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I think that that's kind of a problem with almost all new cars, not just EVs.
Slate's a pretty stripped-down EV. It's got a mount where you can stick a phone or tablet if you want, but nothing built-in.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slate_(vehicle)
No cell radio. Doesn't even have power windows in the base configuration; it comes with air conditioning and air bags and that's about it.
Note that the range is shorter than, say, a Tesla Model 3 or something.
The range is shorter than a Tesla but the price is about a third so it's not so bad when you factor that in. I wish Slate success I really like their approach to the automobile, they remind me of Framework computer on wheels.
Yeah I hope they succeed: we really need something like that.
I understand why they’re building a truck but I really wish they hadn’t. With that low range and the suv/fastback kits being extra cost, it’s not as compelling to me as it should be
Estimated range: 205 miles.
So real world 150, 100 in winter.
It would do better without the aero of a barn.
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.
It's got a mount where you can stick a phone or tablet if you want, but nothing built-in.
I believe that is a mistake, carplay and android auto are designed to work well when driving, my phone automatically removes all text message notifications and makes me not even notice getting texted to prevent me from getting distracted.
I would like a stripped down car that still has Carplay/Android Auto.
You can install head units into older cars easily to do this. Did it with my old Ute. Android auto for a song.
This would be solved by putting space in the dash for people to install their own head units.
OP is drinking the oil industry Kool Aid. All cars come with the same sensors and send the same data home. It has nothing to do with the engine.
We should have laws against it, but it certainly isn't limitteed to EVs.
Why are there no normal ~~electric~~ cars instead of gimicks on wheels? is probably the first question.
your statement goes well outside just cars too. all house appliances to start.
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.
There's a startup that is making a totally bare bones car called Slate. I really don't understand why every car has an ipad when I just need a place for my phone and it will accomplish the same thing (minus a back up camera which I find completely unnecessary).
In the US, backup cameras are mandated by law as a safety feature. It’s not an “add-on” or perk like some automakers try to imply.
Same with front end collision avoidance cameras/sensors. Those need to be in all cars manufactured for the US market by 2029.
Show me a single non-EV car for sale that doesn't raise all the same objections
you're starting too far down the line
most vehicles nowadays are gimmicks
the real question is why can't we get a simple economical vehicle and not unrepairable subcription-based spyware on wheels with dangerous features, regardless of engine type
You're starting too far down the line.
Most products and services nowadays are gimmicks.
The real question is why can't we get a simple good product and not inequitable take-it-or-leave it bullshit with delusional prices, regardless of where.
There aren't no nonsense gas powered cars anymore. Everything is computer controlled.
Anti lock brakes, collision avoidance, controlling the fuel injections. You have to go back to the models that used carburetors to get what you want. Then the federal goverment requires tons of expensive safety equipment and testing to keep new companies from entering the market.
But to answer the question, profits. The production line for low price gas cars are already built and optimized with statistical process control. There aren't high profits in the low priced autos. They will only switch when nobody buys their current models.
Just look at the big three turning their nose up to electric.
Meanwhile Hyundai is rolling out a super cheap model in china. https://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/hyundais-new-ioniq-v-undercuts-the-cheapest-ev-in-america-by-over-10000/
FYI: Companies are getting your message and vibe. But so far it's just for farm tractors.
https://wheelfront.com/this-alberta-startup-sells-no-tech-tractors-for-half-price/
There aren't no nonsense gas powered cars anymore. Everything is computer controlled.
Anti lock brakes, collision avoidance, controlling the fuel injections. You have to go back to the models that used carburetors to get what you want. Then the federal goverment requires tons of expensive safety equipment and testing.
I don't think OP is referring to any of that. More so the infotainments systems, touch controlled dashboards etc.
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!!!
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.
My issue is that a lot of manufacturers have tried, incorrectly, to mimic Tesla in ways they don't understand.
Tesla have a 16" screen in their car.
Ford: We put a 17" screen in our car!
Tesla: You can watch movies, play video games, browse the internet, etc. when you're charging (as it used to take a long time - but we've kept the big screen).
Ford: You've got a bit ole screen! It's bigger than a Tesla's! Your driving map is huuuge. When you're charging you can watch it charge - in HD!
Buttons and dials are coming back, at least.
Not sure where I read it, but the story goes that loads of manufacturers used touch screen controls "because Tesla" but Tesla didn't do it because it was cool and fancy, they did it because it's cheaper. Spinning up entire supply lines to get plastic buttons and switches just wasn't feasible for them in the startup days.
It's literally the opposite of premium.
It's all cars. It's more profitable to sell fewer cars at a higher price. The tech bloat is used to justify the high price. Regulations requiring the tech bloat are designed to keep competitors from entering the market. Regulations are paid for by ~~bribes~~ lobbying.
Mostly because they can. You really need to have everything automated anyway, you need at least a backup screen, so you might as well put it on that screen. It’s probably cheaper at that point to control everything by screen than to do install buttons
There’s still some hope
I have never bought a new car and never had any intention to because of how bad of an investment they are. If slate comes through with half the features they've announced, then I'll be buying one after my 2013 Subaru Outback gives out. I play music and do lots of small rural work just outside of the city. A small truck for hauling would be perfect! I don't want a Superlift Mega Child Crusher x4500 with double crew cab, a bed 7ft off the ground and only 34 inches long, but hey, at least it has 15,000 pounds of towing capacity for when I am hauling my drum set across town or need to take plywood to my mom's house.
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.
I think that’s part of the reason BYD does so well in Australia.
Their cars look like normal cars.
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.
Cars getting more expensive is in all car companies' interests.
They're getting cheaper actually. The gigantic touchscreen is cheaper than a bespoke interior design with physical buttons for every model.
Of course that's not reflected in the price
cheaper for the car maker, not for the end consumer.
I drive an Opel Corsa E. It's basically just a normal Opel Corsa with an electric engine.
Or is that not what you had in mind?
They do. Or least they sometimes do. I drive a Kia Soul EV. It’s… a Kia Soul with an electric motor and battery instead of all the internal combustion stuff.
Welcome to Car Industry Protectionism 101.
You want a no nonsense electric car at an affordable price point? Tough shit. Your country's politicians love those car industry kick backs.
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.
I can't believe I'm about to defend Elon Musk.
Prior to Tesla, the very few EVs that existed were dopey-looking and had no range. Tesla's founders (not Elon) realized that lithium battery technology made an actually-good EV possible. They made the Roadster, which was expensive and impressively fast but barebones. Elon horned his way in and took the company on this strategy path: sell that expensive car to create and sell a more mass-market, slightly less expensive car. Then use the money from that car to make an even cheaper mass-market car. That was the Model S/X, and then the Model 3/Y, respectively. It wasn't that this fancy shit was some sham to trick people, it was what a small barely-funded company had to do. It worked out pretty well until they lost the plot a few years ago.
Making a software-defined car does have its benefits too: adding functionality, detecting issues before you get stranded by a breakdown, an improved infotainment experience. You can argue about the merits of those, but realize that the whole industry does this now - for better or worse. But to say that Tesla tricked people into wasting their money on gee-whiz tech is a dishonest representation of EV history.
By 2022, battery prices plunged 90% and Teslas were the highest profit margin vehicles in the industry.
This plunge in battery prices happened specifically because of Tesla making EVs mass-market.
Legacy auto fumbling the EV transition is due entirely to their hubris and incompetence.
That being said, Elon Musk is a Nazi just like Henry Ford before him.
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?
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.
A ford lightning is almost identical to a f-150.
Shame they discontinued it.
