
Byton unveils futuristic ‘smart’ car - tooba
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-42599345
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sveme
Considering that smartphone use is now the number one cause of accidents in
Germany [1], I'm pretty sceptical that a rich interactive touch interface
without haptical feedback is the right thing to use to control a car. At
least, until autonomous driving is fully developed.

[1] [http://www.sueddeutsche.de/auto/strassenverkehr-tod-durch-
ti...](http://www.sueddeutsche.de/auto/strassenverkehr-tod-durch-
tippen-1.3777316) (in Geman)

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jasonmaydie
how is this any different from the giant ipad in tesla models?

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sveme
I do believe that one is critical as well, and I'd really like to see some UX
videos of drivers using that thing. Ideally with eye tracking.

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vvanders
Do you ever change the radio while driving? It's about the same level of
involvement. I haven't found it to be a huge issue in the ~2 years I've been
using it.

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phkahler
>> In front of us is a huge display that stretches out across almost the
entire dashboard.

One thing all these tech people keep forgetting is that the driver is supposed
to look out the window. I like to use flying as an analogy. Legally you only
need 3 instruments to fly a plane in VRF conditions, you're eyes are supposed
to be looking out the window. I think the same is true of cars - you primarily
need a speedometer and gas gauge. Everything else is optional and distracting.
This idea of an expansive touchscreen spanning the whole dashboard seems
absurd. It looks cool, but what's it for?

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jjtheblunt
typo : VRF -> VFR

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Shivetya
Two items for me.

first, how do they deal with the steering wheel air bag? Which way does the
screen flip if it does at all? What are EU requirements for air bags?

second, i have seen this before where a company implies that Tesla or anyone
else needs to open up their stations. I am still waiting for the first city,
state, or country, to declare such and just force the issue. That we cannot
seem to get everyone on board for the same plug this will have to be resolved
within the next few years one way or another.

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tensor
It continues to blow me away that every single electric car outside of Tesla
is built to look "cool" or "futuristic" instead of simply looking like a good
car. I suspect that a lot of Tesla's success is that their cars look "normal."

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saturdaysaint
This looks like a slightly fashion forward 2018 vehicle IMO. I would call it
an upscale Honda HRV with design cues from the Tesla 3 and Chrysler Pacifica.

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retSava
"Fearing the car may be spotted and shared on social media, the company
insisted on an indoor drive"

...and let's BBC film and publish a report on the car. Doesn't add up, what's
the real reason to not driving outside?

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jasonmaydie
The walled garden charging network looks like it may be a problem in the
future, why hasn't an independent entrepreneur started setting these up and
charging money for them? Why haven't gas stations caught on to provide 1-2
charging stations?

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HeyLaughingBoy
Consider the usage of a typical gas station parking space. People park, go buy
their snacks, cigarettes, groceries, etc., and are gone in 3-6 minutes.
Usually the spots are used by people who are not buying gas. Those people
leave their car parked at the pump while they shop.

Now you want to dedicate one or two of those parking spaces to charge a car
that will be there for 30-60 minutes.

The only way that will be profitable is if the fee to charge your car is at
least 10x the average amount a customer spends. Otherwise, what happens is the
parking spots fill up and prospective customers go elsewhere and offering car
charging actually causes the station to lose money.

OTOH, restaurants offering charging spots could be a moneymaker because now
there's a reason to keep customers there longer, and longer stays will
generally mean they buy more.

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illegalsmile
At least out west I notice a lot of the gas stations on major interstates have
plenty of extra room on the peripheries of their lot that could be turned into
charging parking spaces. This is where I see the majority of drivers charging
their vehicles on a long trip. Once you drive into the city these lots become
a lot smaller and are designed for exactly what you described which makes
charging more difficult.

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659087
Ahh yes, a massive touch screen right in front of someone operating a multi-
ton vehicle at high speeds. What could possibly go wrong?

So smart.

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r00fus
Reminds me of that iPad+Velcro fanmade-commercial (where the guy sticks velcro
on the steering wheel).

[0]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__ZYWtcGeTY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__ZYWtcGeTY)

