Hacker News Reader

Comment by TulliusCicero | Hacker News Reader

I don't mind restricting Chinese imports in principle, since China is well known to be very protectionist, moreso than Western countries for sure. Trade needs to be a two way street.

That said, it is indeed disappointing that we can't get their affordable EVs over here. Western legacy automakers really need a kick in the ass (especially since Tesla seems to just be phoning it in now).

View on HN

With EVs, Tesla's the only one in the US not phoning it in. I used to think they were until I got a new Model Y Juniper.

I don't count Rivian or Lucid until they actually have even somewhat affordable EVs.

But pretty much everyone else in the US is doing a piss poor job with EVs and just don't seem to care at all. Ford seemed to have lost interest in the F-150 lightning.

I agree that trade needs to be a two way street. But I'm not convinced yet on "affordable" since these might be severely subsidized by the Chinese Gov to undermine domestic car makers across different nations. I say might only because I'm not 100% sure.

> Ford seemed to have lost interest in the F-150 lightning.

It’s cancelled.

So is the Chev Silverado EV.

The Chevy is not. A refresh was delayed

EV trucks don't work yet. The technology isn't there yet in this country. You can't tow.

You can tow. However you can't reasonably tow for any distance. You can probably even tow for most trips - but you will spend 1/3rd of the trip or more sitting at a fast charger in the best case (and in many cases the only charger is a level 2 chargers so many hours at the charger for every 1 driving)

??? There is such a thing as a cybertruck. It can tow better than any other truck.

> ??? There is such a thing as a cybertruck. It can tow better than any other truck.

Better than any other truck? I don't think so.

Better than any other EV truck? Unsure.

Or if we're still referencing that fully discredited "Cybertruck can tow a Porsche and still be faster than a Porsche", well: https://www.theautopian.com/a-cybertruck-towing-a-porsche-91...

How do you like Model Y so far? I am eyeing that and a Rivian. The newest Y design is great (outside) and the price is where I want it. But I can’t help thinking that it will break the second I complete my signature for purchase/lease.

I absolutely love it. I had a Model 3 for 7 years before that, and that car (at least in 2018) felt like a slightly beta car. Manufacturing was a bit shoddy in places, but still was an _awesome_ car to have for 7 years.

But the Model Y seems like they fixed everything I complained about with the 3. Smoother ride, everything feels higher quality, and FSD (if you can get it) is just amazing.

Anyway with Teslas, you feel like you're living 10 years in the future from everyone else on the road. But Full Self-Driving makes it feel even more stark.

Like I said, at the price points of the Model Y (at its quality), there aren't too many alternatives. At least in Sept 2025 when I looked. I wish there were.

I don't count BYD because I was never going to buy a BYD even if it was available, because of how deeply connected these cars are nowadays. Maybe it's irrational, but giving the growing drumbeat of some sort of conflict with China over Taiwan, it doesn't seem prudent to have a fully connected car phoning home to the CCP.

Price point is a major factor. I am looking at other EVs but can’t get over how expensive some are (e.g. Taycan). Now I know there is an argument that a Porsche drives nothing like a Tesla, and sure, I believe it. (I own a Boxster). But the price gap is huge.

Thanks for the insight. The more I look at the Y the more it moves closer to the top my list.

Tesla still seems like they're phoning it in to me. Where's the generational refreshes? Where's the Model 2, or any new regular consumer models?

Obviously Rivian and Lucid don't have affordable cars yet, but they seem to be moving in that direction, and they're clearly still trying.

I'm hopeful about Slate, though obviously they haven't sold anything yet so it's just hope.

I do think they're missing an affordable SUV (something that's a true 3-row SUV like the Model X but cheaper). And Musk has teased something like that recently.

And Rivian is about to make an affordable SUV. So overall, I am hoping that there is a vibrant ecosystem of EVs from companies that actually understand software (as opposed to many EVs that have shitty software). Not sure about Lucid.

>Ford seemed to have lost interest in the F-150 lightning.

Here's to hoping their EV Maverick is still on track:

Ford Teases New Details About Its $30K EV Truck Coming Next Year

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a71204448/ford-ev-truck-fu...

I've had to rent cars a couple times the last year due to flight cancellations. Twice I got a corolla and was really impressed how nice they were, then I got an upgrade to a Cadillac. It had the lousiest transmission and the interior was covered in low quality feeling materials. Honestly at this point I would never buy American, sloppiest fit and finish I've seen.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com