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I've had the same issue with content around this vehicle category. Serviceability is a major component of vehicle ownership that's often overlooked by automotiv

I've had the same issue with content around this vehicle category. Serviceability is a major component of vehicle ownership that's often overlooked by automotive journalists in the thrall of novel or exotic ideas.

LinuxBender 5y ago
Agreed. My concerns with such vehicles is that they may be too tantalizing for people at such a low cost, only to find there is nowhere to get them worked on and nowhere to get the parts. The end result could be landfills full of these things. If there were any examples of hobbyists building these from the ground up using after-market parts that might be convincing enough to mitigate the concerns around these being disposable cars. Surely by now there must be a generation of tinkerers that would love to build and modify these little cars.
- Accujack 5y ago
  Definitely, if they were legal in the countries where those tinkerers live. I can see replacement electronics and batteries and motors being done to try to extend range and improve performance. The use of commodity rather than special automotive parts is not a problem - most experimental electric vehicles (include e-bikes, skateboards, etc) don't use automotive specific parts, because those are usually too expensive, too specific purpose, and occasionally proprietary. If these cars were sold with schematics or even block diagrams I could see lots of people buying one just for local use or modding.
- crocodiletears 5y ago
  I'm afraid that the past couple decades in technological progress have been unkind to people who might have engaged in such tinkering. DRM and safety regulations will ensure that vehicle repair, modification, and fabrication are pastimes for the rich or the professionally trained. If this category of ultra-low-cost EV is brought to Europe or North America at scale, I think it'll be on some sort of subscription model where maintenance is locked down as a service that accompaies the subscription package. This would ensure that component replacement is baked into the ongoing revenue model, and that the manufacturer can retrofit more robust components as needed without the capital expenses of acquiring or developing a durable vehicle from the get-go.

LinuxBender 5y ago

Agreed. My concerns with such vehicles is that they may be too tantalizing for people at such a low cost, only to find there is nowhere to get them worked on and nowhere to get the parts. The end result could be landfills full of these things. If there were any examples of hobbyists building these from the ground up using after-market parts that might be convincing enough to mitigate the concerns around these being disposable cars. Surely by now there must be a generation of tinkerers that would love to build and modify these little cars.

Accujack 5y ago
Definitely, if they were legal in the countries where those tinkerers live. I can see replacement electronics and batteries and motors being done to try to extend range and improve performance. The use of commodity rather than special automotive parts is not a problem - most experimental electric vehicles (include e-bikes, skateboards, etc) don't use automotive specific parts, because those are usually too expensive, too specific purpose, and occasionally proprietary. If these cars were sold with schematics or even block diagrams I could see lots of people buying one just for local use or modding.
crocodiletears 5y ago
I'm afraid that the past couple decades in technological progress have been unkind to people who might have engaged in such tinkering. DRM and safety regulations will ensure that vehicle repair, modification, and fabrication are pastimes for the rich or the professionally trained. If this category of ultra-low-cost EV is brought to Europe or North America at scale, I think it'll be on some sort of subscription model where maintenance is locked down as a service that accompaies the subscription package. This would ensure that component replacement is baked into the ongoing revenue model, and that the manufacturer can retrofit more robust components as needed without the capital expenses of acquiring or developing a durable vehicle from the get-go.