Crazy how so many people have been begging for bare ones, affordable electric vehicles.
Then when one comes on the scene they do nothing but complain. Can't please anybody these days it seems.
this post was submitted on 25 Apr 2025
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They claim 20k, which is nice, but noone will believe it will stay that way. Given the [gestures broadly to everything] they likely will need to find an non-lithium based alternative battery before the reserves run dry, the price sky-rockets and then would-be buyers deal with scalper prices (not like thats much different than going to a dealership anyway).
This would have been a smash hit in 2022, but now its too little, too late.
The 20k is after government incentives, definitely not permanent pricing. Lithium isn't scarce in the US, at least. The McDermitt Caldera reserves are quite substantial. More than half of the world's total supply.
Its range is also only 180 miles. The smaller battery definitely helps keep the cost down.
This car might not be for me but I definitely see its value and hope they're successful.
20k after 7500 tax incentive. So 27,500 approximately. Cheapest EVs are I think 29k right now. So this is well within the realm of possibility imo. It will probably go up a bit by the time it makes it out the door. And probably no one will get the barebones model and spend 2-3k at least on accessories.
It’s backed by Bezos. Wouldn’t even consider it for that reason alone.
What else are you going to do? I hate Bezoz as much as anybody, but if I could actually get one of these for 25k? I'd buy three of them just to keep around for emergencies.
Just not buy one?
I'm sure, somehow, mostly everything is at least slightly backed by bezos
Lost me at “American”.
The design is bad. The front trunk is a bad use of space, and the Japanese figured this out decades ago with the Kei truck. If you want to see real utility, look at this design.
Front trunks save lives in collisions though. I'd 100% rather be in a vehicle with a hood between me and another car, and I say this as an avid kei-truck fan.
The front trunk is a safety feature called a crumple zone and is objectively safer to be in a crash with.
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Counterpoint: One of the first things people buy for a truck is a container for the bed for things they don't want to be in the weather but also not in the cab.
A front-trunk eliminates this need which also frees up bed space.
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Americans won't buy a Kei truck though. Granted, the frunk is a marketing concession, but it's a fine one, if it can help push the market away from huge and expensive SUVs.
Or, more succinctly, don't let perfect be the enemy of good.
Americans can't buy them new because of the so-called Chicken Tax. We can only import them if they're speed-governed, or at least 25 years old.
Even with those restrictions, lots of Americans want them, including me. There are quite a few importers bringing them over, including one that just started up in my area. They're desirable enough that major media outlets are running articles about how people who need to get real work done covet kei trucks.
Yes, Americans would buy them. Americans are buying them.
Yep, the Chevrolet Bolt is the closest I could get to a Kei van.
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Is it a networked surveillance nightmare?
It doesn't seem to come with any gadgets. No touch screen, not even a radio. It's possible that it still broadcasts location data and it's possible they could hide a mic to record audio as well. But it isn't connecting to your phone with Bluetooth, it can't exploit the Bluetooth connection to scrub your messages and socials. So it's a LOT better than most new cars.
Less reason to believe that it is than most cars that literally market themselves as connected
Good luck, independent car manufacturers usually get bankrupted out of business directly or indirectly by a market dominated by traditional car manufacturing lobbies designed to be replete with minefields that usually go up in difficulty just before it's supposed to reach mass production. There have been plenty of innovative EV designs that have died off because of this, and it's telling how much power those lobbies have when its the one thing countries will unite against to keep Chinese competition off of their borders.
no touchscreen
Sounds like a dream. Or public transport. It doesn't have touchscreen either.
Or public transport. It doesn't have touchscreen either.
Do you live in a stone age or something? The first time I saw a touch screen on a bus built into the backs of the seats was like 12 years ago or so. Pretty much all long distance public transport has them these days, apart from low cost airlines like Ryanair.
I find this minimalism strangely appealing. Unfortunately, I do not live on a farm. I hope this thing is useful to those who do, though.
I pretty much do and I'm kinda stoked, cautiously
If I can have a Linux truck that works and can tow something if need be... I'm down
Linux truck
And has to resemble the late 1970s-1980s body styles because of the kiss methodology. I'd love me a 1972 C10 or a 1981 F150 with Debian.
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The msrp of this truck is $28000. For having nothing in it that is absurd. Not to mention the rebates put it at 20k but you still have to pay upfront which deters most people from getting. Overall shit truck, shit design, shit price.
Frugal design. I love it.
Glad someone has the balls to produce a truck people actually want. Give me power windows, locks, radio, cruise and a cheap radio and I am fine. I guess I throw in 4x4 because I live in Colorado.
I would love to also see an ice or a hybrid version of this truck too. This is exactly want so many people are wanting right now. Very excited to see this EV when it hits the road
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But does it break when water ?
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