Retro-electric stuff makes so little sense since it's the worst of all worlds. Part of why Teslas get decent range is the slippery body. I wince every time I see people clamoring for the VW Scout reboot. Rivian too with their 140kwh batteries just to give people that nostalgic body-on-frame SUV look with usable range.

▲

xbar 4 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

Correct. Not sensible at all. Except so much more sensible than retro-petroleum stuff.

Watching my brother-in-law buy a 1971 Chevelle for his 16-year old daughter because she thought it looked cool only to have him sell it at a fat loss 3 months later because she couldn't choke down the gasoline fumes driving out of the school parking lot every day was instructive.

▲

saratogacx 7 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

You don't take on projects like this because you're on a mission to make the most efficient vehicle. Lots of people are paid good money to do that and produce the slip-slugs we have today.

A project like this is to have a fun experience in a vehicle that was never designed to drive with electric qualities. I don't need the most efficient vehicle for my use so I could afford to trade some of that for fun. I'd probably try a Subaru Impreza STi because it would just be a blast to have a car of that size and stature with an electric powerplant under the hood (or trunk, or wherever it fits)

▲

hnav 7 hours ago | parent [-]

90% of the STi's charm is the drivetrain. How would a hacked up STi differ from a model 3?

▲

saratogacx 5 hours ago | parent [-]

Mainly size and driving position. The charm of the AWD and live adjustments would need to be kept around but even without the ol turbo you'll still have a small, nimble, darty car to toss around. Something would be lost in the conversion but balancing turbo lag isn't the entire car. The Model 3 is long, wide, with a big wheelbase compared to, especially the older, STi's.

	▲	hnav 5 hours ago \| parent [-]
		I wouldn't call STIs darty. They're nose heavy and need heavy coaxing with the left foot to rotate. The big wheelbase in the Model 3 is a fair point though. Apparently there are TC/DSC defeat devices and mechanical LSDs available for them now, so I'd expect Model 3s to be rallied more and more as they age out.

▲

toast0 10 minutes ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I want to like the VW Scout, but it's so big compared to IH Scouts.

▲

twothamendment 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I drive by an old Scout that just sits there and wish I had time to update it. It could be a fin project.

▲

tencentshill 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

EVs are still far more efficient than any combustion engine per unite of energy. It doesn't have the density of gasoline, but you're paying a lot less per mile driven no matter how boxy it is.

▲

KaiserPro 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

> Retro-electric stuff makes so little sense since it's the worst of all worlds.

old cars are bastards to drive. I have a softspot for a mark 2 VW golf. But its not fast, the steering is heavy and the brakes are utterly shite.

However, if I had the time and money, I would totally electrify a golf. it would be zippy quiet and hilarious to drive, especially without any kind of traction control.

However it would be fun.

Basically its like vinyl. It is a demonstrably worse format than anything digital(and other analogue formats), however it looks great. Sure you get lots of audiophiles waffle on about "warmth" and shit, but its all lies. they either like it because its how they think things should sound, or it looks cool. It is not a purer warmer sound.

same with backyard steam engines. useless but fucking cool

	▲	tass 3 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Vinyl, for whatever continuing reason, often does sound better than digital formats but only because it’s mastered with more care. It could be that it’s physically impossible to master vinyl for extreme loudness, but whatever the reason is you can absolutely pick up a vinyl copy of an album and find it sounds much better than the streamed or CD version.
	▲	hnav 3 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Wouldn't it be easier to get a Mk2 GTI and put some decent tires, shocks and pads on it? Steering being heavy just means you have to avoid steering at a standstill which can be fun in itself since you're actively working to be more fluid.

▲

e44858 6 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

From the article:

> it achieves 258 Wh/mi — roughly matching the efficiency of an actual Model 3.

▲

olyjohn 7 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Okay so its not perfect as far as efficiency, but isn't it still significantly more efficient than whatever gas engine was in it before?