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There were a similar number of car manufacturers in the US in the early 1900s. Many of them were essentially assemblers, bolting together parts made by other co

There were a similar number of car manufacturers in the US in the early 1900s. Many of them were essentially assemblers, bolting together parts made by other companies; most of them didn't survive long enough to release a second model. It's a natural developmental stage in any emerging technology. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_defunct_automobile_manufacturers_of_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_defunct_automobile_man...

Zanni 7y ago
I thought this was an interesting point even if "similar number" was an exaggeration by an order of magnitude. Then I clicked through. Holy shit. If anything it's an underestimate. Hundreds and hundreds of American car companies that lived for what looks like an average of two or three years, clustered around 1910. Seriously, worth taking a look.
- Gravityloss 7y ago
  Cars were a lot simpler back then though.
  - jdietrich 7y ago
    An EV is much simpler than an ICE car. Modern EVs use what is known as a "skateboard" platform, with the wheels, powertrain and battery forming a flat package. For western manufacturers, this means that they can build anything from a family car to a panel van on essentially the same platform, massively reducing development costs; Chinese startups can just buy a skateboard as a rolling chassis and bolt a body on top. It's essentially a return to the old body-on-frame approach that dominated prior to the 1960s. https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/skateboard-chassis-electric-car/ https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/skateboard-chassis-electr...
    - Gravityloss 7y ago
      It is a fascinating subject. ICE cars also used to separate platform and body. Coach builders might have been completely separate ones from the rolling chassis makers. Monocoque construction made that harder. Engines might have been one cylinder side valve arrangements. Electric starters only came around after 1910 or so. Compression ratios and temperatures were low. Cars only had a few gears. Closer to a pull start lawn mower technologically than a Tesla.
  - whenchamenia 7y ago
    Not compred to the tech of the day. Most pre-war cars had a higher parts-count than a common car made today. Old does not imply simple.

Zanni 7y ago

I thought this was an interesting point even if "similar number" was an exaggeration by an order of magnitude. Then I clicked through. Holy shit. If anything it's an underestimate. Hundreds and hundreds of American car companies that lived for what looks like an average of two or three years, clustered around 1910. Seriously, worth taking a look.

Gravityloss 7y ago
Cars were a lot simpler back then though.
- jdietrich 7y ago
  An EV is much simpler than an ICE car. Modern EVs use what is known as a "skateboard" platform, with the wheels, powertrain and battery forming a flat package. For western manufacturers, this means that they can build anything from a family car to a panel van on essentially the same platform, massively reducing development costs; Chinese startups can just buy a skateboard as a rolling chassis and bolt a body on top. It's essentially a return to the old body-on-frame approach that dominated prior to the 1960s. https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/skateboard-chassis-electric-car/ https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/skateboard-chassis-electr...
  - Gravityloss 7y ago
    It is a fascinating subject. ICE cars also used to separate platform and body. Coach builders might have been completely separate ones from the rolling chassis makers. Monocoque construction made that harder. Engines might have been one cylinder side valve arrangements. Electric starters only came around after 1910 or so. Compression ratios and temperatures were low. Cars only had a few gears. Closer to a pull start lawn mower technologically than a Tesla.
- whenchamenia 7y ago
  Not compred to the tech of the day. Most pre-war cars had a higher parts-count than a common car made today. Old does not imply simple.