In California, Car Buyers Are Choosing Electricity Over Gasoline in Record Numbers::undefined
Are there any good dumb EVs? No internet features, no tracking, just an electric car I can get in and drive?
I constantly see features built in to the car but artificially locked behind a paywalls, like heated seats or even speed, software that tracks you or staff able to watch you through cameras.
I just want a car.
(Plenty of modern ICE are the same, I dislike them too)
This is the exact reason I’ve been putting off buying a new car. Ever since I saw the video of the guys controlling cars remotely with a laptop, paysalled heated seats, no key slot to unlock the door, infotainment systems replacing buttons, and more, I don’t want to buy a new car!
I would absolutely love to start using the new technologies, as I studied them in school and even did a couple of research presentations on the newer battery chemistries, photovoltaics, and designed an on-site hydrogen generation process as an energy storage medium. But, if I can’t get stuff like it was in the good ol’ days of analog buttons, I dont really want it.
I have a Hyundai Kona Electric 2022 and it is a perfectly dumb electric car
+1 on the Kona Electric.
I have the MY2023 and it works perfectly as a dumb car but there are some creature comforts hidden behind a subscription. The BlueLink App which is around $7/month allows you to remotely see and control things from your phone such as:
- Locking/unlocking the car from your phone no matter the distance
- Getting notifications if you forgot to lock your car
- Remote start the climate control
- Diagnostics with codes so you don’t need an OBDII reader
Again, it’s a perfectly good dumb EV without those but they are trying the subscription model for luxury features. Hyundai, at least, gave me a 3 year free trail.
The Bolt didn’t have any of that stuff. It was a pretty simple car, in a good way.
Probably the Chevy Bolt? Its a pretty bare bones ev (which is has to be to maintain that cost). I drive a Rav4 Prime which doesn’t have a lot of the nonsense you see in a lot of evs (but some stuff is paywalled like the app/media stuff, though that’s nothing new)
The Kia Niro is pretty close, although if you’re really serious about making it dumb you’ll need to pull the cellular modem. It doesn’t depend on any internet services, but it does connect to the internet to get nearby charger data.
It’s really great to watch this transition in real time. Even if this is just a small part of reducing overall carbon emissions, it’s important that this happens in the passenger vehicle space.
It makes me wonder how many of these consumers have been sold on the idea of electric vehicles for many years. And now, since the products exist, we get to see them act on their preference.
It’s also up to $15k in tax credits and lower prices from Tesla, makes a huge difference when they’re affordable.
During the last century, automakers had a habit of putting all kinds of crazy engines in their cars in an attempt to get more sales, and they usually they tend to ended in failure. EVs were no different and were actually advertised as far back as the 80s or late 70s, but faced yet another uphill battle. I don’t think they ever expected the technology to actually be feasible, let alone get government and public support.
I look forward to summers in California with clear blue sky! EVs can’t come soon enough.
I mean, compared to when I was a kid in Sacramento our summer skies have been incredibly blue. We use to have really heavy smog here and especially in the last 10 years I’ve really noticed an increase in quality. That said the fires kind of stop some of that progress every now and then.
I wonder if the increase of quality is due to more evs and vehicles being less environmentally friendly. With better efficiency and filters and regulations that help with that.
It’s definitely more related to the Cali blend of gas and the focus on vehicle efficient and smog here. People hate on CARB but it has actively made our skies clearer and better.
Last summer gas was $7+ at a station I saw in LA. You’re absolutely right that my next car is at least going to be a hybrid, if not fully electric.
That station is always an outlier and not at all representative of prices in LA. Right across the street from that place they sell gas for a normal price.
Everyone in LA laughs every time someone references that gas station because it’s clearly either a trap (for tourists/rental cars on an expense account) or a front for a mob.
Just as an example, right now gas prices are around the $5.00-5.40 range (5.40 for premium).
That gas station is currently at $6.60/gal for regular. There’s a chevron right down the street for $5.15/gal
I really want to purchase an Ioniq 5 but still feel there are no good deals (and I’m not interested in jumping through hoops for the $7,500 lease bonus cash). I see tons of inventory at my local dealership but they won’t budge on the price.
I hope I’ve bought my last gasoline car.
