Enough with the trucks and SUVs. I’m not buying an EV until I can get a 2 door sports convertible with rack and pinion steering and double wishbone suspension. I don’t want to drive a tank of a vehicle with vague, floaty handling. I want a small, light, and nimble EV that’s fast as fuck and corners like a dream. For under $30K USD.
Comment on Tesla Slumps Below 50% Share of California's Electric Car Market
orca@orcas.enjoying.yachts 1 day ago
Another potential Tesla alternative to add to the list: www.telotrucks.com
Psythik@lemm.ee 1 day ago
BussyCat@lemmy.world 15 hours ago
It is hard to get a light EV when the batteries themselves are around 1/10 the energy density of gasoline and people want them to have a longer range than a gas car to make up for charging so you end up with a battery that’s 500-1000lbs. To put that into perspective a Miata weighs around 2000lbs
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
Look at Telo, their “truck” is the size of a Mini Cooper but with a full 8 ft bed. And it seats 5. That’s incredibly compelling.
echodot@feddit.uk 15 hours ago
It’s actually the one pickup style truck that might actually be viable in Europe.
Ton@lemmy.world 14 hours ago
Personally, being from Europe, I’m not sure why we would need a pickup truck. I get it, insane tax reasons somehow are making those monstrosities quite popular in the Netherlands for example, but you never see the beds used.
Psythik@lemm.ee 1 day ago
That’s 3 seats too many. And I rather have a hatch than a bed.
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
I think you can fold down the back seats to get a bit more space.
But 5 is nice. I have kids, and they like to come with to the dump or hardware store. I currently do those trips in the minivan, this would be a bit more comfortable.
myrrh@ttrpg.network 1 day ago
…my mazda 2 outhandles my MX-5s and is the only car i’ve driven which keeps pace with my elise; we’ve been waiting for an electric subcompact hatchback for about ten years now but the stateside market keeps doing everything it can not to offer me one…
towelie@lemm.ee 1 day ago
I’m rocking a kei truck for landscaping and home reno projects, and it still uses more gas than I’m happy with. I’d love for someone to make an electric truck that isn’t a massive behemoth intended to prove something about my masculinity. Just give me a clean energy box bed.
Zacpod@lemmy.world 1 day ago
So much this. Closest we get seems to be a Prius. :(
mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca 1 day ago
if the Prius were 2 ft longer in the back, I’d buy one
Zron@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Im personally looking forward to Edison EV conversions.
The ability to take a vehicle I already have and turn it into an EV or hybrid would be amazing.
I know they’re a while from full production, but I see that as a win. So many of these EVs are having quality issues because they’re being shit out onto the market as fast as humanly possible. I’d rather a company actually take the time to do R&D, test things thoroughly, and then release a product.
CucumberFetish@lemm.ee 1 day ago
The biggest issue with an EV conversion is the weight of the batteries. For a lot of passenger cars, adding 500kg of batteries maxes out or even exceeds the vehicle’s gross weight.
CmdrShepard42@lemm.ee 11 hours ago
These conversions replace the entire drivetrain so you’d be losing the weight of the V8, transmission, transfer case, and drivelines and replacing them with a little 4 cylinder engine, generator, and batteries.
CucumberFetish@lemm.ee 9 hours ago
Considering that even the hybrid cars made by car manufacturers themselves are heavier than their ICE counterparts, I don’t think that by retrofitting an older car you’ll get a better result.
For example, 2024 Hyundai Tucson curb weights:
Heaviest ICE: 3663 lbs
Lightest hybrid: 3692 lbs
Lightest plugin hybrid: 4115 lbs
xthexder@l.sw0.com 1 day ago
Oh neat, this is basically an electric Kei truck. The front looks a little weird with the wheels so far forward. Reminds me of a golf cart. I can’t really complain though, I’d love a small practical truck.
NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Huh, I didn’t think it was possible to out-ugly the cybertruck
echodot@feddit.uk 15 hours ago
It’s no worse than some of the stuff Nissan has come out with over the years. Remember the cube?
The problem with the Tesla truck is that it is ugly without purpose, all the other oddly designed vehicles look the way they do because they have a particular unique feature (been small, having sliding minivan doors on a vehicle otherwise two small for them, having gull wing doors, removing a-pillars from the design, etc), but the cyber truck just looks like that to be contrarian.
NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 13 hours ago
Nah, for sure, I don’t disagree, I just saw the opportunity for a dumb low effort oneliner, lol.
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
It may be ugly, but it’s tiny and very functional. I’m very tempted to make that my commuter and occasional hauling stuff vehicle.
NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 1 day ago
And you wouldn’t be supporting a Nazi in doing so! I’d support you in your goofy lil EV truck.
Wispy2891@lemmy.world 14 hours ago
As an European i don’t understand at all those open trucks. The back side is completely wasted space, is unusable, stuff will get stolen when you park (or even at the traffic light), or will get soaked in rain. It also lowers aerodynamic efficiency. That one time in my life when i would need to move a fridge or a mattress i could just rent it for 3 hours
barneypiccolo@lemm.ee 9 hours ago
Much of America is rural, and pick-up trucks are extremely useful on a daily basis in that world. Then country music made it a metaphor for masculinity, and dopey suburbanites embraced it to enhance their personal brand image as tough guys.
orca@orcas.enjoying.yachts 9 hours ago
They sell 2 types of covers for the back that solve this. It really depends on what you’re doing. People that are camping or constantly working on projects need that kind of open setup.
Bytemeister@lemmy.world 5 hours ago
Eh, my family camped frequently and reno’d/repaired multiple house. I think the only time we used a truck was to take a bunch of bathroom tile scrap to the dump. Everything else was done with minivans or a club wagon.
orca@orcas.enjoying.yachts 5 hours ago
Yeah, my dad was a carpenter and always picked a van over a truck any day.
varyingExpertise@feddit.org 14 hours ago
I mean, you can always hook a trailer to a normal car or something like a Subaru Outback if you’re going off-road. That’s what people do here. Monday to Friday they commute in their normal, affordable, not extremely huge car and on Saturday the trailer comes out.