The reincarnation of totaled Teslas—in Ukraine

Cars deemed unfixable in North America are resurrected in Eastern Europe.

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[ColdWetDog]

As an owner of a first-gen Chevy Volt, several years ago I found out that they were incredibly popular in Ukraine, especially around Odesa, if I recall correctly.

On the other hand, the throwaway approach the manufacturers and insurance takes is rather disappointing, especially considering that being better for the environment is one of main points of EVs. I don’t know what the solution to this is, since (at least in the US), it is cheaper to manufacture something new than to repair it, and arguments for less automation in manufacturing or cheaper labor prices for repair are both terrible.

In a sense this is exactly how the market is 'supposed' to work. The costs for various aspects of the vehicle (manufacturing, use, recycling / wrecking) is just arbitraged over the entire planet instead of just staying in, for example, the US. While it would be a more just and perfect world to keep the EV's environmental impacts within one country, the differences in wages, costs and regulations make looking for outside answers more successful.

We just need to send them a few wrecked Cybertrucks for the cause. I imagine that will happen in fairly short order, assuming Tesla actually bothers to ship them.

 

[ColdWetDog]

I think there is a huge market for a line of EVs that are designed from the ground up to be simple, modular, and easy to repair.

No super-complex structures. A battery that just consists of a stack of LFP prismatics in a temperature-controlled box. No Internet connection. Simple gauges and switches. A motor controller whose diagnostic interface is entirely built-in and can be accessed from any computer through a USB or Ethernet port. An infotainment system that is just a standalone self-contained DIN unit. Outer body panels that are bolted on to the unitized structure, and are individually replaceable. Choice of FWD or AWD and the ability to convert from one to the other just by adding the rear motor & CV axle module from a parts rack or a scrapped car. Suspension and running gear that is straight out of the NAPA, Monroe, etc. catalogs and is widely available.

Maybe offer a few body variants with near 100% commonality of functional parts and front sheet metal: a C-segment sedan, a C-segment crossover, pickups and chassis-cab trucks in short-cab / 8' bed and double-cab / 5' bed form factors, and a minivan, all with <2000 kg curb weight and ~500 kg payload capacity.

It wouldn't attract the richest 10% of Americans, for whom the fancy bells and whistles apparently help to justify high purchase prices. But think of what such a car would mean to the rest of the world.

Which means that it won't cost much. Which means that manufacturers won't make much money on them. Which means that manufacturers have no incentive to produce them despite the 'market' (we'll make it up in volume).

Note that every time a car manufacturer tries to create a simple, inexpensive vehicle, it flops after a year or two (US market, others may well vary). Most car buyers will go for a used up market car rather than a new econobox.

But hey - the possibilities are there. Third party EV chassis are a thing. Get some funding and start it up. It would be a good thing. IMHO just not a marketable one.

 

[ColdWetDog]

I wonder how much of the reason North American repair shops won't touch these cars is the dearth of technicians, and how much is liability aversion.

And parts. Your local mechanic can source ICE parts from a number of vendors, including wrecking yards. If your Rivian goes south and needs a part, good luck getting Rivian to sell it to you. They might but then might need access to the vehicles computer to get it integrated.

This will eventually get solved but dropping your EV off at your local mechanic is probably a decade away.

 

[ColdWetDog]

Can we send them to the Russians instead? Seems like that would be a more meaningful contribution to the Ukrainian war effort.

I dunno about that. A tactical Cybertruck could be pretty useful. Quiet, 4WD. Radar reflecting (sharp angles are good for something). Paint the thing camo, put a 30 mm autocannon on the top along with a couple of manpads. If the going gets tough, stuff it full of C4, turn on autopilot, jump out and send it into the line.

So what if the body panels are misaligned and the thing craps out after 5000 miles. That's forever in a war zone.

 

[ColdWetDog]

This is true, but only to a point.

From someone that's worked in the auto body repair on the administrative side, there's a lot to be told and most people don't understand the issues in the US (this doesn't apply elsewhere).

First, if you own a brand new car and you wreck it, or have a warranty issue, you're almost assuredly going to be unable to get replacement parts for the first year of a production run. Period. There will be no excess parts for repairs from the OEM, no aftermarket parts makers will have anything yet, and no wrecker yards will have sufficient stock to cover that market gap. Basically, you're screwed. And universe help you if you get a recall on a integral part such as the power module, etc.

Second, YOU aren't paying for the repairs. Your insurance company is. You're literally stuck with whatever kind of repairs they'll authorized, and only the very rich can afford to pay for proper repairs these days. So if your vehicle looks like crap after it was repaired: 1) no vehicle is ever the same after a wreck. Never. 2) blame your insurance company for requiring substandard aftermarket parts on brand new vehicles that destroy the resale value. 3) Your state insurance commission is almost always complicit in the underhanded, shady, and often times illegal dealings insurance companies try to pull with auto repair shops.

Third, the manufacturers are purposely inflating the price of parts so vehicles are totaling out quicker because it's cheaper for the insurance company, but it also sells them more new cars because when a vehicle totals, they make another sale far more often than if not (used vehicle sales not withstanding).

Fourth, when you total a vehicle or abandon it after being towed either the insurance company receives the hulk, which they auction off, or the auto repair shop confiscates it as an abandoned vehicle (after a time period of accumulated storage fees). Both sell the body on to cover whatever they can of the lost capital. Those sold vehicles sometimes end up, not in the scrap heap or wrecking yard, but in other countries where the safety rules may be looser than in the US, or parts are cheaper to acquire. Half my vehicles over the years have been total rebuilds. If you're savvy you can pay out less than half the cost of the same vehicle new, and that's what these people are doing. They really aren't any less safe than the brand new vehicle. But, manufactures don't like that (it's potentially a lost sale), so they're trying to do as much end-run around right-to-repair laws as possible. One of the new issues is the BS surrounding always-connected vehicles locking down things like the infocenter. Right-to-repair is going to eventually have to basically place DMCA as its "Most Wanted" because until that bad law is repealed, no one is going to own anything ever again. Manufacturers will see to it everything has a computer even if it doesn't need it just to stop people from repairing things they own (drm'd coffee makers anyone? printer ink? add your next car to that list. It's already being done.)

I bet you're fun at parties....

And most likely correct. I was just thinking of more routine repairs rather than post accident recovery.

Just one more reason not to buy a brand new car.

 

[ColdWetDog]

No, these are people seeing a pile of lemons and saying "Free batteries".

You certainly can make a battery from some lemons. Voltage is going to be kinda low for an EV but the car would likely smell better.