiquitous.

Give me AC, A heat pump, 300 miles of range. And two basic speakers. If it doesn't make the 1998 beater i got when i was 19 look fully loaded it aint basic enough. I need to not die from the elements and for it to go from A to B while blasting low quality buttrock.

See I like this but man is it expensive. It fits every category I need, well except range.

A ford lightning is almost identical to a f-150.

Shame they discontinued it.

All cars come with the same sensors and send the same data home. It has nothing to do with the engine.

You wish to elaborate on that bold claim a little? Because there's a ton of sensors that are present in combustion engine but not in EVs and they have everything to do with the engine.

Because 99% of car buyers want gimmicks. I'm driving a 2014 with manual trans, manual windows, and no cruise control.
What market exists for this?

The trick is to drive a 20 year old car. I've got zero interest in new cars - I wouldn't want one even for free. Every time I have to drive one I get extremely frustrated by all the pointless features that I have no use for and are just acting as a distraction. Hell, I almost hit a cyclist once because the car wouldn't let me cross the centre line.

The day my truck dies I'll just buy another identical one and keep the old one as parts truck. It has everything I need and nothing I don't.. ..except automatic wipers.

The cheapest car in australia is a byd. It's like 20k. Like it is cheapest out of all ice and electric cars

I'm not sure I'd want a BYD either...

Well, that's the Slate with a couple addons

Yeah, the Silverado EV is pretty similar. Shame it costs an insane amount of cash.

I can say coming from a Tasla in 2018 to Polestar, and then a bunch of various EV rentals while that was being "repaired" (and ultimately returned as a lemon)... To ending up with a Honda Prologue (actually a GM)...

None of the legacy automakers have any idea what to do with EVs, and they aren't even trying to figure it out. They always just take the ICR out, stick a generic EV powertrain in and basically call it a day.

No attempt to take advantage of the fact they have power always available. Still keeping the engine Start/Stop button despite there being no reason for it. Requiring lock/unlock buttons on the exterior handles despite the car already knowing whether you're in proximity via the fob, to let those buttons do anything in the first place.

And the complete lack of things like YouTube/Netflix, etc. when needing to charge at public chargers on long trips in more remote areas with limited infrastructure.

They could just copy Tesla and no one would complain, because the product would actually be good. As it is currently, all of the legacy US manufacturers fucking suck. The only ones that seem to have figured it out are the new players that haven't had the same Boomers running the show for the last century.

You must be invulnerable to arrows, with your ability to miss the point.

Because the modern electric car is from an era where laws mandate technology in cars that can surveil the occupants and shutdown the vehicle.

You can swap electric drivetrains into existing cars. Companies such as Felten offer kits for classic Mini's, Porsche's, Defender's. This is likely your best bet.

If emissions is your concern rather than other aspects that electric cars can deliver then look into retrofitting an ICE engine with a thunderstorm generator

As I wrote, a SEAT Alhambra. It gives me both the option to move up to 7 people (although the maximum I move is 6), or move 2 cubic meters of stuff. And it is no monster truck, but still a car fit for European cities. The capability to pull a trailer is there, too, but I have not used it, yet.

If only I had asked for clarification to better understand the point.

Yes and it’s really hard for the right people not to look favourably at it

We’re in a pretty good space with it all tbh…the only issue we have of course is making both EVs and solar more accessible to more people.

Well, there were attempt of this like VW e-golf for example. Not really a terrible car, but due to limited battery space and EV knowledge at the time its range was abysmal (like 100 miles), charging speed was atrocious and it still cost way more than ICE variant. It's a pretty good car for city commute, but nothing more as highway speed range is even worse due to power draw...

So, it's not enough to take ICE and do simple "conversion". But I'm all for dumber EVs!

Yeah I will admit it’s a problem, and it’s my complaint as well

Many aren’t going to look twice though

Be nice if we could access a choice of EVs without all this crap. That said it isn’t confined to the chinese makes either, they’re all doing it

You completely missed the point. OP made a claim "EV cars have lots of gimmicks", this comment is saying "so do non EV cars".

This is stupid design. When I'm going backward it's always better to have more view angles: rear mirror, side mirrors, backing camera, all of them have different view angle and their use. Blocking mirror with camera display is like losing an eye.

Because cars, and especially evs, are units of luxury. Luxury don't have to be reasonable or convenient - au contraire many luxurious items were made inconvenient on purpose.

Automakers just don't build cheap, reliable, serviceable cars.

this comment is saying “so do non EV cars”

It's not though. Perhaps that is what they mean which is why I asked for clarification but it sure is not what they said.

Which they're doing.

Chinese companies are exporting basic EVs like you're talking about that sell for like $15k. Sadly if you're American you can't buy one because Freedom!!!

The discussion isn't about oxygen sensors or knock sensors. They're talking about all the 'smart' features that send all kinds of information about you to the manufacturers. These systems are present in almost all modern cars.

I'm curious. What car made in 2014 has manual windows? I have a 1988 Corolla and it has power windows.

Actually your recipe for an electric car is what US manufacturers tried to do because it didn't require as much retooling. Turns out it is a pretty bad way to make an electric vehicle from scratch. The batteries are big and heavy and need their own space. The best place is in the bottom for weight distribution but instead they had to cram them in the existing engine compartment along with the motor. It's just not as good as designing it to be electric from the ground up. Most of them were compromised and thus didn't sell well.

Regarding the rolling data center, that's actually a different problem that applies to pretty much all new cars. There is a growing backlash against all of these features (and lack of buttons). Unfortunately, it kind of falls on deaf ears. I think this is why US manufacturers are scared of Chinese EVs. They take a more practical view of the vehicle. Although, I don't actually know how much spying these Chinese vehicles do. It wouldn't be like the Chinese to miss that opportunity.

Lol behold:

Didn't look like it every time I checked

Elon Musk started a grift in 2012 that EVs should be expensive. To try and add value to what is a less expensive car to produce, he added a plethora of gimmickry and US consumers love gadgetry. By 2022, battery prices plunged 90% and Teslas were the highest profit margin vehicles in the industry.

Detroit watched all this and decided to to the same thing, but Detroit had too many "luxury" models and after pandemic gouging, customers kept away. No one bought their EVs. Stellantis lost $80B in value and has 430,000 unsold cars sitting on lots right now, rotting.

This all pushed customers to Korean brands, as Detroit decided they had no interest in affordability. Boom times for Honda, Kia/Hyundai and Toyota.

They sell for $15k in China, but you can't compare those prices.
Canada and Australia have allowed Chinese EV imports, nothing is below $40K in Canada, Australia has the BYD Atto, at $20k, but it's a cheaply built car, likely disposable.

No one bought them. They had to dump them with heavy discounts.

All the location, video and entertainment data harvested on EVs is harvested on ICE.

GPS location data, speed, acceleration, braking, video, driver weight, passenger weight, radio preference, podcasts, music,....

Let's see what Slate actually sells, if they sell anything at all.

So real world 150, 100 in winter.

It would do better without the aero of a barn.

Am I the only person who uses my phone as the head unit?

We'll, I have a rear video in mirror and you're completely wrong.