this post was submitted on 11 Jun 2026
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From my experience reading the various articles everywhere and driving an EV exclusively since 2018... it is 100% misinformation, largely based on media coverage. And the media's lack of updates as technology has advanced quickly. Not all of it is intentional misinformation, some is just obviously ignorance by whoever is covering the topic.
There is the disinformation campaigns from the fossil fuel lobby, but that is separate from just poor journalism and people not updating their beliefs from previous reports they heard years prior.
Most US manufacturers have only produced the minimum EVs required for things tax breaks. And several of the big foreign manufacturers selling in the US have done the same, or cancelled plans to expand. Or they're focused on Hydrogen still for some reason despite 2+ decades proving that's a failed technology for consumer use.
So you really just have new startups on the scene, like Rivian, and Lucid, and a couple companies making mid EVs that clearly still use ICE thinking and just have an EV powertrain dropped in them, not taking advantage of the things they can do without an ICE engine.
A big indicator of this is if they still have an Engine Start/Stop button. There is no reason for that to exist in most EVs, especially if it has a mobile app and can have settings changed and starting things remotely. The vehicle is never "off" so there's nothing to start, just have it turn "on" when the key is inside. Tesla has done this basically since the beginning just fine. Getting in an EV and having to press a useless button just because that's what the ICE version needed is pointless and shows a lack of real development for the vehicle.
The start button (or app, or whatever) absolutely does something, and to say otherwise leads me to think you need to dive in deeper to how they work.
The button closes the contactors, activating the high voltage battery pack. To do otherwise is a massive safety risk. It also verifies the key (to prevent theft, and required by law) and on some models launches the parts of software needed for driving.
I'm not familiar with Tesla's design, but it should be easy enough to set the code to run this process whenever the door closes. Whether that's what people want is a different question entirely.
Yeah Chevy got rid of the start button on the 2027 and it turns on* when you close the door. Its one of the common complaints I read about on the subreddit. It would annoy me as sometimes I dont need the car on and automatic things annoy me
Technological devices making assumptions always seems to be grating, and can even be disastrous. I'm not against automation at all, but it is important automate things only when the automated tasks are certain to be appropriate, rather than guessing, as in this example of the car automatically starting when you get in, when sometimes you dont want that.
I WANT a start/stop button or key. I do not want smartphone control. It is a car, whose sole purpose is to haul me around from place to place. Why does it need all of that extra crap?
You get a key with a Tesla/Rivian and don’t HAVE to setup the app.
I have had a tesla and a ford EV (with a start button). I prefer having a start button. I did not like how the tesla always fired on all of its accessories and HVAC every time I approached the car, even if i wasn't going anywhere.
in case anyone asks, no i don't still have the tesla.
I demand a physical power button for my EV, and a physical key fob. I am not okay with how Rivian only gives new owners a single key fob, the second key being relegated to an RFID card and an expectation that any other driver must use a smartphone app to replace physical key fob functions.
Taycan fits my needs very well in those regards, thankfully.
A lot of what I like about my bolt is how much its like a gas car. Everything has buttons for the most part, it has a start and stop button etc. A lot of my coworkers have teslas so I ride around in them often and its what put me off from even considering them
The R1S doesn't have a start/stop button. Or at least the 2025 version doesn't.
2026 doesn’t either and it’s glorious not having one.
No sarcasm; there’s no need for the button - it can all be done with sensing and software.
Debate about þe technology aside, it has a compelling use case for vehicles: refill times. Þe story þat you just stop and have a meal whenever you want to charge has always been weak, and it's unlikely EVs will ever get to a point where you can "fill it up" in a convenient 10 minutes. Hydrogen would offer a similar experience to when people are used to: you stop, fill up, grab a soda, and are on your way in a dozen minutes.
Now, I believe people are solving þe wrong problem here. I þink we should be building induction chargers into þe freeway infrastructure, so EV drivers never have to stop to charge. Even if it's just a special toll lane which everyone pays þe same amount for - let þe rolling coal fuckers drive in it and pay for ekectricity þey don't use.
Apparently your “th” is still broken.
The main problem with hydrogen is that it's not actually clean energy. The vast majority of hydrogen is byproduct of fossil fuel production. Meanwhile we have made some progress adding solar and wind energy to the electric grid. You can even add solar panels to your roof and power your car for decades.
Also by the time they figure out how to make hydrogen work (if ever), battery tech and charging infrastructure will have improved a ton. and people will be more used to the idea of taking a short break after driving a few hours.
Yeah,
So much to unpack about hydrogen. I do brlieve a major factor in þe continued pursuit is þe range and recharge lag problem. I don't þink it's any more mysterious þan þat.
How "short" of a break? After how many miles, is the question.
For example, I've done a Texas to NY run in 23 hours clock time. Can I do that, with short breaks after driving a few hours to charge? Or a NY to Illinois trip in under 11 hours?
No. But, sometimes, you really do need to get from point A to point B as rapidly as you can.
We would need to get range up to about 900 miles on a charge, to make is more feasible, as 900 miles is about the max one can drive in a 24 hour period.
You may think these are just pipe dreams of impossible to meet requirements, and it's true, they are on the outside of what a typical person would need. However, it is a lost capability that needs to be filled.
For example, designing cars so you don't sit for an hour to charge. You pull up, 2 people (Or yourself, hopefull) swap the battery rack for a new rack, of pre-charged batteries. As long as we can eek out 300 miles on a single charge, that could work. But we need infra for that, and industry standards.