this post was submitted on 28 Jun 2024
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Maybe if they'd focus more on making them functional vehicles instead of smartphones on wheels, it would simplify that problem.
I've been calling them McMansions on wheels, but considering how much tracking they do, I may start using your analogy.
Wish I could take credit for the term, lol, but I heard it elsewhere.
Exactly! Like, take a basic car, and make it an EV. It doesn't need to be a spaceship. I just need speed, charge level, maybe a tach or electrical load indicator, and a range estimator, all of which already exist on a basic car's dash. The head unit can remain a separate device that connects to my phone for navigation and phone. That's it.
Yep!
I've seen enough EV conversions to know it's not rocket science. The instrument cluster just displays the values relayed to it over CAN bus, most of the sensors are the same as they are on a conventional ICE vehicle, and the only real difference is the powertrain. There's some consideration for the battery placement and management, but that's pretty much it. Leave the touchscreens in the backseat for the kids, and give me physical buttons to operate the vehicle.
Like the Ami, but just enough bigger and faster to accommodate out of town commutes?
...but then how will they rent you services like heated seats?
They need to be able to turn cars into a glorified gacha machine so that they can make money from Whales, too! /s
Unless there's major pushback from car buyers in the next 10 years, I'm going to be holding on to my 2017 hybrid for as long as possible. May even look into doing an EV conversion on it or possibly some aftermarket way to make it a plug-in hybrid (there is a plug-in hybrid version of my car, and I've been looking to trade-in for that, but I cannot find any within 250 miles of me).
The bed is starting to rot off my 1999 truck, I'm not sure how or if I should repair it
Replacing the bed isn't too bad if you have someone to help you lift it on/off and you can find a donor in good shape. I had to pull the bed off my old beater truck to replace the fuel pump, and did the work myself (plus an extra set of hands to lift the bed on/off, naturally) On that one, it was only like 6 bolts holding it down. Hardest part was that two were seized up and had to drill them out (and replace the bolts afterward).
Finding the replacement is what worries me.
Well that and if the bed is going how is the frame
Yeah, my 2004 not-quite beater truck came to its end that way. The frame rusted out where the leaf spring shackle attached, and there's no real way to fix that. Surprised I was able to drive it as long as I did with it like that (it was my daily driver at the time lol).
For my OG beater truck, I got a lot of its body parts from a local salvage yard. Some of the parts I got were rusted in the same spots as mine, just less so (e.g. the quarter panels on S10s were notorious for rusting out).
There is always a solution that involves welding, but unless someone is able to do it themselves odds are it would be far more expensive than finding another used vehicle in better shape.
Yeah, I took it to a few local places, and none of them would do anything like that. I lived in the boonies at the time and didn't want to tow it all around everywhere. I'd already driven it like that for 4-5 weeks, and the left spring was pressing against the underside of the bed. One good pothole and it would have likely punched through lol. Figured I'd pressed my luck long enough. I had a welder and could have probably fixed it up good enough for farm use, but no way would it have passed inspection.
Just parted it out since everything else was in great shape (especially the transmission that had been rebuilt not 4 months prior 😢)
Ended up just buying the hybrid I drive now since its main use was for my 110 mile daily commute.