Are Cars Just Smartphones on Wheels? The Driving Soul Debate
www.carsandhorsepower.com
Cars are evolving into “smartphones on wheels” with apps, updates, and subscriptions. But are we sacrificing the soul of driving for digital convenience?

For over a century, the automobile has represented freedom, power, and the thrill of mechanical mastery. The connection between driver, machine, and road defined what it meant to own and love a car. But in today’s digital era, a different trend is unfolding. Cars are no longer just machines designed to take us from point A to point B. Increasingly, they resemble something else entirely: smartphones on wheels.

  • bluGill@fedia.io
    1·
    1 day ago

    As an owner of one (PHEV) I’m saving nearly $200/month in fuel. That is much more bigger than maintenance. I hope this lasts as long as the last one but the transmission isn’t known to be good (the “better” transmission on the last one was failing) Only time will tell, but so long as I need to drive I the question is how much I spend in a lifetime and electric has proven it to me.

    • CallMeAnAI@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      1 day ago

      I love PHEVs, but not for saving money.

      If you’re spending that much in gas at 30 mpg at $3.16 then you’re driving 22,000 miles a year. Almost double the national average.

      You’ve also likely spent at least $6k on an engine, but typically it’ll be at least 10k more expensive than the base model. For most people, in most cases, you buy the PHEVs because you get a great around town experience, without the charging fears, and usually better power overall.

      Maybe there is a specific model you’re thinking of where the economics are better but you really need to be driving a lot of miles and own the vehicle a long time before you are saving money. If you’re doing 40 miles a day 300 days a year you’re talking a 6 year payoff in a highly charitable situation where the PHEV is 7k more than the base, and the base is only 30mpg. I’m not even sure that exists in the US.

      I’m not sure what any of this has to do with the slate. Is there a 27k comparable PHEV truck?

      • bluGill@fedia.io
        1·
        1 day ago

        my phev is a minivan which I bought used for 25k. The only ev minivan in the us is 60k (just came out so used not available. Those are the real numbers, the engine prices you quote are irrelavent as I’m not buying an engine I’m buying a camplete vehicle.

        nothing to do with the slate, the conversation has drifted. The slate is not available at anyprice today, though it looks like an interesting option in the future.