There’s a lot of hype about Chinese EVs—is any of it true?

In addition to being full of screens, China now wants its cars to be packed with AI.

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[James McP]

I bought a Honda Civic hatchback a couple years ago, and friends have commented on how clean and basic the interior is with very little in the way of distracting screens (for a newer car). Here doing my part And I would love my next car to be an EV but I wish they had fewer screens in general

Most EVs are going to have at least one good sized screen to help with finding a charger while driving.

Now, the trend for the whole dash to be a screen is just right up fugly.

 

[James McP]

“I’m using the Ars comments and social media platform Bluesky as my bellwethers”

A journalist wrote this. If Ars and Bluesky commenters represented the average person, EV sales would have been much higher.

Which woud make Dr. Gitlin's stance conservative (optimistic) rather than excessive (pessimistic). Which is contrary to most of the vitriol about the article.

 

[James McP]

I don't touch my phone while driving, but are we just saying that touch-only interfaces are 1000% better than tactile ones otherwise?

Yep. 1,000% better

Wait til you get old enough to have hand tremors. Or try to use a touch screen on an american gravel road.

 

[James McP]

But there is next to the driveway of most of the rental houses I’ve seen. Or lived in.

(Were those goal posts heavy?)

I own an EV and plan on buying a second. But I own a house.

I have never rented at a place that had external power outlets anywhere near the parking.

Of course, rental houses essentially don't exist in my market. They cost more than buying a house so only people who don't plan to stay or who have enough cash to afford a house but not enough credit to get a loan rent stand-alone houses.

 

[James McP]

And if the car can’t handle 100% if the trips that are made, they are worthless for the many single car families. That’s like saying a parachute is okay for most people if it works 98% of the fall to the ground.

This got downvoted, but I loathe rental car companies.

• I've been accused of not returning the car ("hands free" drop off at airport) and only avoided that becoming a thing because I had photos of it in their lot, trapped by other cars.
• I have received a vehicle half the size I requested and had to drive 700 miles with luggage on peoples' laps
• have had to go to a different rental company because I there were no cars even though I had a 6-month older reservation
• Have had to go to a different rental company because the car I was given was defective and wouldn't turn left.
• I have spent far, far, far too long waiting at rental car desks.

I'm not even adding the predatory fuel charges and assortment of add-ons.