this post was submitted on 03 Mar 2026
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xkcd #3214: Electric Vehicles

Title text:

Now that I've finally gotten an electric vehicle, I'm never going back to an acoustic one.

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Source: https://xkcd.com/3214/

explainxkcd for #3214

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[–] Yliaster@lemmy.world 2 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Gonna get blasted for this, given the overall sentiment here in the comments towards EVs, but EVs are going to be used to monitor people everywhere they go and have killswitches, and other shit I'd not wanna deal with.

[–] paris@lemmy.blahaj.zone 0 points 6 hours ago (2 children)

You say they're going to, but EVs already exist and are pretty damn popular, especially hybrids. What makes you think that EVs are going to monitor people beyond what regular license plate tracking already does? What kind of killswitch? This sounds like fearmongering.

[–] SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.world 2 points 5 hours ago

They said when cable tv started that it would be ad free, it was for a while. Then you'd own your media, now it is all streaming. Then you'd have your own software, now it is going to subscription based more and more. Why would you think the current state of tech is the way it will always be? Car companies are already going towards data gathering though it isn't limited to EVs. It is much easier to control every aspect of your vehicle though with an EV.

[–] Yliaster@lemmy.world 1 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) (1 children)

Them being electric/having digital components lets companies monitor your vehicles the same way they do monitor your online presence.

You can look up the killswitch thing, it's planned in Europe iirc. It's being sold as being introduced so as to "reduce drunk driving", but obviously once that's in place it can be used to manufacture car accidents and the sort.

Any time someone says these "technological advancements" are anything but innocuous, they get rammed as "fear-mongering".

[–] paris@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 hour ago

Every car you've ever seen on the road is electric and has digital components. Electric vehicles just use a direct drive motor powered by a battery instead of powered by gas combustion. Your 2026 lifted F250 is just as digital as your 2012 used Nissan Leaf.

The killswitches in question would apply to all new vehicles, not just electric ones. The US version of the law makes no provisions for remote shutdown, only for something akin to a passive breathalyzer. "Obviously once that's in place it can be used to manufacture car accidents" your brain is conspiracy poisoned and you're listening to talking points from the likes of Ron Desantis. Please take a break from the internet and go enjoy your local park.