←back to thread

The $25k car is going extinct?

(media.hubspot.com)
319 points pseudolus | 3 comments | | HN request time: 0.491s | source
Show context
999900000999 ◴[] No.44414566[source]
We don't want affordable Chinese EVs.

That's the answer here. They can build cars better, cheaper, faster than we can.

Instead Ford wants to sell a 80k SUPER F-250 BIG MANN TRUCK. All for what, you to drive 10 minutes to Walmart, buy groceries and drive back.

The best car is the one you don't own. No payments, insurance, parking tickets.

Unfortunately most American cities are centered around driving. So much money , and space wasted on these multi ton metal boxes. In many places most(much) of the city is literally just parking spaces.

replies(14): >>44414787 #>>44414789 #>>44414808 #>>44414838 #>>44414841 #>>44415356 #>>44415422 #>>44415479 #>>44415535 #>>44416053 #>>44418159 #>>44418189 #>>44418326 #>>44421070 #
paulryanrogers ◴[] No.44414789[source]
Cars are a reflection of ones personality here in the Midwest. Some grow out of it or never subscribe to the mentality. It's certainly cheaper to bicycle, weather and health permitting.

Though car driving and ownership are a big cultural phenomenon, especially among men 18-50.

replies(3): >>44414996 #>>44415694 #>>44418312 #
999900000999 ◴[] No.44414996[source]
Depends on the man, I’ll admit in my early twenties I meet a few partners by being car free.

I legit took a girl home after I asked her if she knew why the train was late.

In Amsterdam at least one of the train stations has a piano. It becomes a 3rd place were people can make friends and socialize.

We don’t have many 3rd places in the US where you can exist without spending money.

replies(4): >>44415348 #>>44415805 #>>44419999 #>>44420797 #
dzhiurgis ◴[] No.44415805[source]
Do you have example of places with density similar to US where public transport works well? Australia has some in urban centres, but otherwise car centric. Same in NZ. Elecric bus to my place costs 8x more than driving EV (before it was taxed)
replies(5): >>44416784 #>>44418571 #>>44420812 #>>44421201 #>>44421485 #
shakna ◴[] No.44416784[source]
Whilst I can spiel off complaints, public transport in Australia gets my kid to and from school everyday, and myself to and from work in two different cities, everyday, without being late. (When the union isn't striking).

It does seem to work.

replies(1): >>44418937 #
dzhiurgis ◴[] No.44418937[source]
How do you get to train station?
replies(2): >>44419121 #>>44431860 #
1. BLKNSLVR ◴[] No.44419121[source]
Not to whom you're directing your question, but I drive the short distance to the car park at the interchange/station, then catch the bus the long distance to the city.

It's a great setup, and/but the very specific infrastructure[0] that I use only services maybe a quarter of the city's mid-suburbia. There's other public transport that services plenty of the rest though.

Doxxing myself here, but anyway: [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O-Bahn_Busway

replies(1): >>44420908 #
2. dzhiurgis ◴[] No.44420908[source]
We have these around Auckland. Parking fills up 100% before 7AM.
replies(1): >>44421941 #
3. BLKNSLVR ◴[] No.44421941[source]
Auckland is an incredibly busy city, on the same kind of world scale as Sydney, as far as my understanding goes.

The interchange has a four level car park that fills up to about three quarters full by 8am-ish. A secondary car park was just finished maybe a couple of years ago, with an additional ~50% capacity.