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Comment by SV_BubbleTime | Hacker News Reader

A. It didn’t explode at all. AT BEST it deflagrated. But really, it was set on fire to make a ham fisted political point. The car didn’t do anything on its own.

B. BusinessInsider isn’t a real site. It’s a political blog pretending to be legitimate on zero earned merit.

C. Why does it matter that it was rented? And how is this some stunning reveal of a Turo business flaw that the NOLA murderer also used the popular rental service?

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> C. Why does it matter that it was rented? And how is this some stunning reveal of a Turo business flaw that the NOLA murderer also used the popular rental service?

Both were EV trucks rented through Turo and had explosives placed in them on the same day. Hell of a coincidence if not related.

Since (A) the Las Vegas vehicle did not explode - at all - I’m waiting for a reputable source to say the Vegas one had “explosives”. At best, the video sounds like possible fireworks, also deflagration, not explosion.

? There's a video of it exploding.

https://youtu.be/HLgKKKWDJF0?si=eRWipHRDMJ08Qltc at 1:07.

I Googled "Cybertruck exploding" and it came up. It took 5 or maybe 10 seconds.

Are you trying to quibble over whether the car itself exploded? If so, what point are you trying to make?

Thanks. Link to timepoint (for those who can't stand this TV 'news' format):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLgKKKWDJF0&t=49s

I think they are pointing out that the actual battery pack didn't burn, just the flammable cargo. When you say an EV exploded, the implication is a lithium fire, which would be a LOT bigger and harder to put out.

Anything discussion that involves Musk, even tangentially, is spammed by his protectors. People are making sure Musk looks good.

Conversely, everything involving Musk also gets spammed by his hatedom.

I haven't seen that.

Note that his post saying that HackerNews is full of Elon haters was downvoted to negatives.

Can you respond to this at the object level rather than trying to meta-analyze why people are saying things? I'm still not following why anyone thinks this is inaccurate.

Yeah makes sense, thanks.

Fireworks are explosive. Low-explosive, to be technical. Low-explosives are also considered explosives.

We want to see real explosives.

No we don’t.

> the Las Vegas vehicle did not explode - at all

What killed the occupant?

A bullet apparently.

suicide

Yes, but that saved them from burning to death. They were burnt beyond recognition.

Burnt beyond recognition… but his ID and passport were almost completely fine and readable…

What is your point? It was a conspiracy? To what end? Is someone disputing their identity?

Hardly: how many rental car companies are there? What is the relative price of them in those areas? Is the distribution of outlets higher in those areas or available rental stock higher?

There aren't that many rental car companies: this is the birthday paradox in action.

> What is the relative price of them

If price was a factor, why rent a Cybertruck, or any truck at all? Or an EV? A small traditional car would be much cheaper.

Does Turo make it easier to rent a car anonymously or with false identity? I've never heard of them or used them just wondering if that might be more the reason. I see they are "Car rentals, reimagined" and they sound something like an AirBNB for cars so it would be unsurprising to me if they played fast and loose with things like customer identification.

It’s not like there are strict rules governing who is allowed to rent a car (you pretty much just need to be old enough and have a driver’s license). Turo makes you take a selfie with your driver’s license within 24 hours of picking up the car. If you find a legal driver with a similar appearance and a copy of their driver’s license, maybe you could engage in identity theft and get away with renting a car from Turo even if you’re unlicensed. But you could do the same thing at an old school rental counter! It’s not like they’re fingerprinting you or scanning your retinas.

The reason I use Turo is that they offer a wide variety of vehicles, and you get to pick out what exact car you’re going to rent when you book it. I’ve used it to rent models that I’m considering buying. I’ve also used it just to avoid repeating the miserable experience of waiting in line at the rental counter for an hour after my flight lands at 1 AM. I can rent something nice, and pick it up from the parking garage next to the terminal.

Anyway, if I wanted to rent a Cybertruck, or any other specific model, Turo is certainly how I’d do it.

> It’s not like there are strict rules governing who is allowed to rent a car

Perhaps there might be some stricter rules coming, as rented vehicles seem to play into a lot of terrorist plans. On the other hand, I guess if all the past events didn't prompt that, why would these latest two?

there are a lot of rentacar companies I can name, because I've heard of them. Then there is this one I have never heard of involved in two weird incidents this week.

Fireworks in a car. On new years. What are the chances?

Fireworks in a Cybertruck, blowing up in front of the Trump hotel, using the same app?

The symbolic alignment there is... considerable, for it to be a coincidence.

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