“No touchscreen” is a really great selling point imo
Every smart feature a vehicle *doesn’t *have is a selling point for me. I want my car to be dumb as a boot.
Yep, the more software it has, the less I want it. And I’m saying that as a software engineer.
Nothing made me want to distance myself from technology more than going back to school for computer science.
…well that and all the fascism espoused by tech CEOs.
Well, I want smart boots
I fucking hate the touchscreen in my vehicle.
I dont mind a secondary 8" screen for things like navigation as long as there is no control over functionality of the vehicle on said touch screen.
My 2016 Veloster has a perfect balance
After reading the article and the website, I can’t find anything that explicitly says there is no network connection built into the vehicle.
The instrument panel is a screen, and will be used to display the backup camera video. There is some computer capable of handling video processing and displaying the instrument graphics - so more than just low-level electronics to handle the battery and drive control. It could have built-in GPS, it could have 5G, it could still be collecting and sharing data on driving habits &etc, it could be subsidized by that on the backend. Just because those functions aren’t displayed to the end user doesn’t mean they aren’t in the system.
Oh yes I was not commenting on any of that. Data privacy and the reliability of computer hardware and software over time are separate issues.
I was just speaking from the basic-level user experience of operating a vehicle- touch screens are terrible. Pretty much everything you want to do in a car should have 3 requirements:
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Keep your eyes on the road. Controls need to be in consistent locations and have some other way of communicating what they are and what their status is non-visually. Dials, knobs, buttons that lock in-or-out, switches, levers, sliders. Anything close together needs to be differentiated- buttons with different textures, shapes, or resistance for example. This is very difficult and almost antithetical to touchscreens. The strength of the touchscreens is their flexibility- they can have deep menus that re-use a small amount of space efficiently, but the trade-off is that they need the user’s vision to work.
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Non-visual feedback to the user for their activation. Touch screens CAN do this with haptics and sounds. And there are physical inputs where this can be a problem, like regular buttons or knobs with uniform shapes. Levers, sliders, switches, and dials have this as inherent properties
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Response time. Touch screens on vehicles are usually underpowered and seem to take seconds to register an input, then apply it. If the music changes and is suddenly way too loud, it’s annoying to be subjected to that for 5 seconds while navigating the touch screen and waiting for it to work, in contrast to a regular old volume potentiometer that operates basically instantly. Really any music or audio controls can get really annoying with delay, though I’ll admit those are a luxury. Things like the lights are not.
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Not a requirement, but cars should be judged on whether these things FEEL good. Touch screens have improved slightly over time with better materials and haptics, but that only applies to higher-end ones and still isn’t great. Cheap physical inputs can suck too, though they are usually still better than touch screens.
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Everything you describe could be handled by a single ESP 32 module but they probably do have much more computing power than that.
Other articles seem to indicate that it would need you to use your phone to perform updates on the onboard computer.
I guess this doesn’t preclude the possibility of other types of embedded surveillance.
Hoping it doesn’t have tracking 🤞
If they also make a 4wd version in the future then this would basically be the first new car I’d consider buying.
Edit: I emailed them and they said it doesn’t have any data collection at all.
The vehicle will absolutely collect data, but likely won’t be transmitting or collecting personal data (which is mostly done within vehicle infotainment units). It’ll be stored within the hardware which is much more preferred but I’d still consider that “data collection”.
Most vehicles have an Event Data Recorder (EDR) which records and stores vehicle data in the event of a collision/abnormal operation above a certain threshold. They’re mandated in many countries. You can connect to these systems, some easier than others, and get vehicle data such as vehicle speed, accelerator pedal position, brake activation, changes in velocity, yaw rate, steering wheel angle, steering wheel angle rate of change, ABS/TC activation, number of ignition cycles, odometer readings, etc. Newer vehicles with enhanced safety systems (of which this vehicle doesn’t sound like it’s intended to have) can provide even more data including but not limited to proximity to a target object and camera images.
It’s not data in the sense of personal or tracking data, but it’s still data.
Fucking FINALLY.
I’ve been waiting for a small pickup like the old 90s 4-banger Toyota. And this is electric, simple for function, and actually affordable?
Capitalists must be seething. If it doesnt have leather interior, 19 speaker surround sound, and cost 80k, get it out of our country! /s
Small gas-powered trucks are effectively illegal in the US.
It’s regulation made in response to automakers calling everything a “light truck” to get around fuel economy and emissions standards in the 90s and 2000s.The straw that broke the camel’s back was the PT Cruiser being classified as a truck by Chrysler.
So, starting in model year 2012, vehicle fuel economy standards started being based on vehicle footprint. The side effect was that small, powerful vehicles designed for moving cargo more efficiently or in tighter spaces than large trucks were impacted. It’s why 2011 was the last year model of the old Rangers, S10s, Dakota, etc.
That’s why the new Rangers are larger than the old F150s. They have to make them bigger to meet CAFE standards.
Same issue hit the small cargo vans in 2021/22. As the CAFE standards went up, it became impossible to meet fuel economy standards for the NV200, Ford Transit Connect, and Ram ProMaster City compact cargo vans, so they were all discontinued.
New York City was changing its whole Taxi fleet to NV200s due to their flexibility and accessibility options, and now can’t buy new ones because a Toyota Camry has less-strict fuel economy requirements.
What are the Maverick and Santa Cruz classified as? I think they fit the small or light truck category, if they are categorized as trucks at all.
A Maverick is a light truck in much the same way a 737 is a small plane. Sure there are bigger ones, but it’s a 4 door truck with a 4 foot bed that’s high enough to make loading and unloading harder than it needs to be. It’s twice the weight and almost twice the size of a 70s/80s Toyota Pickup, which is a light truck.
A Nissan Hardbody is one of the small trucks people keep complaining aren’t made anymore.
Dimensions of the 4 doors variant: length 5.1m, width 1.8m, height 1.7m
Maverick dimensions (biggest model just to prove the point): length 5.1m, width 1.84m, height 1.76m
It’s the same thing with all trucks, compared to the equivalent model (i.e. not comparing a 2 doors with a crew cab like the anti truck crowd loves to do) modern trucks look much bigger but it’s a design and height thing more than anything, their length and width hasn’t increased that much, especially if you compare with cars of the same model over the same period (1985 Civic sedan vs 2025 Civic sedan for example).
If you think a 2nd and 8th gen Toyota Hilux are the same dimensions it might be time to visit an optometrist.
I’m saying the difference isn’t a big as what some people pretend when you’re comparing the same versions.
Short box regular cab vs long box crew cab, that’s what people usually use as a comparison to prove their point even though it makes no sense to do so.
It does make sense, as regular cabs cannot be bought on new trucks. All of them are crew cabs, decreasing their utility and increasing their weight and size.
As far as the general argument. Look at the headlight and start height of a Ford ranger in 2002 vs today.
Twice the size how? Like, crew cab versus single cab? Not sure that’s a fair comparison
…park a maverick next to a nineties ranger; the difference is ridiculous…
I own two mavericks, it’s a fair comparison. They only look small because of the size of today’s vehicles… in the 1980’s you’d see most of today’s lifted trucks in a monster truck rally.
Oh yes, that part is obvious. I was more curious where “twice the size” came from, especially if comparing a four-door truck to a two-door single cab which I’d argue isn’t a fair comparison. Although, they don’t make the maverick in a single cab do they?
Hybrids meet CAFE.
But their towing and carrying capacity versus the old Rangers and S-10s is pitiful.
Light trucks, which means less CAFE regulation. Same classification as crossovers (why crossovers are so popular).
That’s not accurate. “Light Truck” also includes a crew cab F150 with an extended bed that requires a Sherpa to enter. The Maverick and an F150 have the same standards, but weighted based on vehicle footprint.
But the Maverick standard model is a hybrid, so it meets CAFE standards.
That’s why the new Rangers are larger than the old F150s.
If you’re comparing a crewcab Ranger to a 2-door F150, sure, but that’s not really a valid comparison.
Comparing equivalent configs tells a different story: every crewcab F150 is taller, longer, and wider than a new crewcab Ranger. The 10th gen and earlier (pre-2004) F150s, which are shorter than 11th gen+ F150s, are still bigger when compared to the Ranger in equivalent configurations.
People can’t seem to figure that out, to them a truck is a truck is a truck even though they’re the vehicles with the most variations in size for a same model built the same year.
Relatively affordable. It is 20k after the federal discounts and kick backs. Meanwhile, the Chinese EV market has been making cars as low as 4k. https://greenspeedx.com/cheap-electric-cars-available-in-china/
I’m not a pro China person (because one time in Ark, a Chinese team kept destroying my thatch base), but they seem to have the things. Apparently Mexico is aiming to compete in the EV market as well.
If by “the things” you mean underpaid labor, then yes.
And state subsidies.
Oh, the US has state subsidies too. They just get pocketed by execs.
America used to have the things as well but then there was a civil war and it got banned.
Even Europe has a tariff for EVs from China due to government subsidies. So it’s probably not 4K, but it’s also probably less than 25
You might ask yourself what it is that allows them to produce and sell a brand new vehicle for $4k, basically the same price as a high-end PC or a couple of high-end smartphones.
Mostly automation and sensible regulations. Also direct to consumer sales with third party dealerships not really existing for new cars. Also generally a lower cost of living allowing for lower wages and thus lower labor costs for the non automated parts.
Why is it that China is the only country on the planet able to sell new vehicles for this cheap? Surely other countries have automation and sensible regulations too.
They genuinely aren’t, Muerza in South Africa and a variety of other local brands across Africa and Asia have cheap cars.
China cuts it down further by completely subsidizing education and opening vocational schools near factories that specialize in what those factory owners need, allowing hyper specialization. When you have an entire neighborhood able to produce all the parts of a car, instead of importing parts from across the world and assembling it like us car manufacturers do, you’re able to massively cut costs.
All manufacturing in china takes this approach of having almost enclaves of specialized knowledge and factories, and is genuinely an engineers wet dream to work in since you can get any part you could possibly want the same day, even if you just designed the part yesterday.
Microraptors
So “chickens” basically?
Chickens that dismount you and knock you out
Yeah, I’m pretty hype for this. It’s got just the basics of what’s needed, and if you want to mod it with upgrades you can.
I only wish there was a way to make it AWD/4WD, and if there was a way for it to tow a little more weight, then it’d be perfect.
As it is now, it’s still a very compelling concept that I might get into as outside of towing, it solves all the things I need a truck for.
Capitalists must be seething
Capitalists funded this, that’s one the benefits of capitalism, if the market is only offering pricey crappy products that people don’t enjoy buying, theres an opening in the market that can be filled with a company selling people exactly what they want and need.
There’s no radio, no Bluetooth, and no speakers of any kind beyond for those required to play basic warning chimes.
Many will consider this a cost-cutting step too far, but the interior was designed for ease of upgrading, with easy mounting space for anything from a simple soundbar to a full sound system.
There’s an integrated phone mount right on the dashboard, but there’s nothing stopping you from bringing something even larger. I expect the low-cost Android tablet and 3D-printing communities to have a field day coming up with in-car media streaming solutions.
framework truck😭
This is 100% it.
All I want is a modular car system. Everything modular. Dashboard. Body panels. Whatever. I want 3+ cars possible on one frame, and to not need anything more than basic tools to swap parts around.
You wanna drive a FOSS OmniMech and so do I
I do. I really do.
Gm said they’d build a sled drivetrain that they could just plop bodies on top of but that never happened sadly.
Wonder why? Seems to me like a money printing machine for them, the factory and non- factory repair shops and the aftermarket.
Unless it’s seen as a way to hide your car from illegal activities, which well now that I think about it is probably the reason they didn’t follow through with the idea.
Probably a balance between it would make it cheap for them to produce, but also bring down the barrier to entry for third party manufacturers to compete with them.
It’d cannibalize part of the market for their higher-priced offerings. Same reason Toyota dropped Scion and GM dropped Saturn.
If only that money wouldn’t be partially going into the pockets of Bezos, it would be amazing.
And while easily replacable panels and such are a good thing. Having the mounting screws exposed like that is a horrendus idea. Because I suspect I know what much younger and very drunk people would do, based on the Mercedes hood ornaments I have in a box somewhere.
I don’t really see a downside to this, so why not line Bezos pockets if he is providing¡g a sane alternative?
As an FYI, (In the United States) all modern cars will have to have some kind of screen (whether built in the mirror, on the dash, or as part of the gauge system) as all cars are required to have backup cameras as of 2018.
Starting in 2029 all cars will be required to have automatic braking technology as well.
We’re never going to be able to purchase new cars that are completely dumbed down ever again, but with how many lives it will save I’d say it’s worth it.
I’m glad that there are some companies that are willing to offer cars with the bare minimum of features at least. I personally would prefer having automatic windows over crank, but if someone wants to save money more power(har har) to them!
EDIT: weather vs whether Braking vs breaking
Way over-thinking it.
Europe and Japan 10-15 years ago all had radios with 4x6 inch no-touch displays for pre-loaded GPS with no internet connection. They switch to backup cameras when in reverse.
America doesn’t need to invent anything here, this is old technology widely used by large parts of the rest is the world.
Can we get another edit for braking instead of breaking, please? Surely all this fancy new-fangled tech never breaks? 😉
Dammit! Lol
all modern cars will have to have some kind of screen (whether built in the mirror, on the dash, or as part of the gauge system)
Starting in 2029 all cars will be required to have automatic breaking
As an FYI, they mention both of these in the article
It is a legal requirement now to have back up cameras. This thing also doesn’t have any airbags, or seatbelts in the back when converted. There is nothing connected to the HVAC controls, you would need a heater box. They haven’t even bothered with a plywood mock interrior is all just 3D printed garbage, literally falling apart in the reviewers hands.
The Chinese have tried this approach for low volume projects with a space frame and bonded plastic and carbon fibre panels, but its just too labour intensive to be practical for any sort of volume. The space frame still has to be painted, so you don’t save any money in a painting setup.
A mandatory part of today’s safety features is a digital rear-view camera. Typically, this view pops up on a modern car’s central infotainment screen, but the Slate doesn’t have one of those. It makes do with just a small display behind the steering wheel as a gauge cluster, which is where that rearview camera will feed.
Need room for more than two passengers? Slate has an SUV upgrade kit that will bolt onto the back of the truck, adding extra rollover crash protection and rear seats with seat belts to match, all in a package that’s easy to install at home.
They aren’t mentioned in this article, but it does evidently have airbags. Where are you getting this info?
It has airbags…
No stereo is a bit spartan, but definitely a move in the right direction regardless. I want one.
I’d be surprised if people couldn’t put in a simple and cheap aftermarket deck and a couple speakers, which would only be around a couple hundo. If these things are easy to work on so you can install it yourself, even better.
I had a truck without a working stereo so I just used some Bluetooth speakers
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Hell yeah
Seems built In speakers will be optional
I have a stereo in mine. Has BT. I still usually just roll with ear buds. Lol.
There is also the Telo Truck. It’s advertised as being as capable as a Toyota Tacoma, but the footprint of a Mini Cooper.
It’s asthetic is more akin to the small trucks in Japan, though.
Edit: it does seem like it has more tech-forward features, but it is otherwise a relatively simple truck in a very manageable size.
Big bonus for Telo is that they support Right to Repair and are trying to use off-the-shelf parts where possible to enable end-user repairs. Oh and it isn’t a unibody so, panels can be replaced if damaged.
Man that fucker is ugly
I love all the right to repair and simple features and small footprint, but God damn that is an ugly mother fucker. To the point I’d be a bit embarrassed to drive it
Lol same here dude. Having googly eyes and buck teeth on the front would be a visual improvement
Remove the doors and roof and it MAY look better, this fucker would make a damn fine Dune buggy if it’s able to roll bars installed.
“Turbo-revvin’ punk! I’ll straighten you out yet!”
Lmao please explain further
I’ve had a lowkey obsession with this truck for a few months now. Sure, the looks aren’t for everyone. But I would get one tomorrow if I could afford it.
I have an older Kia Soul EV that I absolutely love, but could use a truck bed from time to time. I also love kei trucks (I live in Hawai’i and they’re everywhere!). Small vehicles with clever use of space is my jam. And I will never go back from an EV unless I’m absolutely forced to. This Slate truck is kinda awesome as well. Gives old 80s pickup truck vibes and I’m here for it.
That glass roof is a hard sell for me. The truck I currently drive has a sunroof with no cover and I need to wear a hat just to drive comfortably on a sunny day. I never need to see straight up while driving.
I like the Telo, though it is about twice the price of the Slate.
(after federal incentives)
:|
That’s 25-27k for a new electric truck, that’s not bad.
I am excited, this is what my husband and I have been waiting for - a regular vehicle with no bells and whistles just to raise the price
Fun fact, this isn’t $20K but that’s what it takes to get people, to share the article. The actual arrival says that it’s $20K after government rebates in the US. So it’s actually expensive without tax dollars.
I wonder how much petrol/diesel would cost if the government didn’t subsidise it. And if they were actually held liable for oil spills.
And if they were held liable for the damage they’ve done to the environment and climate, and people’s health.
I’m at least glad it’s not yet another bigger truck. I just want a vehicle to get from A to B that can actually fit things in the bed
More to the point, you can’t rely on the US government to continue rebates for EVs unless the manufacturer is owned by Musk.
Yup! And hopefully starts a new thing that other makers get behind!
It’s backed by Bezos. Wouldn’t even consider it for that reason alone.
I’m sure, somehow, mostly everything is at least slightly backed by bezos
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 second that. How about we tax Bezos and Musk et al. into “just” millionaire status and then fucking have parties without these Bezo-trucks.
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.
The front trunk is a safety feature called a crumple zone and is objectively safer to be in a crash with.
Hm. Interesting point.
Maybe as we move our economy away from cars, and people dont all have to be drivers, we could also move away from cars that are poorly designed specifically around bad drivers.
You need infrastructure to actually support an alternative, otherwise cars are a necessity for many people to get to work and the grocery store.
Yeah, it would be nice to not need cars. I feel like this is a step towards function and away from vanity. Which is a good thing, even if it’s not the end goal.
Kei was recently found to botch all of their safety test scores for many years. As another commenter said, any crash in that design is guaranteed life threatening without some type of buffer.
If theres anything Ive learned from the fire departments insistence to have big wide roads so that they can shave off nano seconds to their response time, sometimes theres bigger things than persieved immediate safety to the individual.
For example, if we all drove Kei trucks slowly on small roads, a collision would not be as bad as driving a big safety focused truck at 80mph.
Still, your point is well taken. Maybe there are some ways to make safe small vehicles, including trucks, that arent explored yet.
That is true, except I’m talking about utility primarily. Garbage trucks already fulfill the design I’m mentioning and are used daily in most cities already.
Are you saying that because a heavy duty, highly specialized, utility vehicle, doesn’t have a crumple zone that the Slate truck is a bad design?
In my view the Slate truck is designed as a work vehicle. It’s for people who need to both hual things, and have a place to store tools. It’s trunk is perfect for that.
The Kei, and box trucks that we have in the US (which would have been a way better example for you to use.), are great for delivery vehicles. Jobs where you load things up and come back with an empty truck.
There’s a place for both form factors. The Slate is not a bad design, it just doesn’t fit what you think the use case for a small truck is.
Except that driver and passengers are above most crash situations. That is a cab over truck. The Japanese mini truck you referenced is a forward control. Different things , actually.
That’d be fine too. What’s your point?
People in garbage trucks don’t experience the same magnitude of force in a crash of equal speed, even without crumple zones, for a few reasons:
- Sheer mass of the garbage truck means that the same amount of momentum transfer results in less force to the humans inside. A garbage truck might weigh literally 20 times as much as a kei truck, which means that an abrupt collision will transfer 1/20 as much impulse to the passengers (as most of the force goes into changing the speed of the truck). Even collisions with still objects (trees, walls, poles) result in less force on the passengers, as a lot of the energy ends up deforming or disintegrating that stationary object as a crumple zone.
- Driver/passenger height in a garbage truck is generally above where the collision/deformation occurs. The passenger compartment isn’t under as much crushing force in a garbage truck crash compared to a kei truck at normal human height.
- The height of a garbage truck gives a lot more physical structure to dissipate the forces in a crash.
So the exact same shape/proportions of vehicle can be vastly different safety when large versus small.
European vans are probably the safest of utility cars, they don’t have a front trunk.
I did an image search for “European utility van” and everything I saw had a front engine compartment as a crumple zone. So I’m not sure what point you’re taking to make here.
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.
Exactly, you can usually tell someone actually needs a truck if it’s got a stainless box behind the cab. Obviously there’s still people who cosplay as truck drivers that will have them too, but there are other signs you can use to tell them apart.
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 won’t be able to afford anything anyway pretty soon.
Forward control trucks, like that Kei truck are shit in so many respects, it would take a while to list. Source: I’ve owned one of it’s larger siblings and learned to hate them (being 187 cm tall didn’t help)
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.
They don’t make electric Kei trucks though.
Yet.
That’s cute. Do you have any idea how auto regulations work in Japan? The Auto industry owns the politicians and is the reason that cars are forced to be taken off the road after a set number of years. If companies like Toyota don’t want to make an EV, the government will not force the matter.
That’s cute. Do you have any idea how auto regulations work in Japan?
Stop performing for likes to an audience that already agrees with you, and be civil. This is why I left reddit. You’re doing a great job proving to me that the reddit model is fundamentally broken and cannot be fixed. Prove me wrong.
I have owned a Nissan vanette, And let me tell you, it’s a van-full of nope! Steering is super weird, as the wheels are under you, the feeling that your knees are going to be what crumples in a crash is unnerving, having the engine right next to you (it’s between the front seats) is smelly, warms up one of you thighs, but just one, even in the summer, and a slew of other shit. Standard layout for me, at least Eurovan layout.
Yea but we’re talking about electric vehicles now, no engine block.
Damn, an electric truck I might actually want. It’s a shame it’s made in America
My exact thought! I wish a Canadian startup did exactly that, I’d buy one immediately
Eddison? They aren’t making a truck but hybrid kits to re fit into existing platforms. Using cummins 4 cylinder diesels. Plus they got topsy to hit the market soon.
Interesting thank you! Not yet the tiny no bells no whistles electric pickup I’m hoping for, but it’s nice to see Canadian alternatives for things i didn’t know we did!
This will never come to market. Perhaps in a different timeline, but not this one.
Agree. Elon… Err Doge will change regulatory rules until they run out of money.
Here is where Bezos makes sense. He is also evil, but he’s actually smart, and can take on Elon. The last thing Elon needs right now is Bezos head on.
Why not?
The past is prologue. If this startup was happening in any other country I would give it a chance. But it has zero chance of success here because of… checks notes… greed, corruption, weaponization of venture capital, weaponization of regulatory state and many many more.
I mean, those are all real problems, but you can say that about any company or product…
I will either happily admit that I am wrong, or happily plunk down some cash for one of these in 2027.
Weaponisation of venture capital?
Believe it or not, some people will spend money to gain a position of power to run a company into the ground. If you cant just buy it and kill it, you make sure someone gets near the levers of power to run it into the ground.
Sign me THE FUCK up, have been looking at 90s danger rangers to sate my small truck fix but so many of them have a car-looking front end.
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.
Oh fuck yeah
Sudo unlock drivers-door
Imagine turning on the engine and the A/C via SSH on a hot day, remotely from the office.
I live in a rural area and need to do truck stuff frequently (ex. We have no trash pickup and have to haul it ourselves to the dump). Something like this is very appealing to me. I could also see this being useful as a fleet vehicle that doesn’t really leave campus grounds (think facilities/grounds/maintenance).
This is a truck I’d actually feel comfortable driving. Unlike those gender affirming, semi truck adjacent, embarrassing pavement princess trucks that you see everywhere now.
