I want a dumb EV. No infotainment system. Just speakers and a way to plug my device into them. Anything critical to the car should be completely air gapped and require an absolute minimum amount of software, preferably zero.
Agreed. I'd actually like to buy an EV, but so far there are no candidates which meet my minimum requirements, which are pretty much what you said + serviceable by any mechanic with aftermarket parts + using Na-ion, not Li-ion batteries. And it shouldn't be super ugly like most new cars are today (e.g. Rivian, VW ID Buzz).
Though I'm pretty sure you can't even legally make such a car anymore, at least in Europe, where certain "smart" features are required for new cars. Perhaps a manufacturer of such an EV could put all of that into one box which the user can simply pull out and discard.
We have a Volkswagen e-Up, it's basically that. Analog cluster, a very small radio screen that also displays the world's smallest reverse camera view, and a dashboard mount for your phone. It's a fantastic little car, I honestly like it more than our 400bhp Volvo XC60.
The e-Up is great, but there is still the remote control modem installed by default that lets Volkswagen « Cloud » and the app control the car remotely, and get data such as the GPS location of the car.
Except the modem doesn't work anymore because it's 3G-only and 3G networks have been switched off in a lot of places, and VW said they won't offer upgraded hardware for it.
Yeah I’ve seen these posted here previously! Probably the most appealing new car to me at the moment. Hopefully they take off and we can get them outside the US
I've seen this before, and I like the design. It's cute yet functional. It would fit in well on European roads.
One thing that stands out to me is the front wheels protrude beyond the body. I don't recall ever seeing that on a consumer road vehicle before, at least one designed after the 1930s.
Yeah, I'd think open-wheel cars are not road legal in the US but I just checked. Apparently it varies by state. Adding fenders seems simple enough at least. Aging Wheels did a video about the Telo and one thing that stood out to me was that they seemed intent on scaling slowly.
I'm hopeful but pessimistic about Slate. There is still time for them to A.) raise prices because of "unforeseen" issues, B.) enshittify with tech or wacky pricing structures.
I'm just tired of hearing about Slate. A relatively small amount of people want a product and they use a company that hasn't shipped as validation of their imaginary market size (this company exists, so tons of people want it!)
Similar to how lots of people online (Reddit, HN, etc.) made a lot of noise about wanting a smaller smart phone. Apple released the iphone 12 mini, it didn't do well commercially, and was fairly quickly discontinued.
Most non-tech-bubble-normies cope with crappy in-car systems probably because conceptualising something different is far away from their area of interest and expertise; indeed, many folks actively want/prioritise superficially-impressive tech in their new car. (Lots of people --probably the vast majority-- don't focus on pure usability, privacy, or cybersecurity, when making such decisions.)
I'd expect Slate to appeal to people who need a pickup for work (because it's the most similar EV to an old low-spec Toyota/Ford/etc pickup) and for whom range is not an issue, some who want an EV but are price sensitive, and a handful of others who like the underlying concept.
Vertical digital signage products should also have their polarization filter flipped 90° so you can view them with polarized sunglasses, adding another SKU and cost.
Stockholms Länstrafik didn't figure this out so all our timetable displays are pitch black when viewed with polarized sunglasses.
I've noticed that all but iPhones exhibit this behavior at some angle too and they're apparently using "circular polarization" (expensive) which is another one of these "we do it better" things nobody knows about from Apple (or displays in general)
I work at an ewaste recycling company. Last week, I was testing a projector, and was using a USBC to DVI cable (one of the most cursed cables I've come across). I said "LOL this won't work" and plugged it into my phone. Sure enough, my phone recognized that a display was connected, and once confirmed, showed what I expected it to!
Plugging a car into a phone should work like that: just a dumb display with maybe a keyboard or touchscreen input device.
That’s illegal in the EU, 911 eCall requires an always-on cellular connection with an attached device that records your location. Would you please think of the children?
