Hacker News Reader

Comment by cmui | Hacker News Reader

I get where you're coming from. There's a lot of scope to this though, and not a lot of technical risk. I think in this case it makes sense to sell units, and also generate feedback about the product as early as possible. We're not selling fusion or self driving cars.

View on HN

Where will you be building these?

I think in this case it makes sense to sell units, and also generate feedback about the product as early as possible

So you're going to use end customers as your test base? That's pretty gutsy. Especially when they're shelling out $10K and ripping out their existing (and working) HVAC system to do this. Don't use the car analogy here, there's no backup if it doesn't work.

Unless you predict 100% flawless execution and satisfaction on that aspect, you're going to get screwed. Your customers, more so. A few fucked up installations, or performance below expectations, and it's over.

Definitely agree that a good customer experience is key here. We're not shipping half baked hardware to end customers. That's what engineering development (alpha build, design validation build, production validation build, home pilot) is for. After all that happens, then customers can an install (and one that's well designed and tested).

I guess your definition of "feedback" is different than mine. Maybe that's a Tesla thing.

"We're not shipping half baked hardware to end customers. That's what engineering development (alpha build, design validation build, production validation build, home pilot) is for."

I can appreciate that. I am sure you will also agree a single part of a complex system can render it inoperable. When I consider the consequences, at 15° F (which is about the yearly low in my part of the US), of a failed part then I consider what that means to my wife and children and the value of the experimental but proven design becomes much less.

In this particular case, and given your background, I am not worried about your ability to build it. Yes, a bit easier than fusion energy :)

I am wondering, though... Why don't you make a prototype, and attach a webcam in front of it, with a few sensors, etc?

For their cheapest model, they want to sell it at $10k which includes profit, but they can't build a single working one before that? Several thousand to build a single functional prototype is a drop in the bucket comparatively. This instills absolutely zero confidence that they could build anything... because well they've apparently built nothing except a preorder website full of mockups.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com