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

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1329 points kwindla | 10 comments | 25 Apr 25 15:01 UTC | HN request time: 0.001s | source | bottom
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resters ◴[25 Apr 25 22:17 UTC] No.43799015[source]▶
This is extremely refreshing. I think that it would be possible to make something like this in the US for under $15K even. Cars and trucks are so over-engineered and come with tons of low value options intended to drive up the price.

For a case in point, consider that headlights that turn on and off automatically in response to darkness (or rain) are not a standard feature on many cars, yet they include a manual switch that costs more than a photosensor only because of the trim-level upgrades.

Cars could include a slot for a tablet but instead come with overpriced car stereos and infotainment systems that are always light years worse than the most amateurish apps on any mobile app store.

As should be very clear by now after the 2008 US auto industry bailouts and the 100% tariffs on Chinese EVs, the US auto industry is heavily protected and faces virtually no competition, which is why a common sense vehicle like the one in the article sounds revolutionary, though I imagine BYD could deliver something a lot more impressive for $10K if allowed to compete in the US without tariffs.

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smcleod ◴[25 Apr 25 22:42 UTC] No.43799163[source]▶
To be honest most of those accessories are actually incredibly cheap at manufacturing time and several have a direct impact on safety (e.g. ensuring people don't drive around with lights off). The cost usually comes as companies use them for pricing tiers where they market them as suggested extras to ratchet up profits.
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mceachen ◴[25 Apr 25 23:07 UTC] No.43799326[source]▶
Driving with your lights off at dusk or dark gets you (rightfully) pulled over by law enforcement in CA. It's well-correllated with driving under the influence.

I'm a huge fan of many car safety regulations, but this isn't one.

(Sign me up for car-hiding-in-blind-spot notification lights on side mirrors, though, those are great)

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1. the_gipsy ◴[25 Apr 25 23:29 UTC] No.43799446[source]▶
That doesn't make any sense. Eliminatung DUI is not a matter of detection, and automatic light sensors save lives.
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2. margalabargala ◴[25 Apr 25 23:44 UTC] No.43799519[source]▶
It could make sense. We don't know the numbers.

Let's say net X lives are saved each year because of automatic lights turning on.

Let's say net Y lives would be saved each year without automatic lights, via more effective detection of drunk drivers and stopping them before they kill someone.

Is X > Y? We don't know.

> Eliminatung DUI is not a matter of detection

There are a lot of avenues to decrease DUI, among which one is effective detection combined with enforcement.

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3. cma ◴[25 Apr 25 23:49 UTC] No.43799564[source]▶
There may be something like that that does make it counterintuitive. Usually those kind of Malcom Gladwell paradoxes end up overstated.

There would be other factors, like drunk people are probably safer with their lights on too. Lane keeping probably makes it harder to detect drunk drivers too but also may make them safer.

4. smcleod ◴[25 Apr 25 23:51 UTC] No.43799573[source]▶
The EU has done lots of reach on road and car safety, there's lots of data out there - just perhaps not in the US as many American made cars have significantly lagged behind in terms of safety features.
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5. sneak ◴[25 Apr 25 23:56 UTC] No.43799611[source]▶
This is simply because police don’t do their jobs. It would be trivial to simply wait outside bars at 2AM and give out tons of DUIs but a significant percentage of the population are alcoholics and this would result in massive blowback against the police.

Go to any small town watering hole at 2AM to see this in effect. The police have no legal obligation to prevent crime or enforce laws. None.

6. throwawat19r83 ◴[26 Apr 25 00:11 UTC] No.43799712{3}[source]▶
I don't know if it's an EU rule, but in my (European) country cars are required to have their lights on at all times, even during the day. The lights switch on automatically when you start the car
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7. chuckadams ◴[26 Apr 25 01:17 UTC] No.43800060{4}[source]▶
I'm baffled that daytime running lights are not mandatory on all models of all cars in 2025. My 13 year old Grand Caravan has them, though I suspect it's because it comes from the Daimler Chrysler era.
8. margalabargala ◴[26 Apr 25 01:50 UTC] No.43800210{3}[source]▶
The EU also is far more strict on DUIs.
9. froindt ◴[26 Apr 25 04:07 UTC] No.43800864{4}[source]▶
After I visited Iceland where it's mandatory, I liked the improved visibility so much I turn my lights on for every single trip. It was not a takeaway I was expecting to have from the trip.
10. SideburnsOfDoom ◴[26 Apr 25 08:46 UTC] No.43801946{4}[source]▶
It's a good idea in some places. An overcast winter's day in the North isn't that well lit by default.