• polographer@lemm.ee
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    2 months ago

    What the article fails to discover is that Mexico already has an electric car. https://zacua.com/?lang=en , design is similar to a smart four two, range is low ~ 124 miles and price is high for Mexico ~ 30k usd. The BYD dolphin is in Mexico around ~21k with a range of 236 miles. So the Mexican one doesn’t compete at all.

    It would be great if there are more incentives to the local production, so this may be good thing for Mexico.

    • Someonelol@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      2 months ago

      The Zacua only goes up 85kph. While it may be good for intra city driving it may not be ideal for much else, even in Mexico with somewhat lower max road speeds.

      • Fondots@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        The price point is way off, but strangely enough I’ve personally been champing at the bit for something with pretty much exactly those specs,just at about half the price.

        Currently, I daily drive an SUV and do get good use out of it. I have to commute in the snow (essential employee,) I have outdoorsy hobbies that require hauling people and camping gear around, I tow some small trailers, I use it pretty frequently to move furniture, pick up lumber and other bulky stuff from the hardware store, etc. and while I don’t go off-roading in the sense that I don’t purposely go looking for rocks to climb and mud to drive through for fun, I do sometimes drive onto a beach to fish or drive onto fields for various reasons, and find myself on some really shitty dirt roads where some ground clearance and 4wd are necessary. I’m doing those things usually a few times a month.

        But most of my daily driving adds up to 20 miles a day or less, on paved roads, rarely going over 45mph. I also have a wonky schedule where I rarely have to work more than 3 days in a row, and it’s usually just me and occasionally my wife or my dog (rarely both at the same time)

        I can’t quite afford 2 cars, but something like this at the right price point would probably tip the scales in my favor. I could daily drive the small cheap electric car and save my SUV (or maybe a small truck) for my days off when I’m doing stuff that it’s needed for while the small car charges.

      • polographer@lemm.ee
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        2 months ago

        Ahh yes that’s true I forgot that, while that not a highway speed it is perfectly fine for city, most cities max speed is around 40/60 km/h in Mexico. The designof the car is purely for inside city.

  • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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    2 months ago

    If you’re after a small and affordable electric car then you’re not exactly in the market for a Tesla anyway. What is this headline?

  • Jo Miran@lemmy.ml
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    2 months ago

    Güero Motors introduces its new, ultra-affordable EV for the North American taxi/Uber/Lyft market, the Cab Run.

  • HobbitFoot @thelemmy.club
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    2 months ago

    It might have a shot. It has a large auto industry already. All it needs are batteries and electric motors.

    • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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      2 months ago

      Give me like 150-200 miles range and charge ~$20k and I’d buy it. Don’t need anything fancy, just something to get to work and back.

      • Duamerthrax@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Something people don’t consider is that lighter cars can have better ranges with smaller batteries. That also means it doesn’t take as long to charge the batteries when you stop somewhere for lunch. The Aptera is the only EV that’s light enough to get away with pure solar charging for most use cases. An aluminum beetle with solar covering the roof might be close as well.

        • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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          2 months ago

          That would be sick, and I could probably drop my mileage needs to 100-150 if solar charging is effective. I basically just need to get to/from work in the winter, and our winters tend to have pretty clear skies unless there’s a storm (in which case I’d WFH).

          Some inexpensive options would get more people interested in EVs.

  • thefartographer@lemm.ee
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    2 months ago

    Bring back the Nova and sell a bundle of some steel wool, rubber bands, and used 9v batteries. Package it all in a cookies tin.

    Sell it as a direct competitor to the CyberTruck with all the same features and promises including towing a 911 faster than a 911.