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This is a breath of fresh air. Modern pick up trucks post-2017 are giant vehicles with high danger to pedestrians. They are often touted as off road capable wit
by fumar 1y ago
This is a breath of fresh air. Modern pick up trucks post-2017 are giant vehicles with high danger to pedestrians. They are often touted as off road capable with high utility, and I see them in pristine condition on city streets hauling a totality of one human.
Good overviews of the truck https://youtu.be/aEq-vTLimrQ?si=fS-UhjndoWuxwBip https://youtu.be/aEq-vTLimrQ?si=fS-UhjndoWuxwBip
https://youtu.be/1OgN_qctcGs?si=nEysWQHzafRpxfRp https://youtu.be/1OgN_qctcGs?si=nEysWQHzafRpxfRp
- jonplackett 1y agoI wonder what this is like for driver safety though - not a lot of crumple zone in that nose!
- kimixa 1y agoNot as much crumple zone as you might think in a "traditional" truck if most of the space is full of a solid metal block
- disqard 1y agoYou're both right! I noticed the lack of a "crumple zone" the instant I saw the image. ...and a moment later, I also realized it's usually a solid engine block that sits there. I shudder to think of what actually happens when that zone "crumples". Back to the Telo MT1, it's great that they redesigned it from the ground up, around it being an EV -- it's like the Phelps Tractor having reins, and then somebody asking "why does it need to have reins if there's no horse?"
- apparent 1y ago> ...and a moment later, I also realized it's usually a solid engine block that sits there. I shudder to think of what actually happens when that zone "crumples". I believe the engine drops down and the rest crumples inward, at least in theory.
- Spooky23 1y agoDon't shudder, learn about it. The engine is designed to move based on the design of the frame rails and mounts -- it is pushed under the passenger compartment, absorbing and deflecting more energy. I'm sure the Telo is designed to modern standards and would perform similarly. I'd be more worried about expensive damage to the vehicle in less personally dangerous collisions.
- gdudeman 1y agoThis would be my concern. A fender bender hits the wheels on this thing and suddenly you're doing major surgery to repair it.
- spiderfarmer 1y agoDecades of research, innovation, crash tests and rule changes have been put into improving safety in head on collisions. It’s not like you’re the first who wonders what will happen with engine block. It’s designed to go down. Although I don’t know about American trucks. I think they are meant to wreak havoc on every single person involved.
- cjblomqvist 1y agoMy neighbour designs the crumble zone on Volvo's heavy duty trucks. They at least spend a shit ton of effort (continuous, multi-decade) on making anything hit by the truck having as little effect as possible (at least). Quite a challenge with heavy duty trucks shipping tens of tons of stuff, but anyway.
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- api 1y agoVehicular elephantiasis is largely the result of perverse incentives from emission regulation. Make something big enough and it fits into different more lax categories. The way we do emission and mileage standards might do more harm than good unless you’re an oil company.
- adastra22 1y agoAlso the arms race of collision survivablity. I have no interest in driving a big truck, but with all the other big trucks out there I’m seriously tempted just for my own safety…
- pantalaimon 1y agoThe only logical next step is the mini-tank
- miningape 1y agoJust wait until 2050 when we all have our own killdozers [1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Heemeyer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Heemeyer
- masklinn 1y agoI've been looking at the GTK Boxer since it was first announced. The modularity means you can bring the kids to school then swap the rear module for one more suited to transporting raw materials, you just need a garage equipped with a 15t crane to do the swap at home in just a few minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn_WblYc4xk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn_WblYc4xk
- carlosjobim 1y agoYou only need a Pentium 3 machine to read and write on Hacker News.
- daymanstep 1y agoYou can do it with a raspberry pi.
- rambambram 1y agoDid that for a couple of years. RPi4 as my daily driver (including image creation and video editing). https://www.heyhomepage.com/?module=blog&link=1&post=4 https://www.heyhomepage.com/?module=blog&link=1&post=4
- topato 1y agoI don't get it, is the joke, 'stating the obvious'?
- carlosjobim 1y agoWhy is it wrong to have a powerful vehicle if you don't always use it for tasks demanding that power, but it's okay to have a surplus of power for low-demanding computing tasks?
- scubbo 1y agoBecause accomplishing the same task with a more powerful (i.e. larger) vehicle is a) more polluting, and b) more dangerous for other road users; two things that are not true for a surplus of computing power.
- monkeyelite 1y agoAre you sure your house is the minimum you need? It's looking a little bit nicer and more spacious than others.
- yahoozoo 1y agoThe things you listed are _why_ people buy them. If they wanted something smaller, they would go with a Toyota Tacoma or a Nissan Titan.
- jama211 1y agoPeople by and large don’t really know what they want, they purchase based on vibes and manipulation. If people in general really wanted these trucks they’d be more popular outside of America. The truck has been a boiled frog, slowly growing in size and people haven’t realised it. Also Americans in general have a bit of a cultural issue with ego, individualism and all that, which doesn’t help.
- cosmic_cheese 1y agoEven Tacomas are larger than they used to be. One day not too long ago when I was running errands I came across an early 2000s Tacoma (before they got bumped up to midsize trucks) and was almost dumbfounded, because it’d been so long since I’d seen a truck that size. It’s a great size, but nobody makes them like that any more. I’d like a small truck for DIY house projects in a suburb, but even the “small” Ford Maverick is nearly a foot longer than a 2000 Tacoma and the 2025 Tacoma is about two feet longer, both of which would be awkward to park and maneuver on the tight streets around here. Their increased height is dangeorus with all the kids running around, too. So, well, I don’t have a truck. The Telo and maybe Slate are the first two modern trucks that I could realistically consider. Hoping for an R3T that’s sized similarly to Rivian’s upcoming R3 (which is comparable in size to a VW Golf) but that’s probably not going to happen.
- TimTheTinker 1y agoWhy not import a Kei truck from Japan?
- cosmic_cheese 1y agoCan’t legally register them in my state for now, would need to register it in a neighboring state, which is a lot of trouble for a 25+ year old vehicle.
- SilverElfin 1y ago> I see them in pristine condition on city streets hauling a totality of one human. It’s about having one vehicle that can do it all. Maybe you’re noticing when there’s one human but you don’t really know how else that person is using the vehicle at other times. Trucks can haul people, things, do road trips, etc. pretty well.
- bix6 1y agoExcept that one vehicle is completely incompetent for its primary use 99% of the time :)
- culi 1y agoIn a sane society "knowing someone with a truck" is all you really need. In a highly individualistic society "having a truck just in case" is the dominant precept
- amelius 1y agoIn most places in the 1st world you can rent a truck if you need one * For other times, use a car. * a truck is just a car that misses a roof over the back part of it
- bArray 1y ago> * a truck is just a car that misses a roof over the back part of it Respectfully, a truck is not just a car missing the back part of it. It often has a lot more power, is lifted, has off-road springs, larger wheels, low and high speed gear box, roll cage for the front cabin, raised air intake - the list goes on. Most people, though, do just need a car with a removable back.
- amelius 1y agoIn any case, the "truck" from the article doesn't seem to have all that.
- 65 1y agoYou could have written this exact comment on the Slate Truck announcement post.
- dyauspitr 1y agoI find no problems with them being giant. I drive a F150 Lightning and since it all electric I love that it’s big.
- Aurornis 1y ago> They are often touted as off road capable with high utility, and I see them in pristine condition on city streets When I was off-roading and traveling a lot of dirt trails with my truck I would also wash it, wax it, and keep it in pristine condition when I got back home. What did you expect? That we’d leave the mud on it forever, never wash it, and all of the side panels would be bashed in? If you’d climb under the truck (as I do for oil changes) you could see a lot of scrapes and dings from rocks, but I avoid damaging the side and front because that’s very expensive to repair. Anyway, most of the trucks sold today aren’t sold in the off-road trim. They’re sold with features like lower clearance air dams up front for better fuel economy, on-road tires for better road noise and fuel economy, and commonly in 2WD trims. A new F150 can get 25mpg on the freeway even without the hybrid option. I work remote so my truck isn’t used for commutes. I frequently haul things in the bed. I off road with friends. Yet that doesn’t stop some people from making snide remarks about driving a truck. Some people love being angry at truck drivers and imagining they’re all just making irrational choices. They won’t be happy until we’re driving to Home Depot or UHaul every other weekend to rent a truck or trailer instead of parking one in our driveways. It doesn’t stop them from calling me up and asking for help moving furniture when they need it, though. :)
- 01100011 1y agoPeople addicted to online forums love to comment and upvote posts which trash talk trucks. People who own and enjoy trucks are busy leading fun and productive lives and can't be bothered to waste their time with online arguments.
- jdudjduuxhx 1y ago[flagged]
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- kristo 1y agoBecause they are subsidized by the rest of us. That’s all we want to stop.
- sneak 1y agoThis is the originally unintended side effect of regulation that applies to cars. Americans generally don’t want tiny vehicles. The option that leaves them is trucks and, increasingly, SUVs.
- ujkhsjkdhf234 1y agoI want a tiny car. The problem is that road design is unsafe so people buy bigger cars so they are safer when they get into an accident. I've seen the aftermath of a Chrysler Fiat getting into a collision with an SUV and lets just say the Fiat driver had much worse day than the SUV driver.
- monkeyelite 1y agothose are the trucks that people who buy trucks like. This truck is designed to appeal to people who don't buy trucks.
- kortilla 1y ago>They are often touted as off road capable with high utility, and I see them in pristine condition on city streets hauling a totality of one human. If you off-road with a truck and keep it clean afterwards, this is exactly what it looks like on the street.
- nodesocket 1y agoThe risk to pedestrians is pretty much a non-factor in this. It’s going to come down to business / agriculture adoption where I see the largest market opportunity. Think service technicians such as HVAC, plumbers, construction. If these can make financial sense in terms of ROI and cost of ownership then Telo can make it. Currently the base price of $41,500 is a bit on the higher end, though of course will save dramatically on fuel and maintenance over industry standard vans and light trucks.
- andrepd 1y agoIt's a failure of law and regulation that those things are even allowed. Their existence is a direct attack on the freedom of third parties.
- TimTheTinker 1y ago> This is a breath of fresh air. But for $41,000? To me that's an automatic nope... I can import a used Kei truck that works just fine from Japan for less than $10,000.
- roncesvalles 1y agoIt fully misses the main reason people buy trucks in the US -- to signal where they stand on the political spectrum.
- KevinGlass 1y agoThe primary purpose of a pickup truck is gender affirming care for men in an increasing confusing world.
- hereme888 1y agoYea, it's not like men have a natural preference for tools, liking to repair things, cool toys to carry on the back, or think "why get a mini-cooper when I can get an F-150 to carry my hunting gear, tow the boat". It obviously all culture-imposed gender preferences.
- viraptor 1y ago> it's not like men have a natural preference for tools A proven preference they're born with and unrelated to the culture they grow up in? Please do link to that study!
- hereme888 1y agoYou don't need to study if grass is green or water is wet, but you're welcome to study why.
- viraptor 1y agoIf you don't question the basics, you will miss they grass is not always green, depending on environment https://www.australianplantsonline.com.au/imperata-rubra-japanese-blood-grass.html https://www.australianplantsonline.com.au/imperata-rubra-jap... https://www.oztrees.com.au/product/austrostipa-scabra/ https://www.oztrees.com.au/product/austrostipa-scabra/ So yes, sometimes you need to study that before assuming that what you usually see is natural rather than shaped.
- hereme888 1y agoAdults should have the ability to understand abstract examples. Of course I've been outdoors and observed the grass is literally not always green.
- Abishek_Muthian 1y agoThere's a nice Jay Leno video on this truck with the founders as well - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw250Va1JFo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw250Va1JFo