Agree, but also in those days we just got in the car, possibly on a parent's lap in the front seat, and drove off. But that airbag which didn't exist back then is part of what makes it super dangerous for a baby to be in the front seat these days... Our parents also weren't forced to strap us into bulky car seats either, which really does take a couple minutes when you are juggling 3 and the weather is bad. These days, if you don't do that you risk getting a hefty ticket and getting your kids taken away by CPS So while I agree with you in principle, we also have more regulations to contend with.

Edited to add: We weren't even allowed to leave the hospital after our kids were born without showing them that we had a car seat that was properly set up with the baby inside. I'm sure it's possible, but you'd probably have to go through a few more hoops and sign some waivers.

 

Yes, and I include the overload of regulations in my cynical view of the world. What happened to common sense, personal responsibility and survival of the fittest?

 

As someone older than you I applaud progress and choice. When I was a kid in the 50's we didn't have technology for chats like this and don't feel worse off for their availability.

You are welcome to go camping in the winter or live in a cave if you so choose. But it is enjoyable to have automation, quality improvements and even creature comforts when desired.

Unfortuantely there were others during your youth who died because there was no ABS or Airbags even though you were fortunate.

Before that there were no seat belts or disk brakes. Don't hear many advocating for that.

My 1990 Chrysler minivan was so shoddily built that cold air poured in besides the doors in the winter icing up all the windows. The transmission died twice. Last crappy Chrysler I bought. I use a remote thermostat to control house temperature when away and bring it to normal operating use before returning home.

If my house can be remotely controlled then why not my car?

If you don't want quality cars with high tech you are on the wrong forum.

 

Nobody said anything about being against progress. I have all of that and more. I have a smart home, controlling it remotely and I'm controlling my car remotely. I have Gigabit Internet, work from home, can video conference instead of having to travel etc. That's all good stuff. I'm a computer engineer, so I've made a career in this. You and I grew into technology and we are using it as a tool, at least I assume you do. We also still learned how things work w/o technology. However, there's increasingly technology for the sake of technology that doesn't really solve real problems and instead makes people dependent on it and they can't do things anymore w/o it. Not everything needs disrupting. Gen Z for example seems to be incapable to do anything without their smartphone. It's causing social issues and especially younger girls are aspiring the fake Instagram lives that so-called influencers promote. The ride-sharing companies touted that they would reduce traffic, but they've made traffic worse. Technology doesn't always make things better. There's room for criticism. People die. If they don't die in a car accident due to lack of ABS, they die of something else. The suicide rate among young people has increased due to bulling and peer pressure from social media. There's always something.

 

I'll die if I don't have carplay. Simply.... die. But since I don't know how to operate a key, it makes no difference because I can't get in. My life depends on nannies. I need more. Here's an extra $20,000. Now I can get in my car. Phew.

 

^ Pretty much. The other day three college students wrapped a Cybertruck around a tree at 3am here in a rich part of town the day before Thanksgiving. They were local High School grads visiting home. That car pretty much had all the tech you can get in a modern car, but it also has acceleration and power that these three kids clearly couldn't handle. The truck engulfed in flames. Two died and one survived only because another car happened to follow and the driver was able to pull them out in time. The piece of modern tech that did work, was one of their iPhones detected the crash and automatically dialed 911. But just because we can do and build something, doesn't mean we should.

 

I agree with your points about technology being misused.

But that is not the fault of technology.

Ride share was a great disrupted to the Taxi monopolies. The failure was not recognizing that ride share needs to also be licensed and regulated.

There is always a lag between the emergence of disruptive new technology and society learning how to manage it's application.

Social networks for example should never be allowed to have anonymous participants, and algorithms should be fully transparent. In not it is nothing but a propaganda machine.

Lots of other examples. The problem is never the tech but the application.

 

Oh ya that is true.

 

Looks like "Wall.E" will come true at this point.

 

The problem is reality and the human condition. What you are saying is the same thing as guns don't kill people, people do. The issue has to be recognized. Technology has to be ethical and responsible. Running ahead and breaking things, then ask for forgiveness is not really the way to go. It's all nice and good to say what you say, but for example Uber is fighting regulation tooth to nail. So are other tech companies. Let's be real here.

Bringing it back to cars, it's well recognized that all this tech in cars is making drivers not paying attention to driving anymore. They look at their phones, text, fiddle with the car's touchscreen etc. etc. They do everything but driving. You are not gonna solve that with regulation. It's too tempting for too many people, and the more driving assistance tech is added the more confident people get that if they don't pay attention the car will save them.

 

^^^^ And so it goes. Technology to solve tech problems.
Having spent two, 2-hour highway closures while waiting for emergency vehicles, airlifts and wreckers for Distracted- and Drunk- caused accidents, I just bought dash cams for two cars.
AI is particularly scary. At least Musk is onboard with that fear.

 

Thing is ICE doesn't heat the cabin until the engine is warm since the majority if not all the heat is from the engine. EV wouldn't have that problem but that is a story for another day.

 

As they say, if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Nowhere is that more true than in tech. Many tech bros think they can solve anything with tech, even if it's already been solved, and if there isn't an actual problem to solve, nothing stops them from building a solution anyway in search of a problem.

 

Correct. Plug in Hybrid as well, like EV, provides electric heating, not requiring ICE for residual heat. In the summer it provides cooling not dependent on the ICE.

Great feature.

 

Does a 450e have the same 10 minute time out as an ICE?

 

Forgot about PHEV, my bad.

 

Apparently 55 minutes. I haven't tried it.

 

The message certainly comes up.

 

I think you misunderstood my Musk/AI statement. He agrees that AI is a problem, not a solution.
Check his positions. I take them as thoughtful, not a sledgehammer/uninformed/invincible approach.

 

Or so we thought.
Now you don't have to carry a key, fob, a card or a wallet.

This from my ME app:

November 26, 2024
Mercedes-Benz App Now Available for Apple Watch.

Can't start it, though.

 

Baby steps...

 

They know it doesn't support remote start, I don't think they intend to ever support it. But hey...checking my tire pressure from a smart watch is important! You'll get what we give you and like it.

 

Some people won't buy a car without full screen carplay.
I buy a car for what it does and how it drives.
All manufacturers have their quirky ways about something.

 

It's not a deal breaker. Just seems silly to me that they put so much effort in to the overall package then leave off small bits that are nothing more than an extra line of code.

 

It's likely related to MB's safety emphasis.
They also eschewed touch screens, long after most manufacturers adopted them, Safety again. I agree with that concern.
They also brought Anti-Pinch on windows and sunroofs, so I'll let them have their priorities.
I don't agree with all their strategies, but I can adapt.