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

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1329 points kwindla | 4 comments | 25 Apr 25 15:01 UTC | HN request time: 0.947s | source
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taylodl ◴[25 Apr 25 15:27 UTC] No.43794600[source]▶
I LOVE it! THIS is the kind of truck I'd be looking at to replace my 1998 Ford Ranger.

Here is what could be potential deal-breakers:

- Lack of a mobile app. Minimalist design is great, but I still want an app to manage charging and be alerted to any vehicle issues.

- Lack of good charge management and battery conditioning. Either that, or a cheap and easy to replace battery pack. I'd really like both!

- Comparable hauling and towing capacity to the 1998 Ford Ranger. Those numbers aren't exactly impressive, but I do use the truck as a truck, and I occasionally need the hauling capacity (weight).

- Bucket seats. I need a bench seat so I can take my wife and dog. Think weekend glamping trips. Picture 8 shows a bucket seat. It doesn't look like that would work.

If anyone from Slate is reading this, this is how I'm looking at this truck. FYI, I'll be comparing this to the Ford Maverick.

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1. Aurornis ◴[25 Apr 25 21:32 UTC] No.43798738[source]▶
This is why it's so hard for companies to introduce stripped-down or small models of anything: People will tell you how much they want it, but as soon as they see it they realize they actually miss something from the models that are already out there.

It happens with small phones (iPhone mini) to laptops and cars. There are comments throughout this thread claiming that everyone would be buying small sedans if not for CAFE regulations, but we have plenty of small sedans on the market that aren't selling well.

It always comes down to market demand. The big companies have market demand figured out better than many give them credit for, even if it's not exactly the product you want.

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2. octorian ◴[25 Apr 25 21:38 UTC] No.43798792[source]▶
I'm grateful they don't make truly stripped down models of cars anymore, because those were always what would end up in the rental car inventory. Every time I'd rent a car, it felt like I was taking a step back in time.

Now all rental cars actually have some reasonable set of features, without you having to pay for any up-sells.

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3. actionfromafar ◴[25 Apr 25 22:50 UTC] No.43799221[source]▶
So the rest of the economy should suffer to subsidize your rental.
4. stevage ◴[25 Apr 25 23:47 UTC] No.43799547[source]▶
You should try renting in New Zealand. It literally is a step back in time, lots of companies mostly rent very old (20 years plus) Japanese models. So cheap though.