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Comment by wsc981 | Hacker News Reader

I'm just a Dutch guy that emigrated to Thailand, but I'd never trade my Toyota Hilux diesel for an electric truck. I don't want to have to rely on electric to be able to drive my car. A hybrid could be ok though.

The nice thing about diesel, in case of emergency is you can have a couple of filled jerrycans around so you can always move if needed. I like the reliability, it feels more anti-fragile, if that makes sense.

I wonder if the Gibraltar company that produces Toyota trucks for UN [0] is going fully electric anytime soon, if ever.

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[0]: https://www.offgridweb.com/transportation/toyota-gibraltar-t...

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While ICE vehicles need gas/diesel specifically to run, EVs can be charged from a variety of sources, including a diesel generator. Electricity is the great unifier. You could pedal a bike to make some electricity, but no amount of pedaling will create fossil fuels.

“ in case of emergency is you can have a couple of filled jerrycans around so you can always move if needed”

How many times has this been a problem for you?

Luckily I haven't had any emergencies. But in Thailand recently there's been flooding in the south, many people stuck. And in eastern part many people have been evacuated due to border tensions with Cambodia.

I live in the north-west Thailand, close to the border with Myanmar. An area known as the Golden Triangle [0].

About once a month or so we don't have electricity for a about 10-12 hours or so.

I also experienced a quite big earthquake here about a year ago.

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[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Triangle_(Southeast_Asi...

Seems like an electric vehicle that could serve as an electricity backup might actually be more useful for you than not.

That's a need that can also be met with a towable trailer that locks up tools, carries batteries, and supports panels for charging, eg:

* https://www.solarbatterywarehouse.com.au/solar-battery-shop/...

In an emergency you can leave the house in regular vehicle leaving trailer behind to power the freezer.

In other times it's handy for powering tools away from a main supply.

It's also a honeypot of nickable stuff so it'd be good to invest in quality locks and towball / wheel locks.

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