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144 points herbertl | 2 comments | | HN request time: 0.692s | source
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hansvm ◴[] No.43274871[source]
However good this thing is otherwise, "ID Everyone" is a horrible slogan for a new car. I wouldn't mind some manufacturer agreeing to not buy/sell your sexual history, creating radios which aren't vulnerable to remote controlling the car via buffer overflows, and otherwise treating cars like physical goods you own and can rely opon instead of hooks into your personal life.
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melenaboija ◴[] No.43275073[source]
I might be too old but I still don’t understand why carmakers have to do electric vehicles weirder than gas vehicles in every sense, weirder lines, weirder lights, weirder names, weirder interiors.

Not saying is bad, just saying.

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1. jdietrich ◴[] No.43275311[source]
EVs have less inherent character than internal combustion cars. They're all quiet and refined, with stable handling thanks to a low centre of gravity. Most of them offer far more performance than any normal person needs. A small electric city car doesn't feel all that different to a large electric sedan, it's just smaller. That's an existential threat for legacy auto manufacturers, because it offers fewer points of differentiation against much cheaper Chinese brands.

EVs are less constrained in terms of packaging. The battery and all the working parts are stashed down in the floor, so you can do whatever you like from the wheels up, without having to worry about where you're going to fit the engine or transmission or gas tank.

Some manufacturers are making EVs that look just like their gasoline-powered equivalents, but there's a real possibility that they're headed down a blind alley. I think that manufacturers who fully embrace the design freedoms of EVs and find new ways of creating distinctive experiences will stand a much better chance of surviving the next decade. Weird doesn't mean good, but bland is just a concession of defeat.

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2. bluGill ◴[] No.43275615[source]
Gas car design is in large part constrained by aerodynamics and safety. the engine takes up some space that a battery would not need but that hood is there anyway.