If only, all I did was type it. That’s an English translation of an essay from Roland Barthes’s Mythologies.

You, Wkiernan, have produced a review of a vehicle that is almost, within a hair’s breath, as awesome as Charlie Jane Anders’ review of Transformers -

But a major difference is, the Clarity is an curious novelty but not a practical industrial product. Whereas Citroën managed to sell something like two and a half million of the DS cars. The DS was supremely practical; the only reason it didn’t outsell other ordinary high-end sedans is simply because most car buyers…

I say we send Matthew McCona... McConaugh...
THIS GUY.

Giving credit where it’s due, that twin-turbo 400 horsepower V6 in the Q50/Q60 is very good. It’s the best thing about those cars. And a real shame it hasn’t been used in other applications, like a new Z.

It’s not exactly that it’s ironic... it’s that having one is like a little clue that you know ugly looks aside this thing drives amazing. then you get the nice hatchback rear, too, for extra practicality. It’s not just irony. It comes all the way around.

Completely agree. This would free up OEMs to develop all sorts of interesting interior, chassis, and exterior design goodness (perhaps gimmicky at times, but bring it!  let the market decide).

Haven’t seen them. I originally thought of a place like Loves, Pilot, Super-J etc, since they have things to do (even take a shower) while you wait for a charge. But as Spaceman points out, they would need a TON more charging stations than they have gas pumps because of the charge times. And back to the infrastructure…

In any case, ICE as it is just isn’t sustainable forever. The sooner we all accept that, the better off we’ll be.

You seem smug. What if there are other reasons beyond fear of range or fear of change? You even hinted at one. They’re expensive, more than thrifty versions of Corollas or Mazda3s. People probably can’t justify the extra cost to get into an EV. Additionally, automakers have been making these vehicles (and other…

There’s also the upfront cost. While most Americans obviously aren’t going to require the full range of their gas tank for 99% of their trips, paying substantially more for a noticeably less capable vehicle is off-putting. Why pay more for what’s still in many ways a downgrade when current technology meets your needs…

The only thing keeping me from buying electric is the cost of the car and the cost of electricity. In the Northeast our rates are high, which dulls the savings. Add to that the fact that a moderate hatchback (bolt/leaf) vs equivalent gas car is a $15k-20k premium, and I'll be buying gas for the foreseeable future.

The average consumer has no idea what’s under their hood or who made it. They want it to work, be cheap to run, and be powerful and they don’t care how that’s done. The biggest compliment engines usually get are about them being smooth and quiet which are hallmarks of electric motors.

Handling and suspension tuning have nothing to do with what’s powering a car. Dynamics, packaging, design, luxury features - plenty of ways to make a car different even if the motor is the same.

Semi’s I think will take just as long as personal vehicles. But I can see them going in stages. Autonomous Semi-trains between major hubs and a human takes over for “the last mile” portion of the delivery. That I can definitely see happen in the near future.

I don’t disagree that it’s going to be further down the road than initially expected, I also don’t think any company is going to give up. I continue to doubt the viability of replacing the individual owned passenger car with one, but more the commercial applications like you mentioned.

Neutral: