HN Theater @HNTheaterMonth

⬐ jamestimmins

This presenter is incredibly entertaining. He seems to strike a nice balance between a classic car expert and a very amused normal person. This was super pleasant to watch!

⬐ tlb

My friend had one of these in the 80s. Even though it was pretty clunky, I've wanted an electric car ever since, but nothing seemed practical until the Tesla.

⬐ oblib

He didn't say how they were sold - dealers - mail order, etc, or how they were marketed.

I don't recall ever seeing one, or even hearing of them, which makes me wonder if they were marketed at all in Los Angeles back then. I wouldn't be surprised to learn they were not.

⬐ jonathankoren

Surprisingly, I found one in Carterville, Illinois back in the early 2000s. It’s the only one I’ve ever seen outside an episode of “3-2-1 Contact” back in the early 80s.

I distinctly remember watching television, seeing a street full of these things and thinking, “Why would anyone want an electric car? They look stupid.” And you know what? The did. Every electric car looked stupid, including General Motors’s EV-1. That is until the Tesla Roadster.

Tesla may eventually flame out in a pile of debt and mismanagement, but Tesla changed the industry by making practical electric cars that looked like cars that someone would want to buy. There’s no going back from that. Kudos.

⬐ oblib

I'm surprised I never heard of them. Any car company startup that sold over 2000 units in a year back then would have been very notable.

I suspect it's because they really weren't a good car for LA which was built for cars from almost the beginning. The hills and traffic would've be horrible for the CitiCar.

And yes, Tesla has changed the industry and has been the only American car company that really has in the past 70 years, which is truly remarkable. I'm still amazed at how much they've moved the entire industry.

I hope they keep on going. What they (we) really need, and I'd expect they're working on it, is a smaller, more affordable car. "A car for the masses", something in the $15-25k range. It won't need any of the self driving functions and 100-150 mile range would be enough for the target market.

⬐ elihu

Cheese Louise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXzcIoq2ing

⬐ pkulak

I can't imagine why electric cars had such a bad reputation until 2011...

⬐ Jarred

My old roommate repaired one of these a few years ago and drove around in it often (in Mountain View). It was a bit impractical because of the max speed (30mph) and range, but fun to ride in once

⬐ dbogue

Interesting to see this car drive through the streets I grew up on in Ferguson, Missouri.

⬐ joshu

i kinda want one. feels like a fun restoration project.

⬐ chrisseaton

Why's he so snarky about it? It seems like the design is intentionally low cost. It's not supposed to be luxury car. Could have been perfect at the time for people who just need to go a couple of miles every now and again. Just an enclosed golf-cart really. What's wrong with that?

⬐ CaliforniaKarl

“All citicar’s Have defroster switches; none of them have actual defrosters.”

It’s too bad he didn’t say why (presumably he wasn’t able to find out), but I think that deserves at least a little bit of snark.

⬐ chrischen

All Teslas have self-driving cameras, but they do not fully self drive.

⬐ underwater

The Wikipedia page says having a defroster button was a federal regulation.

⬐ abbadadda

I think if there was no snark the video wouldn't have been nearly as much fun.

⬐ underwater

Agreed. It seems unfair to judge it for not being a real car when that was obviously not the intent.

⬐ travbrack

He reviews luxury cars

⬐ reddotX

he has a Trabant...

⬐ mymythisisthis

He collects old clunkers.

I wonder if this was Simone Giertz's old car 'Cheese Louise" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXzcIoq2ing

⬐ mc32

It was just good natured fun.

The vehicle is clearly not production ready. Doors which don't have a latching mechanism (apparently use friction to remain closed), poor braking, 3-position switch for acceleration, defroster and AC which are ersatz and provide no function but rather like those "cross road buttons" . Kit cars are probably better quality.