EV Stupidity Checklist

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Scope of the “EV Stupidity” Problems

  • Many commenters argue the checklist mostly targets modern car UX trends, not EV-specific traits.
  • Design issues (screens, capacitive controls, powered doors, camera mirrors) also appear in ICE cars, exotics, and luxury models.
  • EVs get more of this because buyers are seen as “tech-forward” and Tesla’s influence is strong.

Physical vs Touch Controls & Presets

  • Strong support for physical controls for lights, HVAC, drive selection, and hazard switches.
  • Touchscreen-mediated basics are seen as fragile, distracting, and update-prone.
  • Some note that digital mediation enables powerful driver profiles; others respond that presets existed long before touchscreens and don’t require removing buttons.

Mirrors vs Cameras

  • Backup cameras widely praised as a safety boon for reversing and parking.
  • Strong resistance to replacing rear/side mirrors with camera-only systems.
  • Concerns: depth perception, focal accommodation for older eyes, failure in salt/mud/rain, added failure modes, and inability to “move your head” to change viewpoint.
  • Some say modern cameras offer vastly better coverage and that resistance is mostly habit.

Electronic Door Handles, Locks, and Charge Ports

  • Deep concern about electronic-only door releases, especially in crashes or fires; referenced incidents where occupants were trapped.
  • Mechanical overrides are seen as essential; some point to regulatory constraints (e.g., child locks) affecting rear doors.
  • Powered charge-port doors and screen-only glovebox releases are viewed as unjustified complexity.

Glass Roofs

  • Polarized reactions: some love the light and “airy” feel; others hate heat, cold, fracture risk, and hail vulnerability.
  • Complaints that some EVs make glass roofs mandatory or tie them to critical options (e.g., heat pump).
  • One argument: glass roofs enable lower roof height and better aerodynamics, improving range.

Climate Control Behavior

  • Many want simple, predictable fan and vent behavior; auto systems are seen as fussy and mismatched to rapidly changing in-car conditions.
  • Others claim they set a temperature and never touch it, expressing confusion at constant fiddling.

Standards, Safety, and Model Examples

  • Calls for regulation/standardization of core controls, mirrors, and lighting.
  • Several EV models are cited as largely meeting the checklist with conventional controls.
  • Desire for robust separation of critical systems from infotainment and for added sensors (ultrasonic, lidar) alongside cameras.