chrisBob (u/chrisBob)

chrisBob commented on Ford Has Steered Its Former EV Truck and Plant Plans in to a Ditch 512pixels.net/2025/12/for... · Posted by u/zdw

Marsymars · 2 days ago

I was going to make a similar point - the math changes quite a bit if you're a multi-car household - in that case it absolutely makes sense to have at least one vehicle that's a short-range EV.

My household is a newer hybrid Ford Maverick and an older ICE Impreza (that gets worse fuel economy than the Maverick) - if we were replacing the Impreza today we'd probably go for a 2026 Leaf or a used Chevy Bolt.

chrisBob · 2 days ago

I had a 2004 WRC that we replaced with the IONIQ 6. The Hyundai is a great upgrade, and let us keep AWD. We could get by with less range on that car, but for now we just take the truck if we are going more than 100 miles one way.

chrisBob commented on Ford Has Steered Its Former EV Truck and Plant Plans in to a Ditch 512pixels.net/2025/12/for... · Posted by u/zdw

bongodongobob · 2 days ago

Beyond that, there's a huge culture/propaganda problem for the demographic. Electric vehicles are gay, for sissies, we run on gas like my grandpappy did, climate change is fake, toaster on wheels, Joe Biden wants to take our trucks away, etc. Also the legitimate repair complaint: joe redneck can easily get parts for his 1998 F150 and fix it himself. There is no EV repair culture yet.

chrisBob · 2 days ago

I didn't want to say it in my original post because I don't want to offend anyone, but "Most pickups are gender affirming care".

chrisBob commented on Ford Has Steered Its Former EV Truck and Plant Plans in to a Ditch 512pixels.net/2025/12/for... · Posted by u/zdw

SeanAnderson · 2 days ago

Your perspective is kind of confusing to me.

I'm 35, don't own a vehicle, and have never owned a vehicle. I live in SF. I think I'm finally getting to the point in my life where, maybe, I want a vehicle. I'd use it to take myself to camping music festivals and Burning Man. That's about it. Oh, I'm sure I'd find other uses for it, helping friends haul stuff, etc... but, practically speaking, most of my needs are consistently addressed by public transit and/or Waymo.

I guess what I'm trying to say is - literally the only time I feel like I'm missing out on a vehicle is when I have a need to transport a large amount of stuff a large amount of miles into desolate environments.

Does that mean my desire for a truck is imaginary/aspirational because, if I were to own it, 99% of the time I'd be content with a low range battery? I can see why people would think that, but, to me, it seems more like the 1% is the rationale for owning the vehicle.

chrisBob · 2 days ago

I don't think people who can meet there needs with public transit are the target market of many car manufacturers. Most truck miles are driving to work and the store. Your use case sounds like it would be perfect for renting a vehicle, especially since it would save you from storing and insuring it an extra 300 days per year.

chrisBob commented on Ford Has Steered Its Former EV Truck and Plant Plans in to a Ditch 512pixels.net/2025/12/for... · Posted by u/zdw

9rx · 2 days ago

I'd love to have an electric pickup truck. It'd primarily be for farm use, so no long distance concerns, and being able to bring electricity to the field would be a huge boon. It is really the perfect package.

But I wouldn't buy one for the same reason I won't buy an ICE truck right now: They are way too overpriced — costing around 300% more than the truck I currently have cost when it was new, even though inflation is only 40% over the same period.

chrisBob · 2 days ago

Cost is a concern, and there will be a cost penalty at purchase time for a while. That will impact some people, but there is still a big market for expensive trucks.

chrisBob commented on Ford Has Steered Its Former EV Truck and Plant Plans in to a Ditch 512pixels.net/2025/12/for... · Posted by u/zdw

chrisBob · 2 days ago

Electric pickup trucks are hard, mostly because they need to fill an imaginary, or aspirational use case. More than 99% of the pickup truck miles in the US could be filled by an electric truck with a 150 mile range that people charge at home. But no one will buy that truck because of the desire to take long trips, and potentially tow a long distance.

The driving and ownership experience of electric vehicles is MUCH better, but it is hard to convince buyers to try it out.

chrisBob · 2 days ago

I live in a two car household, and I need one vehicle that is comfortable on long trips, and one to handle truck jobs like hauling brush, firewood, oversized items and 3 bikes. My wife, daughter and myself vastly prefer our electric car (IONIQ 6) around town, but even as a big fan of the car I am still uncomfortable using it on long trips, so our truck (Honda Ridgeline) is still a gas vehicle.

I predict that EV trucks with a range extender will do very well in the US, and will be the catalyst behind the move to electric trucks. Once people get the experience of an electric truck they will love it, but the option to dump in gasoline and drive 400 miles without charging is an imaginary barrier that stops most customers from giving it a shot.

Personally, I would love to see an electric truck that can be charged while driving by an external generator, possible mounted to a trailer.

chrisBob commented on Ford Has Steered Its Former EV Truck and Plant Plans in to a Ditch 512pixels.net/2025/12/for... · Posted by u/zdw

chrisBob · 2 days ago

Electric pickup trucks are hard, mostly because they need to fill an imaginary, or aspirational use case. More than 99% of the pickup truck miles in the US could be filled by an electric truck with a 150 mile range that people charge at home. But no one will buy that truck because of the desire to take long trips, and potentially tow a long distance.

The driving and ownership experience of electric vehicles is MUCH better, but it is hard to convince buyers to try it out.

chrisBob commented on Show HN: I built a dashboard to compare mortgage rates across 120 credit unions finfam.app/blog/credit-un... · Posted by u/mhashemi

JumpCrisscross · 15 days ago

> At a credit union with the process broken down across fewer people the person making that decision is more likely to be able to see that the big picture math still works for a given product

You and OP agree.

Broadly speaking, if you have good credit (or are wealthy) you’ll get a better rate at a bank or mortgage specialist. If you don’t, you’re more likely to get approved at a credit union.

chrisBob · 15 days ago

Credit unions, or small banks are likely to be helpful in some situations. When building our house 8 years ago we had a lot of trouble getting the construction loan mostly because of 1-2 bad comps in our area. One of the big banks turned us down with no recourse with an assessment that included a picture of the wrong lot (a farm field across the street). Another said no one should build a house under 3k square feet, so no to our plan. Our little local bank was able to actually take a look and approve us.

chrisBob commented on Nearly all UK drivers say headlights are too bright bbc.com/news/articles/c1j... · Posted by u/YeGoblynQueenne

Taek · a month ago

I feel the same way in America, I think there should be stricter regulations on how bright a car's headlights are allowed to be for it to be street legal. Wouldn't mind having a cap on blue-light levels in addition.

chrisBob · a month ago

The US has clear regulations on headlights that limit the number of Watts. That worked when everyone had halogen bulbs, but doesn't fit with LEDs.

chrisBob commented on Data centers contribute to high prices as energy bills electrify local politics wsj.com/economy/consumers... · Posted by u/moose_man

chrisBob · 2 months ago

My solar install is scheduled for December. Even if it ends up missing the cutoff for a tax break I still think it’s the right thing to do. The combination of investing in green energy and locking in my effective electric rate is the smart move right now.

… and I heard on Friday that OpenAI is planning a data center 15 miles south of me. That can only make things worse.

chrisBob commented on The Poison Pill to End the MMR Is Tylenol rasmussenretorts.substack... · Posted by u/us-merul

zeristor · 3 months ago

Tylenol Is paracetamol, apparently if you were perplexed like me.

chrisBob · 3 months ago

I spent some time in Germany last year and I couldn't believe that the chemical name is somehow different between Europe and the US.