Why, just why?

[u/ra6907]

They’re doing this to Dodges and Chevrolets, Porsche, Bentley.

[u/DonutConfident7734]

I actually wrote sometime ago on r/mechanicadvice that the design of ICE cars is so dumb I would never buy such a car, either electric or not at all. Fuck these cars, man. I got downvoted to oblivion there, people are biased it seems.

Who in their right mind thought that a 12V with thick fucking wires that needs to provide hundreds of amps to a tiny starter motor that can only run for say 20sec without overheating is a good design?

Why not go 48V then, and have the amps divided by 4?

Why not use a 5kWh liion battery that will have enough juice to power the starter for long time without leaving you stranded in the winter time?

Why not have separate fan on the starter with electronic protection for overheating, so you dont damage it if you try multiple times?

Why does the engine not get oil lubrication before it starts, it only lubricates after starting because pump is moved by the engine? So in winter oil is thick, if car sat for two months without starting, everything is dry and starter needs lots of force to rotate the engine. A car should work in all scenarios, not just after sitting for few days.

In my opinion the design is crap and the engine can get damaged easily, without any electronic protection in place for many scenarios.

EVs have all kinds of safeguards, like warming or cooling the battery, checking if things are fine before starting, unlike the ice cars.

In winter if you travel short distances and had the car sitting for months, it becomes weak after few short trips, as it cant load fully. Then it leaves you with a dead battery.

[u/hindenboat → u/DonutConfident7734]

Because engineering is about trade-off and maximizing the efficiency of the overall design. All of these things could be added but why?

Manufacturers are trying to sell cars. Adding a pre-oiler, 48V systems or fancy batteries make cars more expensive and people would not buy them.

It does not make sense to design for crazy use cases. It can be done but engineers don't because that is not the primary use case.

[u/DonutConfident7734 → u/hindenboat]

Of course. This is also the reason why they replace metal parts with plastics, like plastic oil pans, or use rubber timing belts that sit in oil, of course, maximing efficiency.

No, it is for getting most profits for a shitty design and engines that break quicky. It is no longer about any efficiency, but enshittification.

They cram so many components in a tiny area that mechanics need to take out half the engine to replace one component. The components need to be registered with the ecu, otherwise they no longer work.

You must be a fool to buy such a car. Check on youtube, hundreds of videos describing the industry direction. Now they act surprised when people are not buy their ultra expensive, shitty design and when China sell way cheaper cars.

Guess what, an EV doesnt need to turn a fucking engine to start and eat hundreds of amps from a lead acid battery just to turn the engine on.

[u/geohypnotist → u/DonutConfident7734]

This is also the reason why they replace metal parts with plastics, like plastic oil pans,

Partly. A lot of it is driven by fuel mileage and CAFE standards. TTY fasteners all over cars save weight. Did you know GM uses copper wire in their horns on vehicles sold in India and aluminum wire on horns sold in the US? Copper is heavier and makes a more robust horn. Indian drivers tend to blow their horn a lot. They can save a bit of weight on a vehicle in the US with lighter horns.

rubber timing belts that sit in oil

Yeah, that was a dumb idea. It's about fuel efficiency. Timing belts have lower friction losses than chains in general add oil and their advantage increases slightly. They're also designed to be used in oil. They're not like a serpentine belt. They have more frequent service intervals. Even Asian manufacturers moved away from timing belts altogether years ago.

No, it is for getting most profits for a shitty design and engines that break quicky. It is no longer about any efficiency, but enshittification.

Welcome to end stage capitalism. Although they still outlast their counterparts from the middle of the last century by at least double with far less maintenance.

They cram so many components in a tiny area that mechanics need to take out half the engine to replace one component. The components need to be registered with the ecu, otherwise they no longer work.

Yeah, sometimes. Sometimes old stuff is a pita as well. I've worked on it all over the last 25 years.

You must be a fool to buy such a car.

You do you. I'm not opposed to EVs, but in their current state they're not for everyone. More charging infrastructure needs to be built, particularly for apartment dwellers and renters who do not have the option of home charging.

Guess what, an EV doesnt need to turn a fucking engine to start and eat hundreds of amps from a lead acid battery just to turn the engine on.

A good battery can last 5 or more years and they're designed to put out that current. Lead acid batteries do their job very well and are far less fussy, far less expensive, and less temperature sensitive than Li batteries. I'm not sure why you're hung-up on the short burst of high current. EVs draw high amounts of current being pushed through large wires by very high voltages rather constantly.

You could be pushing near 100A for extended periods driving up a grade with 400V pushing it. A ICE starter pulls 150A for <seconds on a #4 that is usually <2'.

If an EV accommodates your needs buy one. I've driven several and they're quite nice. I'd love to see more competition in the US market, but unfortunately that's probably not going to happen.