
Volvo unveils Polestar 2, an all electric Google powered Model 3 competitor - drewg123
https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/27/18241141/polestar-2-specs-volvo-ev-tesla-model-3
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StrictDabbler
I love Volvo but I'm deeply disappointed by this direction. Google's support
record for new initiatives is completely inconsistent with the lifespan of
cars.

Think the owners of Revolv devices were pissed when Google bricked them? The
Revolv was only a couple hundred dollars.

Nobody should buy a Google-powered car without a support agreement, in
writing, that affirms the core functionality of the car will continue to work
as long as the car can reasonably be expected to be repairable.

For a Volvo that _should_ be about two to three decades. Fat chance.

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jwalton
This car checks all the boxes for me - I want a hatchback, I want AWD, I want
all electric, and I want something with the range to get me to the ski hill
and back. But I'm in the middle of trying to remove Google services from as
much of my life as I can, because I'm tired of all the creepy new ways they
find to abuse my privacy.

I just discovered, in my Google privacy settings, that Google has started
compiling a list of all the things I buy by scraping emails Amazon sends to my
Gmail account, and there's no way to turn this off. Creepy AF! And you want me
to let you run the OS in my car? No thanks.

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anth_anm
"google powered" is a really not a selling point for me.

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dmode
This story is a little bit underreported. Not because this is a Model 3
competitor. But because it is launching with a native Android Infotainment.
This is the iPhone moment of the car industry kick-started by Tesla. With
electric drivetrain and battery making car manufacturing is almost a
commodity. Cars now have to rely on advanced infotainment to differentiate
themselves. Tesla didn't outsell BMW 3 series just because it has an electric
car. It is outselling 3 series because it has a 21st century entertainment and
control system. Something that can be continuously updated an improved. If
this trend persists, Google and Apple will likely be the biggest players in
the car industry.

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marssaxman
If only there were some way to opt out. I don't want a goddamn tablet on the
dashboard, I just want a car that works. If it's android-based, it's going to
be utterly Google-dependent, calling home all the time, it'll constantly try
to change itself around according to the whims of Google's designers, and half
of its features will stop working after five years. Please no: do not want.

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rasz
So a Geely EV with flat front and open grille, and Google updates!

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maxbendick
No mention of self-driving?

