Electric + Human-Powered Vehicles

[Loki]

I'm usually driving a rental mine spec 4wd ute while at work and i have to say vehicle manufacturers, are doing a brilliant job of convincing me to never buy a new vehicle ever again.

It's not the mechanics or finish, those appear to be improving across the board.

It's the computerised bits.

It's vehicles that drag you back onto the roadkill you just tried to avoid.

It's vehicles that quietly slow you down to match the caravan doing 70 in front of you so you never catch up to them.

It's the continual whining and nannying and beeping.

And i mean beeping continually, to the extent of almost being a continuous tone. It is a 4wd, it is meant to go off the road. When you are off the road there are occasionally bits that are not entirely flat.

It's 4wds that get scared when they see a tuft of grass and have a fit. To the extent of slamming on their own brakes when confronted with a particularly alarming bush at 20 k. I can't tell you how old it gets in a vehicle that beeps continuously all day while you are trying to work.

It's the annoyance of a vehicle that has to play a happy tune to let you know you just got in. I fucking know i just got in.

And to let you know you just got out. Or opened the door with the key in. Or just opened a door.

And then locks the vehicle. Do they think the risk of their precious vehicle being stolen by a rabid dingo is severe enough that it's worth making me unlock it 357 times a day?

I'm betting the next safety feature will be to wind the windows up before locking the vehicle every time you get out to open a gate.

It's having a bright screen continually on that you simply can't turn off. Even better when it's a map that rotates in your peripheral vision every time you take a bend.

They are now starting with vehicles that continually nag you with smarmy ai voices. "Make sure to obey all road regulations". Make sure you go fuck yourself. Aggravating on the highway, utterly soul destroying when there hasn't been a road for 50k.

And of course, with significant time wasted, you can turn a lot of this shit off, for some brands that lasts all the way till the next time you turn the ignition off. Thanks team.

I'm seriously thinking of retiring, because of the fucking ridiculous vehicles.

Some of this may be rental companies being fuckwits, if so its certainly not helping.

Sorry, i polluted the thread with a rant

[stevebrooks]

Sorry, i polluted the thread with a rant

Every single thing you said was entirely justified, it's technology for technology sake and no other reason. Ostensibly it's safety of course, but if it gets to the point it's so annoying that people simply turn it off then what the fuck is the point.

[Loki]

My own vehicle is currently a 1992 ute.

Never whines, is cheap to register and insure, and i save the carbon from a new build.

Wouldn't mind power steering tho.

[stevebrooks]

Ok this interesting, ok maybe some people won't find it so interesting, or even boring, but it shows how electric trucks will work successfully, oh and it's not one of the cyber ones, it's a Scania!

[stevebrooks]

France prototype electric tractor, a few months old now but shows what you can do.

[stevebrooks]

Hyundai Insta (Casper) in Korea;