Hacker News Reader

Comment by hyperbole | Hacker News Reader

I like the utilitarian aspect, but I'm fairly certain if you put my samsung frige in a wind tunnel next to that truck my fridge would exhibit less drag.

If you're going to use batteries your range is going to be limited if you're driving a brick -- more attention to aerodynamics would pay dividends in mpe and overall cost -- fewer batteries required to go the same distance...

View on HN

This car obviously wasn't built for driving on highways.

It's a pretty pointless car, and unlikely to ever be available to buy.

Every 2-door, V8, 4wd, long-box work truck ever made is a pretty pointless car. Towing power, ground clearance, an open bed, weight capacity, and most of the other things that distinguish these vehicles are utterly wasted and often counterproductive on a San Francisco street.

But these utility vehicles are instrumental in getting real shit done at countless farms, industries, and construction sites across the globe.

Don't think "Tesla alternative" when you look at this thing. Think of something more like a pickup truck, at home alongside a farm tractor, a 4-wheeler/side-by-side, a skid steer, a flatbed, or a horse.

I'm pretty sure the 200 mile range goes out the window pretty quickly if you start using to tow stuff.

Many "farms, industries, and construction sites" would not require a 50 mile daily range. Many such situations would have access to electricity, and a truck like this might reduce required fuel deliveries.

Even though they seem sometimes to be the majority of pickup truck owners, those who use pickup trucks for commuting or driving the kids on vacation are doing it wrong.

Speaking as someone who grew up in the middle of nowhere and currently lives in the middle of not very much, a 200 mile range plus a charging time is a deal breaker.

200 miles is great for commuting in cities. $60,000 is rather expensive for a farm truck.

Any car's range goes out of the window quickly if you start using it to tow stuff, that's pretty much the lifeblood of a work truck.

Indeed, much like how high MPG ratings also go out the window in those situations.

The internal-explosion-engine approach to solving this problem is usually to stick a much larger fuel tank in the vehicle to provide the added range. The most direct equivalent in the battery-powered approach would be to add more batteries, whether to the vehicle itself (lots of room in the front and back for a bunch of battery packs) or to the trailer.

The error here is in the word "car". It's a truck.

I don't think this is a truck either, an SUV would probably be more appropriate of a label.

If a Land Rover classic is a SUV, this thing is, too.

And yet, that's how you get from point a to point b in many places! The lack of safety is a HUGE concern, and drag causes safety problems in high wind areas (think: the midwest).

Reply on news.ycombinator.com